Weeks 20-21!

Dates: March 2-8

Baby is the Size of a: banana (approximate length and weight: 6.5 inches crown to rump, 10 inches head to heel, 10 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: I'm feeling thrilled that I got to see the baby this week! I had my 20 week anatomy scan and saw a healthy, very active little BOY! He was no where near as shy as his sister was. It's always fun to see him moving on the screen while feeling him move from the inside. Very surreal. Sadly, Dan wasn't able to join me. Z got a little stomach bug after Mexico and so he had to stay with her while I went to the appointment. That was pretty sad, but I think Dan will get another chance to see the baby later in the third trimester.

Physically I'm feeling OK. I've been feeling a lot of aches and pains (mostly round ligament and back pain). I am really making an effort to take it a bit easier and stop the pain before it gets too bad.

How I'm Changing: I'm very clearly pregnant now, which is always a fun milestone to reach. Sometimes I feel like my stomach is getting so big, but then I remember what big really looks like. I've still got a ways to go!

What I'm Eating: I just want sweets all the time, which is to say I'm back to my old self. Also, my work makes an avocado sushi that is outstanding. I've been loving that!

What the Baby is Doing: I am feeling the baby's movements higher, so it's clear to me that he's growing and moving up. He is just as active as Z was!

20 week scan!

Dates: March 9-15

Baby is the Size of a: carrot (approximate length and weight: 10.5 inches, 12 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: A little freaked out about labor. Yes, I know that I've already been through it once, but I think that makes it even worse--I know what's coming. We had a hospital tour this weekend which is why I'm thinking about it more than usual.

Other than that, I'm feeling good. We had dinner with some friends this week who are due a week behind me. It's fun to swap stories with someone who is going through the same things as I am.

Best moment of the week was Saturday morning when I had Dan and Zahara feel the baby kick for the first time. Zahara reacted in the best possible way: she got really close to my belly and said, "Hi baby brother. I'm your sister Zoey." Is that amazing, or what?

How I'm Changing: Belly is definitely getting bigger and is starting to get taut. I'm seeing a couple of very light stretch marks above my belly button, right where I had one last time.

What I'm Eating: Nothing too unusual. We had steak this week though and it was delicious!

What the Baby is Doing: Baby does not stop moving!! It's almost distracting at work!

Read about my first pregnancy:
My Pregnancy
Week 20
Week 21

Harrogate Reunion Trip

Nearly a year ago my family planned a vacation to Mexico. It was going to be a week of relaxing on the beach drinking pina coladas while my parents and sister played with Zahara. Dan and I planned a special kid-free lunch at a restaurant nestled in a jungle only accessible by boat. Sounds lovely, right? Sadly, it didn't quite work out that way. Due to Zika virus, I had to cancel my trip to Mexico. Rather than sit at home and mourn my lost vacation, I truly made lemonade out of lemons by planning a trip to Harrogate!

Baby's first plane ride: 18 weeks pregnant

It's been a year and a half since I'd seen my friends back in England and I missed them terribly. If not for this unexpected bonus trip, I honestly don't know the next time I would be able to see them all. I feel so lucky that this all worked out as it did.

I've mentioned the yoga mums before, but I really can't say enough about these girls. A group of eight of us have been friends since our kids were in utero. I have literally watched their kids--who are mere days apart from Zahara--grow up. Thanks to the power of technology, we've been able to keep in nearly-daily contact. Because of that, from the moment I arrived it was like nothing had changed. Except for the two new babies and three new bumps, of course!

The second I mentioned my plans to come to Harrogate, I felt an outpouring of love that literally brought me to tears. People were fighting over who would host me! Can you imagine? We mapped out the days so that I would get to spend the most time with the most people. Basically, it involved talking, eating, and watching the kids play. It was heaven. Here are some of the highlights:

The Kids
These kids! I cannot believe how big they are. I realize that my own daughter is exactly the same age, but my last in-person memory of these kids is from before they could walk or talk. Now they are little people with amazing personalities and imaginations.

Betty's
Betty's is one of my all-time favorite spots in the world. There is just something about their tea that can make everything right. I crave their scones, and I've never seen Welsh rarebit done anywhere like it's done at Betty's. I love this place so much that I went there four times in my six days!

Cream Tea!

Welsh Rarebit

Friends
The real highlight of the trip was spending time with my friends.

Ripley with yoga mums

Royal Bath Chinese

Betty's with Becky and Chloe

The yoga mums put together a little "mummy shower" for me on my last night. We had virgin mojitos, had a fantastic dinner, and played fun games.

In addition to my yoga mum friends, I also saw some good friends from other circles. I spent a wonderful Sabbath dinner in Leeds and got to see my friends and their one-week-old baby! 

I have several American friends who still live in England (though many are moving back this summer, yay!). Tom offered to make his world-famous cinnamon buns and have the whole group over. Sadly I was having too good of a time to take many pictures.

Well,this turned in to a novel. I think it's clear though that I have the best friends in the world. I can't wait until our next reunion!

Things I Love: Bai Bubbles

I'm not a big fan of carbonated water. And, I don't really drink a lot of cokes (sorry--soda for non-Texans). But, the other day my co-worker suggested I try this drink called Bai Bubbles. I reluctantly gave it a try, and it is AMAZING!

It tastes like Dr. Brown's Black Cherry--a drink that I absolutely love. Dr. Brown's immediately makes me think of Passover. It's kind of a weird connection, I guess. But growing up we didn't drink a lot of cokes. The one exception was during Passover when all health rules went out the window. I guess the thought was that if we can't eat bread, we might as well eat all the sugar! Ha!

Bai Bubbles only has five calories and no artificial sweeteners. It's sweet without being overly so. I actually got sad half-way through the drink because I knew it would be coming to an end. I don't see this as an every day drink for me, but I definitely plan on grabbing a can every now and then.

There are a ton of other flavors too, but this is the one that looked best to me. Have you tried this before? What do you think?

As always, this is not a sponsored post. It is just truly a product that I found and love. 

Weeks 18-19!

Dates: February 17-23

Baby is the Size of a: bell pepper (approximate length and weight: 5.5 inches, 7 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: 

How I'm Changing: I'm definitely getting bigger, but I'm in that weird stage where my regular clothes don't fit and maternity clothes are still a little big. I have to try everything on each morning to make sure it still fits. It's been really annoying as I am trying to pack for my trip to Harrogate. I am planning on just bringing maternity clothes rather than risk a chance that I won't be able to zip my pants.

What I'm Eating: Now that the nausea has passed, I'm not craving carbs as much. I won't turn down a bagel, of course, but it isn't that immediate need like it was before. Now I'm back to my regular diet.

What the Baby is Doing: I am feeling the baby's movements higher, so it's clear to me that he's growing and moving up.

Dates: February 24- March 1

Baby is the Size of an: heirloom tomato (approximate length and weight: 6 inches, 8.5 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: Awesome! I have definitely hit my second trimester burst of energy. I LOVE this stage. I feel great and happy as I'm watching my bump grow. I was pretty concerned how I would hold up on my trip to Harrogate, since the agenda was non-stop action. I felt great though and didn't even feel any jet lag.

How I'm Changing: I'm definitely getting bigger and baby's kicks are getting stronger. I was in the bath this week and saw my stomach move for the first time. That was really exciting! I hope that in the next couple of weeks Dan will be able to feel the baby too.

What I'm Eating: Yorkshire tea, scones, crumpets, Welsh rarebit, and all the Cadbury and Nestle chocolate I can get my hands on. Can you tell I was in England this week?

What the Baby is Doing: It feels like the baby is line dancing in there. Lots of kicks and turns.

Read about my first pregnancy:
My Pregnancy
Week 18
Week 19

Weeks 14-17!

In an effort to catch up on my pregnancy posts, I am condensing a few of the weeks into one post. I'll do the same for the next couple of weeks until I'm up to speed, and then will hopefully post weekly.

Dates: January 20-26

Baby is the Size of a: lemon (approximate length and weight: 3.5 inches, 1.5 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: Still nauseated, but having a blast in all of the snow!

How I'm Changing: I notice that my body looks pretty different, but I think it's still unnoticeable from the outside--especially if I'm not wearing maternity clothes.

What I'm Eating: Still craving carbs...bring on the bagels!

What the Baby is Doing: Still moving!

Dates: January 27- February 2

Baby is the Size of an: apple (approximate length and weight: 4 inches, 2.5 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: I'm feeling a little sore, to be honest. Last pregnancy I had symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), which caused significant pelvic pain toward the end. I'm a nervous that I'm already feeling similar pains and I have so much more of the pregnancy to go. I got a prenatal massage this week, and that really helped. I plan on getting a monthly massage from now on.

How I'm Changing: still growing,

What I'm Eating: nothing too unusual. I'm always thirsty though.

What the Baby is Doing: The kicks are getting more consistent and stronger. I feel them most when I'm laying on my back in bed at night.

Dates: February 3-9

Baby is the Size of an: avocado (approximate length and weight: 4.5 inches, 3.5 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: Pretty good! The nausea seems to be subsiding, for which I am so thankful. We also interviewed our first daycare provider for the new baby, so even though it's early, it is starting to feel real.

How I'm Changing: This weekend we went to a James Bond-themed cocktail party hosted by my graduate school. I was worried I would have nothing to wear, but thankfully my cocktail dress with an empire waist worked perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that when a drunken party-goer accidentally bumped in to me, he apologized by telling me how fantastic I looked (though not quite in those words). I'll take it!

What I'm Eating: Nothing too special. Now that the nausea is subsiding, I'm craving carbs less.

What the Baby is Doing: Moving so much!

Dates: February 10-16

Baby is the Size of a: turnip (approximate length and weight: 5 inches, 5 ounces)

How I'm Feeling: Excited to go to Harrogate, England in a couple of weeks! I was supposed to go to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my mom, dad, sister, Dan and Zahara. We've been planning this vacation for ever, but unfortunately I had to cancel due to the Zika virus outbreak (Zika is most dangerous for developing fetuses). Instead of just sitting at home while everyone else had fun, I decided to visit my friends in the UK. I can't wait!

How I'm Changing: If I'm wearing fitted clothes, my bump is starting to be more noticeable to outsiders

What I'm Eating: I'm back to loving sweets, which is both a good and bad thing.

What the Baby is Doing: Lots of movement.

Read about my first pregnancy:
My Pregnancy
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17

Catching up on Pregnancy Posts: Week 13

Dan, Zahara, and I are so excited about this new little baby. As I did with my last pregnancy, I'd like to keep a journal of the changes I was feeling from week-to-week. Unlike last time though, I now have a full-time job and a 2 year old to chase after. Therefore, these updates will be a lot less "Pinterest-worthy."

Dan and I have known about this pregnancy for a while now. We found out really early--around 6 weeks. So it feels like I've been pregnant forever, but we really haven't told too many people. We told our families at our Fakesgiving in December, because it was just too great of an opportunity to pass up. Our whole families were there--parents, grandparents, in-laws, cousins. There aren't too many chances for such a joyous celebration.

This week we had a really great ultrasound! We had an early one at 6 weeks (which was crazy...so tiny!), but on this one you could really tell it is a baby. Everything looks great!

Dates: January 13-19

Baby is the Size of a: peapod (approximate length and weight: 3 inches, 1 ounce).

How I'm Feeling: Excited to be in the second trimester, and hopeful that some of the symptoms I'm feeling will subside. It completely took me off-guard how nauseated I am all the time. I didn't have any morning sickness with Zahara, so this was all new to me. I know it could have been a lot worse, but riding the metro for more than two hours a day when you feel like you could throw up at any second is not a treat.

I have also been feeling really tired. I know this pregnancy is different than my last: I'm three years older; I have a 2.5 year old; and I have a full-time job. But, I am surprised how much harder it seems already. Sorry to sound like a Debbie Downer. I know it will get better and I'm excited for that!

How I'm Changing: I think my body is reacting faster to this pregnancy than the last. My stomach already looks different to me (including my poor belly button that is definitely going to be an outie sooner, rather than later). It's not obvious from the outside though and it's pretty easy to hide at work.

What I'm Eating: Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I don't know if it is because I'm feeling so nauseated, but all I want are bagels.

What the Baby is Doing: This week I started feeling kicks! It's funny because I felt them around 13 weeks with Zahara too, even though it's pretty early. Both pregnancies have been posterior placentas, which makes it easier to feel movement. It's very light and inconsistent so far.

Approximately 6 weeks

12 weeks

Read about my first pregnancy:
My Pregnancy
Week 13

Galentine's Day Cookie Swap

Though I am not a huge fan of Valentine's day, I am a fan of friends and cookies...I mean, who isn't? So, in the tradition of Leslie Knope, my friend Erin and I hosted a "Galentine's day" cookie exchange.

I love cookie exchanges. I know they aren't for everyone because they do require quite a bit of baking (or buying), but the reward is so great. You get to take home SO MANY COOKIES!! Of all different kinds! And none of the calories count.*

This year's exchange was such a success. We had six wonderful women (and one adorable baby) join the festivities. 

We kept the menu very light: cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, and lots of cookies! It is physically impossible for me to throw a party without champagne, so we had some bubbly (along with non-alcoholic cider and sparkling water). Coffee and tea rounded out the offerings.

Now, on to the cookies. These were seriously some of the best cookies I've ever had:

• Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 7-Layer Bars (with and without nuts)
• Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies
• Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins
• Spritz Cookies
• Snowy Bonbons
• Homemade Thin Mints
• Maryland's Famous Berger Cookies
• Blondie Bars

Click here for some of the recipes featured at the exchange.

*Not technically accurate

Read about previous cookie exchanges:
Festive Cookie Exchange
Cookie Overload