Pregnancy Must-Haves

Pregnancy has been such an amazing experience. There are good and bad things about pregnancy. Pregnancy is definitely quite the journey and learning experience. Now that I am in my third trimester, getting bigger and more uncomfortable. There are some pregnancy must-haves that made pregnancy a lot more enjoyable. Here is my list of my pregnancy essentials.

Leggings: 

Leggings are so comfortable and they support your belly. I like them because they make you feel slimmer too, especially when you feel huge.

 Bubble Baths:

Warm baths have really saved me during pregnancy. I have had bad back pain during pregnancy and it is getting worse. I probably take at least one bath a day, it helps relax my muscles.

 Old Navy's Maternity Side Shrilled tanks & cardigans:

The tank tops  are amazing. I love to layer them underneath a cardigan. Cardigans are great because you can leave them open in the front.  They have lots of room and fit you as you grow, and they are only 10 dollars each!

 Belly Band:

The belly band really helps you through the second trimester. Once your belly starts to grow, its not big enough to wear maternity pants, but your pants are hard to button up, so the belly band lets you wear your pre-pregnancy pants until you are ready for maternity pants.

A standing fan:

This summer was so unbearably hot. I usually never get too hot. In the past I LOVE the heat, but I couldn't stand it this summer! Being pregnant during the summer is not fun, and it is October tomorrow and still hasn't cooled down...

 My mom bought us a standing fan, because she knew that I was going to need it, and she was right. It has been such a lifesaver and has helped me sleep at night. Thanks mom!

Love at First Sight

I made this yesterday for our little baby boy's room. Man, it is getting so hard not to say his name! Anyway, I saw this idea on pinterest and really wanted to frame his ultrasounds somehow. I thought this was the perfect way to do it. Sorry for the crappy quality of the pictures, the lighting was really bad and you can totally see my reflection, but you get the point.

Hello 3rd Trimester

Time for a pregnancy update. This week has probably been the worst week of pregnancy so far, but I am so grateful that our little boy is healthy and growing so fast. On Thursday, I started getting a really bad toothache. The pain was uncomfortable, but manageable. Friday morning was pretty rough, I couldn't concentrate because the pain was so bad and making my head spin and hurt really bad. I knew that I needed to go to the dentist, but I had a mid-term on Saturday morning that I really needed to study for. I told myself I would just deal with the pain. We were headed down to my parents house on Saturday anyway ( where my dentist is) so I would just wait until then. Friday night I hardly slept at all. The pain was so excruciating and tylenol is the only pain killer you can take while pregnant. Saturday morning I woke up at 7:30, planning to study for my mid-term, I was in so much pain I couldn't focus and wasn't quite sure how I was going to take my test. 10 am finally rolls around and I leave to take my test. I barely could read the questions and fill out the answers, I hurried as fast as I could and headed home to lay down. We then headed to the dentist, and the dentist told me I would have to have a root canal. I have only heard horrible things about root canals and was scared. Because I am pregnant, the dentist couldn't give me a very strong dose of Novocaine. This might sound funny, but the root canal was the best part of my day. I was numb and I was relived of the pain for a little bit. I immediately started  to feel better, even though I was still in some pain. Usually the dentist would give a strong painkiller, like loratab, but tylenol was all I could have. I have never been in so much pain before ( besides my experience in Uganda), it was so so so so painful, and I tolerate pain pretty well. I am so grateful that my dentist was able to come in on a Saturday to relieve my pain! 

Here are some pregnancy highlights from the week:

How Far Along: 27 weeks and 2 days

Size of the baby: Should be around 2.5 pounds or so

Maternity Clothes: Almost all. I love my new pregnancy jeans and they are so comfy. I can wear some pre-pregnancy pants with my belly band, but they are not nearly as comfortable. I love my maternity ribbed tank tops for old-navy, they are so comfortable and you can pair them with so many outfits.

Movement: This week I have felt so much movement. Now I can feel him almost all day long, and I can feel him changing positions, which is so weird! He is getting stronger and bigger and I can tell everyday. The best is watching my stomach move so much. I never thought my stomach would be able to move like it does!

Sleep: Not the best. I wake up 3-5 times a night to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it is hard for me to fall back asleep after too.

What I miss: My flat stomach. I was looking through photos yesterday, and realized how flat my stomach was. It gets in the way so much now! I miss not being able to cuddle the same with Jayden either, the belly is getting big!

Best moment of the week: Making it to the 3rd trimester!

Cravings: Anything chocolate and Mexican food. But whats new?

Fall Outfit

This week after posting my fall wishlist, I happened to stumble upon these boots and this mustard shirt. The great part was that I wasn't really looking for them, I happened to find them by surprise. The best part of it all was that I saw the boots last week, but I didn't want to spend that much money on them, and this week they were half the price! I also got my shirt on clearance, so I think I did pretty well. I am still searching for a mustard cardigan, so if you see one let me know! Sometimes it is hard to feel like I look good during pregnancy, so it really helps to make a point to get dressed and ready the best I can everyday, it really changes the way you feel about yourself!

Lowfat Banana Oatmeal Bread

I found a recipe for low-fat banana oatmeal bread a while back. Jayden and I love banana bread and were skeptical, because this recipe came from weight watchers. It does not taste like low-fat at all and is so delicious! We have made it so many times in the last couple of months. It is great for a quick breakfast on the go, or a healthy snack. I suggest you try the recipe pronto!

Ingredients

	1 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
	1/2 cup(s) unpacked brown sugar
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1/2 tsp baking soda
	1/4 tsp baking powder
	3 tsp canola oil
	1 large egg(s), beaten
	2 large egg white(s), beaten
	3 large banana(s), ripe
	1 cup(s) uncooked old fashioned oats

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add oil and eggs; mix thoroughly.
  
• In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add bananas and oatmeal to batter.
  
• Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes.

Fall Wishlist + 26 week update

Now that fall is in the air, I am loving the fall style this year. Some things on my fall wish list are:

A Mustard Cardigan ( must find one!)

Tan knee-high boots

Leggings

A cute scarf

Long tunics

Basically these outfits:

Images via pinterest.com

This week I am 26 weeks pregnant. I have felt pretty good this week, my energy has declined slightly though. This is my last week in my second trimester, so third trimester here we come! Wahoo! Here is what babycenter.com says about our baby this week:

"The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days."

Just For Fun

25.5 weeks and counting...

3D ultrasound

Last week we had our 3D ultrasound. It was quite the interesting experience. We were hoping that baby boy would corporate so we could get some pictures, but of course he was hiding the whole time. The ultrasound tech was great and tried to get some good pictures for us, but baby was being a little stinker! It was quite humorous, because the whole entire ultrasound he had his hands covering his face. It was like he knew we were watching him and wouldn't let us see him. The only photos that we got are of him covering his face, but you can still see his mouth and nose. We were really excited to see a sneak peak of this little guy, but his hand, nose, and mouth will have to do haha. He still looks pretty cute from what we can tell :) Here are the pictures from the ultrasound.

See how much he was hiding?

Last week we had our 3D ultrasound. It was quite the interesting experience. We were hoping that baby boy would corporate so we could get some pictures, but of course he was hiding the whole time. The ultrasound tech was great and tried to get some good pictures for us, but baby was being a little stinker! It was quite humorous, because the whole entire ultrasound he had his hands covering his face. It was like he knew we were watching him and wouldn't let us see him. The only photos that we got are of him covering his face, but you can still see his mouth and nose. We were really excited to see a sneak peak of this little guy, but his hand, nose, and mouth will have to do haha. He still looks pretty cute from what we can tell :) Here are the pictures from the ultrasound.

A Bridal Shower

This weekend I threw a bridal shower for my good friend Melanie, who gets married next month in the Draper Temple. This was my first bridal shower that I have given, so it was a lot of fun planning it and having everyone over. The food was a lot of fun to make. We had chicken salad croissants, spinach and artichoke dip, salad, fruit, cookie dough bites, and lingerie sugar cookies.

The lingerie sugar cookies were my favorite, I found the idea on pinterest and they are so fun! You use a heart cookie and flip it upside down to decorate with bras, bikinis,  and thongs, fitting for a bridal shower. I wish I had taken pictures with my good camera, but I was so busy that I forgot. Here are some pictures from the shower.

Lingerie cookies

Blog Makeover

Welcome to our new blog! I hope you like it...let me know what you think!

Bad Luck Weekend/24 weeks

Last weekend we had a bit of bad luck. Last week, we were looking forward to and planning on traveling with the Garfield family to Mt. Rushmore for Labor Day weekend. Jayden had arranged to take off work and talk to his professors about missing Friday from school. On Thursday, after Jayden was done with class, we loaded up the car with all of our gear for the weekend. We are getting ready to head out, when my car won't start....sigh. Jayden's car is really unreliable and won't make it farther than an hour without causing problems.  We jumped my car and took it to autozone to see if the battery was ok. The battery was fine, but my alternator had gone out. We soon realized that we would probably not be able to go on our trip anymore. There was not a single alternator for my car for hundreds of miles, and it would be a 3-4 hour job to replace it. We were pretty bummed about not being able to go. To make matters worse, that night was the first home game for Utah Football. We gave our tickets away, thinking we wouldn't be able to go. We still could have made the second half of the game, but didn't have tickets anymore. It was a big disappointment. After we came to grips with the fact we weren't going anywhere, we decided to have a lazy and relaxing weekend. Jayden had already told his professors he was going to be out of town, so we had all of friday-monday to just hang out and be with each other. It was really  nice to just be together with no agenda or nothing planned. Some highlights of the weekend were going to see "Crazy Stupid Love", going to the Brazil Festival, and going to a Labor day family pool party.  My class that I usually have on Tuesdays and Thursdays, is just a work day today, so I have another day added onto my weekend. It has been a really nice break, since school started up so fast!

I know this is a long and rambling post, but I will do a week 24 update as well. I am 24 weeks and 3 days pregnant today and feeling pretty good. This last week I have had some pain, called round ligament pain and I think I am starting to get some Braxton Hicks Contractions. This last week was not the most comfortable, but my energy has still been really high. A huge thing for my during my pregnancy is maternity clothes and fashion. It is hard to feel like I look good and to also be comfortable. I have always loved clothes and looking good. I have been trying to put together comfortable, yet fashionable outfits that fit my belly.

Everyone keeps on asking us if we have picked out a name for the baby. Yes, we have! Can you know the name? NO! This is our one fun secret that we get to keep between Jayden and I. Only the two of us know, not even our parents know. We love that it is driving everyone crazy and that everyone is getting riled up over it. I really hope that we do not slip and say the name out loud when someone is listening. Having a name picked out makes it seem a lot more personal to Jayden and I. Instead of calling the baby "baby" or little guy" we can actually call him by his name.

One of my outfits this week

Week 24 belly shot

The Brazil Festival at Gateway

I wish I taken more pictures this weekend, oh well.