Pregnancy Progression

I'm not at the point where I miss my baby bump yet, but I know the time will come. I actually feel like it was so long ago that I was pregnant even though it was only 4 months ago. I'll tell you what I do miss. I miss my full head of hair, great skin, and a body that I'm comfortable with. Currently I'm shedding like crazy, my face is dry in my t-zone, I'm underweight and I'm tired. I'll be doing another postpartum update soon.

To read Ava's birth story click here.

38 Weeks Pregnant!

(These pictures are from last week)

Total weight gain: 26 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? Yes! The state of my wardrobe is so sad I borrowed one of my 12 year olds dresses and I wear it as a top. Haha!

Stretch marks? Just some little old ones from Mariam. 

Sleep: I don't necessarily wake up to use the bathroom, but whenever the girls wake up (which is 1-3 times a night) I have to go straight to the bathroom after I've taken them back to their room. 

Best moment this week: Having a 3 day weekend with the family was nice. 

Movement: She doesn't move as much since she's getting crowded. It was the same way at 38 weeks with Mariam as well. I feel more small movements and nudges than lots of pokes. 

Food cravings: Still having my nightly oreos with a cold glass of milk. The chocolate craving is always there.  

Labor Signs: I had very bad cramps yesterday morning that radiated from my stomach to my back and down to my legs. It actually pinged my radar and I thought something could be up since I've never experienced cramps like these this late in a pregnancy, but apparently it was nothing. Just my body getting ready. I have an OB appt this Thursday and an internal will be done so we'll see if I've dilated anymore. 

Symptoms: Aside from being tired from lack of sleep, I feel ok. Better than I did some weeks in the beginning  of the third trimester. It is rather painful switching sides in bed at night. i have to be sure to hold the bump just right. 

My husband was drawing with the girls the other day and he thinks he's funny. I guess he was pretty close. My poor Mariam keeps getting bumped in the head by my protruding bump. 

XOXO

36 & 37 Week Bumpdate!

Today I'm officially 37 weeks!

Total weight gain: I'm currently up 24 pounds. It looks like I'm on track to be heavier than I was with my third, but less than my second. It's funny how each pregnancy is different. This is the weight gain with my other girls and what they weighed at birth:

Serena: I gained 12 pounds and she was 6 lbs 3 oz at 39 weeks. 

Layla: I gained 35 pounds and she was 6 lbs 13 oz at 39 weeks (induced because of low fluid)

Mariam: I gained 25 pounds and she was 6 lbs 10 oz at 40 weeks.

Maternity clothes? Yes! My wardrobe is so limited right now it's sad, but with only 3 weeks to go really what's the point of buying anything right now?

Stretch marks? Just some old ones from Mariam. My belly was so pointy with her that I suppose it was inevitable. Thankfully there are only a few and they stayed white. 

Sleep: Thankfully it doesn't take me as long to fall asleep as it used to before, but I am waking up around 3 or 4 am to use the restroom. Mariam is still coming into our room between the hours of 12-3 so there are a lot of interruptions. One day I'll get to sleep through the night right?

Best moment this week: Found a few cute things for the baby. I packed my hospital bag and washed all the baby's clothes so I think we are set! Oh wait....still need to get a new bassinet and baby bathtub. I've been holding out for a cute barely used on Craigslist since babies only spend such a short time in there before they outgrow it. If I don't find anything I'll just have H buy a new one when the time comes. 

Movement: A busy little bee like usual. I feel her poking everywhere.

Food cravings: The last few weeks I've been having oreos and a glass of milk every night before bed. My chocolate craving is going strong as usual. 

Labor Signs: The braxton hicks contractions feel like they've been getting stronger and it turns out at 35 weeks I was 1cm dilated, but that doesn't mean much. Plenty of women dilate early or are at least 3 cm for a while and still end up going to their due date or past. 

Symptoms: The middle part of my back still hurts a lot and there's been a lot of sharp pains in my cervix that literally make me double over. I'm happy to report my mood has been much better though. I haven't been feeling weepy and emotional as much anymore. 

XOXO

35 Weeks Pregnant!

Total weight gain: Since my last bump update I've only put on another half a pound so I'm up 20.5 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes? Yes. I can hardly find anything to wear these days. Even with some of my maternity tops my belly is starting to peek underneath. I'm also living in my black maternity pants. I swear I wear those all the time if I'm not in a dress. At this point I refuse to buy anymore maternity bottoms.

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell.

Sleep: Meh. Same as always. Stinks! It's not even the pregnancy though, it's my 2 and a half year old Mariam who still climbs into our bed at night. I'm also up at least 3 times between falling asleep and 6 am to use the restroom. 

Best moment this week: Hmm. I'd say getting some more baby things in order and sewing more things. It's also been exciting getting everything ready for Serena to start 7th grade and Layla who is starting pre-K tomorrow!

Movement: She's always been a busy bee. I'm starting to get convinced that she hasn't turned head down yet. I just really can't explain why I feel her poking out from everywhere, very much in my ribs, or why a lot of her movements actually hurt. It wasn't like this with the other girls. I have an OB appt this Friday so I'll be finding out where she is.

Food cravings: Tazo passion fruit tea. I've been having a cup just about every day for the past week. I've hardly had cravings other than sweets but last weekend I just had to have some of this tea so I bought a box from the grocery store. 

Labor Signs: The braxton hicks contractions have been minimal. I get a few a day and some are uncomfortable, but nothing I haven't experienced for the past few weeks. 

Symptoms: The middle part of my back still hurts a lot and I've been extra anxious and weepy this past week. Just a lot going on with everything and these hormones are kicking.

Have a great Monday!

The weekend {Sewing & Kids}

After a hellacious week with the girls, Saturday was a Godsend. My husband had a playdate scheduled with Layla and Mariam and a new friend of his that has two kids, so he took them around 10:00 am. I thought they'd be back within 2 hours but they just stopped by to pick up their swimsuits and headed back out. I literally got like the whole day to myself and it was heaven. I did some work and I sewed a maternity top for myself. I felt like making a ruffled maternity tube top out of knit fabric I had and I think it turned out pretty good for my first time. I didn't sew the bottom yet but just tucked it in for the pictures. I'll finish it this week.

Sunday, I took Layla and Serena to the library and then we did some grocery shopping. Afterwards I made lunch at home and then I decided to head back out with H and the girls to pick up something from Home Depot for his guitar. Late afternoon the girls had fun playing with their dollhouse (that we are fixing up) and we had family movie night. 

It was a good weekend and I'm hoping this week is better than last week. This is the last week before Serena starts school and Layla starts Pre-K. I'm also looking to put Mariam in a Mother's Day out program for a few hours a week. I think a change of pace might be good for her--and for all of us.

Have a great Monday.

Dressing room files

The girls and I headed into the mall today after my OB appt and I couldn't resist popping into Nordstrom to try on a dress I had seen on Instagram a few weeks back. I've been on the hunt for a stretchy casual dress that fits the bump and I found it in this Leith body-con dress.

(Sorry for the grainy phone pics, they always look blurry when I send them to my email to upload)

{Dress: Nordstrom}

I also tried on two other dresses. They didn't make the cut, but they are really cute. The black ruched dress was really comfortable but the ivory boho dress made me look huge in person.

{Ruched dress}

{Tassel trim dress}

Another item I bought was this Betsey Johnson terry robe. It's super soft and I was in desperate need of a new robe. 

{Ruffle trim robe}

Have a great Wednesday!

Our weekend

This weekend was nice. Relaxing and tiring all at the same time. Saturday I spent some time sewing for the home. I made throw pillows for the master bedroom and cloth napkins. Originally the cloth napkins fabric was going to be made for baby bibs, but I just wasn't feeling the print for that after all. I love the way the pillows came out but I wish I would have made them a little bit bigger. I'm currently revamping the master bedroom even though we are in this condo temporarily. I'll be sure to post pictures once I'm done with it. 

Later that day we all went grocery shopping, had dinner and then homemade banana split sundaes. So good! Much better than store bought. 

Sunday I thought the weather was going to be cooler because it had been raining the past few days and the temperature said 85 degrees, so I thought it would be a good idea to check out the Miami zoo. Boy was I wrong about the weather. I'm pretty sure yesterday was the hottest day of the year! We were sweating like crazy. Nevertheless we explored for about 4 hours but didn't get to see everything. After a while we couldn't take the heat anymore and the girls were getting restless. I had been getting a ton of braxton hicks contractions throughout the day, but they calmed down later. My oldest isn't picture because she was spending the weekend with family. We plan on going back to see the rest of the zoo with her once it's fall and the weather is cooler.

Staying stylish and comfortable with Kushyfoot

I don't know about you, but I always have to be wearing something on my feet. I hardly ever walk around the house barefoot because I hate feeling any crumbs on my feet. I also like to keep my feet feeling cozy. With three girls to look after, I spend a lot of time on my feet!

Occasionally I'll just wear socks but most of the time it's cute slippers. I go through a lot of slippers--just goes to show you I wear them down from being on my feet so much. I ripped my last pair and it was impeccable timing that I was asked by a company called Kushyfoot if I wanted to try out a few footwear products around the same time. I was sent several items and my favorite are the flats to go. They are super light and the padded sole offers built in comfort. I love wearing them around the house daily.

I plan on taking these to the hospital when baby number 4 makes her arrival. Another one of the items I plan on using a lot are the sport foot covers. While breastfeeding will make the pounds come off, I'll still need to exercise to tone everything back up.

They have so many different products to offer and sent me a few more items that I can't wait to wear once I start wearing heels again.

 If you are looking to add some comfort and style to your feet, check them out here!

Kushyfoot sent me these products to review but I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A bumpin Rocksbox Review!

A few weeks ago I heard about Rocksbox which is a fashion jewelry subscription service. I was a bit skeptical about the idea because I'm not really big on subscription boxes, but part of the reason is because I've never actually tried one. Rocksbox reached out to me a couple weeks ago and asked if I wanted to try the service for a few months and let me tell you, I'm so glad I said yes!

The box it came in was adorable and everything was nicely packaged. I was really impressed with the quality of the jewelry and right off the bat, the statement necklace was my favorite. In my first box I received a Perry Street necklace, circle stud earrings from Gorjana, and a bracelet from House of Harlow 1960. I really want to keep the necklace but we'll see. I probably won't be keeping the bracelet because I'm not crazy about jewelry with black in it, and the earrings were a bit too big for studs for my liking, but all three pieces are gorgeous.

The statement necklace goes with a lot of tops and I recently paired it with my new top from Nordstrom along with the bracelet. 

That bump! Loving this flowy top and I know it's going to make it all the way to 40 weeks!

How it works

Members pay $19/month to rent an unlimited amount of designer jewelry. A stylist will handpick (3) pieces suited to your taste (based on your style survery and preferences) and they will be promptly mailed to you. You can wear your items as often as you'd like for 60 days. Whenever you feel like it, you can place the items in the prepaid enclosed mailer, and drop it in your nearest mailbox. In no time, a new package will be sent your way. If you decide that none of the items are for you, you can send the package back right away and you'll recieve a new selection. If you love any of the items and can't give it up, you can purcahse any of the items for 20% off the retail price.

Want to try Rocksbox for FREE?

Use this code: fhjbabyxoxo

Get your first month absolutely free!

https://www.rocksbox.com/

Have a great July 4th weekend!

Life Lately..

Gosh the last few weeks have been busy, mainly in regards to the business. So much going on and so much work that had to be done. back to back boutique orders, getting a new collection ready, etc. There have been days where I've had to start my work as soon as H gets home and keep at it stopping to make dinner or throw a load of laundry in the washer. Then I put the kids to bed and continue working till about midnight. H has been so supportive and tending to the kids when he gets home and giving me more time to focus on my work. I even had my mom fly in for a few days because my seamstress was on vacation. It's a lot and there are some days where I miss the slower days in the beginning but I'm so grateful for my growing business. I know a big part of my problem is letting go of some of the control, but it's just so hard to find good help. I've gone through plenty of seamstresses  and my current help is good, but there are still some quality control issues I'm having with her, that takes time away from my day having to fix. There is some other help I get and services I've utilized online so I'm grateful for that. In maternity accessory news, I cannot wait for them to be ready. It's taking awhile but it's a process. 

As far as family life, Serena is on summer break so I've had all three girls home and it's been fun when they aren't fighting and getting under my skin. Some days they screech and bicker in the morning before it's even 8:30 am! Ugh. It's also been so hot and taking them places while it's hot and I've got this big belly to lug around--well it makes it hard. We still get out a few times a week though for sweet treats, library days and shopping. Today we left the house early for Dunkin donuts and then went to the mall. I actually got lucky this time and found some things I love. I'm extremely picky so usually I find something for the girls and nothing for me. Our first stop was A Pea in the pod maternity and I found a white scoop neck maternity tank, then Nordstroms where I finally found a going home outfit for the baby. Yay! I've been on the hunt. I also bought a cute crochet hem swing top from the juniors section that is perfect for a growing bump. Bath & Body works is having another one of their huge clearance sales so we stocked up on some lotions and hand soaps.

{A Pea In the Pod Maternity}

{Nordstrom}

In growing baby news, It's hard to believe I'll be entering the third trimester soon. I'm 27 weeks and 4 days today and things really feel like they go fast between the last half of the second trimester and part of the third and then they slow down around weeks 36 till you deliver. I told H awhile back that I wouldn't mind if we gestated like elephants and were pregnant for 22 months. Haha! I love being pregnant--for the most part. I have been a lot more uncomfortable and she loves pushing in my ribs but it's an amazing feeling to grow a child and feel her kicks and pokes.

Have a great weekend!