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16 Weeks Pregnant

I am exactly 16 weeks pregnant today!

I have been feeling tiny little bumps and wiggles every few days for the passed week or so.

In just a few short weeks, I get to find out the gender of my little one. I'm looking forward to scheduling the appointment this week. I. can't. wait. I am hoping for a girl, but would not be disappointed if we found out I'm having a boy. Corde and I have been tossing around a lot of names that we like, but aren't set on any for a girl or a boy. With Russell we didn't even try to come up with any girl names, because we were so sure we'd have a boy. By now we already knew that his name would be Corde Russell Stevenson.

This time around, time is flying. I am amazed that I'm already 16 weeks pregnant. I can now eat most things and think about food without wanting to throw up. I've been craving avocados, carrots and peanut butter for the last week, and meat is one of the few things that still does not sound appetizing (most of the time). It's very true that pregnancy changes with each child. With Russell, by now I was living off of hot cheetos and slices of lemon. I had some intense cravings for tangy food.  I'm thankful that I'm craving healthy food instead of junk right now. I do feel extremely hungry all of the time, though.

Another thing that makes this pregnancy different than the last is the size of my belly. I don't know if it's because I was skinnier before getting pregnant this time, but I swear my belly popped out the moment I found out I was pregnant. With Russell I started to show during this week! I'm definitely past the point of "starting to show". I'm already pretty huge and I feel a lot of discomfort in my lower abdomen already.

I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father has given me another chance to bring a spirit into this world. Being a mom has given me more purpose and filled my heart with so much more joy than I could have ever imagined.

Russell Goes to the Pumpkin Patch

I recently spent over a week in Yakima, Washington visiting my family. Most of my time was spent relaxing around my parents house, watching Russell explore in the backyard and play with Bo (the dog). Aside from the crime rate, I am in love with Yakima. (hehe) It's not over-crowded, It's beautiful, and there is a lot to do. I should have taken my camera out more, but I was too distracted. I did, however, make sure to take some photos of Rusty and my niece, Kobie, at the pumpkin patch. 

Russell with his "Puk'n"

It was nap time. 

Apples!

Russell's "forced smile"

"Why is this pumpkin so heavy?"

Smooches!!!

The face Russell makes when he hears a loud noise

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Bye Bye First Trimester

This is my last week of the first trimester of pregnancy and I'm pretty dang excited. Although, some people say that the 12th week is the end of the first trimester, so if that's the case, hello second trimester!

If anyone sees me out in public, you might notice that I look different than I did two months ago. That's because I'm fat now.

Pregnancy can be hard at times, but I love it. It will get better. I vaguely remember that it gets better.

I am eagerly waiting to feel fluttering in my belly, to know the gender, and especially to kiss my baby's precious little lips.

Baby is the size of a macaroon this week and he or she already has fingerprints.

I'm feeling a lot of discomfort in my abdomen and my belly isn't holding back this time around. I've got a noticeable bump and my belly button is already trying to pop out.

Unfortunately I can't yet say that my nausea has ended but I can say that on occasion, I have a day or two of feeling myself again until nausea hits again with rage.

Rusty is Growing Up

Today I realized that it had been a while since I took some photos of Rusty boy. I also woke up feeling a ton better than yesterday, so for the first time in a while I actually had the strength to step outside of my front door. For those of you who don't follow me on instagram, I was very sick yesterday. (#pregnancyprobs)


Here's a collection of my favorite photos from this morning:

"nom nom nom"

"haaaat."

"fishy face"

Baby #2

It is still surreal that I have another child growing inside of my body. Corde and I had been attempting to have a baby since December, and that 8 months of trying felt like a lifetime. I know most of you probably won't think that's a very long time considering some couples try for years without success. But I had high expectations because Russell was conceived within two weeks of ending birth control. Plus, I'm a very impatient person.

It has taken all of my strength to hold in the news. I wanted to shout from the rooftops and flood social media as soon as I found out, which was early. Corde and I originally planned to keep this child a secret until 20 weeks, even from our families, but I ended up telling my parents the day after I found out. I had to tell them. I needed my mom to know so that I could complain to her about all of my pregnancy woes, like morning sickness, cramps, doubts, all of it.

Going into this pregnancy has felt a million times more stressful than it did with my first. I don't know if it's because I felt like I had to wait so long and I'm eager to do it all again, or because this time I understand how real it all is.

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time googling miscarriage statistics, signs, you name it. I have felt like somehow it was my due time for things to go wrong since with Russell everything went smoothly. At my first consultation, I asked so many questions and expressed so many concerns that I bet the woman consulting me thought I was crazy. By the end of the appointment, she told me that I should look into doing some meditation and using relaxation techniques to help me stress less. (haha)

Soon after my consultation, I felt some relief that my pregnancy was progressing smoothly when I started getting nausea and food aversions. My morning sickness/nausea has not been as severe as it was with Russell which has been a amazing, but I have severe food aversion that make me feel disgusted by everything 24/7.

Now that I have finally had my first ultrasound, and got to hear my sweet baby's heartbeat, plus see his/her teensy weensy body and get the reassurance that our child was measuring exactly where it needed to be,  I'm feeling very thankful. I am so in love with the little bean inside of me. And I can't wait to see our little Corde Russell be a big brother.

I don't know about you guys, but I love reading about other peoples pregnancies, seeing baby bump pictures, and all of that fun stuff. Plus I love looking back at my old pregnancy posts and comparing them to how I feel now. I hope you guys enjoy the things that I share!

Here is my 4 weeks pregnant vs. now. 10 weeks 4 days today, you guys! This time around my belly popped much sooner than with Russell. I didn't show a bump until about 16 weeks or so, I think.

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

I don't know about all of you, but I have been salivating over the thought of pumpkin spice lately. Hey Starbucks, how about you start serving pumpkin spice already? Do I really have to wait a whole month before I can indulge in your sweet pumpkin flavor?

Side note: I noticed that Starbucks is going to start selling pumpkin spice lattes in grocery stores this year. whaaaaaat?

Today I finally cracked and decided to make a pumpkin spice something. I found the most amazing paleo pumpkin muffin recipe. These drool-worthy morsels of goodness will be my breakfast this week.

When I told my husband I was making paleo/gluten free muffins this evening, he asked me, "what does that mean exactly?" I told him that the muffins would have no flour and no sugar. He chuckled and said, "those are the two best things about muffins." I thought about that for a moment and realized he was right.

I have come to like my muffins more like bread then sweet like cupcakes. Most muffins are basically cupcakes without frosting, or atleast that's how I feel. I love eating these because they make my tummy happy and satisfied, and they aren't very sweet.

I ended up sprinkling some of my raw sugar on top, and that, plus the chopped walnuts, were a perfect addition to the soft texture of the muffins.

Paleo/ Gluten-free Pumpkin Muffins 

Recipe:

1 c. Almond Flour

1/2 c. Coconut flour

1t. Baking soda

1 t. Pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs

3/4 c. Pumpkin puree

3 T. Coconut oil, melted

1 t. Vanilla extract

1/4 c. Honey

1/4 c. Nut of choice (I used walnuts) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350f

2. Combine all dry ingredients

3. Add egg, pumpkin puree, coconut oil, vanilla, and honey. Mix until combined.

4. Spoon into greased muffin tin. (should make 10-11 muffins)

5. Sprinkle chopped nuts over top of muffins.

6. Bake for 20-25 min. or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

7. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Jefferies Wedding

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend Shayla and Hunter's beautiful wedding in Scofield, Utah. Shayla is Corde's cousin and I spoke to her and her now husband for the first time just a couple weeks ago. Shayla and Hunter Jefferies are honestly two of the sweetest people I've ever met and I'm so thankful they let me enjoy their wedding day with them. 

Going to weddings is always such a tender experience because it takes me back to my wedding day and reminds me of the feelings I felt during that time. 

I'm really upset I didn't get more pictures of the bride and groom, but I didn't want to annoy the actual photographer who was there and actually knew what she was doing. So here are some photos for you to enjoy!