It seems as though all of my posts lately have felt like they've been weekly bump dates…and that's because they have been. I've always enjoyed blogging but once I took a break this past spring due to a lot of personal reasons, I had a difficult time getting back into the groove of pulling out my laptop and trying to come up with creative topics. Once I got pregnant, I thought this could be a new outlet for me to talk about my pregnancy and really just to document so that I can look back at my first experience of motherhood. And, then I got into the rut of coming home, cooking dinner, cleaning and going to bed because pregnancy, duh. 

What you don't know and something that I've had on my mind for a long time and never had the guts to share, is that as wonderful as my pregnancy has been so far, it was an extremely difficult journey getting to this point. 

Andrew and I moved into our first home together exactly two years ago this week. And, we started trying to get pregnant the day we moved in. Literally. At the time, I was 26 years old and knew that we were both ready to start our family. I'm not going to say that I was completely naive and thought it would be "easy" to get pregnant, but I certainly had no idea what the next year and a half would bring. 

Lots of tears, lots of doctors appointments, lots of medications, unanswered questions and even surgery. 

Don't judge, I know this is a terrible photo but after spending hours and hours in the doctor's office, you get bored and start taking selfies. 

I think I am finally to the point where I am ready to talk about my journey with infertility and I hope that this will inspire some of you and hope that if anyone has gone through or is currently going through this, it will keep you positive knowing that you are not alone in this journey. 

I will probably split this up into several posts of what I personally went through, posts about my jealousy and anger of others and even emotional posts that I wrote during that time period. 

I would love for you to follow this journey with me but if this isn't your jam, I totally understand and I am seriously going to bring back some of my beauty and recipe posts very soon! 

23 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 23 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? A bunch of grapes

Gender: Girl. 

Total weight gain/loss: I haven't really weighed myself in a few days but probably around 9-10. 

Maternity clothes? Guilty. I finally busted out my first pair of maternity "jeans" this weekend and it was fabulous. I bought a belly band last week but think I might return it (never even opened) and just go straight to the maternity pants. I'm still in the majority of regular clothes though.

Sleep: Pretty well. I still toss and turn a little but I haven't had to bust out the snoogle yet. 

Best moment this week: I think this was the week that I officially popped and just seeing our baby girl change my body was a special moment. 

Miss Anything? Caffeine. When I first found out I was pregnant, I cut all caffeine out. My two cups of coffee a day, diet Dr. Pepper, all of it. When I went to the doctor around 12 weeks, she told me I could drink caffeine but just drink it in moderation. Well, I have been limiting it to 1 cup a day or 1 cup every other day so I've missed drinking coffee and soda in the same day. 

Movement: I've been feeling her move a lot. It still startles me sometimes when I'm not expecting it, but I love just putting my hand on my belly and waiting for her to kick again. 

Food cravings: I haven't really been craving any certain foods but there are certain foods that don't really sound appetizing like baked/grilled chicken and salmon (even though I haven't eaten any during pregnancy). 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not that I can think of. 

Symptoms: Heartburn. I carry Tums Smoothies in my purse and it really does seem to help. Thanks for those of you reaching out to give me some tips on my leg cramps! They have definitely gotten better so thank you!

Looking forward to: Clemson plays Louisville next Saturday so I'm looking forward to spending the day in Clemson with our close friends and hoping for a Tiger win!

I promise that I'm going to try to write posts other than bumpdates but life has been crazy lately and all I want to do when I get home from work is cook/eat dinner and get in bed. So, I really apologize but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon!

More BABY posts 

Pregnancy Announcement | Gender Prediction | Gender Reveal | 16 Week Bumpdate | 17 Week Bumpdate | 18 Week Bumpdate | 19 Week Bumpdate | 20 Week Bumpdate | 21 Week Bumpdate | 22 Week Bumpdate 

22 Week Bumpdate

Sundays are probably one of my favorite days of the week, but I hate it once it gets late and I suddenly remember I have to go to work in the morning. But, we had a great weekend celebrating a 59-0 Clemson win, shopping for a crib for our sweet babe and finishing the weekend off with a big plate of lasagna. 

How far along? 22 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? Corn on the cob

Gender: All girl. 

Total weight gain/loss: About 8-9 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? No, just flowy dresses and tops for now. I am still able to button up my normal pants but might invest in a belly band this week because they are starting to get a little tight. 

Sleep: I am sleeping well but toss and turn a little more than usual. My back has been hurting when I wake up and it's probably from moving so much. 

Best moment this week: Andrew felt her move for the first time! It was really sweet although he was probably a little freaked out at first. Also, trying to finish up our baby registry. We went baby furniture shopping today to get ideas and I think we are off to a great start! 

Miss Anything? Not really that I can think of except maybe a cocktail now that football has started, but I really haven't missed it that much. 

Movement: Yes! I feel her mostly when laying down but she'll startle me once in a a while during the day. It was really special for Andrew to feel her move for the first time this week. 

Food cravings: Soup. I've really enjoyed soup lately although it's still 90 degrees outside. Especially spicy chicken tortilla…yum! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope, can't really complain. 

Symptoms: I've gotten two really bad cramps in my left leg (calf) this week, and it still hurts to be honest. I woke up early early Saturday morning almost in tears and Andrew was sweet and got up and rubbed it out for me but it's still in pain. I drink a ton of water and take all of my vitamins but I'm going to see if extra potassium helps.

Looking forward to: Trying to finalize our baby registry and start cleaning out the nursery so that we can begin painting and buying/moving her furniture in there!

Have a great week! 

More BABY posts 

Pregnancy Announcement | Gender Prediction | Gender Reveal | 16 Week Bumpdate | 17 Week Bumpdate | 18 Week Bumpdate | 19 Week Bumpdate | 20 Week Bumpdate | 21 Week Bumpdate 

21 Week Bumpdate

Is it almost Friday? I know this was a short week but I am totally ready for the weekend…how about you? I can't believe I am over half way there…January will be here before we know it! 

How far along? 21 weeks today! 

Baby's size? Baby Bok Choy

Gender: Still a sweet baby girl and trust me…that was re-confirmed last week during our 20 week scan!

Total weight gain/loss: Still a little unsure but roughly 6.5-7 pounds. My doctor says that's a great number to be around because I will be gaining the majority of my weight during the third trimester and she only wants me to gain a total of around 25 pounds. We'll see if that happens :)

Maternity clothes? No. I'm very tempted to just bust out my maternity pants and sweaters…come on fall!! 

Sleep: I've slept really well this week! It is SO hard for me to wake up in the mornings…but I guess it's always been like that for me. I am NOT a morning person. 

Best moment this week: Passing my 3 hour long glucose test!! I'm going to dedicate a full post to this so stay tuned. And yes, I failed my 1 hour long test…majorly. 

Miss Anything? A cold turkey sandwich, spicy tuna roll and white pants (post Labor Day)  

Movement: They are still butterfly flutters but it feels so weird but I love it. 

Food cravings: I've been craving takeout Chinese food and once I found out I passed my glucose test, we called the nearest takeout to fuel my cravings…and Andrew's! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Feeling good! Tired as usual but no other odd symptoms.  

Symptoms: I can't complain! Although, I was at a boutique tonight and was trying to explain what I was looking for and couldn't get the words out and totally apologized and blamed it on pregnancy brain. 

Looking forward to: The first Clemson home game is this Saturday. I love prepping for the games and  seeing some of our best friends! Also…we need to start decorating baby girl's room so I am looking forward to putting ideas together!

Have a great weekend!!

More BABY posts 

Pregnancy Announcement | Gender Prediction | Gender Reveal | 16 Week Bumpdate | 17 Week Bumpdate | 18 Week Bumpdate | 19 Week Bumpdate | 20 Week Bumpdate 

20 Week Bumpdate

Happy Labor Day, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful and long weekend! We are back in town from Auburn and I am totally not ready for the week to begin! I am a few days late but here is my 20 week bump date! 

Please excuse the work attire…I couldn't get the energy to change into anything other than my pajamas! 

How far along? 20 weeks plus a few days

Baby's size? A Belgian Endive

Gender: Girl

Total weight gain/loss: I went to the OB last Thursday for our 20 week anatomy scan and she said that I've gained a total of 6 pounds thus far. So, I'm not sure if I've lost a few pounds or if my scale has just been wrong the whole time. 

Maternity clothes? Not yet!

Sleep: I spent 3 out of 7 nights in a hotel last week/this past weekend and I had a difficult time falling asleep. I've been tossing and turning a lot more recently but I'm not uncomfortable. 

Best moment this week: Definitely seeing our baby girl for our 20 week scan. As most of you know, this is the longest ultrasound (and might have been the last…tears!!) but the doctor said she was perfect. Her words, not ours. She is in the 70th percentile so she's already on the bigger side but doing really well! We also found out that she's currently breech, but the doctor wasn't worried at all because there is still so much time for her to turn. 

Miss Anything? Carbs. More on this later. 

Movement: Yes! I am finally feeling tiny flutters and it honestly took me a little while to figure out that it was her, but it's the sweetest feeling. I can't wait for Andrew to feel her move around. I typically feel her the most when I'm laying down…like right now! 

Food cravings: Not really this week. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Other than being really tired this week, I felt great. I haven't had much heartburn thank goodness, and my headaches have seen to subside. 

Symptoms: Does being tired count as a symptom? Ha. 

Looking forward to: The first Clemson home game! Andrew and I traveled to Auburn this past weekend to see the Tigers play and we had the best time! I am totally wiped (we did a ton of walking) but it was so worth it.

I hope everyone has a great, short week!

More BABY posts 

Pregnancy Announcement | Gender Prediction | Gender Reveal | 16 Week Bumpdate | 17 Week Bumpdate | 18 Week Bumpdate | 19 Week Bumpdate