Catching Up

It sure has been a while since I’ve been on here. And believe me, it’s not for any lack of desire to write. I have plenty of want when it comes to my personal writing. What I seem to have been lacking in the last several weeks is the time, energy and brain space. I do write for the mom blog at Caden Lane and so lately if I happen to find the time and energy, it goes there. But here I am, with a few free minutes, a freshly brewed cup of (decaf) coffee and a napping toddler and a newfound burst of energy. So I’m writing. 

Before I go any further, my most important piece of information to catch you up on is that…I’m pregnant! Now most of you probably know this because you either follow me on social media or you read my momma’s blog and this information has been out there a few weeks. But alas, I still feel like I need to make an official announcement here. Even if I dawdled to do it until I was 18 weeks. WHAT? Almost halfway and I can’t even believe it! We cannot wait for our newest addition and to see JB as a big brother. 2 under 2 will be wild but oh so sweet!

When I tell you that we have been through the wringer in the last few weeks I am not kidding. JB and I both got Covid and let me tell you that taking care of a toddler while you’re ill and pregnant is a STRUGGLE. And then as soon as you just barely begin to round the corner they then get sick and become extra clingy and needy- well it makes for a long week. We then unfortunately lost my uncle the following week, and while it was wonderful to get to see family that we hadn’t seen in quite a while, the emotional toll was heavy. And then to top it all off, as we thought we were getting back to normal, our little guy ended up with hand, foot and mouth disease. This is the absolute worst. He has been so pitiful in his discomfort and there really isn’t much to be done but wait it out, give lots of snuggles, popsicles and all the new activities we can think of while cooped up in the house.

Even sick, he sure is the cutest/sweetest boy I know!

So aside from all of this craziness, what all has been going on? 

I’ve been growing, growing growing! This pregnancy has been pretty different it seems to me but largely I think that’s due to having a toddler to chase after. With JB’s pregnancy, we moved right at the beginning (around 8/9 weeks) and I wasn’t working so I had all kinds of time to just soak up and enjoy pregnancy. I read all the pregnancy books, took 3 different online pregnancy courses, practiced Hypnobirthing sessions, took all the naps etc. And it seemed to take FOREVER for the pregnancy to pass, in an enjoyable way but nevertheless I felt like I’d been pregnant forever by the time he arrived. This time around I am shocked every time I realize I’m a week closer. When I say out loud that I’m almost half way I just can’t believe it because it seems to be flying! 

Otherwise though, my pregnancy has gone very smoothly. I had minimal nausea at the beginning and my main symptom was just being absolutely exhausted. During most of my first trimester, I napped when JB napped just to be able to get to bedtime without falling asleep standing up. As I hit the second trimester I slowly began getting more energy back and feel like I’m finally in a good space- although I don’t turn down a nap if I can find the time! I haven’t had many other symptoms yet and for that I am so grateful. I did bust out the pregnancy pillow last night as I can start to feel myself getting a bit more uncomfortable and achy but otherwise feeling good! 

We found out we were expecting a girl a few weeks ago which was such exciting news! Hubby and I actually did an at home blood test when I was about 8 weeks along and it also said girl, but I wasn’t fully willing to believe it until I had it confirmed via ultrasound. JB may not know what’s coming, but we are very excited to be adding a little girl into the family. 

Don’t let his face fool you, JB loved it! It was just very sunny up there.

We had my parents in town not long ago as well and got to do some sightseeing in our own city. There have been several things in the area we’ve been wanting to do and my parents hadn’t had a chance to see much of our city either so it was the perfect opportunity. We decided to go checkout the incline railway. It is a super steep ride up Lookout Mountain and you are greeted with some beautiful views at the top! And of course a stop at Clumpies ice cream was a must! 

JB was a huge fan of ice cream and it kept him occupied while we waited for the train.

We took a day trip over to Knoxville recently and took JB to the zoo. We have family in the area and so we got to see my grandmother and aunt and uncle and then enjoy a day at the zoo seeing all the animals. JB LOVES animals so he really enjoyed it! 

And just before we got hit with HFMD we celebrated my 33rd birthday. We mostly took it easy, which was honestly exactly what I needed. I got to sleep in a bit thanks to hubby, read a whole book during JB’s two naps, do my nails and just relax. We also got to have a date night just mom and dad. It was our first time leaving our little one with a sitter and it went great! It was so nice to be able to go out and celebrate together and just enjoy some one-on-one time that can feel few and far between in this season. 

                       

So while a lot of days have been filled with exhaustion, crankiness, illness and cleaning/sanitizing, there are so many moments of joy, and excitement as we walk towards the next season of our family. I’m so grateful for the little life we’re building, even on the days that are hard. I’m hopeful I’ll be able to squeeze in several more posts between now and baby girl’s arrival to keep up with both the excitement and the day to day of life.