DIY Face & Body Exfoliant

Hello lovelies,

Everyone deserves a spa day every once in awhile and being a mom, especially a new mom you don't always have time to go to a salon. An easy way to pamper yourself at home is to give yourself a mini facial!! Below I have created an easy face and body exfoliant that you can make woth ingredients that you already have in your kitchen. Everything I used is all natural and the recipe can easily be altered for your skin type.  Having now made this on my own I will never need to buy an exfoliant again, only ingredients. Every time I use this on my face (2-3times a week) my is so soft and smooth afterwards. I am in love!!

What you will need:
- Ramakin or a masin jar to store your exfoliant
- measuring spoons
- a spoon or a stick to mix everything together
- 1/2 a cup of Olive oil (coconut oil, almond oil or jojoba oil are also great options if you want to use them too)
- 1 tbsp honey (organic or natural honey are the best options for your skin, but regular honey will work too)
- 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 tbsp table salt (or sea salt)
- 2-3 tbsp sugar (white or brown sugar. Brown sugar will be less abrasive)
- one vitamin e capsule
- 2-3 drops of essential oil (for smell/aroma if desired)

Start by adding half of your dry ingredients to your jar.
Stir in your oil.
Add lemon juice and honey.
Pierce the vitamin e capsule and squeeze it into your jar.
Add the reamaining of your dry ingredients and mix really well.
Determine if you have the desired texture that you want. Add more oil or salt and sugar if needed.
If you decide to use an essential oil, add this last.

When making my exfoliant I didn't measure anything. I kept on adding more of what I needed until I got my desired texture. I am telling you this, so that you can customize your own mixture to suit your skin type. If you have oily skin you may want to use less oil and if you have dry skin you may want to use more etc. The measurements you use will also be determined by the size of your ramakin or jar.

Keep your exfoliant at room temperature. Every time you use it, you always have to stir the ingredients around, so It is normal for it to clump up. Your exfoliant will also last you quite a long time depending on how much you make. It can last up to a couple of months.

I don't recommend that you use this exfoliant on your face everyday as it can be quite abrasive. Use a very gentle hand when rubbing it on your face or skin.

For oily skin you may want to use this exfoliant only a few times a week, as the base is oil and it may make your skin feel greasy with excessive use.

For dry skin every other day would be perfect. You can get rid of all the dead and dry skin while adding moisture to your skin at the same time.

Normal to combination skin every other day or as needed.

I usually exfoliate my face twice a week,  sometimes three times and sometimes I can also skip a week. I have normal skin with a slightly oily t-zone. I usually start to get a bit oily on my chin and around my nose probably after 4-5 hours of being out with make up on. It is not to the amount where I need blotting sheets though, just a touch up sometimes through out the day.

If you want to make a large amount of the exfoliant it is also great to use in the shower on your body, especially if you use fake tan a lot.
If you want it just for your body you can add more salt and sugar, so it is a bit more rough and chunky and it will get rid of all of your dead skin and leave you feeling extra soft and smooth.

This is also a great DIY gift idea, especially with the holidays coming up. You can ribbon to your jar and a little note for the recipent to make it more personal.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and comment below if you try this or if you have your own recipe!!!

*The original post came from my other blog - http://annpaigefashion.blogspot.ca

Until next time....
Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

Confessions of a First Time Mom #2

Hello lovelies,

This week's topic - Baby Photos

 As a kid I believe as a family we had one maybe two cameras at the most, one being a polaroid and the other a regular point and shoot film camera. We generally only took pictures on special occasions, or if we were going somewhere new (like to  an amusement park etc..). I remember the first time I was given my own camera, I was taking selfies before the "selfie" was ever a "thing". The bad thing about cameras back in the day was that you had to fill up the entire roll of film and then wait forever to finally see your pictures (aside from polaroids). When you finally got your film back you don't even remember taking half of the pictures and you end up trying to figure out what you even took a picture of (that selfie was taken WAY too close).

With technological advances we now have the gift (or lack) of having a camera with us everywhere we go and not having to wait weeks to see our pictures. These days who doesn't have a camera built-in on their phone, which makes photo taking that much more accessible and dangerous.
Being (the camera whore that I am) a first time mom I can't even count the amount of pictures I have on my phone, (and on my computer, on my fiancés phone, on my camera, on my Ipod, the list goes on ....) of myself, I mean my daughter ha..ha.. Honestly though I take at least 5 pictures of her (not myself, on most days ;) ) a day. I take them mostly to send to my fiancé while he is at work, but then I can't bare to delete them. I must have at least 50 pictures of her giving me the same "mommy hurry up and just take the picture already!" face, but she is just too cute and to me none of them look the same. 

I have filled up my external memory card and my phone now runs like a mule, it is so slow!!!! I seriously need to buy a hundred digital frames to store all of our pictures of her and she is only barely seven months old. You better believe that this girl is going to have a scrapbook for every event in her life (whenever I find the time to start and finish them all, I am still on number one).

How often do you take pictures of your little ones?  Please tell me that there is a support group for mama's like me (where all we really do is just share our thousands of pictures).

 Until next time....

Mel 

aka Jennine's mommy

Baby Food Recipe ft. Avocado 6 months+

Hello lovelies,

Avocados are an amazing source of healthy fats and they are a perfect food not only for us, but also for our babies! Now avocado by itself is not very appealing, so I have made a recipe that is sweet enough for your baby and is also high in fat, protein and fiber.

What you will need:
- Baby Bullet or a blender and a food processor
- 1/2 banana
- 1 avocado
- 1 tbsp water
- 1-2 tbsp of plain unsweetened greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp of uncooked quick oats (you can also cook the oats for this recipe if you wish)

Steps:
- Using your Baby Bullet with the blending blade/blender/or a fork pureé the avocado and water to your desired texture
- Add half of a banana to the avocado and blend
- Add in the yhogurt and continue to blend in your Baby Bullet or by hand until you have a smooth texture
-Using your Baby Bullet with the milling blade/food processor grind the oats to a powder consistency
- Add the oat powder to the avocado mixture and blend until smooth

Makes approx. 12oz depending on the size of your fruit.

If you are not going to feed your baby right away, or if you are prepping your babies food for the next day than do not add the banana until you are ready to serve. Adding the banana beforehand will cause your pureé to turn brown and spoil. When you are ready to feed your baby just pop the mixture back into your Baby Bullet or blender and add the banana.  If you are feeding your baby on the go then you can mash the banana seperatley before adding it to the mixture.

*Always remember that when feeding your baby a new food to follow the four day rule before introducing something new, to ensure that your baby does not have any food allergies.

Until next time....
Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

Mommy daughter outfit

Hello lovelies,

This past weekend we had a kids birthday party to go on my fiancés side and here is what we both wore.

Me:
Blazer: Dynamite
Tunic: Dynamite
Beige Jeggings: Dynamite
Flats: Ardéne

Jennine:
Onesie: Target;  Cherokee
Legggings: Sears
(How adorable are the leggings and my fiancé found them hiding in the boys section, under other clothes)
Faux fur vest: Baby Mexx
(Talk about cute, I fell in love when we saw this vest)
Boots: Old Navy

Being the person that I am, I desperately hope that my daughter will have a life long love affair with fashion, just like her mommy. Until the day comes that she can decide for herself, I will dress her as a little fashionista in the hopes that she will always be one.

Until next time....

Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

How to Look Amazing After Giving Birth!

Hello Lovelies!!!!

Giving birth is one of the most beautiful and natural things in the world and I truly feel blessed for being able to conceive, carry and deliver my beautiful daughter aû nautural (aside from being induced due to my water breaking early). Aside from all the beauty and glory (and pain and agony) that comes with labour, no one prepares you for how you will look and feel afterwards. 

The day after delivering my daughter I unexpectedly still looked very pregnant. No, I did not expect to have my abs back right away (I'm still trying to find them all), but I also didn't expect to look six months pregnant. At this point I was so happy that my daughter was healthy and that she was finally here and would come home with us soon but, I was also the most self-conscious about my physical appearance than I had ever been in my entire life. 

After your baby is born you get more visitors than an old lady giving away free cupcakes, so you want to look your best. Looking and feeling your best can be hard as a new mommy, so I am going to breakdown step by step how to look and feel amazing after giving birth. Whether you are going to the grocery store or having a family gathering to welcome your new bundle of joy, I've got you covered!

Step 1: Confidence! Confidence can make even the scaredest (wo)man look like the bravest. Even if you have to, fake it 'til you make it. I remember in the beginning it was hard for me to even just talk to people without being nervous (and I come from a job and life where all I do is talk all day), so know that it's normal and you're not alone. Just be you and remember that you are strong and let your confidence shine through naturally. 

Step 2: Concealer. Go for a Concealer two shades lighter than your complexion to brighten up your under eyes. Let everyone think that you have a magic baby who sleeps through night,  they'll never know!!!

Step 3: Mascara to open up your eyes and make you look more awake. 

Step 4: Blush in a soft pink/orange to bring some life back into your face. 

Step 5: Treat yourself to a new pair of jeans. Even if the jeans end up being a few sizes bigger than your pre-preggo size do it!!! You want to be able to wear something other than those boring leggings that you've been wearing for the past 8 months. Go for a straight leg and and boyfriend jeans are still a hot commodity, so when you loose those last 15lbs, put on a belt, roll up the cuffs and BAM boyfriend jeans! Style with a plain tee and blazer and you are good to go!

Step 6: Peplum tops or Empire waist blouses/dresses - magic for hiding the post-pregnancy belly. Remember to balance your outfit; if you are wearing a loose blouse go for a slender bottom and vice versa. 

Step 7: Fresh air. Go for a walk with your baby and partner around the neighbourhood at least twice a week. This is great for some light cardio and also to spend some quality time together as a family. Babies love walks too, even though they are in their stroller they well be easily occupied by their surroundings and they may even fall asleep during your walk! 

Step 8: Do something that you love and that makes you happy. Whether it be cooking (or ordering) your favourite meal and watching a movie on netflix, or having a DIY spa day at home with a girlfriend while your hubby takes care of the afternoon "baby duties". What ever it is, just remember to still be YOU!

Step 9:  Love yourself!!!! And know that your baby loves you for you (as well as your partner, that's why they're with you!!). Babies don't care what your hair looks like,  or if you forgot to take a shower last night. To your baby you are their whole world, they look to you for all of their needs and know nothing of a world without you. Always remember that the little baby smiling at you in her sleep will always love you just the way you are!!

Those are all of my tips and tricks to make you look and feel amazing! I hope that this was helpful for any and all mommies that may need a little pick me up, or a reminder of how amazing they already are!

What tips and/or tricks do you have to look and feel amazing after birth?  

Until next time....

Mel

aka Jennine's mommy

Confessions of a First Time Mom #1

Hello lovelies,

My first confession of being a first time mom is one that I think all moms have thought at some point or another, but especially so with the first baby.

I never thought that I would think a fart or a belch coming from anyone could be the cutest thing I would hear all day (yes, I am still talking about farts). Nothing beats the first time your baby smiles at you. Nothing also beats the first time you hear a nasty, outlandish belch thinking it came from your fiancé, only to look down in aww now knowing that it came from the adorable bundle of joy lying in arms.

I want to make this a series on my blog and will try to have a new confession every week, so stayed tuned!!!!

Until next time....

Mel
aka Jennine's mommy

Baby Food Recipe with Chicken (6 months+)

Hello lovelies,

My daughter's doctor gave us the go ahead to start solids at four months and we gradually started introducing her to new flavours and textures. She is now just past six months and at her routine visit we asked if we could start to introduce meats into her diet and her doctor approved!

When it comes to eating my girl is a champ. She has loved food from the very first day she tried it. To clear up why we started solids when we did, my daughter was showing all of the signs that she was ready. She started teething (mind you we are still waiting for her first tooth to cut, it is so close I can see the tooth!), she could hold up her own head, she would drool and stare everytime my fiancé and I were eating, she was munching on her tiny little hands like crazy. She also knew how to chew and turn away when she was finished eating and didn't want anymore.

The first time I introduced chicken to my daughter she was not a fan, so I wanted to find a way to get her to eat it without tasting just the chicken, or tasting the chicken at all. Here is the recipe I came up with.

Having not liked the chicken alone, my daughter thankfully loved this combination. She had already tried carrots and sweet potatoes seperatley and adding them together really helped mask the chicken flavour (yes, of course I tried it ;) ).

- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Sweet Potato
- Filtered/ Boiled and cooled Water (measure as needed)

You will also need:
- a Baby Bullet or
- a food processor &
- a blender
- a container to put the pureé in when finished
- a freezer safe container for left over pureé

Cook the chicken breast at 350F for 30min.
While the chicken is cooking peel the carrot and sweet potato and chop both into 1inch cubes.
Boil the chopped sweet potato for 10min.
Boil the chopped carrot for 20min.

Once both vegetables are boiled until soft use your baby bullet with the Blend Blade or your blender to pureé both vegetables. I started by blending the sweet potato first and added approx. 4tbsp of water. Add however much water is needed for your desired consistency.

At this point your chicken should be fully cooked. Check the colour first and and ensure the liquid surrounding the chicken is clear. Using the Milling Blade with your Baby Bullet or your food processor and grind the chicken until it is of your desired texture. I added approx 2tbs of water to the chicken while grinding. 

Once the chicken is of your desired consistency add it to your blender with the sweet potato and carrot pureé and blend. Blend until all three foods are equally combined and you can no longer see the chicken (it should be blended to the same consitency as both vegetables). Once blended you should have an orangey-pink pureé.

When finished depending on the size of the vegetables that you used you should have approx. 40oz of pureé.

The pureé can last for up to three days in the fridge and one month in the freezer. I put 20oz in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

I typically feed my daughter solids 2-3 times a day and this batch should last us all week.

Just remember that when defrosting your frozen batch, not to use high heat. I usually pop out as many servings as I will need for the day from the silicone tray that came with my bullet and let them defrost in the fridge the night before. If you need to you can place them in warm water to help them defrost a bit faster.

Thanks for reading and I hope that this post was helpful to any mommy's looking for new baby food recipes!!!

Until next time....

Mel aka...

Jennine's mommy

My Labour & Delivery Story

Hello lovelies,

As I am writing this I am currently 7 weeks and 4 days postpartum, my beautiful angel was born May 7th, 2014.
Being a new mom has been nothing but exciting and rewarding in so many ways. Yes, it is tiring, but so worth it!!!

Now on to the details of how my little cupcake came into this world.

As most of you know from week 30 on I had many overnight stays in the hospital and had since been put on an early leave from work and bed rest at home.

It was a regular Monday morning (I was 34 weeks and 2days) when my fiancés alarm sounded off at 5am. I woke up to go the bathroom and surprise, surprise I was bleeding (heavy). I waited an hour, called L&D and they suggested I go in to get checked out.  When we got there (7:30am) they didn't do very much at all in terms of testing or anything really. I guess they were just used to seeing me and didn't think that what was happening now was any different. I got admitted into my room at around 10am and finally my blood was taken by one of the nurses. It wasn't until my OB came to visit me that an ultrasound was scheduled and I was sent down shortly after.

During my ultrasound everything looked normal for the most part, except my fluid level was slightly lower. The ultrasound tech also saw something that wasn't there the week prior, but she was unsure of what it was. It didn't look like my placenta had separated, so there was still no clear explanation as to why I was bleeding, AGAIN.

I continued to bleed all day, mostly when I was moving or got out of my bed. Sometimes a little and other times it was heavier. At 5pm I was sitting upright eating my dinner when my fiancé said something funny and made me laugh. While laughing I felt a huge gush of blood and then another gush right after. I called my nurse and when she came to check me she said that it looked as if my water broke and I was having my "bloody show". She got the equipment needed to test the fluid and it turned out to indeed be my water. Because of how far along I already was my Dr. decided not to try to intervene in prolonging my pregnancy.

On Tuesday May 6th I wasn't progressing on my own as my cervix was still closed, so they started my induction with oxytocin at 11:45am. The contractions started almost immediately. They were very mild to start and increasingly got stronger throughout the afternoon. They felt like bad menstrual cramps, but not in any one spot, they were all over. The contractions were bearable and nothing that I couldn't handle. At approximately 5:30pm the on-call Dr. came in to check my progression and I was only 1cm dilated and 80% effaced. Six hours of contractions and I thought to myself, that's it!?!? She told me that if I wasn't progressing on my own by 10pm I would be taken in for a c-section. The chance of having a c-section terrified me. When you have had one c-section, most Dr.'s will make you have a c-section for future pregnancies as well and I didn't want that.

At 7:45pm the new on-call Dr. came in to check on me and I was still only 1cm, but now I was fully effaced. She said that considering I started completely closed up, that my progression rate was normal and now that I am fully effaced I should start progressing faster. This meant no c-section, for now. Being only 1cm dilated with 8hours of contractions and 9cm more to go I decided it was time for an epidural. The contractions were still bearable, but they were getting a lot closer and I didn't want to have to feel them for another 8 hours, if it was potentially going to take that long. By this time I also had a new nurse and she ended up being the same nurse that I had the night before, so I was very happy because she was really nice and easy to talk to.

Throughout the night my fiancé was still with me eagerly waiting for our baby girl. My nurse continued to increase my dosage of oxytocin as much as my baby could handle the contractions. At times my contractions were continuous, one right after the other, with no time inbetween. Even though I had the epidural I could still feel the pressure, so I always knew when I was having a contraction. I managed to take a nap and woke up at around 1:30am, because the pressure was increasing and getting much stronger. At this point my nurse had upped my dosage to either level four or five, I can't remember. This made my contractions a lot more intense. At times I was grabbing on to the railing on my bed, because I felt so much pressure.

At 5:30am on Wednesday May 7th my nurse and Dr. checked my cervix again and I was 2cm dilated. My oxytocin dosage was at a level five at this point and my nurse told me that it should be happening very soon. It was time for her to take her hour break at this point, so a different nurse would be popping in every so often to check on me. At this time my fiancé decided to go home and take a shower, as well as try to rest for a few hours.

It was now just before 6am and I had to buzz for a nurse. I could feel every single contraction, it literally felt as though there was a softball sitting right on top of my cervix. I was cringing and crying during every single contraction at this point. When the nurse came in I asked her to get my dr. Approximately 15 had passed and the nurse came back in and I asked where my dr was and if she was coming to check on me. I told her how much pressure I was feeling and that I was in a lot of pain. I wanted them to check how far I was, because it felt like I was further dilated. She decided to check me instead of getting my Dr. When she checked me, she told me that she could no longer feel my cervix. She said that I was fully dilated. She started to prep and get everything ready for delivery. I called my fiancé who had just gotten home 15min prior and told him that he had to come back, it was time. At 6:30am my nurse was back and so was my Dr., it was time to push.

After 30 minutes of pushing my fiancé and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl into the world. As soon as I let out my last push and saw her for the first time, I bawled my eyes out and could not stop crying. I was in complete awe and so in love. I couldn't believe that she was actually here. She scored 7 and 9 on her apgar tests, weighed 5lbs, 5oz and was 17.5inches long. They cut the cord, cleaned her up and did what they needed to, then put her on my chest and I was still crying at this point. My fiancé held her for a few minutes and then they had to take her to the NICU and do more tests on her. Because she was a preemie they told us that she would have to stay in NICU and we would have to go in there to see her.

After 17hours and 45min of labour I was happier than I have ever been. I never thought that it was possible to love someone as much as I now loved my little girl. I was discharged from the hospital the next day, May 8th (also my birthday) and it was the hardest day of my life, because I had to leave without my baby.  Every day my fiancé and I went to the hospital to spend time with our little girl. She needed to be fed every three hours and we were there. For the first couple of days she was under light treatment,  because she had low levels of jaundice, but other than that she was perfectly healthy!

Finally exactly one week after our baby girl was born, it was time to take her home. Her Dr. in the hospital wouldn't allow us to take her home until she started to gain weight and thankfully she now was. Being new parents,  we were ecstatic to finally have our baby home with us.

She is now almost 8 weeks and she is doing amazing, as am I. Thus far, she has an olive complexion, just like her daddy (who is Filipino), she has grey coloured eyes, and her mommy's chubby cheeks. I will be doing another post in the next few weeks, when she is two months old and I am two months post-partum. Look out for that in the second week of July.

Here are just a few pictures of our beautiful baby girl!!

Thank you for following along this journey with me and for reading this entire post!!

Until next time...
xoxo
annpaige

Put on sick leave, until after baby arrives.

Hello lovelies,

Yesterday morning at 5am I woke up with a full bladder and made my normal trip to the bathroom(in the dark). While there something was off, so I turned on the lights and yelled to my fiancé. I was bleeding tremendously.
I had bleeding weeks 5-15 from SCH, but this wasn't that, not this far into the pregnancy(31 weeks).

We packed up a hospital bag(minus baby stuff, as we were not yet that prepared), got cleaned up and rushed to the ER. Being as far as I am in my pregnancy, they sent us straight up to the maternity ward and started to check me out. They checked my cervix did some tests and a quick ultrasound to check on baby.

My cervix was still closed and they could not find crystals in my blood indicating that my water had broke, but wanted to prepare me for all possibilities. I was given a thorough ultrasound to check her measurments and for placenta preavia and everything looked normal. Baby girl was measuring on track and weighs 3lbs 7oz so far. The nurse also gave me a shot to help mature her lungs incase she comes early and I got my second and last shot for her lungs today.

My doctor had come to the hospital to check on me and informed me I would not be going home for at least a day or two.
The bleeding stopped overnight, just dark brown and very, very minimal. Nurses kept on coming in to check on baby and I through out the night and all was good with both of us.

Now today, my doctor came to see me again today and I told her how I was feeling and asked when I could go back to work ('cause I'm such an eager muffin lol) and she informed me that there is no way I will be going back to work. She said I may get to home tomorrow if i stop bleeding and if I do, it is to do the same thing as I am doing here in the hospital (yay...not).

I love this little girl so much and I want to do everything for her to make sure she is healthy and safe, but damn what am I supposed to do for the next two months, if she stays in there. By all means I do want her to stay in there too and keep on maturing, I just feel useless not being able to do anything and I'm only technically on day two of rest.

I'm thinking that this will at least give me more time to prep for her, like get her laundry done and help my sil with the baby shower prep that is still left and of course blog!! But, oi am I going to be bored and probably annoy the heck out of my fiancé every day....ha ha.

Sorry for the semi-long post.
Is or has anyone else been in a similar boat and able to relate?
What did you do while on sick leave, to help pass the time?

Thanks so much for those of you who made it to the end of this post!!!

31weeks 1day
EDD June 12th

Until next time....

xoxo
annpaige

Pregnancy Weeks 20-25

Hello lovelies,

March was a very hectic month for me as my fiancé and I moved into our new condo and officially got settled. Other days I have just been tired and exhausted.
I have loved every minute of this pregnancy so far and I have no regrets whatsoever. The only things I really miss about not being pregnant is that fact that I could wear whatever I wanted!!! Now I can't even fit my pants over my thighs :(, but it will all be worth it very soon.

Here is a recap of my 20th to my 25th week of pregnancy....

Week Twenty:
- lots of congestion still
- upset stomach and gasy if I eat anything too greasy or with too much oil. This baby is already a health freak.
- weird muscle spasms that cause me to involuntarily kick or squirm from baby kicks and punches.
- Dr.'s appt and another ultrasound this week
Weighing in at 131lbs,  gained a total 14 lbs so far.

Week Twenty-one:
- dry cough duting the night
- sore joints, especially my knees
- extremely exhausted
- really bad back pain some days
Waistline 30 3/8" that is a total of 5" bigger then pre-pregnancy on the smallest part of my waist
Belly 36 2/8"

Week Twenty-two
- starving omg!!
- nausea in the am on some days
- back pain
- dry itchy skin, especially itchy on my belly

Week Twenty-three
- saw baby's kicks when I was laying down :)
- chest pains
- bleeding gums still
- very itchy belly
- feel my stomach is so big that I am literally going to POP!
- more energy on some days
- exhausted on other days
- back pain
- extremely dry and itchy skin all over
Belly now @ 36 6/8" and waist @ 32 1/8"

Week Twenty-four
- light head aches
- dry cracked lips
- exhausted
- felt baby hiccups for the first time
- nerve pain in my lower back limiting and almost disabling certain movements. Happened four times for short periods.
- sore joints, knees and my wrists
- very active movements from baby
- glucose and blood test this week.
- Dr.'s appt. Now at 140lbs, 23lbs in total.
Heard baby's heart beat and it is fast as always. Everything looks and sounds good from the doctors point of view yay!!

Week Twenty-five
Moving week for us, so I really didn't keep track or record anything for this week.
- itchy belly
- exhausted
- sore joints
- starving all of the time!

My most memorable moments of these past five weeks, were seeing my baby's movements for the first time and getting to hear the heart beat.

What were some of your most memorable moments of the second trimester of your pregnancy?

Thanks so much for reading everyone and continuing to follow me on this amazing journey!

Until next time....

xoxo
annpaige

Stretch Marks - To be, or not to be?

Hello lovelies,

I don't know about you, but stretch marks are a part of my everyday life. From a big growth spurt as an adolescent I developed stretch marks quite young, which has delivered the anticipated fear of more during pregnancy(yikes!). They currently exist on my hips and butt, but are very light in colour.

Now, on to pregnancy stretch marks...

Now being 24 weeks and 4 days pregnant and feeling everyday like my stomach is so big that it is going to pop, I have yet to develop any new stretch marks (thank God). They say stretch marks are hereditary and that if your mother had them then you will too. I'm not sure if I was the result of any of my moms stretch marks, but I hope that my little cupcake wont be the result of any more for me.

There are two products that I use regularly to "lube" up my skin and so far *fingers crossed* they have been working great for me.

Product #1
Bio-oil
I bought this product when I first "popped" a bit around my 12 week mark. I was using this product everyday at night. Being on the more expensive and greasy side I didn't want to use too much at a time. I also started getting really itchy and didn't want to get oil on my clothes, so I also started to use.....

Product #2
Vaseline
Cocoa Radiance moisturizer.
This is a product that my fiancé and I always have in the house, but for some reason I never thought to use it on my belly.

As I started to get really itchy on my belly I started to use both items together. In the morning I use the Vaseline moisturizer and any time my tummy gets itchy during the day. I will usually use the Bio-oil at night, before bed and after a shower and then apply the Vaseline on top. The Bio-oil I will apply just to my hips, thighs, belly and upper half. I apply the Vaseline pretty much everywhere as it is a regular moisturizer.

Now, do either of these products really work for the prevention of stretch marks you ask?
That is an answer that I cannot give, because every woman and every pregnancy is different however, they have been working amazing for me thus far.

Will I continue to use/repurchase either or both of these products?
Definitely! I will do everything it takes to prevent stretch marks no matter what any one says.

Would I recommend either of these products to a friend?
Heck yes! Who is to say whether or not they will really prevent stretch marks or scarring, but who doesn't at least want to try.

What is your holy grail product for preventing/reducing stretch marks during pregnancy?

Thanks for reading everyone!!

Until next time...

xoxo
annpaige

Pregnancy Weeks 13-20

Hello lovelies,

In this post I will recap the first half of my second trimester!!! It is seriously insane how fast this pregnancy is flying by. This little baby is growing so fast and so am I!
If you are unaware I am now, while writing this 22 weeks pregnant! Crazy right? I know!

You hear stories of other pregnant women all of the time, but never really understand certain things until they happen to you.

Did anyone else really expect to have pee every 5 minutes or literally right after a glass of water? I thought it took longer to travel down to my bladder, apparently not. And what about (while on the topic of an uncontrollable bladder) coughing and laughing, please no, not until I get home (or at least to the closest bathroom)!

Omg and dont even get me started on always being hungry! That and eating my favourite food only to realize that it is sooo not babies favourite food.

And then the joys of feeling baby move. Was that really baby or just gas again.

Anyways... here are the weeks and what happened/how I felt during them.

Week 13:
- had a dr's. appt and heard babies heart beat!! 149bmp
- starving all of the time
- cannot stand to look at raw meat and will not touch chicken, unless it is fried
- bleeding slowing down. Only occurs during the night with nothing during the day.

Week 14:
- felt baby kick for the first time when sitting down.
- a lot of blood during the night for one day only.
- starving
- car sickness
- gained a total of 6lbs
Now weighing in at 123lbs

Week 15 (Dec. 19th - 25th):
- could feel more movement, when my fiancé was talking to my belly. Other days baby does flips. Feeling small flutters everyday and occasional kicks on some days.
- tired
- suffered the worst ice storm in the city since the late '80's and had no power for three days!
- finally got power back on Christmas eve and I received the best and unexpected gift from boyfriend....fiancé. He proposed!! He was so sweet and I was and still am so happy!!
Belly: 34 2/8"
Waist: 29 1/2"

Week 16:
- starving
- motion sickness
- more energy some days
- light headed and dizzy some days
- had another dr's. appt and my ob found babies heart beat again, but she couldn't keep it because baby is soo active and keeps on moving!
- still no more bleeding yay!! Dr. Is very happy with my health and babies health.

Week 17:
- still no blood, everything feels good!!
- dreamed that baby was a boy, but I still have no idea. My fiancé and I both have our ideas of what baby is, but not 100%.
- light headed and dizzy still some days
- really thirsty
- baby is really active at night
- able to eat chicken again!
Waist: 30 1/8"
Belly: 35"

Week 18:
- tired
- itchy belly
- was listening to a Bob Marley song and baby started moving.
- started playing Beethoven for baby while getting ready for work and at night.
- baby still active, especially at night
- noticed a bald spot on my head; alopecia. Not too worried as I had it when I was a teenager as well and my dad had it before.

Week 19:
- nausea and really bad motion sickness
- ate Pizza Pizza and it made me feel so sick.
- horrible sinus congestion
- headache
- sore throat ...ugh
- had an ultrasound and my fiancé was able to come with me!!
- baby was so active and we were able to find out the gender.
- of course we went shopping afterwards, but what colours we bought are still a secret to our families.... ;)
- we will be telling our families closer to our shower date.

Week 20:
- tired
- still congested, have a sinus infection
- certain foods make me yuck
- dr's. appt to follow up from my ultrasound
- baby hit a nerve and gave me a muscle spasm and made me involuntarily kick out my leg. Very embarrassing at work!

Gained a total of 13lbs!! Yikes!
Now weighing in at 131lbs

If you are or have been pregnant, what are your most memorable pregnancy symptoms?
When did you first feel your baby move?
What are your least favourite memories during your second trimester?

Thanks for reading everyone and continuing to follow me on this amazing journey!!!

Until next time...

xoxo
annpaige

Weeks 1-12; 1st Trimester

Hello lovelies,

Being pregnant has honeslty been the most beautiful experience for me thus far. Getting to see my baby, feel my baby and just know that my little cupcake is growing strong and healthy makes me so happy. I have loved every minute of being pregnant,  mind you I did have some not so pleasant and/or scary bumps along the way too.

Week by week here are some notes on what baby and I have been going through.

Starting measurements and weight
Waist(smallest part): 25 1/2"
Hips(widest part): 36"
117lbs

Week One:
Started feeling short of breath, more than usual. I have asthma, but it wasn't from that and I could tell the difference.
Also started feeling as though I had to go to the bathroom more often.

Week Two:
Missed my period and took an at home test two days later. The test was negative, but I couldn't help fight the feeling that I was really pregnant this time.

Week Three:
Went to my doctors for a blood test. Got the results back and they were positive!!

Week Four:
Motion sickness slowly started to kick in.
Any foods that were too sweet or sugary that I usually love, were now making me feel nauseous. Prefer anything salty and/or crunchy.
- so bloated now too!
- migraines were starting
- always hungry

Week Five:
Started spotting dark red, so we went to the ER. They tried to do an ultrasound, but could only see what looked like a yolk sac and weren't sure what was wrong.
The bleeding stopped at the end of the night. The doctor however told me to get another blood test done at my dr.'s and to go for a proper ultrasound with the next couple of days.
- still bloated all the time.
- still had migraines
- always hungry

Week Six:
It was time for my ultrasound and I started to bleed again, this time a lot more. Back to the ER we went (by we I mean my fiance and I). They told me either the placenta seperated or I could have a sub-chorionic hematomma; a blood clot in my uterus.
Had an ultrasound done at the hospital,  but the image wasn't very clear. Saw a tiny gestational sac. Doctor told me to schedule another ultrasound at a proper clinic.
- nausea in the am a few days, but no vomit
- abs were hurting like I did too many crunches.
- motion sickness in the car, especially when hungry
- shortness of breath

Week Seven:
Still bleeding. Had a lot of pain similar to cramping.
Finally got to see our baby at the ultrasound clinic and they were checking for the SCH.
Baby was .3cm long. 
- nausea different times of the day, especially when hungry
- migraines
- tired
- shortness of breath
- a little disoriented at times
- irritable at times
- jeans beginning to feel a bit tight.
- dry lips and skin
- slightly heightened sense of smell
- loosing some appetite;  not always as hungry

Week Eight:
Had another ultrasound at a clinic and baby was at 5.9mm. SCH was confirmed this time.
Bleeding was beginning to slow down over night, but picked up other nights.
- nausea and motion sickness
- tired all of the time
- dry lips and skin still
- started to vomit after breakfast 3 days in a row. Thought could be due to prenatals.
- cannot stand to look at raw meats
- still bleeding

Week Nine:
- waist size getting a bit bigger. Now at 26 6/8"
- started to notice a teeny tiny bump!
- nausea
- threw up again one morning
- starting to get some of my appetite back
- motion sickness in the car
- still bleeding

Week Ten:
- motion sickness at night
- tired all of the time
- shortness of breath
- bad cramping from the bleeding and some pain when trying to bend

Week Eleven:
- still bleeding
- had another ultrasound. I think baby was asleep, wasn't very active, but still moving.
- threw up again on an empty stomach after taking my prenatal vitamin.
- motion sickness
- light headed at times
- shortness of breath

Waist: 27 3/8"
Hips: 36 1/2"
Belly: 33 2/8"

Week Twelve:
- I can no longer button my jeans. I need an elastic wrapped around the button to secure them, on my biggest pair!!!
Now caught in only leggings! :(
- popped a bit and have a little baby bump!! Did a photoshoot with my fiancé of my belly.
- bleeding slowing down during the day, but heavy overnight.

So that is a recap of my first twelve weeks of pregnancy!!!! I cannot believe how fast everything is moving.
I plan to do my next post hopefully by the end of the week, recapping weeks 13- 20 (where I am now).
I will also keep on doing random posts inbetween. Let me know what you want to see!!

Thanks so much for reading and check out the bottom of the post for belly pics through out my first twelve weeks!!!!

Until next time..

xoxo
annpaige

First Pair of Maternity Pants

Hello lovelies,

So, I caved and last week went out to buy my first pair of Maternity pants. Now, I wasn't necessarily looking for "maternity" pants, but just pants that were comfy and wouldn't bug or get in the way of my growing belly.

My fiance and I went to Old Navy and I immediately went to their active wear section to look for yoga style pants, because I am not usually a fan of the maternity style selection. I found a few pairs of comfy work out pants that I liked and some loose tops plain tops in their sale section. Making our way to the cash I thought or my fiance suggested why not check out the maternity pants instead and they had maternity active wear, which I originally knew nothing about. So, instead of getting the regular active wear pants I bought a pair of maternity active wear pants and I love them!!!!

The pair I got are black and the band goes all the way to the top of my growing belly. I am still in the stage of wearing everything inappropriately low so it doesn't touch my belly, so I just fold them over and they are perfect. I don't however like the material I picked up, because it is the type of material that almost everything sticks to. Aside from the material they are super comfy and I can definitely see myself wearing them through my whole pregnancy and possibly even afterwards with the band just folded over.

Here is a picture of the pants (I am wearing them in my Latest Bump Pic >>>)

They are called the Compression pants

You can check them out online here

The price online and in-store was different for me. They were I believe $29 here in Canada plus they were having a 50% off sale when I got them.

Hope this post was helpful if you are expecting and need some comfy pants to wear!!

Until next time....

xoxo

annpaige

How We Found Out

Hello lovelies,

For my first post I wanted to tell you all how we found out that I was pregnant!!!!

I am currently as of today 19 weeks and 2days pregnant and if you follow my other blog http://annpaigefashion.blogspot.ca than you will already know this story....

My fiance and I found out that I was pregnant on Friday, October 4th, 2013. We hadn't been exactly trying to get pregnant, mind you we weren't preventing it either. We wanted to have a baby yes but, whenever God thought it would be the right time to give us one and it turns out that this was the time. When we found out, I thought I was anywhere from 5-7 weeks due to my LMP, but turns out I was wrong.

One week prior to us "officially" finding out, I had taken a pregnancy test at home that turned out to be negative. I did not take this test very seriously, because I still really felt like I was pregnant. So, on Thursday, October 3rd I went to my Family Doctor to get a blood test done. I called my doctors office the next day to get the results and lone behold, I was pregnant!!! I was on my break at work and could not wait to tell my fiance the news, so I called him right away. At first he didn't believe me and though that I was joking but, hardly being able to breath and talk because of the huge smile that was stuck on my face he started to believe me. We were and are both so happy and excited to be parents!!!

 When I went to see my doctor the following week to actually confirm my results I thought my hcg level was low (86) for 5-7 weeks, but now knowing that I was really only 4 weeks and 3 weeks when I had the test done it made sense.

We kept my pregnancy a secret from everyone except for a very small select group of close friends and our parents and siblings, until I hit the 12 week mark and knew for sure that our baby was healthy.

In the beginning of the pregnancy we did have a couple of scares that lasted longer then we had hoped, but I will get to that and more in another post which will be the Happenings of my Pregnancy from weeks 1-12. expect my next post to be up in the next few days!!!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you will enjoy following me on My Mommy Journey!!

Please also share in the comments section if you are expecting and have a blog too, or if you are a new mommy blogger. I would love to read and share experiences with other preggo or mommy bloggers!!

Until next time....

xoxo
annpaige