Monday, February 22, 2016

Bump Date | 34 Weeks with Sophia

I decided to document our pregnancy as a way to get all my feelings and emotions out and to later look and remember this beautiful time in our lives. I hope you enjoy if you decide to follow along on this life changing journey.

I definitely felt a little bit more energy this week so I'm betting those iron supplements is what I have been needing. Although I have some energy back, I am still tired if that makes any sense? I am just ready to have my body back and to be able to cuddle and hold my babygirl in my arms but no worries I won't be rushing her no matter how bad I want her here.

I don't know if I said this in a previous post or not but I feel I am as ready for labor as can be, the human body is a wonderful thing and created so perfectly that I trust my body will do exactly what it needs to for Little Love to arrive here safety and because I have that mindset, I think it will makes things a little easier (of course, when I am actually in labor, it may be a totally different story so I will definitely keep you updated on that).

We also noticed Little Love is poking out a whole lot more, it literally happened overnight. And this little girl has not slowed down a bit; my pregnancy app and books that I have read says the movement slows down at this point because of lack of space but that is not the case here. I feel she moves so much more and with more strength. It sometimes feels like she is trying to push herself out!

Maternity Shirt (similar) | Maternity Slacks (similar) |

Pearl Necklace (similar)

As you can see, I found a little inspiration this week for my outfits. I took Sunday evening to plan ahead for the week and not only did it make me feel great being "dressed" up for work but it made it so much easier getting dressed in the mornings so I may have to keep this pre-planning up.

Basic Maternity Tee | Maternity Crop Jeans |

Sandals (similar) | Statement Necklace (similar)

Maternity Shirt (similar) | Maternity Jeans |

Sandals (similar)

Maternity Relaxed Tunic Tee | Maternity Jeans |

Flats (similar) | Statement Necklace (similar)

Basic Maternity Tee | Maternity Jogger Pants |

Nike Flip Flops

The only complaint is none of my shoes fit except flip flops as you can see that is all I wore this week however they do not leave much support and make my feet swell more. Any suggestions?

Friday, February 19, 2016

Anniversary Weekend Getaway | Austin

Posted by stormieariel

Anthony and I were planning to take a babymoon before Little Love arrives but the only weekend that was available for us to do so would be next weekend however we asked our doctor for permission and she suggested we stay in the Katy and surrounding area because of how far along we already are in the pregnancy so this leaves me reminiscing about our anniversary weekend getaway to Austin last April and figured I'd share some of the details and pictures of things we did while we were there.

We decided to go to Austin because of the Hamilton Pool Reserve that is actually located in Dripping Springs, approximately 40 minutes outside of Austin. I was looking on Pinterest years ago of places to see and when I saw how close this was and doable (budget wise), we started planning our trip immediately.

Since Austin is only a little over 2 hours away, we decided to drive and who wouldn't with gorgeous field views like these

We stayed at the Best Western Plus as Anthony gets a discount with his job and we were overall pleased with our stay. The attached bar didn't hurt as we took a night to get a few drinks and people watch.

Our first night in Austin was our actual anniversary date so we splurged for dinner and ate at Wink and we indulged in the 5 course Chef's tasting menu. It was delicious but I have to admit, I was still hungry afterward, each course was only a bite size.

Our hotel offered free breakfast so after enjoying that the next morning, we started our adventure to Hamilton Pool Reserve.

It was absolutely breathtaking, I shed a few tears taking in all of God's wonderful creation. Afterwards, we headed back to Austin and enjoyed lunch at Hut's Hamburgers. AMAZING. That's all I have to say.

While enjoying the pool, we were referred to check out the Congress Avenue Bridge to see the largest North American Bat Colony. It was within walking distance, so we enjoyed a nice stroll to the bridge to see what all the fuss was about. And it was worth it, get there a little early if you want a nice sitting and seeing area.

On our last day in Austin, we did what I think anyone should do when visiting Austin; we visited the State Capitol.

We also took a day trip to San Antonio on the way home after visiting the Capitol, although it was a bit out of the way but I'll save that for another post! It was just so nice to have that time together during our anniversary weekend without any worries and only focusing on each other, I hope it's a habit we keep especially now that our alone time will be limited once we welcome our baby girl, it sure is to make each moment alone more special and meaningful.

How do you mamas and daddies find time for each other with children? Do you have weekend getaways or only date nights?

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stormieariel

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Pregnancy Routine Tips & Tricks

Nighttime Routine during Pregnancy

Posted by stormieariel

In my 33 week bump date post, I mentioned my nighttime routine and decided I would go into more detail of what I actually do most nights to help get my body ready for bedtime. Some nights my routine works wonders and other times it is a complete fail but it is what kinda sorta works for me however I am open for more suggests!

Shortly after dinner, I begin to run my bath water while I use the restroom. Once I am in the tub soaking, I watch my subscriptions on YouTube and this will last for about 20 to 30 minutes before I get restless.

At this point, I enter the shower (I only soak in the tub and do not cleanse while in the tub because its hard to wash my hair so just imagine the whale found on the Galveston shore) and do my shower thing, self explanatory I think. I exit the shower and dry my body off and wrap my hair in the towel, apply deodorant, moisturize my face and clean my ears. I personally don't feel dry even after drying off with a towel so I will sit in front of the fan for about 20 or 30 minutes, sometimes less. After I feel dry enough, I remove the towel from my hair and begin my nightly hair routine.

I than go to the restroom again and will begin the winding down process of getting comfortable. During this time, most nights, Anthony and I will do our relaxing techniques we have been learning in our birthing class which is basically me in a comfortable position and he rubs me down making sure all my muscles are relaxed (before we started this, I use to do yoga poses and stretches which also helped with my restless leg pains, I just have been to lazy to keep up with doing both things but I think I should start my yoga back up). Once I start getting restless again, Anthony gets ready for bed while I go to the restroom again and I will attempt to fall asleep.

Side Note: I try to go to the restroom multiple times before actually attempting to fall asleep to prevent waking up so much during the middle of the night however if I don't drink enough water (I typically drink 3 bottles and that seems to be the right amount for me) during the day, I try to drink at least 1 bottle an hour before bedtime and that will keep me going to the restroom all night but I don't feel dehydrated waking up. So it's best for me to drink my water throughout the day, way before bedtime, so I only end up getting up once for the restroom in the middle of the night.

And that my friends is my nighttime routine, it typically takes about 4 hours to do but I do everything at a snail pace and sometimes things come up in between each stage like taking dogs out, playing on my phone, working on blog stuff or ebay stuff, etc.

What did your nighttime routine look like when you were pregnant? And what is it like now as a parent? Any tips for this mama to be?

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