Maternity

I love when couples or families do maternity photo shoots. I find them to be adorable, but I never really wanted to do it for myself. Let me rephrase: I always wanted to do one, but I never thought I would actually go through it. I really don't like having my picture taken (by other people), and after having dabbled a bit behind a camera lens, I feel more comfortable being the one photographing, rather than being photographed. After some less than enthusiastic from Jake, I decided we should do it anyways. We don't have any family pictures (professional anyways), so what better time than now?

So, we had our first family/maternity photo shoot a few weeks ago. Here are some of those pictures. Enjoy!

Advice During Pregnancy: Do's and Don'ts (but mostly, don't)

Alright, folks. I'm jumping on my soap box right now. I'm hormonal, but honestly, what pregnant lady isn't? It is SO easy for us to fly off the handle in anger, start bawling at the drop of a hat, or even start laughing so hard we pee ourselves. It's really hard to get a grip on this emotional roller coaster, because we know exactly WHY we are reacting to certain things in a certain manner, but we have no control over it, which is such a bitch to deal with. A movie, a song, or Caige just being super cute and snugly can get me all teary-eyed and emotional. I do tend to get a bit feisty, but it seems to get worse once you're in the last few weeks of pregnancy.

About the time I hit 35 weeks, I was pretty much at my wits-end with being pregnant. I'm done with being uncomfortable. I'm done with have fat, swollen feet that no longer fit in about 98% of my shoes. I'm done with having to pee literally every 20 minutes. I'm done with not being able to fit in my clothes. I'm done with people just looking at me like I look miserable. And of course, while feeling all of these emotions is the time that the vast majority of the female population (ever having been with child or not) feels the need to give you advice on things either they experienced in their own pregnancies, things friends have experienced, or my favorite: things they read in an article. 

I know when people offer advice or try to offer words of comfort, it's completely out of the goodness of their hearts. I don't doubt their intentions on trying to ease my worries or soothe my crummy mood, but there is a time and a place for advice to be given. There are SO many different factors that come into play when a pregnant woman receives advice, and how she takes it. So, I'm putting together my own little "list" of Do's and Don'ts on offering pregnant women (specifically in the latter part of the 3rd trimester) advice.



DO:
-DO give compliments. No matter how swollen my feet or face are, compliments are ALWAYS welcome. Granted, I may say "No way, I'm a whale" or retort with some self-degrading remark, I (and all pregnant women at that) really do love being complimented. It doesn't have to be a compliment regarding our physical appearance, it can really be anything.
-DO tell us we're glowing (when we actually are). It makes us feel like we may actually be enjoying with 9 month road trip from hell.
-DO ask is it is okay to give advice or tell us a story about your pregnancy. Before you start lecturing or offering any sort of insight, make sure the person you're offering it to is in the mood to hear it. If we look stressed, tired, swollen, agitated, or on the verge of tears, just let us be. It'll save us from an embarrassing emotional breakdown, and you won't have to take the brunt of it.

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DON'T:
-DON'T begin your advice with "Well during MY pregnancy..." Honestly, I couldn't give a flying rat's ass about what happened during your pregnancy. Our pregnancies are not the same. We're not related, so anything you have to say about what you went on during your pregnancy is completely irrelevent to mine. What worked for you more than likely won't work for me, so just keep it to yourself. The only person who's advice I actually take into account when comparing pregnancies is my mom's. It's kind of a no-brainer there.
-DON'T tell me what to do. I've read the articles. I've talked to my doctor. And SURPRISE, this is my second pregnancy. I've been down this road before. I know my feet are swollen and I need to elevate them and drink water (which I do so much of that it makes me sick), but don't bully me into taking your advice.
-DON'T tell me your pregnancy/labor horror stories. It's not a contest on who went through the most shit and looks like the better woman because of it. I'm sorry you labored for 36 hours. I'm sorry you had to be on bed rest for 3 months. I'm sorry you were so swollen you had stretch marks on your ankles. I'm sorry your experience was so awful that you feel the need to scare the hell out of me when it comes to mine. If I want to know how terrible your experience was, I will ask you about it. And for my sake, I hope my experience is so much better than yours.
-DON'T give advice on pregnancy if you have never been pregnant. I cannot stress enough how annoying this is. I'm sure your best friend's sister's cousin's adopted grandma twice removed had such a wonderful pregnancy and I'm sure you were super involved and it was almost like you were pregnant with them. I don't give a shit. If a human entity didn't come out of your vagina, keep your lips zipped. And I'm sure that article that you read is super accurate. Trust me, I read PLENTY of articles almost daily on everything I'm experiencing during this pregnancy. I google every symptom I'm having, and I even have my on-call nurse on speed dial. If I need to know something, I will find out, but not from you. Sorry, not sorry.
-DON'T brag. Congratulations, you were in labor for 4 hours and you did it all natural. Do you want to be punched in the face?


I am guilty of offering advice to pregnant girls and swapping stories about the hell we go through to have such an adorable little bundle of joy in our lives, but having experienced this twice has put me more in check when it comes to the things I say and how I say them to other pregnant ladies. Just be aware of how a girl is feeling before opening your mouth. That's really all we're asking. End rant.

Currently Craving

During pregnancy, it's totally normal to have cravings. But I have cravings for different things. Not just food, but so many different things. Whether it's a certain type of music I'm craving to listen to, craving to wear a certain outfit, craving snuggles from my sweetest toddler, craving certain weather, etc. Here's a little insight to my current cravings:

1. Current food craving: Mongolian BBQ

Actually, I've been craving some good, authentic Chinese food. Unfortunately, having grown up in California and being spoiled with some of the best Chinese cuisine, it's hard for me to find satisfaction in the Chinese restaurants here in Idaho. Panda Express doesn't cut it for me. Mongolian BBQ is probably the closest I'm coming to satisfying that hunger. And hopefully I can convince Jacob for us to take a little outing for dinner tonight.

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2. Current music craving: 

These are just a few of the albums that I have been listening to on repeat. I've been really into alternative and acoustic genres more than anything else lately. I was kind of the same way with my pregnancy with Caige too. I actually listened to Acceptance's "Phantoms" album non-stop when I was pregnant with Caige, and he actually LOVES this album. Anytime we are in the car and he starts getting fussy, if we put on this album, he is immediately fine. I feel like he finds this album soothing. It's amazing the power music has, and the science behind pregnancy, since this has soothed him since birth.

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3. Current weather craving: FALL!

 I snapped this photo the other day in downtown Boise. I absolutely LOVE fall and winter time. The transition of the leaves is beautiful. Fall in Boise itself is beautiful! (We aren't called the "City of Trees" for nothing!)

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4. Current activity craving: CLEANING!

I have been nesting like a madman lately. From vacuuming my baseboard, rearranging furniture, and sanitizing my kitchen (cabinets and all!). I constantly find myself picking up Caige's toys after he is done playing with them, and constantly straightening the shoes by our front door. It's ridiculous. But my house is SO clean, and we are so ready for Baby V to make his arrival.

World's Worst Blogger

An the award for the World's Worst Blogger goes to...ME! I am so terrible at trying to keep up with blogging. Most days I do actually think about updating and posting cute stories about my family, and the on going with our daily lives, but I've procrastinated so badly, that I feel as if it is pointless. But, I'm going to try to keep on with it, because I'm not a quitter. I updated my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram almost daily, so there's that. Of course, I don't feel like I can be as "up-close and personal" on social networks as I can with as blog, because to me, a blog is basically a digital journal that other people can peek into and know what's going on. For me, often use my blogging as a "soapbox" of sorts, on top of cutesy stories about life, my cutie toddler, or my awesome husband. I'm more than positive that the majority of the people who follow my blog are friends on social networks and in real life, so you probably already know what is going on in my life, what outfit I wore today, and probably what I ate for lunch (yeah, I'm THAT instagram user), but I'm going to treat the readers of my blog as if you have no idea what has been happening in my life since the last time I posted. So, here's my update:

GUESS WHAT?! I'M PREGNANT!

(...again...)

Actually, I'm 37 weeks along now. SURPRISE!

I know you all knew this already, but it hasn't been made "blog official", so there you go. 

This pregnancy has definitely not been the easiest, at least compared to my first pregnancy with Caige. I have been pretty miserable this go around, no complications, thankfully, but it has been rough. I've had morning sickness that I didn't have before, I started showing sooner, and my belly is WAY bigger than it's supposed to be, thanks to some extra fluid I'm carrying in the womb (how this happens, I have no idea. And my doctor doesn't have a clear answer on that either). Every week since about week 28, I have been getting ultrasounds and non-stress tests done in addition to my normal check-ups because of the extra fluid, and it causing me to measure further along than I am. For example, at 35 weeks I was measuring like I was 40 weeks (or full term). So, that being said, each week I continue being pregnant, I get bigger, and bigger, and more and more uncomfortable. And I keep getting more and more stretch marks (which I didn't have with Caige either, but I honestly do not care about having them. It's inevitable).

I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining. I really do love being pregnant. I love the feeling of a little life being created in my belly. I love feeling him move around and kick. I love being a mom. Caige is 20 months now, and isn't quite at the age of understanding that he is going to be a big brother, but he makes my world go round. But having TWO little boys? My heart is probably going to burst. And I'm sure Jake feels the same way. We absolutely love being parents, and we make sure an awesome team. I couldn't have asked for a better father to my children, or a better person to be my partner in crime and best friend. (Sorry for the sappiness...moving on!)

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That's really all that we have going on in our lives right now that are worth updating. Our lives really aren't that exciting. But here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

One of my best friend's got married, and I
 had the pleasure of being in her wedding!

First Haircut!

Found out we are having a boy!

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary!

Caige learned to climb...on EVERYTHING!

Baby V's going home outfit!

We enjoyed loads of goodness from Nana & Papa's garden this summer!

35 week photo update