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Thursday, August 22, 2013

How I (Barely) Survived The First Trimester

I'm just going to start out by saying, the beginning of my pregnancy has been no walk in the park.  Without going into too much detail, I wanted to post about 5 things that saved me during my first trimester of pregnancy in hopes that one day these things may bring comfort to an ailing first-time mother like me who scoured the internet every day in search of anything that may bring her comfort.
Let's jump right into it before I scare anyone away from getting pregnant one day.
DISCLAIMER: IF THERE IS ONE THING I LEARNED DURING THE FIRST TRIMESTER, IT WAS THAT NO ONE WOMAN EXPERIENCES PREGNANCY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER WOMAN (NOT EVEN YOUR MOM, YOUR SISTER, YOUR GRANDMOTHER, ETC.) EVERY PREGNANCY IS DIFFERENT. This should bring you comfort in knowing your first trimester will likely go much more smoothly than mine did. :)
1.
That's our little bean at 9 weeks.  Even looking at this picture makes me smile. This tip is more of a mental pick-me-up rather than a physical one.  There isn't much that will make you feel better than hearing your little one's heartbeat or seeing them in an ultrasound.  During the first trimester you only see your doctor about once a month (so three times - that's it!) but trust me, those appointments COUNT! Even the blood draws and the physical exams seem more exciting because you get to hear about your baby.  These appointments will make you forget ALL about the 24 hour nausea, the headaches, the fatigue, the close relationship with your bathroom rug.  So relish in it. RELISH-IN-IT.
2.
Hard candy truly helped me with the nausea and excess saliva (I know, gross, but it happens).  These Brachs Lemon Drops were my favorite.  I think a little sour and a little sweet was key for me.  I have heard that citrus helps many women with their nausea and I did cut up a lemon or two chew on those after dinner but it's effect was not as great as my hard candy. Whenever we left the house I had some hard candy in my purse to suck on in case of an emergency.
3.
Image Via Carole's Blog
These come with a disclaimer.  Soon-to-be-mommies are not supposed to take hot baths.  The water temperature should not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit because although our bodies can sweat and make themselves comfortable, the babies' bodies cannot which can stunt their developing cells.  This is where the word "warm" comes into play.  My rule of thumb is if I can't get in immediately and feel fine (as in, no dipping one foot at a time and get acclimated) then the water is too hot. Once I've got the water to the perfect temperature, I add bubbles, salts, light candles, turn the lights down, and watch an episode of my fave show on Netflix. Nothing relaxes me more or makes me feel more comforted than a nice, quiet bath.  Not to mention it eases the lower back and leg pain, settles your stomach, and helps immensely with migraines.  If I could imagine my perfect labor and delivery, I would labor in my bathtub until I'm 8 cm dilated and then deliver at our hospital in case of emergency during delivery.  A girl can dream!
4.
This picture is OLD.  No, I don't hang snowflakes in August.
This is another emotional tip.  SNUGGLE! Easy as that.  Kolby and I moved to Baltimore when I was 7 weeks pregnant (literally, exactly when morning sickness began) and because he has to go to work every day, I am home alone. Except I'm not alone, I have Bella (our cat).  Even snuggling with an animal boosts my spirits about feeling sick.  And as soon as Kolby gets home from work I am quick to snuggle if we can.  The endorphin boost that you get from human touch will make you forget all about feeling sick.  And on that note, it helps to communicate with family and friends.  Seeing our friends and family face to face was impossible for me but text messaging, emailing, face-booking, etc. helps A LOT!
 
5.
 
I'm now 18 weeks pregnant and just barely seeing a bump but I can testify, way before this little teeny bump popped out, it was still SO uncomfortable to wear anything tight fitting around my waist.  The pressure pushing on my uterus not only hurt but made me feel more nauseous. My favorite loose sweats are the Boyfriend Pants from Victoria's Secret. For going out, let's be honest, jersey maxi skirts are where the comfort is at.
So, these are my main tips for feeling better during the first trimester.  They do exist among many many many other helpful tips (sipping liquids from a straw, eating small frequent meals, prescription nausea medication), but these 5 were my favorite and my most comforting.  First of all, I hope that every woman has and will have a first trimester filled with rainbows and butterflies.  If that isn't the case, I hope that some of these tips will help you feel a little better.
xo
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Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Latest and Greatest

Hello! I've decided to begin a blog documenting our family's adventures and wanderings as we explore a new hometown and grow a little larger! We are so excited to be expecting our first in January 2014.  And when I say excited, I mean can't-stop-pinning, shopping-already, rub-my-belly, all-we-talk-about excited. 
I wanted to catch everyone up on what we have been up to over here in Baltimore because we are so far away from our families and friends over in Utah and Nevada, and let's be honest, we miss them A LOT!
So first off, we moved to Baltimore, MD as part of a rotational job that Kolby got with BD Medical before graduating last May.  The program consists of three years, rotating to a different plant each year in a different location.  Essentially we find out every January where we will be moving and we move every June.  This job has been such a blessing and a treat for us as a couple because we get to explore new places for a little while before settling down in our long-term home.  We LOVE it!
Moving was quite the experience. Kolby's company hired a moving company to come to our apartment in Utah, pack all of our things, and move them across the country! I know, sounds like a moving dream, but being OCD and an utter control-freak, this was scary for me! 
 
In the end, everything went fine.  We were lucky enough to spend about a week living with our families in Utah while our things were being transported to Maryland.  We had fun spending time with family, relaxing, and enjoying a last few Utah indulgences (cough...Cafe Rio...cough).  
We got to our apartment in Baltimore and what do you know?  We live kitty corner to this INCREDIBLE mall (think Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas or Fashion Island Mall in Newport Beach).  There are so many stores, it is 4 levels! And no, I haven't spent all my time there.  Lucky for Kolby's wallet, morning sickness happened (boo). But check out this adorable phone case I got at Victorias Secret?  I die.
We had to pick up some baby books at Barnes and Noble! These things are awesome, and it was hard for us to decide which ones to get. I'm sure as things progress we will be stocking up on a few more of these babies.
About a week after we arrived here we had our first tornado warning! We were laughing because on our flight to Maryland we overheard the man sitting in front of us say "I've lived in Maryland my entire life and only ever seen one tornado."  Of course as soon as we get here there are two or three funnel clouds. What is nice is that we received these handy dandy text messages letting us know to take shelter.  That's a plus, right?
We have had the chance to explore Baltimore a little bit, although not as much as we would like.  We went to Inner Harbor one weekend and got to see the cute stores and restaurants along the harbor.  So much fun, SO HUMID! We didn't last very long.  We also got to go to a Baltimore Orioles game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  The Camden Yards stadium is incredible and mama loves her some baseball stadium hot dogs.
A couple weekends ago we celebrated our first anniversary by taking a weekend trip to Washington DC.  We had so much fun exploring the city for the first time and seeing all of the historic sites that we've only ever seen in textbooks and movies.  We saw the entire National Mall, half of it in the evening which I would totally recommend because it is BEAUTIFUL when the sun is setting. We ate at some incredible restaurants, one of which was Founding Farmers.  It is right near the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue and everything they make is made from locally grown ingredients and is so tasty.  (Food for thought - if you want to try it, MAKE RESERVATIONS AHEAD OF TIME. It was packed, even for brunch/lunch.)
We've all heard of the wedding tradition of sharing the top layer of your wedding cake on your anniversary.  Well, the top layer of our cake is frozen in my parents freezer in Highland, Utah.  So as a welcome substitute, I pre-ordered a dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (featured on TLC's DC Cupcakes).  I figured it would be busy and the cupcakes would be yummy, but boy, was I in for a surprise.  There was a line of about 75 people outside of the store waiting to get in.  And here is where the magic comes in, "pre-ordering."  I just walked up to the door and got right in to pick up my order. I HIGHLY recommend this option if you are thinking about trying these because trust me, they are WORTH trying.  
And that pretty much sums it up with what's new with the Sorenson Family (besides pregnancy news - I plan on posting a lot about that in future posts so I didn't want to post too much about it now).  We are loving it here in Baltimore, we miss our family and friends dearly and can't wait to come home and visit around Thanksgiving.  In closing, I'd like to share with you one of my favorite pictures of my hubs and I.  Aren't we attractive? (Facetime time is the BEST TIME when he is out of town.) I love him so much and I'm so glad he's my baby daddy :).
xo -
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