To combat the horrific amount of negative posts I have had about this pregnancy, I thought it might be time to do one that had some of the good stuff, in addition to some hints and tips for things to make preggo life better.
The Good Stuff:
Pregnancy Dreams
Another online preggo friend posted recently about the dreams she had been having. Since she is waiting to find out the gender until her baby’s birthday, her dreams have revolved around whether or not it is a boy or a girl. My dreams? Completely and utterly fucked up on so many levels. Here are my top 5 preggo dreams that I remember as if I had them yesterday:
- I had a dream that my 5 year old was smoking. As we were walking along, his little hand holding my hand and the other puffing on a cig. He threw the cigarette in the grass and went to stomp it out but it started a huge grass fire.
- I had a dream that my best friend had died and her ghost came back to talk to me. (Seriously. WTF?)
- I had a dream that my sweet newborn baby girl was crawling and walking all within the first week of bringing her home and because she was so small I kept losing her.
- I had a dream that I lost my 5 year old. We got separated at a school function (and he was weirdly going to a Kindergarten that was seemingly bigger than my high school) and I wasn’t able to find him. Que my terror. And waking up sweating. And checking to make sure he was tucked away safe and peaceful in his room.
- This one is my favorite- I had a dream that Enrique Eglasias chose me to come up on stage to sing to me. He kissed me and then I got to go hang backstage. It was awesome. I’m pretty sure this dream would have put my sister-in-law into a jealous rage. LOL
- Last night’s dream- Jackson, his best friend and I were trapped in a series of tornadoes. First, like the apparently super smart mom that I am, dragged them outside to lay on the grass. THEN we tried to drive away from it and at a stoplight, the tornado picked the car up and spun us around like we were on the Gravitron with me (unbuckled) turned around to hold the hands of these little boys and pray for their safety. Good god! Do I need to read up on weather safety? Did my dream brain EVER consider just GOING IN THE BASEMENT?? Now that I’m traumatized for another day… I digress.
No Period
Not to get all TMI, but it is really fucking awesome not to get my period and be in agonizing pain every month.
Baby Kicks
I have said all along that I adore feeling her move. Her little kicks reminding me that she is there. Her big kicks making me flinch and bringing stares from my nearby co-workers. I love that when I am driving home at night with my radio cranked that I can feel her moving and grooving- I just know she is having a dance party.
Perks
Some ladies took pity on me when I saw the extensive line to the ladies room at the MN Viking’s game this past Sunday and let me cut in line. For as many who stare awkwardly at my belly, there are just as many who open doors, let me go first and give me extra food.
Some Tips and Hints:
Maternity Underwear
This seems to be a debate on many of my mama boards mostly being: what is the point? Can’t I just buy bigger underwear? Well, as I discovered, the amazing thing about maternity underwear is that is made to fit perfectly for big pregnant bellies and asses. It doesn’t slide halfway down my ass by the end of the day or ride up my butt (and if you are wearing thongs while you are pregnant? Well… I just flipped you off). My personal favorites are the Thyme Maternity undies- you can buy them in the maternity section at Babies R Us. They are amazing. They are lacy enough to be a little sexy, because hey, just because I’m hugely pregnant doesn’t mean I don’t want to be pretty and they are so, so soft. I love them. Best purchase ever.
Pregnancy Pillow
My sister asked me if my husband feels the baby kick when we snuggle at night. I chucked for a number of reasons. Firstly, he doesn’t come to bed with me at 9:30 (or even earlier these days with anemia kicking my ass). Secondly, he’s been replaced. By my Boppy full body pillow. I am able to wrap myself around this thing and it has produced some of the better sleep I’ve been able to get in weeks (which frankly isn’t saying much, but hey, I’ll take it).
Maternity Yoga Pants
I had some sweats from my “fat” days that I had been wearing throughout my pregnancy. I found that no matter how tight you try to tie those puppies below the belly, they still feel like they are perpetually falling down. In a recent excursion to Macy’s to escape from the office (and to buy a sweater because my office is liking living in the North Pole), I decided to try on some maternity yoga pants. Holy sweet Jesus! Amazing, most comfortable pants ever. I was tempted to change into them for the rest of the work day. Seriously, I will wear them so much over the next 3 months they will be falling apart by the time Mackenzie arrives!
Zulily.com
Shop here for all cute and adorable things baby and maternity related. No, I’m not getting compensated in the least for saying this, but we got wall decals for like 60% off and the cutest little outfits for less than $10 each. Halo swaddle sleep sacks? Dirt cheap. I haven’t forgotten my little boy either- I got a $150 winter coat for the kiddo for $45. Sign up to receive your Zulily sale notifications NOW mamas!
Prenatal Gummies
I encountered very serious issues with swallowing and taking regular prenatal vitamins. They made me gag not to mention increased my nausea. I decided to give the gummies a try. Not only were they hella tasty but they got the job done… that was until anemia took over. Word to the wise… the prenatal gummies do not contain iron which means if you become iron deficient and therefore anemic like me, you have to go back to the regular ones anyway *sigh*. These are great if you are able to get away with it though!
Weekly Preggo Update
26 Weeks now! Wow. I’m just 2 weeks from my 3rd trimester!!! YIPPEE!!! At this point we still have a lot of nesting to do- things like cleaning out a cupboard for bottles and bibs for example. The only piece of “equipment” we feel we are missing at this point is a new pack ‘n play. We picked up a new video monitor and I LOVE IT. I can’t believe how much better these things have gotten in 4+ years! I will say that I find the microphone “Talk to Baby” feature is somewhat scary. I can see my husband using it to scare the shit out of me during late night feedings. In other news, I ate a strawberry walnut salad today without gagging on it for the first time in like 5 months. That’s progress, right? As you can see, I’m trying to keep this post as positive as possible this week without any mention of my horrific heartburn that has begun to plague my soul.
26 Week Belly Pic
I’m obsessed with this skirt. FYI- maternity compression tights are hilarious to try and put on! |
My kiddo took this pic of me and my pup (aka, stalker dog who won’t leave me alone. Ever.) |
My gorgeous son. Just because. |
Baby Mackenzie!