Bump Update: 27 Weeks

 

The last couple of weeks have been busy to say the least! This weekend, in particular, was exhausting enough to toss this bump and I in bed (where I am now with the ball of fluff featured above) at 4:00 on this lovely Sunday. A long week followed by party prep for my husband's 30th birthday celebration we had yesterday, followed by family obligations, followed by sending out shower invites and registering, followed by an achy back and now, swollen right foot, certainly called for some laziness and bed-bound-ness! But before I drift off into an on-and-off napping and watching the Oscars routine, here are our latest pregnancy updates:

Weeks Pregnant: 27 weeks + 3 days

 
 

Baby Size: Baby boy is about the size of a head of cauliflower (14.4 inches head to heel) and approximately 2 lbs. My baby apps each say his hearing is mature enough to recognize mom and dad's voices now! <3

Weight Gain: Gained another pound this week making my total 13 lbs. at this point! Seems like I'm now making consistent gains.

Symptoms: The lower back aching just does not want to quit! It's such an odd feeling, more so towards my butt bone than in my back. I do know that the longer I'm on my feet, the more achy I get. I've had a cold for quite some time now that doesn't seem to want to go away. Lots of hot tea with honey has been great for a little instantaneous relief. As for the aching back...you guessed it, still bouncing on the ole' stability ball and stretching as much as possible. It feels fantastic in the moment and for a little bit afterwards. ;)
 

Attire: Nothing new here, stretchy pants and loose sweaters/tops. I'm still wearing wedge booties to work daily as they really are what's most comfortable for me at the moment!

Exercise: With this icky cold taking a toll on me it's been difficult to work out as much as I would have liked to over the past couple weeks. Never does a morning go by however, that I don't engage in a brief yoga practice followed by a mini meditation session. For the cold I did just recently read somewhere that a couple tablespoons of lime juice in some water does wonders. Of course I'm going to test this out this week and update with any positive outcomes!  

Movement: Movements are pretty consistent throughout the day, but we did have a little scare last week! I woke up one morning with stabbing, sharp pains in my left side and wasn't feeling little man move at all. Panicking, of course, I called my doctor who ordered a urinalysis. By the time I got there it was lunch and all labs were closed until 1:00. With the pain increasing and little man still not kicking, I had to make the choice between waiting an hour (and freaking myself out with negative thoughts the entire time) or just going to the hospital. I ended up choosing the latter and they ended up admitting us for monitoring. Sure thing, as soon as those monitors were put on my belly Finn started doing his regular acrobatics! I was so relieved to feel and hear him inside me that I didn't even care about the pain, which turned out to be just some round ligament stretching (it took a dry-cath and other testing to rule out infections and get to that conclusion, yay). Of course I was a little embarrassed about going in, but all the nurses were lovely and assured me that many women do the same when pain arises. I mean I don't know the difference between "good" pain and "bad" pain, I'm a newbie with pregnancy! In my mind pain = not good. Since then the pain has subsided and movements are again consistent, he just must have been a sleepy little guy at the convenient moment of me having those side pains. I will say, it's so amazing how the movements have gone from one central location in the middle of my lower belly, to feeling them on my sides, up near my ribs, AND in the lower belly simultaneously. :) Finn seems to be most active in the morning, John gets woken up with giggling from me sometimes because of the sensation!

Missing: Getting through the day without any aches (you bet they're worth it, though).

Cravings: Fruit and a lot of water. I feel as if I could drink gallons throughout the day and still be thirsty! Oh, and cheese has been a big one lately.

Sleep: Sleeping continues to be a challenge. The frequent getting-up-to-use-the-bathroom effects of pregnancy are back once again! I still just can't sleep comfortably on my sides for long periods of time either, a lot of shifting happening.

Mood: Pretty consistent this week. Excitement and just joy as we're getting closer and closer to meeting our human! I was feeling pretty tired again though (and like I said a nasty cold has been kickin' our tush) so early bed times have been a necessity.

 

Birth Plan: I've been doing a lot of researching lately on breathing techniques and other habits to get in to now that are beneficial for the labor process and giving birth naturally. I am realistic with the fact that I may have a plan to give birth as naturally as possible, but that things happen. Any way our little human arrives on this Earth will be a beautiful, beautiful, experience in our eyes.

What I Am Loving: Just knowing that in less than 13 weeks, we'll be snuggling our sweet boy. <3 Ohhhh and the fact that our "babymoon" to Mexico is ONE week away!

Here's a little Valentine's Day bump photo from last week (not much has changed size-wise in the belly since then).

xoxo
Kelsey

Why Chaos is Welcome

 The Simple Life…doesn’t it sound intriguing? So desirable, that “simple” life. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve shunned my cat out of sheer jealousy that she was able to exhaust herself throughout the day via napping. If only I could eat, sleep, poop, and be snuggled on a daily basis with no other responsibilities.  Chaos has taken precedence in our lovely little world today. Full-time jobs, caring for five fur-balls, renovations, daily duties of cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping (etc.), and of course, growing a precious human. It all takes a toll at some point. Right? How many times a day, week, hour, do we sit here and wish that we could somehow, in some way, relinquish any financial responsibilities and just live a simple, minimalist life. Delve into a life that’s nothing but travel, napping when we want, crafting all day long, gardening, ignoring our phones that are consistently vibrating in our pockets, living peacefully, quietly,  and doing it all without a care in the world. Sounds wonderful, eh? The question is, would we really seek such peace and simplicity, crave it, want it as badly as we do if there wasn’t chaos in between these moments serving as the antecedent to such a desire? Something tells me I don’t think so. Trust me when I say there are no words to express the joy and peace I experience while practicing yoga, vacationing with my husband, napping, or engaging in some deep, mindful meditation to bond with my bump. I find myself daydreaming about my next brush with such a feeling while at work or in the midst of other chaotic, overwhelming regularities throughout my day. But as I said, would I truly crave it as much if it weren’t just a small, beautiful part of my day but rather a large, do-it-anytime-I-want part of my day? Would living so simply just become another routine? The truth of the matter is this: if I were able to live this wonderful, free-bird style life, I wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I do now when I actually DO have an hour or so to experience the euphoria of it. It wouldn’t be such a sought-after rarity in my life anymore, it would just be routine. Without the chaos, what would drive me to want the peace, to want the travel, to need the simplicity? Surely, peace and simplicity can’t become yet another aspect of our lives that we take for granted. With that being said, we welcome chaos in our lives. We welcome overwhelming work weeks, the feelings of not having enough time, coming home to large piles of dog crap after just scrubbing the floors, stressing about what bill comes next or how we’re going to be paying off my student loans for a vast majority of our lives, the endless loads of laundry, to-do lists, and whatever else seems to add to the chaos of every day. Because without it, the peaceful and simple times just wouldn’t be so remarkable anymore. 

What's Happening @ Week 25

Well a lot has certainly been going on in the Laskowski household this week, construction is a movin'! Right now we're waiting for our kitchen cabinets to arrive/be installed and for the drywall guy to come and do his business. Until then, our first floor is off limits. Our kitchen is now emptied except for the refrigerator and our microwave has made it's way to the basement for now. We're popcorn eating fools so there's no way we were ditching that microwave for good just yet. Today our floor-man came in to give us an estimate (going from the natural hardwood floor stain to a dark walnut) which was great...just means we're getting closer and closer to getting this reno DONE. I still can't get into baby Finn's room until walls and floor are complete which won't be for about another month, which of course is pulling at my heart strings. But, all in good time. When someone's renovating there's always a goal for time frame, but we all know 99% of the time that goal needs to be flexible (bendy, eh?). As for the bump, here's what's been going on:

Weeks Pregnant: 25 weeks + 1 day

 

Baby Size: Finn is about as heavy as a rutabaga (1 and a half lbs.) and about 13 and a half inches in length. According to Baby Center his  hair has both recognizable color and texture. Right now his biggest job is packing on that baby fat that I just can't wait to pinch (in a gentle way, of course)!

Weight Gain: Gained another pound this week making my total thus far 12 lbs. It's beginning to feel like I'm carrying a bowling ball in front of me.

Symptoms: Dry skin! I don't really know if it's the babe or the icky winter weather that's the cause, but boy am I flakey all over...and that's WITH the 5 pounds of coconut oil I slather on daily. For reinforcements, I'm now coating my skin in a nice layer of Bio-Oil as well which does seem to be helping. I'm still experiencing low back ache, but bouncing on the stability ball and yoga/stretching do wonders for immediate relief. Still no swelling or stretch-marks, but heartburn... ah, the heartburn. That symptom has been showing it's face quite regularly lately. Usually towards the end of the night though and nothing that a few Tums can't handle. Finally, bloody noses have made a comeback but only mild, so NasoGel is a must in my life right now.

Attire: Aside from work, the comfier the clothing the better. Still living in leggings, baggy sweaters/t-shirts and sneakers when at home or during the weekend.

Exercise: Work was insane this week so my exercise was compromised (sleep took precedence). But still yoga, walking, stretching, and barre workouts. Here's a link to the prenatal barre DVD I brought up last week that does wonders for those with a bump!

Movement: Still tons of movement, but not as much as the weeks leading up to this which had mom and dad worried! Doctor said it's just because he's running out of room in there to give full-blown punches and kicks. What I'm feeling now is a bit more slow, but pressure as if he's rolling from one position to another.

Missing: Putting my shoes on without gasping for air afterwards.

Cravings: FRUIT and hot pretzels were my go-to's this week.

Sleep: I slept a little bit better this week than the last! Still tossing and turning but starting to make myself comfortable in that left-side position.

Mood: I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a bit hormonal and stressed this week. But aside from that, happiness. :)

Birth Plan: This week I made phone calls to local companies that do placenta encapsulating! Judge me if you wish, but that amazing organ that's giving life and nutrients to my little human right now will be consumed by me after birth. The placenta will be dehydrated  and then encapsulated so it'll be like taking a daily vitamin, not baking a potato and eating it like a steak dinner.

What I Am Loving: How much rounder my belly is in just a week. The continuous love from those around us. Shopping for the sweetest, tiniest, most adorable little man clothes. I mean, there's not much I don't love about this experience!

Bump Update - 24 Weeks

Weeks Pregnant: 24 weeks + 1 day

Baby Size: A little over a pound and as long as an ear of corn. And, according to BabyCenter, my uterus is about the size of a soccer ball at this point.

Gender: BOY

Name: Finn Aloysius Laskowski <3

Weight Gain: 11 lbs. I was only at a 6 lb. gain 2 weeks ago, meaning I gained the other 5 in just two weeks. Our little human sure is growing quick!

Symptoms: Super aching lower back, but bouncing on a stability ball and stretching do wonders for the discomfort! Branch-like veins up my torso and chest are more and more visible each day. No swelling or aches anywhere else though (yet!). No signs of any stretch-marks yet, but I continue to drink A LOT of water and slather on the coconut oil.

Attire: A few maternity tops and some pants for work, but I continue to wear my regular clothes (with the help of extenders for my jeans) and essentially live in leggings and baggy t-shirts when at home.  I tend to get charlie-horses pretty often so having a bit of a heel helps, so wedges or sneakers are my go-to's for shoes!

Exercise: Yoga, stretching, and walking as much as possible. The breathing techniques in yoga are just so relaxing and comforting, I know that continuing with it will be beneficial for when I'm in labor. I also love Suzanne Bowen's Slim&Toned Prenatal Barre workout DVD...it's very low impact but don't let that fool you, I'm out of breath after the first few minutes! This isn't really a workout, but like I said earlier I tend to bounce and rock on a stability ball a lot when at home and in our living room. It feels so wonderful on my hips and lower back!

Movement: SO much movement! I absolutely love feeling him move around in me. My belly takes on multiple shapes in a matter of minutes these days. :) I feel him the most first thing in the morning (such a beautiful way to start my day) and late at night when trying to fall asleep. After a good stretch or yoga session he tends to go crazy in there as well!

Missing: Honestly, I'm really not missing too much of anything. Of course I'd like an occasional glass of wine, but not that badly. Inversions in yoga are starting to be a challenge so forearm and handstands I do kind of miss, but headstands I still feel pretty comfortable in!

Cravings: Still just want as much fresh fruit as possible! But nothing out of the ordinary or anything that I crave excessively.

Sleep: I love it...but can't seem to sleep through the night at all anymore. I wake up quite a few times due to the discomfort in whatever position I'm in. I make an effort to sleep on my left side, but tend to wake up in a pretzel or halfway on my belly which I know is not that great. Hopefully I get it figured out soon!

Easy Beauty Treatments: At Home

There really isn't anything better than a little pampering to make you feel all refreshed and rejuvenated. Unfortunately, regular trips to the spa for facials and treatments to get such a feeling just isn't in the cards for many of us, myself being one! I've always been a DIY-er, not saying that things always turn out the way I want (I have an extensive list of Pinterest and DIY fails), but I'm always willing to give things a whirl. Not only are these at-home beauty treatments absolutely WONDERFUL, but they are essentially fail-proof. Not to mention the ingredients can be found amongst things you already have stocked in your kitchen. Since there's nothing but dust and chaos from the construction going on at our house, I headed to my mama's and recruited her to test this goodness out with me!

Cocoa & Coffee Facial

The first thing we jumped into was making this face mask consisting of coffee and cocoa. Apparently these two ingredients are quite the dynamic duo. Not only do they brighten your skin and give you a glow, but this particular mask is supposed to decrease puffiness as well. We added an egg white to this recipe which helps to tighten skin and minimize pores, and used goats milk instead of yogurt because of its' calming and nourishing benefits. What to do:

-4 Tbsp. ground coffee: anything that's finely ground will work, so ground up espresso beans, instant coffee, etc.

-4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

-2 Tbsp. honey: all natural is best!

-8 Tbsp. dairy: This could be unflavored yogurt, whole milk, almond milk,

coconut milk, or as we used, goats milk! Obviously the yogurt will provide you with a thicker consistency though.

-1 egg white: remember this is optional, but based on our experience I highly

recommend adding it!

Now throw it all in a bowl and mix it up good! (We warmed ours up in the microwave for 15 seconds just for a little added "ooooh" when we slathered it on our faces).

This is what you'll end up getting if you do everything the exact same as us. Consistency was somewhat runny and it smelled like cake...therefore it took every ounce of resistance from my pregnant, hungry self to not take a spoon and dig in!

We just used our hands and slathered it on while over the sink. Make sure you have clean skin before applying! We left the mask on for about 20 minutes, you'll notice it dries on your face pretty quickly and you'll get an instant "tightening" sensation from the egg whites too! When you're ready to take it off, make sure you use a warm washcloth and pat your skin as opposed to rubbing, otherwise the coffee grounds will serve as an exfoliator and you might end up with redness.

Results:

Ohh yes, everything it was supposed to do. My 25 year-old skin and my mama's 50 year-old skin (sorry for the age call-out mum) both felt and looked wonderful once we took this puppy off. Not only was our skin super smooth, but we got that brightening effect and had less noticeable pores/fine lines! Success!

Essential Oil Sugar Scrub

In the midst of hanging out with cake on our face we decided to start on some good ole' scrubs. The first is an essential oil scrub, which means you can tailor this recipe to use any of your favorites (just make sure the essential oil is pure as to not irritate skin)! What you'll need:

-1 1/2 Cups raw sugar

-1 1/2 Cups pure granulated cane sugar

-1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. soybean oil

-10+ drops essential oil: Try not to go overboard, but you can add as little or as many drops of the essential oil as you'd like! We made 2 batches and put 10 drops of Lavender-TeaTree oil in one, and 10 drops of Lemongrass oil in the other.

Now mix it all up and enjoy! My hands now feel like silk, really.

Brown Sugar & Vanilla Scrub

Just like the cocoa-coffee mask, it again took every bit of willpower in me not to eat this.

 -2 Cups brown sugar

-1 Cup pure granulated cane sugar

-1 Cup soybean oil

-1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Again, mix it all up and dig in (with your hands, not mouth). Just as a side note, each of these scrub recipes filled about three 8 oz. jelly jars, so share some with friends and family or stuff in one big container for yourself!

That was it for our self-pampering today. But keep an eye out for more at-home beauty goods and ideas!  My mom makes killer soy candles and all natural soaps as well so I'll eventually be putting a link on here as to how you can get your hands on those!

  

Pregnancy Up Until Now (22 Weeks)

Today we are already a couple of days past 22 weeks pregnant...when did this happen? At this rate, I feel as though I'll blink and already be snuggling our precious little human! As much as I cannot wait for those moments, I truly am trying to embrace and cherish every little second of this pregnancy. After all, you're only pregnant for the first time once. We plan on having at least a couple more children and I know each pregnancy will bring different experiences, but, as I said, you're only pregnant for the first time one time. Which means experiencing those flutters in your belly for the first time ever, knowing what it's like to have boobs 3x their normal size and looking like road maps from the extra blood supply for the first time, being terrified due to not knowing the difference between growing pains and "trouble" pains, making the mistake of YouTube'ing natural births, seeing your husband's face when he realizes there really is a human in there, receiving endless compliments and love from complete strangers, walking up a small set of stairs and then having to take a knee due to fatigue, experiencing a legit rollercoaster of emotions for the first time, and just...ah, so many more firsts. I know there are an abundance of more firsts to come, but here are some of my experiences so far:

Trimester 1

It sounds strange, but I really did know I was pregnant as soon as it happened (no, this is not a First Response ad). My body just felt...different. Here it is, Labor Day weekend, and I'm already fixing myself NA Bloody Mary's and emptying beer cans only to fill them back up with water because of my pregnancy hunch. We were spending the weekend with my in-laws and surely they would have suspected something had I not had beverage-in-hand. Fifteen days and 12 pregnancy tests later, it was a sure thing. My husband and I were over-joyed. Well, there actually isn't a word in existence to even remotely describe how we felt. The first month or so I was feeling great, it was pure bliss. I was still exercising and practicing yoga on a daily basis and had a ton of energy, we even made it out to Colorado for a visit with friends and hiked in the glorious Colorado mountains. Fast forward a few more weeks...what happened. From the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep I felt as though I had the world's worst hangover. Never did I vomit (surely I probably would have liked to for some relief), but was nauseated beyond belief. I had so many food aversions I ended up losing a little bit of weight, and with ZERO energy I was not exercising/yoga'ing like usual. I was, however, beginning to feel a 'bloated' sensation. There was an endless supply of saltine crackers on my desk and I was slamming water and orange juice to get an ounce of relief. My doctor finally prescribed me some Zofran for the nausea which only helped for a couple of hours at most, so I stopped taking that. We also discovered that I had quite the Vitamin D deficiency, so I began taking 4,000 IU of D a day in addition to my prenatal. I absolutely tried staying as positive as possible and was still overjoyed to think of the miracle that was occurring in my body, but holy Hannah! What made it even more challenging was getting through the day feeling like I did and not being able to tell anyone about it (our immediate family knew early on but we didn't begin telling others until about 10+ weeks or so). As the 2nd trimester neared closer and closer, each week began getting better. I'd only be nauseated once every three days or so instead of daily, and I was actually starting to gain a little weight. Here is a photo of me at 10 weeks thinking that a teeny bump was emerging ( I think I was hallucinating).

Trimester 2

We made it!! That's all I could think. Now I was "free" to tell whomever I wanted of this miracle inside of me. Just like many women, I was sucked into the notion that telling anyone before the 2nd trimester was not a good idea. My advice now...tell anyone you want and as soon as you want to. I think it would have been much easier getting through those nauseated times if more family/friends knew of our little secret. Anyway, things were going fantastic. The only strange thing to happen this trimester thus far was the nosebleeds (and I mean gushing) on a daily basis...but I'd take that over nausea any day. I began experiencing more of those tear-worthy firsts I mentioned earlier and was actually starting to get a bump! Though, it wasn't noticeable until around 15-16 weeks. My energy finally came back enough to where I was able to exercise and practice yoga regularly again at around that time as well. I began feeling flutters at around 17 weeks and we found out that our little human is a BOY at our 18 week ultrasound (he was not shy).

 Four weeks later and I have quite the noticeable bump. Now, I am feeling more "punches and kicks" as opposed to flutters. I still exercise regularly (but not intensely by any means); however, I'd be fooling you if I didn't say I was in bed by about 8:30-9 o'clock each night. My appetite is in full swing and I am totally soaking up the compliments and congratulatory remarks from strangers!

At 22 Weeks:

Sex: It's a boy!

Appetite: Oh it's there.

Cravings: Anything refreshing: fruit, olives, pickles, orange juice.

Weight Gain: 6 lbs

Energy: Good! But...getting as many Z's as possible.

Mood: Happiness. 

Exercise: Mostly yoga and stretching.

Sleep: Getting it. Starting to get a little uncomfortable unless in certain positions.

Nursery: House is under construction, but John is working hard at getting it done so I can get my eager fingers on that room!

Body: Skin/hair/nails all great for the first time ever. Belly is a stretchin'.

Stretch Marks: None. But boy am I vein-y...looks like branches coming up from my lower region!

Creams: Nothing special, I slather on coconut oil daily.

Renovations + Pregnancy

John and I have lived in our humble abode for a little over 7 years now. I must say, it is quite the charming home. I've always been one for character and a little history when it comes to houses and definitely not the sleek/modern type, though there's plenty of beauty in those kinds of homes too. For the longest time John and I discussed moving and possibly building new after we got hitched. However, in bringing it up multiple times post-wedding, we just couldn't fathom the thought of leaving the place we built our lives into! We have a beautiful yard with lots of trees and acreage which is wonderful for our animals and a growing family, not to mention a pleasant neighborhood that's in close proximity to both of our families. With all this goodness, we decided that staying here for as long as possible (I mean, lifers) and renovating was the best decision for us.

We had put a lot of work into it already to make it as cozy and 'us' as possible these past 7 years...but there is still a lot of work to be done. As I had said, our home is quite charming, but quite old. With old homes comes the closed-off rooms, coved ceilings, narrow hallways, ancient wiring/electrical work, plaster walls....you get the point. With the arrival of our sweet, sweet boy fast approaching, we knew we had to get going on the renovations ASAP to avoid chaos and dust with a newbie in the house (plus, we all know it would be impossible to sustain motivation to work on a house when there's a perfectly good baby around to snuggle). With that being said, the wrecking bars and hammers were brought out and walls began crumbling down. My husband, being the do-everything-himself type of man, is currently doing just that....almost everything himself, with the help of family and yours truly of course (I'm hormonal and sometimes taking a hammer to a wall just does a little something for me). The first thing we wanted to accomplish was making our first level more of an "open" floor plan where we can see the kitchen from the living room, and getting rid of those dreadful coved ceilings that just make your home look so teeny and broken up. John has also re-wired and installed some lighting in our living room so far (our living room has only been lit by lamps in the past). The ultimate plan is to add a master suite off of the back of our house once first-floor renovations are complete.

With both of us working full-time throughout the week and appreciating our mellow time in the evenings, that left only weekends open for renovation work. Working only on the weekends has made things pretty challenging for us, especially since we decided to begin this project during the holidays. Add family gatherings, work events, and other pre-planned functions to the mix and we've only had approximately 3 weekends since the end of November to get things accomplished with the house. Half of our home is blocked off with plastic to keep dust from getting everywhere and we're living primarily in our room upstairs and in the basement for the time being.  It hasn't felt the coziest in our home these past couple months, to say the least. I mean, during Christmas time I did have a faint view through the plastic 'walls' of our Christmas tree, complete with an inch of dust piled on top of each ornament. I haven't been able to get my desperate hands on the nursery either as it's part of the first-floor renovations, and ohhhh is that killing me. I feel like we have made so much progress, but oh, is there so much yet to do. We've got engineered wood beams coming in next week and some dry-walling will also begin...and next up, tearing down our entire kitchen! Some may say renovating while expecting is stressful and far from a good idea, but I say it's simply putting my "bendy-ness" and ability to live flexibly (literally) to the test. :) The photo below is me and baby in his empty nursery that's going to get all new walls, ceiling, lights, etc.. I will be posting renovation photos and progress as we go along!