I finally made it to the 2nd trimester! 😀 I’ve been looking forward to this part since I found out I was pregnant. Mainly because lots of woman told me that the 2nd trimester is the best one because you feel so much better compared to the 1st trimester.

I wanted to share an overview of my 1st trimester. Enjoy!

 

Favorite Things

Prenatal Vitamins

Although swallowing it in the mornings is a pain (& remembering to take it), I love the results. Not only is it helping my baby, but it also has significantly sped up the growth of my fingernails and hair. When I first got a pregnant, a photography client of mine told me that would happen, and I didn’t really believe her. Well, I completely stand corrected because I feel like I cut my fingernails way more often and my hair looks and feels much longer than it was when I wasn’t pregnant. Luckily, I’ve been wanting my hair to grow out so it’s just fine with me 😉

Water

Fortunately, I got in the habit of drinking a lot of water before I got pregnant. But let me tell you, nothing could prepare me for the amount I would drink with a little person inside me. Water is a MUST in my world! I carry it around with me everywhere. Literally. I cannot go anywhere without water in my reach. There have only been a couple days where I could tell I hadn’t had a enough water, and those days were very unpleasant. It’s been a way for me to stay hydrated and for my stomach to calm down. It’s amazing what water does for you! And shout-out to the Starbucks cups because I don’t have to refill it as much! 🙂

Baby Center – My Pregnancy Today phone app

The day I found out I was pregnant, I downloaded this app. A blogger I follow recommended it when she was pregnant so I figured I’d give it a shot. It had me type in my due date and every week it tells me what my baby is up to and how it’s developing. I read it as soon as I wake up and share it with Aaron. Some weeks (especially early on) I’ve been amazed at what is developing. It’s been such a testament to how carefully and beautifully God designed pregnancy! <3

Writing Bump Updates

Bump updates was something I knew I wanted to do when I got pregnant. I always thought it was so fun to read others, so when it came to be my turn, I made sure to pick categories (like food cravings, sleep, funny stories, etc) that would interested people without having to scroll through a bunch of stuff they didn’t care about. It’s also been a lot of fun for me to take pictures of my stomach and watch it grow. I can’t believe how “big” I am already… and I know I’ll only get “bigger.” 😛

Comfy Clothes

{thanks Pinterest for the picture 😛 }

Pretty shortly after I got pregnant, I felt bloated. My jeans I used to slide into all of a sudden became extremely uncomfortable, so I quickly switched to leggings. Since it’s gotten warmer here, I’ve transitioned into workout shorts. I live in comfy clothes – especially now that my bump is more obvious. If I don’t have to dress “fancy” (and by “fancy” I mean anything other than workout shorts and a tee-shirt), then I don’t.

 

How My Life Has Changed

Before I got pregnant, I had this silly idea that pregnancy was exactly like normal life except your stomach got bigger. I mean, the 1st trimester you got sick, but other than that, it was normal. Yeah, talk about a big fat lie! Pregnancy changes everything – immediately! Here’s a list of all the things throughout the 1st trimester that all of a sudden changed for me ::

1. I got motion sick in the car. If I could avoid being in the car, I did. If I need to be in the car, I put sunglasses on, close my eyes, and keep my water in hand.
2. Looking at my phone / computer / ipad made me nauseous. That’s why there is a gap of time where I didn’t post anything on social media or the blog – I literally couldn’t bring myself to do it. Even texting took a lot out of me.
3. Before pregnancy, my sense of smell was not very good. Got pregnant and BOOM – a whole new world was opened to me.
4. I cry more often… which is annoying. lol
5. Acne is not a joke! My face has more pimples on it than I think I’ve ever had in my life (I was really lucky as a teenager and never had bad acne, so this is new territory for me). My chest and upper back too have decided to join that party too, so I have to make sure I wash extra good in those spots when I take showers. I still need to find a good skin care routine though… any recommendations?
6. Early on in the 1st trimester (weeks 6-8/9) I was so exhausted. It didn’t matter how much I slept, I could always sleep more. Aaron started calling me “Sleeping Beauty” because I slept 14 hours at night (I’d go to bed around 8pm and wake up around 11am), and then I’d take an hour or so nap in the afternoon (usually around 1pm). I was shocked how much I could sleep and still be tired.

 

What I’m Thankful For

I never got morning sickness! Not once. I felt nauseousness early on, but that went away around week 9 and as long as I had a bite to eat every couple hours or so, I was okay. This is all God because that was something I had prayed for – “dear God, I’d really like to not get morning sickness! Please keep me healthy and I am believing that I will not get sick while I’m pregnant.” Talk about an answered prayer!!!

 

Being pregnant has taught me a lot (and I’m not even half way done 😛 ). It’s taught me how to accept grace from others and give it to myself. It’s shown me how truly excited our family and friends are and how deeply they want to bless us with gifts, words of wisdom, and help  in any way, shape or form. It’s caused me to grow a new kind of love for Aaron that I think can only come when you’re carrying that person’s baby. And it’s made me so much more thankful for a God who designed something so intricate, detailed and perfect and he chose ME to grow and raise this child.

I’m truly blessed and cannot stop seeing all the little ways God is leaving love notes. For me, Aaron, and our precious little baby!