O'Baby: Maternity Pictures

Hello! Still here and still pregnant. Currently 39 weeks 1 day and feeling every extra ounce and every possible emotion. Excitement. Apprehension. Fear. Impatience. Concern. Loss of control. Thankful. Joyful. Ready to meet our kid. Not ready for life to change. And everything in between. 

Mama B is coming down tomorrow and Sportyspice is heading this way Friday with my niece. Baby is due the day after my birthday [WHICH IS MONDAY, what?!] and I've always thought it would be wonderful to have a baby for my birthday. But, we all know baby knows best so I'm trying to hope and pack my patience at the same time. 

One way I've distracted myself is pouring over our maternity pictures I took when I was 36 weeks. I hadn't planned to take pictures [justifying the money was tough] but the photographer, who is a friend, had an incredible first year package so I said "what the heck?" and just went with it. She was increidble efficient and had a great eye for pictures and allowed Le Husband and I to be ourselves [he hates photos] which was helpful. I knew we didn't need a full hour for our pictures and when she suggested a split session with me doing fitness pictures I was thrilled. Never thought of that [which is so weird] and I'm grateful for her awesome idea. I love the pictures from both sessions and am having a hard time picking WHICH ones to buy. Let me know your favorites!

ALL PHOTOS PROPERTY OF PINKPERSISTENCE AND ADARA EVENTS & PHOTOGRAPHY

What I Want To Remember {March}

We MADE IT! 36 weeks, aka technically term. Obviously a safe birth can never be promised, but all of my doctors have told me 36 weeks is the GO time where they would feel comfortable with baby making an appearance. So YAY! Hello, 36 weeks :)! 

Things I want to remember:

+ Making it to 36 weeks. Seems silly, but there is still so much unknown about birth and why women deliver early and why there could be complications so I'm thankful to get to the 'safety zone' persay. Baby could come at any time now and it wouldn't be a bad thing. HOLY MOLY!

+ My surprise baby shower with Le Husband's family. He and the rest of his family had me convinced I was helping them pull off a surprise party for his mother, but ha, joke was on me. It was such a sweet lil shower and I felt so loved. We also got our carseat and stroller which had me thrilled!

+ Getting my Mommy Mobile. We did this quite a bit later than expected, but sales people were stupid so whatever. Le Husband found a great deal and drove the car from Ohio last week. Not going to lie, I'll miss the zip of my lil sports car, but this is quite possibly the best reason to get a new car, right?

+ Our mini BABYMOON in Chattanooga last weekend. Since Le Husband drove the car down from Ohio after a work trip, his car was at the Chattanooga airport and obviously we couldn't just leave it there. So, we packed up Friday afternoon, drove my sports car for 15 hours south [YAY SPEEEEED], had a delicious dinner, walked around town and stayed the night in a hotel as our last lil get away. The next morning it was breakfast, easy chill time then drove home to get other things taken care of on Saturday. It wasn't much, definitely nothing compared to what most people do for a BABYMOON, but it was still a sweet perfect trip. Our LAST lil trip just the two of us. 

+ My last full weeks of work. Next week is it, y'all. I'll be working days here and there in April, but nothing I HAVE to do and I honestly can't wait. The past two months have been a lot harder on my body than expected and I'll be so glad to not HAVE to be on my feet for seven to eight hours a day. Maternity leave is ALMOST HERE!

+ All the changes with my body. They aren't fun, but they are necessary. Belly is SOOOOO big. Thighs have gotten bigger. Feet are now really tired and hurt. Not a lot of swelling, but a bit. I've gained 29 pounds and I can feeeeeel it all now, especially in my back. Sitting, standing, laying down, I feel my low back. Scheduling another prenatal massage for April to get some help. I can also see the plumpness in my face, too. All good things for baby, so I'm not complaining, just noticing, ha. 

+ People in my fitness classes cheering me on at every class. Their support is so lovely and I've even heard from a few me still teaching inspires them with their fitness, which is the biggest compliment. I still am so tired it's hard to get to the gym, but when I teach I feel so much better. 

+ How supportive people have been. Family, friends, members, coworkers and complete strangers are all so kind to me. It's like this lil tribe with women and the men who are kind just say the nicest things about how fun it will be once baby is here. I've dealt with a few "wow you're big" comments, but water of the back for me. Knowing I'm a month out has people excited and I'm so lucky. 

We are just a week away from BIRTH MONTH and my BIRTHDAY MONTH, I am so excited :)!

Friday Letters: Third Trimester Edition

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Open letters are cathartic. I find writing them here, in a journal, or social media just makes me feel better. Usually I'll write about a bunch of different things, but as my life now is consumed with the third trimester most of my thoughts center around baby.

Dear Stomach: YOU ARE LARGE AND IN CHARGE. I swear you grow an inch a day and I'm constantly hitting you against myself and randomly now against other people, eeeeek! Thank you for keeping BOB safe and thank you for being so incredible as you grow. Now, please just don't give me stretch marks, kay?

Dear Sleep: WHY YOU LEAVE ME?!? LEGIT, you gone. Everyone said third trimester is the toughest for sleep and dude, the first week of the third trimester you disappeared. I'm now waking up every hour, even though I don't have to pee and then the last REM I'm able to sleep for three hours straight which is just TOUGH to feel rested. Will you come back, please?

Dear Fitness: We are approaching that time. The time where exercises I LOVE just aren't the most comfortable. I'll be honest, I haven't worked out as much as I expected and I think that is playing a part in my fitness. Or, my endurance. I've tried to get to the gym on my own, but most of my workouts have consisted of just teaching. ATTACK and COMBAT are taking more of a toll on me than I thought and I'm honestly said when I think of giving up teaching so soon. But, I'm so grateful to still be able to move.

Dear Random People: How bout you keep the opinions to yourself. Don't get me wrong, I find pregnancy a wonderful time where people are super excited when they ask about BOB. I enjoy your excitement when you find out we are going to be surprised about the gender, makes me smile. But, when you launch into your scary birth stories, or tell me I look big enough to pop, or try to tell me to get sleep now, I want to tell you to shut your mouth. Why do people like to say weird things?

Dear Family & Besties: Thank you so much for everything so far. For all the support, the pep talks, the allowing me to cry, the excitment, the offering to throw me a baby shower, the telling me it's okay, the sweet notes and just being there. I haven't been the easiest pregnant woman, and I know that. This has been a lot harder than I ever expected and I'm grateful for people who love me and BOB so much.

Dear Pregnancy: Holy moly, we are in the weekly SINGLE DIGITS! I am baffled, just baffled. In a few short weeks we will be ONE MONTH away from delivery day and eeeegggaaadd. I knew time would fly, even on days when I felt awful, but I cannot believe we are now here. I'm praying this last trimester isn't as awful as people say.

Dear Food: My word are my tastebuds all over the place. Some days all I want is sugar. Other days it's salty and crunchy. Some days I just want to eat all day. Others I barely get enough calories. I feel the extra weight though, especially from many nights of ice cream and cereal before bed. I'm up just over 20 pounds and can't really blame that all on baby :)! I need fresh veggies to be my craving again, I miss that feeling.

Dear BOB: Oh sweet babe, I love you. I love your kicks. Your movements. Your recognition of my voice. I pray for you daily. I dream about your face. I dream about your arrival and I'm so excited to meet you. We want you to keep cooking, but gosh, just wondering WHO YOU ARE is killing me. Keep being healthy and keep growing. I can't wait to hug and kiss you!

Things I Want To Remember {January}

Oh, how I wish I had done a post like this every month. Before pregnancy would have been awesome but I wish I had taken a moment to remember things for each month. Better late than never, right?

+ Passing my glucose test. For some reason I was so nervous I was going to fail because of how drastically my diet change when I got pregnant. Thankfully all is well sugar/insulin wise.

+ Having Le Husband gone for two weeks and being okay. Sounds silly but I was worried hormones would rear their head while he was gone, but nope. I enjoyed the solitude and the quiet naps on the couch.

+ How HARD January is for people in sales. It was a rough rough month and super frustrating. But, I'm thankful for the knowledge of this month and for the lessons I learned.

+ Letting the worry at work go. Even though this month has been hard, my anxiety and stress is pretty minimal. I've learned it will be okay and there will be a path no matter what. I don't have to control everything.

+ My pregnancy pillow. I waited way too long to order the right one an it has made such a difference in the way I sleep. So mad I chose to wait so long. Not smart, Pinky!

+ A mind shift regarding my body and pregnancy. I was shocked to have already gained 20 pounds and it bothered me for a hot second. But then I realized, big and happy is GOOD for baby. So now, I embrace the belly even more.

+ Spending time with Mama B. She came to visit for T-Bone's 93rd birthday and we had some great times together. I'll always remember the quiet Saturday of puzzles, basketball and her being so excited about BOB. She is the sweetest Mimi.

+ Nailing tuck jumps in BODYATTACK. I'm 29 weeks and till rocking them :)!

+ My first time in a bathing suit when showing. Not my favorite look, but swimming felt great.

+ All the baby movements. BOB is a mover and a shaker and I feel so much movement throughout the day, it's so wonderful. Honestly, even when uncomfortable it is so great to just know everything is okay because the baby is moving. I'm so grateful.

C U R R E N T L Y (JANUARY)

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choosing salads over bagels. it's been a minute, but veggies are now sounding delicious.
tidying aka nesting here and there. trying to get things purged before baby gets here and tidying up the house all over the place. deep cleaning when I can, because yuck, germs.
resolving not to let fear hold me captive.
refreshing my recipe bank. wanting to figure out some new healthy and hearty options.
puzzling over a "friend's" text message regarding "how I portray my life on Instagram". for some reason she felt compelled to reach out to me after four months of not engaging in my life AT ALL and tell me I was only posting negative things and it wasn't a good look. #thankyounext
reading two baby books, books for fun and different blogs about birth/mommying.
praying for a healthy baby, an uncomplicated birth and the future.
watching all the normal shows, pregnancy exercise and birth breathing videos.
hoping Le Husband's future trip goes well and he has a blast.
feeling all the feels about the third trimester. crazy it's here and crazy two trimesters are over.
anticipating my baby shower next month in DC and my Tennessee shower in March.
loving all of the baby movements. my favorite thing is laying down in bed before sleep and just feeling lil BOB moving and shaking all around. my favorite is the flips, haha.

A Deep Inhale, A New Year, A Fresh Perspective

Inhale.

Exhale. 

Hello, friends. 

Hello, 2019. 

Hello, blog. 

It has been a minute since I've posted here. Not like I was posting a ton before, but I purposefully took a break mid December to just be in the season. To savor it because I had life's needs, wants, have tos and stresses take over. I needed less to think about. I needed more air to breathe. I needed to turn inward instead of looking outward. 

So, I stayed away from blogs. And spent less time on Instagram. 

It was magical and glorious. 

As was my Christmas time with family. Four fantastic days together in VA and all the feels were had. My sweet niece was adorable. My sisters were so fun. Le Husband had a great time and I was able to catch up with a few local friends, too. 

Waking up without worry was wonderful. Having people excited over my growing belly was so fun. Being with those I care about most made my heart so happy. Christmas day was so perfect, good food, family time and naps. Wonderful naps. 

Thankfully I was able to end my December month much better than anticipated so my stress and fear in my job is minimal to none now. Again, another post for another day but I wanted to mark the attitude shift. The mindset change. The ability to just be. 

I am using this month to get reacquainted with who I truly am. Who I used to be and who I need to grow into as I grow a baby. I am stepping back up in the kitchen. I'm planning my workouts more. I putting energy back into my instagram with fitness and working to create more workouts and possibly trial them with people. 

2018 was a lot of stress. A lot of holding my breath and waiting. So much tension. 

I vow not to let that happen again. I vow to remember to breathe through tough times instead of burying my head. Inhale good energy, exhale the bad. I will remember to be more present.