Tag / bumpie

by Meagan

The last 7 weeks…

Android bumpie! April 10, 2015.

Android bumpie! April 10, 2015.

The last 7 weeks have been a whirwind! I can’t believe I’ve fallen so far behind on updating this blog. But then again, during the last 7 weeks, I’ve taken two trips to the west coast, had two baby showers, moved offices, celebrated my birthday, hunted for an apartment, found an apartment, packed an apartment (well, almost packed an apartment), and plowed head first into the third trimester. Needless to say, it’s been just a tad busy 🙂

I had all these grandiose ideas of posting individual recaps for each event, but alas, you’ll have to settle for one big summary while I catch my breath! Here are a few photos of the various trips, celebrations and events:

Family came from near and far to celebrate our little one.

Family came from near and far to celebrate our little one. April, 2015.

My mom threw us a beautiful shower at her home in Laguna Beach, and my Aunt Monica, Uncle Will, Aunt Charlotte, brother Mark and his fiancé Stephanie, all flew in from Washington to be there. Together we celebrated with about 40 of our closest friends and family from LA and Orange County. It was a heartwarming reminder of how lucky we are to have such incredible, loving and generous people in our lives.

Some snapshots from our Laguna Beach shower. April 2015.

Some snapshots from our Laguna Beach shower. April 2015.

Two weeks later, my good friend Mee threw us another shower at her place in Gramercy Park. It was a beautiful, sunny day filled with delicious food and great friends. My mom even made the trip out from California to spend the weekend with us.

A few of our closest friends at our NY baby shower. April 2015.

A few of our closest friends at our NY baby shower. April 2015.

Amidst all the wonderful festivities, we had a few frustrating medical challenges and an exhausting apartment search to cope with. Thankfully we made it through both and are set to move into our new place at the end of the month. While we didn’t get exactly what we were hoping for in an apartment (who does in Manhattan?!), we will be staying in our building which makes many aspects of the move easier. Unfortunately for Jimmy, it means he’s in charge of moving the heavy stuff since we wont be hiring movers.

This weekend we have one more trip out west to Santa Barbara to celebrate my cousin Monica’s wedding. I’m so thrilled and honored to be a part of this special day, and can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle. Monica has been like a sister to me and I’m amazed every day at what a beautiful person she is – both inside and out. I also happen to adore her fiancé Justin. It’s a match made in heaven ❤

So with that, I leave you with a little pregnancy update. Our baby girl is growing every day and boy is she a mover! I can feel her most at night, tickling and jiggling inside my belly. She’s currently in transverse position, so send us good vibes so she’ll move into head down position soon. I really want to avoid having a c-section.

I passed my second (not so fun) glucose tolerance test a few weeks ago, but I’ve been following a fairly strict low carb, low sugar diet and living off of protein smoothies (thank you for the Blendtec Mom!). I’m still feeling pretty good over all, but have been having some shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate the last few days. We went to the hospital on Friday to make sure it wasn’t something more serious, and checked out fine, though the feeling is back today. I’m hoping it’s just because she’s sitting a bit high and that it will ease up in the coming days as she drops lower.

30 weeks and 3 days. Just under 10 weeks to go!

30 weeks and 3 days. Just under 10 weeks to go! (Please excuse the moving boxes!)

Sending all of you lots of love and hugs for a happy and healthy spring.

by Meagan

22 weeks.

I know I haven’t been the greatest about updating the blog, but it’s been for good reason. I’m two weeks into my new job and keeping plenty busy with the new schedule. I’m loving the company and my team, and it feels great to be back in the swing of things, contributing to something bigger than my latest knitting project ;-). The hardest part so far has been the general tiredness (especially in the afternoon), and the feeling that I’m operating with about 1/3 of my usual brain power. But alas, millions of women work while pregnant so I can’t complain.

22 weeks and counting!

22 weeks and counting!

This isn’t the greatest bumpie photo but I can tell our little one is getting bigger every day. Her movements have become more fluid and graceful. I like to refer to her as my little lava lamp, as that’s what it feels like when she shifts from one side of the womb to the other. I’ve also noticed she gets the hiccups at least a few times a day. Jimmy had the pleasure of seeing them in action last night during our date night marathon of House of Cards.

Later this week I have another detailed anatomy scan. I’ve switched Dr’s so that I can deliver at NYU Langone – a Baby Friendly hospital in Manhattan. I’m feeling great about the decision to switch from Mount Sinai (not a Baby Friendly hospital) and really like my new Ob/Gyn. She has one of the lowest C-Section rates in the city and is a stickler for weight gain (she recommends 20-25 pounds at most). While I know this will be tough to achieve (especially during Girl Scout cookie season), I’m trying my hardest to stay within the range. Thankfully we’re finally seeing signs of spring in the city, so walking to and from work and yoga should help burn a few extra calories!

That’s all from me for now. Hope you are all enjoying the weekend!
Xo, Meagan

by Meagan

19 weeks.

Another week, another bumpie! Here I am at 19 weeks. According to my latest ultrasound, our little one is weighing in around 9oz. I’m keeping active with prenatal yoga and walking as much as possible (which isn’t easy in sub-zero temps!). So far I’ve gained about 11 pounds – plenty for this stage in pregnancy.

19weeks_sidebyside

19 weeks!

Jimmy returns from Amsterdam tonight. I’m very excited to have him home to cook with, walk with, and of course, take bumpies now that I’m actually showing 🙂

Hope you are all staying warm and have a wonderful weekend.
Sending lots of love,
Meagan

by Meagan

Home Sweet Home / 18 Weeks.

After 6 wonderful weeks in Amsterdam, I decided to head back to New York a bit early and jump-start my job search. While sad I’m missing out on a couple weeks in Europe, I’m excited to get going on my next professional endeavor. I’ve been interviewing with companies in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, so with any luck, I’ll have something secured before I begin my third trimester.

Speaking of pregnancy, here I am approaching 18 weeks:

The little one is growing! Here I am at 17.5 weeks.

The little one is growing! (<18 weeks)

Jimmy stayed back in Holland to spend some time with his brother, who will be visiting him from Chicago. It’s not easy being an ocean apart, but thanks to FaceTime and some lingering jet lag, we still get to wake up and go to sleep together.

There’s so much I want to blog about our time in Europe (the food, the flowers, the bikes!), so expect more posts as I sort through photos and thoughts from the journey. I hope you are all happy and healthy (And warmer than we are in NY!).

Love,
Meagan

by Meagan

Mid-Week Bumpie.

With just a few days to go until we’re 17 weeks, I thought I’d share a quick impromptu bumpie. Still not recognizably pregnant with all my layers on but the baby is definitely growing!

16.5 Weeks.

16.5 Weeks.

With all the reading about pregnancy I’ve been doing, I’m feeling incredibly lucky to be feeling as well as I do. My energy is good, I feel healthy and mobile, and looking forward to the weeks ahead.

In case you missed it, the New Republic published this fantastic piece yesterday on the state of pregnancy leave in America. Did you know companies aren’t required to pay for a single day of leave after a woman gives birth? I was shocked to read this. In Holland women receive 16 weeks paid leave, so let’s do something to make that a reality in our country. It’s time we take care of working women. (If I do say so myself 🙂 )

by Meagan

16 weeks.

16 weeks!

16 weeks!

To celebrate our four months of pregnancy, Jimmy and I decided to have a little fun with a comparison bumpie. What do you think? I may be showing just a tad more than he is (wink, wink).

In case you want a closer look at my actual bump, here’s another:

IMG_0019_2

I’ve felt the baby move a couple of times this week, but no such luck getting Jimmy to feel it. Maybe this week…

Hope you’re all enjoying the weekend. We’re having a grand old time walking around Amsterdam. (Still keeping up the 10k steps per day!) Tonight we’re taking in a comedy show in the Jordaan. Fingers crossed we get picked on 🙂

Lots of love,
Meagan

Tip for expecting moms: Jbrand maternity jeans are the best!

by Meagan

14 weeks.

When I sent out an email to a group of close friends last week with a link to this blog, the one consistent response I received was “More Bumpies!” So here I am at 14 weeks:

14 weeks!

14 weeks!

And here’s a photo I snapped of Jimmy as I requested “more bumpies.” He’s been such a good sport about taking photo after photo until I’m happy with my hair, my bum and my bump! 🙂

Jimmy.

Jimmy, my love.

For some reason the bump feels smaller this week, but more solid. Last night I’m pretty certain I witnessed some movement just below my belly button. It looked like a little water ballon, shifting weight from one side to the other. Perhaps it was just fluid moving around, or some chemicals bubbling up, but it gave me a rush none-the-less.

This week was fairly uneventful with symptoms. I do feel like I’m getting some of my energy back, but I’m still waking up 2-3 times each night to pee (boy, I can’t wait until that part is over). Everyone says this trimester is the best, so I’m looking forward to taking a more visible belly out for long strolls around Amsterdam’s hundreds of cobblestone streets.

Lots of love to all of you.
Meagan

by Meagan

Embracing the bump.

After getting some advice from a friend to “embrace the bump,” I decided to head to De Bijenkorf  today, in search of some more fitted maternity attire. It’s winter here in Amsterdam, so I’ve gotten quite used to piling on a sweater (or three), a couple of scarves, and my wool overcoat, making me look – and feel – more like a marshmallow than a petite pregnant woman. But when I got into the fitting room and started striping off the layers, I was quite surprised to see a much more noticeable baby bump than I recall seeing before. Granted, it could just be the angle, or the sandwich I ate just before shopping, but my god it popped out of nowhere!

bumpies_jan7

Starting to believe there’s a baby in there! (12.5 weeks)

For anyone who’s ever been pregnant, you’ll know what I’m talking about: there’s a moment some weeks into being pregnant that your belly starts to feel a little like a baby bump, not just uncomfortable bloating. I got a little sense of that today. It was pretty magical actually, and made me feel incredibly proud and happy to be experiencing the miracle of procreation. And needless to say, I bought the shirts!

by Meagan

12 weeks (+ counting).

Clearly I haven’t yet mastered the art of the “Bumpie,” but here I am at 12 weeks. Baby appears to be moving a bit higher now. Just a few days to go and I’ll be in the 2nd trimester!

12 weeks.

12 weeks.

So far I’ve been incredibly lucky with symptoms. Almost no morning sickness to speak of, and other than being a bit more tired than usual (which I blame on reducing caffeine), I feel pretty great. It helps being in this marvelous little city exploring a whole new world of things to do, eat and see!

by Meagan

11 weeks.

This morning we had our second ultrasound and wow, it’s amazing how much they grow in just 3 weeks. Our little one was active and bouncing around in the womb. Watching him/her move about, I couldn’t help but feel thankful for all the ways technology has helped us to see and connect with the world around us. First to see inside ourselves (literally), and then to share it with the world around us.

11 week ultrasound.

11 week ultrasound.

And here I am this weekend, taking my first “bumpie.” Excuse the bedhead 🙂

11 weeks.

11 weeks.