Shop The Post: Maternity Dress {I wear this every single week} // Jean Jacket // Sneakers {Old but New Versions Here} // Sunglasses // Lip Balm
I don’t know where the time’s gone but next week we’ll be in our third trimester. Didn’t I just tell you guys we are having a baby!?!
Even when I had zero interest in having kids, I loved hearing pregnant people’s cravings and how it affected them. All in all, it’s been a really great run. But there’ve been some tough moments I wasn’t expecting too. Read on to find out my latest cravings, our exact due date, what I think we are having and more!
Worst Part
At the very beginning of my 2nd trimester I felt overwhelmed, highly emotional and just wanted to cry allllll day. Hormones guys. They are NO JOKE. I was so irritable and even MEAN at times! Thank you Sean and family for loving me no matter what. I didn’t feel like myself and there was zero reason behind it. Even though I knew in my brain that everything was fine, inside I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t snap out of it. As a result I was very attached to Sean & Larry and didn’t want to see anyone. We even left our Labor Day family reunion early because I couldn’t handle it. Luckily, after about two weeks, I woke up and I felt 100% back to normal. But between the third trimester coming, breast feeding and giving birth – I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I feel this way. Any tips you guys have for dealing with hormones and emotions, please let me know!
The second thing that took me by surprise is feeling sad it will no longer be just me, Sean and Larry. Although we can’t wait for Baby Reg’s to get here {I’m counting down the seconds I’m so excited!}, it’s insane our lives will NEVER be the same ever again. And you can’t ever go back. I felt the same way before I got married too. Marrying Sean was the best day of my life but part of me was sad to let go of the living by myself, flying by the seat of my pants, you can decorate however you want period of life. The closing of chapters just makes me feel nostalgic, especially when they are big ones like having a kid. A lot of you told me you’ve felt this way about other things too – like moving, graduating, getting married, bringing another kid into your family. So nice to know I’m not alone!
Best Part
Physically, I’ve felt incredible and we’ve had some AWESOME milestones I will never forget! I’ve worked out a few times, no more nausea and I’ve been going about life per usual.
Our 20 week ultrasound was SO COOL. Guys! There’s a real live human inside of me that moves and everything. HANDS DOWN the best part has been feeling the baby kick for the first time. Sean just recently did too. We’d been trying to get him to feel something for a couple weeks but every time he’d put his hand on my stomach Baby R would stop. When he finally felt it, it was like winning the lottery.
The love we’ve received from friends and family has been so overwhelming it brings me to tears just thinking about it! So many text messages and calls just asking how I’m feeling. We’ve been showered with gifts. I’ve had friends send me their favorite pregnancy/parenthood books. Our parents have been over the moon helpful in ways I can never repay them. Girl Meets Party sent me the cutest pregnancy survival kit. Friends and family have given us some of their items they no longer need. Our family surprised us with a mini baby shower over Labor Day Weekend. Four of my friends are planning a shower for me. We are seriously the most blessed parents-to-be ever.
We also got a few big ticket items {crib, stroller, and highchair} and my mom is getting her old baby chifforobe refurbished for us by MegMade! The nursery is all painted and ready to be decorated, so I plan on making some major progress in the nursery department – which I can’t wait to show you guys!
Cravings
Basically, desserts are the key to my heart. Donuts. Cookies. Cake. Key Lime Pie from Wildfire. But I’ve had some cravings that are all over the place and quite specific. Here’s just a sampling…
- Pumpkin Spice Honey Nut Cheerios: Blew through an entire box in a matter of days. Did I mention I don’t eat cereal?
- Sour Candy: I once drove to Seven Eleven at 3 PM for Sour Patch Kids.
- Thinly sliced American cheese: It HAS to be American. Going along this same line, I can’t get enough of Chick Filet’s chicken sandwiches – but they HAVE to have American cheese. Sean forgot to add the cheese once and I was really annoyed. {For better or worse Sean…for better or worse.}
- Fruit: Especially Honey Crisp Apples. I was having three a day at one point.
- Love oatmeal.
- Any sort of toast with BOTH butter and jam: One is not good without the other.
Pregnancy Brain
Soooo pregnancy brain is a real thing. Didn’t know about this lovely side effect until I became pregnant. Basically you just don’t remember things. Here are a few of my favorite moments to date…well, at least the ones I can remember. Haha!
- I keep calling tri-mesters, semesters. What am I in…college or something?
- Sean and I went out to dinner a couple weeks ago. We placed our orders, they took our menus. The waiter came back 5 minutes later to refill our drinks and I started to order again. Sean had to stop me and say “Nicole, we already ordered!” Whoops!
- I asked my friend if she’d seen Crazy Rich Asians yet. Guess what? I went and saw it with her two weeks earlier. Luckily she’s cool and let it slide.
- We just got back from Newport, Rhode Island and I kept calling it Portsmouth. I don’t even know about Portsmouth or where it’s at.
Due Date, What I Think We Are Having, What’s Super Weird & Save The Date for Monica & Andy – Dec. 1st!
We are due February 15th and we aren’t finding out the sex. So people keep asking us what we THINK we are having! I feel like it’s a boy, so I think it’s a girl. Does that make sense? Haha. We refer to it as “it” “he” and “she” but we have no idea.
The one thing I can’t wrap my brain around is that there’s a human being living inside my body. And not only that, but that a living thing as big as a Barbie Doll can live inside of you and you would just have no clue. Like, what if a snake was living inside of you and you didn’t know? Gives me the shivers! The only reason I know is because we have doctors and now I can feel it moving. Why no one talks about how bizarre and insane this is, is beneath me. But I guess we’ve been doing it for millions of years so I’m just going with it.
Lastly, we are still working out the details, but save the date for a fun Event I’m Hosting with Monica & Andy in Oakbrook on Saturday, December 1st! It will be a pregnancy couples event for the holidays and their stuff is the BEST. I love buying baby gifts from there and it’s the “cool spot” to shop and take your babies if you live in Chicago.
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Hope you guys enjoy these semester trimester updates. Only one more to go! I know this was a long post – but I want to be able to look back and remember all these details I will someday forget. P.S. I slept with a pregnancy pillow for the first time last night and it was a big hit….with Larry {our dog!}. He hogged the whole thing so I didn’t even get to reap the benefits. Haha. It’s legit like having a full sized person in bed with you. I’ll try again tonight and have to give Mr. Larry a talking to!
A huge thanks to Paige for snapping these pics.
