Pregnant Status: Six Months!

It's a little hard to believe that I'm already 6 months along. Being in the second trimester is almost like not being pregnant at all (except for the youth soccer ball sized bump under my shirt), so the time has been flying by! Seriously, for all you first trimester ladies- hang in there! It really does get better. For you third trimester ladies- sorry, but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel!
I'm so glad that I'm in the second trimester right now. By the time Christmas rolls around I'll be in the 3rd so I've been using my free time prepping for the holidays and birthdays coming up. I mean I don't like being pressured to buy presents last minute even when I'm not pregnant. I can't imagine walking the mall at 8 months looking for the perfect gifts for a soon to be 4 and 6 year old!
Speaking of those two, they are growing like weeds! I love shopping for them but it's a significant emotional event when your baby boy has to get his clothes from the boys department and the cute polos and button ups are now replaced with zombie t-shirts and monster trucks I'm looking at you GAP. Your eye-ball t-shirts have been outnumbering your cute ones, these days!
Thank goodness my daughter has good fashion sense and fits into 4T and XS. I'm going to enjoy having so much variety while it lasts.

While we're on the topic of my daughter I have to admit: she makes being pregnant even more fun with how ridiculously cute she is. She loves to snuggle up to me and give my belly kisses, while feeling Warren kick. The other day while she was talking to him she looked up and told me, "He's gonna love me so much!"

Cutest. Thing. Ever. 

I'm so glad that they're both excited to have a new baby brother. 

At this point, the only thing I'm not excited about is getting pregnancy ACUs. I'm not a fan of how they look- for those of you that don't know, the pants look pretty similar, just without the cargo pockets and with an elastic band, but the top looks like a parachute! I've made it this far in my regular ACUs, but my top is starting to get a little tight! Oh well, I guess that's just part of the territory. 

How far along? 24 weeks. My six month baby-in-the-making is as big as a large ear of corn, he can hear us, differentiate from light and dark and weighs a pound and a half. His little kicks are starting to get some force behind them and he's measuring a couple days ahead for his size! 

Total weight gain/loss: I'm up 8 pounds.
 

Maternity clothes? I finally went out and bought a few maternity items! I got two pairs of fleece lined leggings (not maternity, just regular) because my skinny jeans are all too high waisted to button anymore! I've also been looking for clothes for the holidays and maternity pictures and I picked up a couple tops and a pair of maternity slacks. 

And of course Spider-Man likes to pose for pictures too.. Now I just need to figure out what outfits we're all going to wear for pictures. Guess I'll have to go shopping again. Oh darn ;)

Stretch marks? Nope, just a big ol' white belly! I've been applying lotion daily but I read an article about the benefits of coconut oil. I already knew about how healthy it was to use as a substitute for butter but I also read that I could whip it and use it as a body lotion to help moisturizer my growing belly. All you do is put some in a bowl, add essential oil if you want and turn on the hand mixer until it's white and whipped. I tried it out last night and I'm not convinced yet. I'm going to use it for a while before I make up my mind, but before you go out and try it realize that it's oil so it will leave your belly oily. Matt was feeling Warren kick last night and he gave me the weirdest look and said, "Why is your stomach greasy?" So be prepared for that until it soaks in. 
 

Sleep: No issues in the sleep department! After learning how to get a decent night sleep when two little cuddlers climb in bed with you, sleeping while a baby kicks is a non-issue. 
 

Best moment this week: Taking Alexis to get her very first pedicure at a salon for her birthday! She absolutely loved it and it's always nice to be pampered a little bit. 

Miss Anything? At this point I really dont. I hardly feel pregnant most days, and little baby kicks are better than mixed drinks :)
 

Movement: Lots and lots! Warren is much more responsive in his kicking now; if the kids poke at my belly or start to squish him by laying on it, he'll start kicking them.  
 

Food cravings: I'm a little disappointed, but I haven't had any weird pregnancy cravings!
 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope
 

Have you started to show yet: Yep. Like I said earlier, I'm finally to the point where I need to consider a maternity uniform!
 

Gender: Active little boy.  
 

Labor Signs: Thankfully, no! I haven't felt any braxton-hicks contractions or anything worrisome.
 

Belly Button in or out? You guys. My poor little belly button is much more shallow than it used to be and it pulls to whichever side Warren happens to be laying on! My poor little deformed looking belly button.
 

Wedding rings on or off? I had to take it off last night but not because it's too tight, because the winter weather has made it fall off! I was petting the dog and it just fell off so I need to be extra careful! 
 

Looking forward to: Craft night! Tonight I have a few friends coming over and we're going to do a few holiday crafts. I'll try to document it so that I can share the process and results in a later blog post.
 

Mood: So good. I love the holidays and everything that goes with it so it's really hard to get me down! Even with Matt working A LOT these days. The poor guy hasn't gotten off on-time once in the last 2-3 weeks and even when he gets home he eats dinner and then keeps on working until bed time. Hopefully things will slow down soon so he can enjoy the next few weeks as much as I do!
 

Milestones: At 24 weeks even though Warren is still teeny-tiny he has about a 60% chance of survival if something were to happen and he had to be delivered. And in two short weeks that chance of survival is all the way up to 80%. It's so reassuring to be at this stage and for both of us to be healthy. He's going to gain about half a pound a week for now and his little alveoli (the branches in his lungs that help him breathe) are currently forming!
 

Upcoming Appointments/Events: I had my six month appointment today and wont have another one for another month. At the next one I'll get my DaPT vaccine and take the glucose test, then hopefully we'll get to schedule our final ultrasound!
 

Weekly Wisdom: Start testing out freezer meal recipes now! Cook a few to figure out what you like, how to store them etc because before you know it you'll be in that labor-window and if you're anything like me, the last thing you want is to feel unprepared.