3rd Trimester Freak Outs & Life Lately

August 30, 2018

The third trimester is in full swing.

1. I haven't had the energy to workout after work since... well... work started back up.

2. I just feel it.

3. Anxiety is kicking in. I HATE needles, call it a phobia, call me a titty baby. Whatever. It's hell. The anticipation of the IV is starting to get me worked up. I mentioned it to my OB this week and if nothing gets in the way then I can have a hep-lock instead of starting with a true IV. When I had the IV with Harry the nurses were doing a shift change (and weren't excited to be at work) so the empathy levels were down. They were trying to give me magnesium, that I wasn't supposed to have. So I was ticking them off... but I was right in the end. It was a paperwork mistake. So by the time the IV came into play they were done with me and my anxiety about giving birth for the first time. I sobbed like I have not sobbed in years. It was painful and sheer torture.

Hence begging for a hep-lock. Unless you've been in labor you aren't going to understand this, but a labor IV is so different from a surgery IV. Jeremy would get his IV for surgery, go to sleep, wake up, no more IV. With labor you get an IV, are expected to labor and move around. Then grip the bars when you push, and let me tell you that you can feel the needle moving when your muscles move. Now it's time to take the baby to your room and breastfeed while you feel restricted with this awful IV. Nope. All the NOPES.  I'd rather not have tubing attached to me while I'm trying to labor and nurse a baby.

Which, might I add... I had a dream last night about the new baby not latching. I must have breastfeeding on the brain. No clue what gender the baby was in my dream, all white clothing, no name. It kind of looked like Harrison. Or it could have been a generic baby. Who on earth knows. I am just not one to dream and answer my own life questions.

Now on to a more interesting subject...


This one has really gotten into pretend play lately. With an increase in the words he can say (thanks speech) he is a chatter box all evening. The photo above was him "sleeping" after a bath the other night. 

This whole week though we have been playing PJ Masks, against our will. As soon as everyone gets in the door Harrison starts handing out costumes and insists we MUST keep our masks on. He also stops calling us Mama and Daddy and we turn into Cat Boy and Owlette. Staying in character is a must with this game. 


Nothing special here... he just took a photo with me while actually looking at the camera and smiling.


This was recommended to me for the leg cramp issue. True story, it works. As long as I'm not slightly dehydrated this stuff (I drink a cup at night) this has been keeping the 5am calf cramps at bay. 

Oh and this podcast... really good. I love this sort of thing and the Clinton family/admin/everything is interesting. Heck politicians in general seem interesting with all the back deals and odd stuff they do. Either way I was in middle school when this scandal happened so it's interesting to hear this point of view... and not just my science teacher who ranted about it all through class. 
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Meal Pinning Monday

August 28, 2018

I know, I've become a terrible pinner.

I find link are easier anyway. Maybe I'll get back to pinning eventually.




[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Breakfast Casserole - this was really good and I'm usually not a "breakfast casserole" kinda gal. 

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops with Wild Rice ( I used chicken bc I forgot to buy pork chops)

Wednesday - leftovers

Thursday - Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken (I very well expect to have to fly to Spain for the lemons in this recipe knowing how Ina rolls) Also... serving this with sweet potatoes of some fashion that I haven't decided yet. 

Friday - leftovers

Saturday - eating out 

Sunday - Nachos - using Slow Cooker Queso Blanco 
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30 Weeks for the Most Undocumented Baby Ever

August 24, 2018

30 Week Pregnancy Update


Size: Baby B is the size of a zucchini. 

Due Date: November 2 (measured for Nov 6 at the ultrasound, but they aren't changing it). 

Heartbeat: It ranges from 122 - 166 depending on the day. 

Symptoms: Indigestion, I also started having cramps in my calves in the early morning. I can't breathe worth a crap, or at least get a deep breath. With the heart burn though, I wake up with a nasty taste in my mouth from it sitting in my throat all night. Oh and the area around my rib cage hurts like heck. 

Currently Missing: Eating sweets without them making me sick. Ate a small brownie that a kid brought for their birthday yesterday, worst life decision ever.

Cravings and Favorite Foods: Fruit, salads, cold stuff. The Poppy Seed Chicken I made this week was amazing.

Sleep: Depends on the day, what I ate, and how bad my heart burn is. The past few nights I think the baby has worn itself out and hasn't been throwing a disco every single time I wake up. So yay for more sleep!

Food Aversions: 
Things aren't appealing, but I don't know what those things are until they are around. I would really love to start Paleo before I go into labor, but that doesn't appeal. I guess eggs aren't appealing. Oh well, it'll be another Whole 30 the first few months of breastfeeding anyway.

Exercise: With house selling stuff going on my afternoons tend to get hijacked. So I haven't done as much as I'd like since we went back to work. My plan though is to do a Barre workout on Youtube Monday & Tuesday and then follow the weightlifting the rest of the week from Faster Way to Fat Loss. I've cut the running/anything high impact out. Eating gets me out of breath, so that whole jumping around or running is a no-go.

Reading/Baby Related Classes and Prep:
Mama Natural Week by Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth
Mom's On Call 0-6 Month

Weight: I haven't checked lately, but I've been on track with what to gain at each week this pregnancy.

Movement: It never ends. It's like someone is trying to break out of there.

Maternity Clothing: Yes. I'm loving my non maternity swing dresses from Old Navy that I talked about here. The only issue has been maternity workout clothing. It's too hot for leggings and I'm too far along to bother trying to find shorts again.

Gender Guess: At the moment I'm leaning more boy. Carrying same, same pregnancy symptoms, Chinese gender calendar agrees with me. But with all that said it will be a girl lol.

Side by Side: I think I am about the same size in both photos. The major difference being that I'm not as swollen. I had high blood pressure and bad edema with Harrison and you can see it in my face here.


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It’s the Personal Touches That Can Make All the Difference in Your Bathroom

August 21, 2018

Considering I've never actually decorated our bathroom and have been thinking long and hard about actually doing it... today's guest post is really helping me out.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
When it comes to decorating a home, there are endless opportunities for adding your own personal touch. In your living room, bedroom and dining room, you can include a few small items or decorations that lift a room completely. When it comes to your bathroom, you have to be a bit bolder, because it’s very rare you’ll find yourself sitting in there admiring the décor. Bathrooms are often looked at from a more practical angle. They should be easy to clean, ventilate and heat during the winter. Aside from that and the essentials such as a bath, toilet, shower and sink, there are plenty of ways you can add a personal touch. Make your bathroom feel like a place you can relax in with the following tips.

Add Some Color
If your bathroom is on the small side and you want to make it feel like there’s more space, add some light and neutral colors on the walls and floor. For a little bit of contrast add little pops of color in places. The color could be added by using unique shower curtains, colorful towels, rugs, candles, plants, flowers or novelty soaps. Any color that you add will make the room more inviting.    

Add Some Light
There tends to be just one window in a bathroom. Consider yourself really lucky if there’s more. Adding extra light fittings could be rather complicated, especially if you’re a novice DIYer. Instead, you can add some extra brightness by using a bathroom cabinet that has lights around the rim. Can the light fitting you’ve already got be changed for something more appealing, or why not go for the Hollywood look and have lights put around your mirror?

Make it Smell Good
What would you like to smell when you enter your bathroom? Not the previous visitor for sure. It should be a clean and refreshing smell and one that invites you to join. Have you got a favorite scent you’d like to use? It’s easy and simple to make your own air freshener rather than buy one that’s made using chemicals. Scented candles can also be used to add a certain atmosphere when you’re relaxing in the bath.

Add a Natural Touch
Did you know that having plants in your home can have a lot of benefits? They are relatively cheap to buy, are an instant way of adding color, and can bring their own scent. Choose the right plant, and it can even purify the air of toxins. There are plants that will relish low conditions and those that enjoy constant humidity.

Designing your own bathroom is much easier than you think, and because it’s often a small space, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. The ideas mentioned above are just a small selection of the ways you can personalize this undervalued room in your home. Even if the bathroom is in a rented apartment or house, there is still plenty of scope for you to make changes for the better.
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Meal Pinning Monday

August 20, 2018

I thought the first week of work was rough. Ha!

The second week added in real life busy. Not my favorite kind of life. I'm more of the chill out kind of gal. Fingers crossed this week has zero hiccups.




[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Burrito Bowls we didn't get to yesterday. (salsa chicken, pepper and onions, avocado, rice, sour cream, and cheese)

Tuesday - Chicken with Parmesan Zucchini & Corn

Wednesday - Poppy Seed Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

Thursday - Leftovers


Saturday - leftovers

Sunday - Korean Pot-sticker Stir-fry (short cut - frozen stir-fry veggies)

Breakfast - Fage yogurt with a banana, 1/2 frozen blueberries, 1 tbsp raw honey, and a 1/4 cup Pumpkin Flax Granola

Lunch - Salad with strawberries, goat cheese, walnuts, cucumber, rotisserie chicken, and balsamic dressing

Snack - RX bar (I'm having issues getting enough calories in a day without making my heartburn insane from feeling stuffed. 3rd tri woes, need to eat but no room)
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Meal Pinning Monday

August 13, 2018

Back to school.

If anyone has any extra energy to dole out send it my way. I'm pooped.




[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Chicken Pot Pie (it's the recipe I saw Destin Duchess post on IG last week)

Tuesday - leftovers


Thursday -  leftovers

Friday - Grilled Chicken, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Salad

Saturday - Eat Out

Sunday - Salsa Chicken Bowl (rice, crockpot salsa chicken, peppers and onions, cheese, sour cream, avocado)
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Hi Blog, It's Me... Emily

August 11, 2018

Can you tell back to school has eaten my lunch?

I haven't workout out.

I haven't blogged.

The house was a disaster so when someone wanted a showing I had to speed clean... which is painful when you're in your 3rd trimester.

I am just a big ball of can't this week.

So let's have a little life update...

I won a free month at Pure Barre over the summer and have loved it, I really need to write a blog post about my experience. Sadly since school started I was kicked to weekend classes this week and can't even go today just because we have a packed schedule that doesn't allow mama to disappear.


This is also going to be a blog post... but I'll likely write about it at Lafayette Moms Blog. 

Last night... or I should start out with during the day Jeremy called me to say that our wonderful sitter had offered to keep kids that night so couples could go on dates. 

He hopped on this one quick and I tried to talk him out of what he wanted to do, but I'm glad I didn't. We ended up driving into Baton Rouge to eat at Doe's Eat Place. I tried to take him for his birthday last week but alas we got a flat tire and those plans were cancelled. 

So last night we went. Now you can split their steaks, the lowest size is a 2lb-er and we are usually a 1lb-er couple... individually. I eat about half of mine and split it with another meal, Jeremy not so much. This steak though, meant to be shared. But with my regulations with food during pregnancy (cough I wanted mid rare cough) I wasn't going to make him suffer. I also wasn't going to follow through and got a medium well, I almost died ordering that... I would have been carried off by ambulance if I had to ask for a well done steak. We worked in a nice restaurant, I refuse to take the side eye that comes with burnt meat. 


Anyway, best steak I've had in the history of my life. 

I made Jeremy get their tamales jus to see how they compared to my Delta Tamales... they were legit... mine are legit. Everyone was happy. Everything here was perfectly seasoned. The fried drop biscuits were to die for. The bread pudding tasted like my grandmother's. 

But hey, it's a restaurant that originated in Greenville, MS. Actual southerners know what is up. 

In the mean time, Harrison had the time of his life while we were away. 


I wouldn't have posted this pic but I think the sunglasses cover up faces well.

Now Jeremy recently mentioned how he'd like to have a big brother/little whatever this is shirt for the hospital. I mentioned that to my mother... so you can see where this is going.



We ended up getting this sibling set from Little Faces Apparel. Perfect gender neutral set and super cute.

That's about it with life at the moment.

I don't think I mentioned my glucose test debacle... I had to take the 3 hour. Luckily I passed, my poor arms did not.

It's also the TDAP Vac time of pregnancy, everyone get's one. It's just not as exciting as Oprah handing out cars.

Other than that, I'll be back Monday with a meal plan... unless I forget or fall asleep.
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Thought on Breastfeeding at the End of my Second Trimester

August 2, 2018

Next weeks marks the 3rd trimester and only 13ish weeks before we meet this next child face to face.

Having successfully nursed my first born for 17 months you'd think I would be ready and raring to go on this one, but not so much.


You see, I know what goes into it. I monitored my calorie intake, fat intake, water intake. I spent so much time hooked up to a pump all the while using hand massage techniques to help with my pumping output. When Harrison finally started sleeping through the night I took advantage of that big supply I had at 2AM and continued to get up at that time just to pump more milk. It was exhausting to work full time, have to supply milk for a sitter, and nurse when I was home.

Lest we also not forget, mama doesn't possess the ability to miss bedtime for over a year.

Our kids will go on all of our dates for the unforeseen future. Unless there's a sitter that doubles at a wet nurse out there. But still, I refused to pump in the car or at a restaurant. I'd rather just nurse the baby and carry it along.

To do all of this again, supplements, tracking macros, water intake galore, pumping... it's an exhausting thought.

But I do it so that 1) my child gets breastmilk 2) it saves us so much money and 3) it's such a nice chance to cuddle my baby, especially since I have to work out of the home.

I'm not at all concerned with pumping so other people can feed the baby. You will never see my pump for a time that I could just as easily whip a boob out. The fact that someone else wants to feed the baby, the them I say "you fed your own, this one is mine." It might not go the same for men, but the extra cuddles are my reward for not sleeping throughout a pregnancy because the child would start kicking at random times. Or reward for how sick I was, or all the blood test... and hello, childbirth.

So while parts of me dread the work that goes into breastfeeding a second baby, I also look forward to the forced time to sit. I'm not a sitter. Usually I'm up doing something around the house.

The only real downside to nursing this second baby... my husband has figured me out.

It was well over a year before he really participated in the bedtime routine, I didn't encourage it. Then one day he waltzes in only to find out just how cuddly Harrison was at bedtime and I have yet to shake him. He's now a bedtime fixture... except that Harrison is no longer cuddly. He's more of a maniac.

So, new baby. Might as well be brand new everything. I know I'll have to relearn the whole shabang... except my art of hiding out to nurse. Because that's mama's time.
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