When it comes to the art of having babies and creating life (because that's how totally awesome women are) I've found that there is a lot of negativity surrounding the process. 

Yes, everyone is happy for you but the weirdest thing happens sometimes.

They're dying for you to complain about it. 

Or you'll follow mommy bloggers on Instagram and after a while you realize they can't caption a post without mentioning a negative of parenthood. It can put people off the idea of children, not to mention dampen someones day. Unfollowed. 

I, myself, have always wanted to appreciate every single part of this journey. I'm so grateful to even be able to experience it and every single kick I feel makes me so happy. 

So to put out some positive vibes into the world of #pregnantlife I'm gonna talk about all the happy things you can experience during this crazy beautiful time in your life!

It's the ultimate time for self-care

You soon learn in your first trimester that you have to take it easy on days where your body is adjusting. You can take a much-needed nap, get a foot-rub from your partner, or soak in a Lush bath. I'm not saying you should quit the gym or not get outside (because gentle excerise really helps!) but self-care is your best-friend in the coming months. 

It's a whole new world! 

I never realized how connected the parent world really is. When Moms find out you're pregnant they immediately want to support you and ask all the cute questions. You understand all the pregnant people around you (and trust me, you'll notice them) so you feel like you have support all the time. I know I can chat to mommy bloggers about stuff. It's really cool! 

You know all those adorable baby clothes your uterus has told you to buy all these years? 

Well, now you can! 

Baby shopping is the best. I would so much rather shop for my son than myself already, especially with how adorable all the stuff is. I will happily admit that I used to browse it all once in a while pre-pregnancy, so now that I can I am enjoying every minute of it. It's also great bonding time if you take your Mom, BFF, partner, sister, or baby-buddy with you. 

You'll know love all the time

I've never talked about this with anyone, but ever since I knew he was inside me I get this rush of a feeling every so often that's just LOVE. Like the love that people talk about when it comes to a new life and it's indescribable. Honestly the best feeling in the world and I can't wait until his arrival so I can have that love in my arms. 

You get to wear comfy clothes everyday
This is one of the advantages for sure, especially if you're like me and you live in gym clothes anyway. You're first trimester will likely be filled with lots of bloating, so dig out your yoga pants and best hoodies early. Now that it's summer time I get to dress bump in my favorite dresses to keep cool. No more uncomfortable jeans!



Just a few of the positives I've discovered on my pregnancy journey so far. It definitely has it's ups and downs, but if you choose to focus on the good I promise you will enjoy the experience so much more.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite part of pregnancy is, or what you're looking forward to most!

Steph x.

SURPRISE!

Another day, another blogger announces she's pregnant!

On New Years I tweeted something like : 

2017 Plant Mom

2018 Dog Mom

2019 Real Mom 

And what would you know? Our little jelly bean is due April 2019 and we are so excited! And not to mention relieved that this is not a Christmas baby. Of the six of us in my immediate family, five of us have birthdays in December. It's already a crazy month!

So was this all planned? Actually yes. 

I know Steve and I aren't married yet or own our home, but we had an emotional couple of months thinking I was pregnant (on accident) when I wasn't. I had every symptom under the sun, but all tests were negative. I still have no idea what was going on with my body but it made us ask each other if we wanted to start a family. And of course we did :) 

I've always loved the idea of being pregnant and in those few months I had embraced the idea of this new role. I've wanted it my whole life and the timing right now feels perfect. It feels like the biggest blessing. 

How have I been feeling in the first trimester? 

I've felt super-lucky to have had such a mild case of nausea these past few months. I've only skipped a couple of meals and haven't had to take any time off work. Although I have stopped training CrossFit, not because it's dangerous but I've been feeling like I'll throw up if I do anything intense. Food aversions make it a little hard as there's usually only one thing you feel like. For me it's been ALL the carbs: mac and cheese, toast, any kind of potato dish, cheese pizza. 

My other cravings have been: 

Sour Candy

Tuna Subway subs

Falafel

Oranges

Apples
Noodles
Tuna Sushi
Tomato crackers

And on our holiday in Hawaii all I ever wanted was a big bowl of guacamole. 

My craving today is freshly baked rolls with lots of butter. 

I miss runny poached eggs so much. And McDonald's soft serve.  And eating sushi without worrying I'm gonna get some kind of disease. I went off porridge and scrambled eggs for the longest time. It's so hard to eat healthy when you only want carbs!
But what I'm getting at the end will make all of it worth it.

So what's the plan now? 

I've been slowly buying baby bits (that I'm excited to share!) And I'll do a whole post on how were are prepping for baby on a budget. I'm going to start doing my 365 Days of Happy posts again and maybe some pregnancy Day In The Life ones where I share cravings, hauls, and the usual stuff. My boyfriend even thought it would be a great idea to start a new mommy Instagram where I share 365 days stuff on there too, sort of as a way to document my pregnancy and then bubs arrival. It would be super cool to look back on. 

So you can expect baby as well as wedding stuff, and the usual lifestyle posts.

So come join me on this super scary and exciting journey!

Let me know if you are curious about anything or if you are expecting too. I want to document everything about this time of my life. 

Steph x.