Past updates:
Baby Updates
Baby is as long as a banana!
Weight Gained
I haven’t been weighing myself at all at home, but at my 20-week doctor’s appointment, I learned I am up a total of 11 pounds since my 8-week appointment. I still feel like most of my weight gain is everywhere other than my belly, though my baby bump is definitely starting to make some serious strides! (Update: I think my 21-week bump pic is a testament to that!)
Workouts
Aside from the classes I teach, my workouts have been all about Pure Barre this week, as I am determined to complete our studio’s March challenge! I am LOVING the extra motivation to regularly make it to classes again, especially since I am feeling much better in the mornings now.
Symptoms
Energy wise, I am feeling pretty great this week, with the exception of horrible sleep at night! I am also still dealing with acne on my chin, forehead and chest and trying SO HARD not to pick at it.
My breasts are continuing to grow and I squeezed into one of my old sports bras this week when my newer, larger sports bras were in the laundry and was so embarrassed when I caught a glimpse of myself at Pure Barre. I am so not used to having any kind of a chest to worry about concealing and even though I know my boobs still aren’t large by most standards, I am still getting used to the changes and feel like I’m going through puberty at 29 or something!
Emotionally, I am finding myself feeling a little frustrated when it comes to getting dressed. Flowy workout tops and leggings work well most days (though many of my old flowy tops aren’t so flowy anymore!), but when it comes to wearing “real” clothes, I still don’t feel confident enough to “show off” the bump in maternity tops. Since the majority of my old clothes look horrible, I’m wearing the same loose tops again and again (this top two sizes up from Target is my fav!) and layering light sweaters and jackets over them. It can be tough to look in my closet or open a dresser drawer and rule out 90 percent of everything I own, but I know not being able to wear my pre-pregnancy clothes is a great sign that our little one is growing, so I’ll take the changes and embrace them knowing he is getting bigger and stronger every day.
A bunch of you strongly advised me not to wait to buy maternity clothes and I took this to heart. I ordered a pair of maternity jeans that I basically love! They are so comfortable and I’m glad I got them early on and didn’t wait any longer. I wish I had the confidence to wear some of the bump-highlighting tops I picked up a couple of weeks ago, but I feel like that time is not too far off since my belly seems to be growing at a greater speed each week.
Food Aversions
Same as the rest of my pregnancy: Tomato-based soups, most plain cooked vegetables (adding veggies to larger dishes like casseroles, pasta dishes, omelets, etc. helps a ton), plain chicken
Food Cravings
Twizzlers, cheeseburgers (I want one every single day), big salads, ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s = My BFF)
Sleep
Horrendous sleep… Until THE SNOOGLE came into my life on Thursday night!!! It has been a serious game changer for me and I freaking love that thing. (In case you missed it, I talked a lot more about my love for this pillow here.)
Looking Forward To…
Our nursery furniture arriving! A crib, dresser/changing table and glider are all on their way!
Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases?
- Nursery décor (I’ll definitely share a big nursery post once everything is done!)
- A black flowy workout top (so comfy and it floats right over my belly!) and my first pair of maternity jeans (bless pull-on jeans) from Nordstrom Rack
And I’m probably most excited about this ridiculously adorable bunny doorstop:
I bought the doorstop the minute I saw it pop up on sale for $14 on RueLaLa and figured it would make the perfect addition to our neutral nursery. Too cute!
Stretch Marks?
Nope. Still religiously applying a combination of Mambino Organic Oh Baby! Belly Butter and Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter to my tummy and boobs.
Any Movement?
YES. I am now positive I feel our little guy moving! After you guys gave me a little more confidence that I really was feeling the baby move last week, I went to my 20 week appointment and told our doctor all about the light tapping/fluttering feeling I am experiencing daily and was assured that YES, that is our baby moving! He’s an active little dude!
Any Fun Stories?
This is an old one, but I realized I never shared it on the blog when I should have during my 14 week pregnancy recap. I already told you guys how Ryan and I found out we are having a baby boy, but I didn’t fill you in with how exactly we told my family!
Well, the day after we found out, I caught an early morning flight to Sanibel Island where I joined my family for vacation in February. I told my mom ahead of time that we had a 3D ultrasound scheduled the day before I was set to leave that would likely tell us the sex of our baby and made her promise not to tell my dad and sister. When she picked me up at the airport, it took me less than a minute to blurt out, “It’s a BOY!” and she was so, so excited! We talked all about our future baby boy and then made a Pinterest-inspired game plan to surprise my dad and sister with the news since they would be arriving together a few hours later.
We drove to Publix and bought an “It’s A Boy” balloon along with a whole bunch of light blue balloons. The people in the florist department at Publix were so kind and also gave us a big box to hide the balloons in which we wrapped with baby-themed wrapping paper.
When my dad and sister arrived at the condo, we surprised them with the news that Ryan and I knew exactly what we were having and they were shocked! “Already!? You know right now!?”
And then we directed them to the big box with the light blue balloons hidden inside. They tore through the paper together and when the balloons came flying out and they realized we are having a baby boy, they were thrilled!
It’s a boy!
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The Spoiled Mama Rehab Serum has done wonders for my pregnancy acne! I have been a long time reader and lately every time you mention your pregnancy acne I keep thinking I really need to suggest this to you–I had horrible acne when I got pregnant (worse than I’ve EVER had) and nothing was working. My skin has always been super sensitive, and I think my skin looks better now than pre-pregnancy and am hoping to just continue using it afterwards..it works FAST too!
I’ve also been using their Tummy Butter for Stretch Marks (I’m currently 35 weeks and still in the clear) and I liked that everything they make is natural and free from preservatives, parabens, etc.
If you’re worried about the price, the sample alone that I first got lasted me a couple weeks-a little goes a long way..so there’s that option too 🙂 Good luck! I’d be so happy if it works just as well for you!
Thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m 24 weeks today and still having acne issues just like you 🙁 I’m going to start using a toner on my face and chest/shoulders and see if that makes a difference. It’s so frustrating! The Snoogle is the BOMB! Also check out Old Navy’s maternity maxi dresses, I just picked up a few (on sale!) and think they’ll be such a staple for Spring/Summer!
I had some friends to the reveal that way too..it’s so cute. I definitely like the cupcake that you two did though that was awesome!
You are too cute! I’m just barely starting to feel like I can start “showing off” my bump now (and I’m only 14 weeks! 😉 just goes to show how different everyone and each pregnancy is!). That “in between” phase is the worst though, I totally feel you. I told my husband the other day that I’m over trying to hide it…I’m embracing it and breaking out the maternity stuff!
“Bump Day” at PBF is now my favorite day of the week! So fun to read and helpful to have an honest, realistic (but still upbeat!) account of your weeks as my husband and I look forward to having kids! Grow strong, baby PBF 🙂
“Bump Day” — I love that!!!
You look great! That doorstop is so adorable… I love small details like that to bring the nursery together 🙂
Has Sadie been extra sunggly? My sister in law said the dog knew something was up when she was pregnant and was constantly laying all over her belly.
haha Sadie is alllllways needy! 🙂 but i don’t think she has any idea that i am pregnant!
I love how you told your family you were having a boy! Super cute! You are looking great, and that is so exciting that you felt your little guy move 🙂
I’m sure you can rock some of the maternity tops you’ve purchased so far…you have an adorable baby bump:) I can’t believe you are half way there already. Time flies!
What a cute way to tell your family!
Hey girl! Congrats on the little one. I’m currently 33 weeks with my first (girl!) and I had the worst breakouts as well.
The Body Shop’s Tea Tree line (face/body wash, toner, night lotion & spot treatment) have worked really well for me and are safe for pregnancy. Something to try!
Thank you for the recommendation and congratulations to you!!
You look great and don’t worry about accenting that little bump…I think it was right around 24 weeks when I finally starting wearing more fitting tops and just wanted to shout, “Yes, This is a baby bump.” :). Also, I craved cheeseburgers almost everyday especially when it hit summer time.
What a fun surprise for your parents!
such a fun experience! As I was reading, your stretch mark section reminded me… With my second I ended up with light stretch marks on my upper, lateral thighs. Right around my hip area. They’re not super noticeable but I can tell they’re there. Might want to spend that goop around those parts as well 😉
How fun for you! The second trimester is the best part- you start to “look” pregnant and you get your energy back. Love your picture- you definitely have a bump!
your dads face in the last picture is so so heart warming, he looks so proud xxx
I LOVE that doorstop!! And what a cute way to tell your family it is a boy!
I’m so glad all of your pregnancy posts are categorized by weeks! I read all of these when you were going through you pregnancy, but now that I am going through my first, they have been such a good resource! Of course every pregnancy is different, but there are times when I go back and look at your weekly recap and feel so relieved or helped by your posts. I’m 20 weeks right now and am having the same clothing issue where I feel like I’m just really bloated all the time and don’t feel like wearing those form-fitting bump tops yet. Most of my pregnant friends had the cutest bumps at this point, but I know mine is coming soon and that a healthy baby is growing inside it! Thanks for your insight and for being an awesome, encouraging resource!