Pregnancy

Everyone warned me "nesting" would occur and I would feel the urge to renovate my whole house. I thought, well, this is my natural stage at all times, so it will not affect me. Wrong. Daydreaming about every detail pretty much happened every time I took any break, including 4 am bladder breaks. My brain starts racing and no sleep occurs. It is all a little bit worse because my dark pit of information and possibilities on the renovation topic is deep enough that I can get forever lost on gaskets, a/c grilles, and threshold details. It is a bit exhausting. Also very exciting. Seeing a project unfold before my eyes is absolutely fulfilling. As a pregnant-architect, I learned...

I wasn't expecting a visit from you today. As I watched my husband build a tall tower of blocks with our toddler, joy filled the room as Christmas cheer was in full effect. But, you found me. In the middle of bliss and laughter, a pang of sadness. You reminded me someone was missing. Just as my spirit settles, there you are, waiting for me. Grief. Grief, you come in the most unsuspecting moments, when I am overflowing with happiness, almost as a limitation to my joy. "Oh no!" grief says, "You can't be that happy. You can't feel that much joy. Someone is missing, remember?" I used to mistake you for guilt. How can I feel joy when someone I...

I'm Going to Miss Being Pregnant... This may come as a surprise to the several people I’ve complained to today about not being in labor yet at 39 weeks and 5 days. It is true though, especially when I think about getting to know my postpartum body for the third time. I love how full my body feels when I’m pregnant. With 50% more blood volume, my skin seems fuller, my face feels more youthful, and I have rounded curves again. After about a month postpartum, I feel more like Jell-o than a vibrant young mom. (Despite being almost thirty, too!) Not to mention the baby kicks. Starting at 20 weeks, she would flip from side to side, moving more than both...

Prologue: Following "Baby Registry Saga - Part I," and "Baby Registry Saga - Part II," I'm here to share the lessons learned so far. Lesson 1 Resist temptation and stick to a plan. All things baby are so irresistibly adorable! And nesting couldn't be more real. Every time I went to any store it was as if the baby section was calling my name. I had to then create some rules and checkpoints so that I wouldn't spend all my money in the blink of an eye. When it felt hard I bought a set of Burt's Bee bodysuits on sale ($5 for two!!) and hugged those cute little organic outfits the whole night haha. Lesson 2 Don't stress (too much) over it. No matter...

I am currently 33 weeks pregnant with my third (and probably last) baby. Despite having gone through this twice before, I do not remember the nesting instinct being this strong or this early. My youngest was born in August, so my nesting instinct was replaced with an overwhelming urge to rest in the A/C. I think I checked off one or two items from my big to-do list the month before he was born. This time, however, I have energy and a drive to “do all the things.” Sometimes it turns into anxious energy and I have to remind myself that our baby girl won’t know if her room isn’t finished, or if I have to run out and buy extra...