Pregnancy Update: 18 weeks!

I look a little bigger at night, but I'm definitely popping out!

This past week went by so fast! I am now officially 18 weeks pregnant and its dawning on me that I'm already almost halfway through my pregnancy! I'm grateful for how quickly the time has flown by because I've been anxious for a while about my husband leaving for the entire week for work. Now that he's back, I feel relaxed again and I'm missing my Vermont family already!

As I mentioned in my last post about my week in Vermont, I had such a fun time, especially with my sister-in-law and my 18 month old niece! My niece is growing so fast and it makes me so excited for my baby to have such a fun cousin to look up to & grow up with. :)

At the end of the week though, my little niece shared her cold with me! I'm really not good at being sick because I rarely get sick - my mom called me a wimp! I started to worry about whether or not I could take antibiotics while pregnant if I needed too and was just overall worried about my cold somehow impacting the baby. My sister-in-law and my husband both made me feel better, convincing me to realize that colds are normal, especially when your immune system is weakened during pregnancy. Not everything in life is perfect, and that's okay! Ultimately a little cold is just a hiccup in the grand scheme of things and being relaxed will be much better for the baby than stressing.

Now I'm back home in our apartment and I have so much to look forward to. We'll find out our baby's gender in less than two weeks now! Then less than a week after that, Thanksgiving will be upon us already. I'm so looking forward to the holidays this year! Already feeling the love from family & friends near & far, and I'm looking forward to seeing lots of family so soon. :)

Week: 18 Weeks!!

Gender: Not yet! 

Total Weight Gain: Only 4lbs total so far! I feel like I should be heavier because my belly seems huge compared to two weeks ago. And because I eat a lot! ;)

Exercise: Chasing around my 18 month old niece! Its seriously a lot of work - toddlers are no joke!

Nutrition: I ate less than normal this week, partly due to stress and partly because I just wasn't in my own kitchen. Lots of peanut butter sandwiches this week!

Food cravings/aversions: I LOVE clementines & lemons this week! The citrus cravings are back! I could eat half a box of clementines in one day, but I don't wanted to overload my body on Vitamin C.

Signs of Stretch Marks: Not yet! Still using Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter!

Sleep: I was sleeping fairly well this week until I got sick at the end of the week. Then I had to prop up the pillows!

Feeling: Heartburn is no longer just an evening problem - I get heartburn constantly! Hopefully that means baby will have lots of hair!
My headaches have been much better this week, which is a relief, but I wasn't feeling great while my husband was gone. Most days I was fine, but I can tell my body was definitely stressed. It was definitely one of those tougher times to choose happiness! Then getting sick at the end of the week was tough for a couple days, but luckily I have had a lot of support and have had time to take it easy. :)

Baby Movement: Flutters are happening much more frequently now! Not long enough for my husband to be able to feel it yet though. Its been so exciting!

Belly Button In or Out? In

Wedding Rings On or Off? On

What I miss most this week: My little niece!

Best moment this week: My husband coming home to me :)

Looking forward to: Relaxing back in my own space and eating all the foods I love again!

Be sure to check out my blog post about my week in Vermont with my adorable niece! She is so much fun :)

I hope you're enjoying my pregnancy updates! Please comment & leave links to your blog below! I love hearing from you! :)

xo kristen genevieve

Vermont for the Week!

I love being in Vermont. If you have read my other posts about life in Boston, traveling to New York City, and reminiscing my wedding in Vermont, you know how much I adore this place. Not only are my sister-in-law and her husband so kind and such great hosts, but I get to breathe in the crisp Vermont air every morning and gaze at the mountains for as long as I please. The air truly smells different here - it's fresh and filled with the scent of fall. I wish I could stay here for another week once my husband comes home! He loves it too.

I've been able to spend a lot of time with my 18 month old niece, Stella this week! She is so adorable. She will run around acting like a crazy toddler, but then can sit & read with me for 15-20minutes. The girl loves books! She especially loves when she sees a kitty in a book, and responds with a "meow" that sounds more like "mah-owww!" She also loves to "moo" at cows but the other day, she saw a panda on TV and mooed at the panda! Hilarious!

She doesn't say much yet, just simple words like mama, dada, papa, up & hop...but this week she's started saying the word "juice!" Its been so exciting to be here and watch her vocabulary grow right in front of my eyes. 

Unfortunately, Stella has been sick all week and at the very end of my trip, I woke up feeling really stuffy with a super sore throat! My husband finally came home Friday, which is awesome, but I don't want to get him sick too! It just sucks to feel exhausted from pregnancy & sickness. I'm not sure how I'll handle being sick as a mom because I'm such a baby when I don't feel well!

But I have so much to look forward to right now. Being home with my husband, sleeping in my own bed, and then in a couple weeks, finding out the gender of our baby! So I'm just trying to stay calm, rest, and enjoy my time in Vermont with family. :)

See you Monday with my 18 week pregnancy update!!

xo kristen genevieve

Pregnancy Update: 17 Weeks!

 Can you believe how fast the bump is growing! Seriously, I exploded over the past week. Love it sooo much! :)

This week it's been really hard to believe at times that I'm actually 17 weeks along, even though my growing belly is a constant reminder! I've had so much on my mind with my husband starting his new job and then leaving for his first business trip to Chicago. He left early Sunday morning and I'm staying at my sister-in-law's house in Vermont until he comes home.

I've actually been handling the separation much better than I thought I would (at least so far!). I'm kind of a crier, add that to pregnancy hormones and you've got a full on cry baby. But I'm trying to remember that if I feel down too much, my headaches will get worse and I will likely be stressing the little bean inside me, so I'm just trying to make the best of it! As you may have read in my previous posts, I'm all about choosing happiness, especially when it's not always the easy choice!

For the next two days, I'll get to spend time with my spunky 18 month old niece. Yesterday, we read a few books together, then she stood up, turned around and tooted towards me, then walked away. Seriously?! It was so funny. Oh, the joys of parenting! I can't wait to tell you more about what happens while I'm here! I know it will be a fun week.  

Week: 17! How is this possible, seriously?!

Gender: No gender yet!

Total Weight Gain: Not sure as of today, but I'd guess I've gained at least another pound, maybe 1.5lbs. (I checked last week's prediction of 1.5lbs gained over the previous week and a half and it was spot on!)

Exercise: I didn't exercise much compared to last week because I've had some intense headaches. This week not being at home makes it a little tougher to get out there, but at the very least, I will be chasing around my 18 month old niece for a few days!!

Nutrition: Trying to add more yogurt with granola and fruit to my breakfast diet. At home, I just use frozen organic blueberries and raspberries, but here in Vermont, my sister-in-law spoils me with fresh strawberries! Yum!

Food cravings/aversions: Good ol' homemade mac n' cheese, please!

Signs of Stretch Marks: Not yet!

Sleep: Hasn't been great as the headaches continue. It also may be time to invest in a body pillow!

Feeling: A little anxious & sad about my husband being away, but grateful to have such a great support system during times like this. I'm still experiencing headaches but other than that, everything is good!

Baby Movement: Not yet! I'm hoping soon! Sometimes I think I feel the faintest flutter, but its too difficult to tell if what I'm feeling is the baby.

Belly Button In or Out? In

Wedding Rings On or Off? On

What I miss most this week: My husband!!

Best moment this week: Spending time with family. :)

Looking forward to: No surprise here, my husband coming home on Friday!!

Isn't my belly insane?! When did you start showing? I've heard that its different with your first child because your body changes some much from experiencing pregnancy. Do/did you find that to be true? 
I'm looking forward to updating you on what else happens this week. I may do a post on Vermont again - just warning you, I really love this place! Also, thanks again so much for everyone who has started following me on Bloglovin, Instagram and Pinterest! It's so fun getting to meet new people and connect. It really means a lot to me. :)

xo kristen genevieve