26 Weeks Preggers... 14 to go!

I have been so bad about  updating this.  Sorry! 

BUMP... 26 Weeks!  Lucie wanted to be in the pic too. :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of baby: Eggplant... at our ultrasound last week he was measuring at almost 2 pounds!  We've come a long way since the poppyseed at 4 weeks!  :)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Since becoming pregnant I lost approx 13-15 pounds and at 26 weeks I have finally gained it all back.  And... can you believe my jerk of a doctor told me I might be gaining TOO much weight! 

Maternity Clothes: I have several maternity dresses that I wear often.  I can still wear my pre-pregnancy pants with the bella band, but it's not very comfortable.  I do love showing off the bump, so I have been opting for form fitting shirts instead of the "tent" shirts.

25 Weeks... visit to Boyd's Orchard

Gender: TEAM BLUE!  We've had a few ultrasounds since the gender determination one at 16 weeks and there is no doubt Baby H is a boy.  He proudly shows himself at every ultrasound.

Movement: This kid never stops moving!  I LOVE IT!  Pregnancy has been really miserable rough, but those kicks/punches/rolls/dance moves are the best feelings in the world! 

Sleep: Getting better at sleeping on my side.  I still have to make several trips to the bathroom through the night, but am able to get back to sleep quickly.  I usually go to bed around 9:30 and sleep til 6:45ish.  Haven't experienced much tiredness during the day, but that is probably b/c I get so much sleep at night.  I really hope that doesn't change.

What I miss: I gave in one day and ate Jimmy Johns... it was fabulous!!!  I miss being able to eat spicy foods.  They make my heart burn so badly!  No amount of Pepcid or Mylanta help!

Cravings: All of a sudden I have a sweet tooth!  One weekend morning I had to get out of bed, drive to Kroger in my pj's (t-shirt and sweats) and get a box of Fruity Pebbles.  I then proceeded to eat half the box!  Yummy!!!

Symptoms:  Still have all the symptoms from before, but have learned how to manage it better with medicine and diet. 

Best Moment this week: Every time I feel him move is the best moment!

BIRCHBOX - August

If you love trying out new beauty products, you need to subscribe to Birchbox!  Each month you receive, in the mail, a cute box with 4-5 deluxe samples of beauty products for only $10/month!  I imagine the company spends all of that $10 on the beautiful packaging.

 Here is what August's Birchbox looked like and what it contained...

1. June Jacobs - Papaya Purifying Enzyme Masque... it smells really good!  I haven't tried it yet, but I haven't met too many face mask's that I didn't like.

2. Ouidad - Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel... if this works, it would definitely be something I would purchase.  I typically straighten out my curly hair b/c it can get pretty frizzy, but if this stuff works, I could wear it curly more often, meaning it would take shorter time to get ready in the morning and my hair would be less damaged from the flat iron and blow dryer.

3.  Shaveworks - The Cool Fix... I am giving this to my husband b/c it smells too strongly of mint and makes my stomach turn.  Since being pregnant, I can't handle minty tastes or smells.  I even have to use children's toothpaste.

4.  Smashbox - Photo Finish Foundation Primer... probably my fave product in the box.  I have already used it a couple times and love it!  It makes my skin look more smooth and my pores less visible.  

5.  Twistband - Hair Elastic... These are a hot item now, but I just don't see the point of having a big knot stick out the side of your ponytail.

The best thing about Birchbox is that each month I get to look forward to receiving a  pretty package in the mail with products that I can use to pamper myself... something that I will get to do less of when my little babe gets here in 3.5 months.

If you are interested in subscribing to birchbox, go to their website, register, fill out a survey about yourself (skin/hair type, beauty interests, etc.) and choose whether you want to do a month by month or annual.  If you want to know more about it before you sign up, there are a ton of video blogs on youtube about it.  Just search for "birchbox august 2011" and you can see what other people got.

Baby Moon in Miami

For those of you who haven't ever heard the phrase "Baby Moon" before... it the last vacation a couple takes before their family of 2 becomes a family of 3.

I had my heart set on taking a baby moon, but had been so sick up until a few weeks before that we weren't sure if we were going to be able to go.  I really wanted a nice, stress free trip to the beach before baby came and our trips became all about hauling baby equipment around and life-size cartoon characters.  Not that I don't look forward to traveling with our little babe eventually.  :)

Anyway... the flight to Fort Lauderdale (by myself... Jason was already there for a conference) was smooth.  Thank goodness!  I was so nervous about the possibility of getting sick on the plane.  Thank you Zofran!  Once landing, I met up with Jason and our friends, Mona and David, for a fun day at the beach.  

Virgin Pina Colada

The next morning we had the best breakfast I've ever had... french toast and ham at The Floridean.  Prior to the trip, my "morning" sickness had caused me to have a limited appetite.  That all changed the week of the trip.  I became a bottomless pit!  

 

 

 

I devoured all but 2 pieces of the french toast!

After breakfast, we headed to Miami for the rest of our trip.  Jason found us an awesome condo on 1st Street in South Beach for less than $150 a night.  That is unheard of in Miami... the Hilton hotel that the condo was in charged over $300 a night.  My husband is awesome at finding vacation deals!

View from our condo in South Beach.

We had a great time in Miami, with near perfect weather, but honestly, it isn't a place I would want to come back.  Traffic was horrendous!  It took us an hour to drive 10 miles away.  The city wasn't as upscale or clean as I imagined it would be... neither were the people.  Plus... it was too hot to walk anywhere, so you had to drive or pay for a cab.  We spent most of our time on the beach... which was fabulous!  I totally rocked the bikini, since currently I am all belly.  It's actually really cute.  I do have some baby bump pics on the beach, but I'm not brave enough to let those go public.  :)

Our last night in Miami, taken on the beach, minutes before a nasty storm rolled in.

Baby Bump - 21 weeks.  How cute is this cover-up?!

We did take an afternoon/evening and drive down to the Keys.  We were on a mission for Key Lime Pie and found some at a great beach side fishers market and restaurant in Islamorada.

Driving to the Keys... water on both sides of the road.

 We are lucky to have great friends, who kept Lucie for us while we were gone.  Here is a cute pic of Lucie and Willy on their way to the dog park.  Something tells me she didn't miss us too much!

Now that this vacation is over, I can't help but start thinking about the next vacation sometime next summer or fall.  Hmmmm... where to take a 6-9 month old????

The Help

I loooovvvved this book!  It isn't the type of book I normally read, but I had heard so many people talking about it, so I decided to give it a shot.  Immediately, I was hooked and finished it in no time.

I normally don't like movies after I have read the book, but I gotta say... the movie looks pretty good from what I've seen.  I'm a big fan of Emma Stone and think she will make a great Skeeter.  It comes out on August 10.  For those of you who haven't read the book... go get it today and believe me - you will have finished it by the time the movie comes out!  It's THAT good!