Sweatshirts and Pearls

Everyone gets excited to learn what pregnant women are craving. I used to be one of them. Now that I’m a FTM, when people ask me, I really have to think about it. I don’t think about what food I want after I get it. I just know I wanted food “x” that day, so that’s what I ate. The only thing I can’t really eat is chicken . I still try. Some days the baby agrees, others, he's like no mama. So Day 3 of the December photo challenge when Brian got me Chic Fil A…. yea I only ate the fries. I took two bites of the sandwich and it wasn’t happening. So to give you all the run down on what I have wanted the last 17 weeks: Spaghetti . I wanted it for two weeks before I could muster up enough strength to cook it. When I did, it was FANTASTIC, and I thought it was the best spaghetti I had ever made. Brian disagreed, “babe it was good, but I don’t think it was your best.” LOL It didn’t matter, I was so content, that he could have said it was horrible and my response would have been “

So one of the side effects (yes side effects) of the pregnancy is stretching. Receiving your stripes is like a step into womanhood. Most of us get them before pregnancy, when we finally get boobs or our butts grow just a smidge. Those tiger stripes are not so flattering, so we do what we can to keep them at bay. Coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil to name a few. I have invested in many Palmers products to include their body oil, Cocoa Butter Stretch Mark Lotion, and good ole’ Tummy Butter. When I saw the name I giggled a little.  It has to be applied at least three times a day, AFTER applying the lotion for best results. But really, who has time to do that? Granted, I am trying to apply twice. Once in the morning and once at night. If I have a crazy day sometimes I’ll add a little aroma therapy lotion to the mix for relaxation at night. In the November issue (27 Nov via Snapchat) of Cosmopolitan, I stumbled upon a campaign called #LoveYourLines. They encourage all wom

So being pregnant is one of the scariest things I have experienced thus far; and I have been to war, received my combat action badge, and lived to tell about it. Everything I do now makes me wonder how it will affect the baby. What I eat, how I sleep, the lotion and face wash I use. It is so much to handle. Then again my ISTJ personality makes me worry and analyze every little thing. EVERY. LITTLE. THING. After all I am a FTM. The first time I experienced lower abdominal pain, I thought maybe I was over reacting. It was such severe pain that I ended up in the ER for over six hours. It was our anniversary and we were in the hospital praying for the safety of our unborn child. I cried multiple times throughout the day. Partly because of the pain, and partly due to the fact that I was not sure what to expect. So many questions. So much waiting. Not enough answers. It was both terrifying and humbling. Finally, we learned that I was in fact okay and that the pain was from a spike in my