Bumpdate: 8 Weeks

Welcome to my weekly Bumpdates!

I will share all the weekly details on growth, cravings, symptoms...the usual, but I would also like to make these updates about life in general as we go along, so at the bottom you'll see what we've been up to outside of the pregnancy.

How Far Along: 8 weeks, 3 days

Cravings: Not necessarily craving anything, but am waking up starving these days so I usually have a bowl a cereal as my first breakfast, followed by another breakfast around 9am. The photo above is actually right after a bowl of cereal, so I'm pretty sure what little bump is there is just food.

I am still eating my normal variety of foods. Around 5 weeks I had an aversion to mayo, but otherwise I will typically eat the normal stuff. The only thing that has changed is when I get hungry, I need to eat...NOW. Sometimes I can brush it off, especially when I have been stressed, but a lot of times I literally have to stop what I'm doing and make food.

Symptoms: My symptoms are not constant. Every few days I will have a wave of all-day nausea, or some mild cramping, but nothing major. I have had a stuffy nose but its hard to tell if it's the cold weather, or an actual symptom. My boobs were sore, but while they are still fuller, they don't hurt anymore.

Mood: I can get super angry or bust out crying pretty easily, so I have tried to combat that with Christmas music and not trying to do-it-all these days. Stressed and tired are not going to help anything.

Sleep: Sleep has been good, nothing to complain about. I started getting a stuffy nose, so at the recommendation of a fellow preggo, I bought some essential oils and a cute diffuser. The combo of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Lavender seem to conk me right out at night.

Weight Gain: I actually have no idea what I weigh. As of Halloween, a couple days before my transfer, I was holding steady at 135. However, I have been on exercise restriction since then. I would assume I would likely weigh the same, or even less at this point, due to lack of exercise. I'm not really eating much more so I doubt I've put on anything.

Fitness: I tried to start walking in the mornings last week, but with everything going on with our pup Crash, it was tough just to get out of bed in the morning, to be honest. I was overly tired, and kept thinking it was pregnancy related, which it very well may have been.
I started working out this morning, some body-weight plyometrics, squats, push-ups, in my home.
The plan is to switch up between this and walking on the treadmill through the end of my first trimester, and see how it goes after that.

This Week: Well, we all know Mark and I had one of the shittiest weeks of our lives. Having to put down a beloved pet is never, ever easy. I can still cry at the drop of a hat if I think about it too much. Whenever there are "firsts," I tend to get choked up. Such as, the first time I walk downstairs and he's not there, or the first shower where he isn't sleeping on the rug, or the first time I walk into the kitchen and his crate isn't there, etc. I know it was his time and we did the right thing based on how sick he was, but it still left a huge hole in our life that will take a while to get adjusted to.

On top of all the issues with Crash, I had a pregnancy scare Friday morning that made me realize I am clearly not putting the right priority on things. I started bleeding and had mild cramping so I rushed to the fertility clinic for an ultrasound.

It's funny how life works out. I waited around for almost an hour to be seen, and while I had told Mark not to rush over, he did anyways, showing up minutes before I was escorted back.

He had mentioned that he was at Menards and had talked with our Vet, but I just brushed it off while I prayed our baby was okay.

In the ultrasound room, we could clearly see our beautiful baby, heart rapidly beating away at 181 bpm, measuring about 3/4" long. Tears streamed down my eyes. THIS is my future, and I need to start making it a priority, instead of brushing off that everything will just be okay and I can go about my normal life like I'm not pregnant. I am and it's affecting every aspect, good and bad, and I need to get on board with it.

Mark told me afterward, that the vet outlined their options for putting a pet down. We were allowed to take him home with us afterward, which is exactly what I had hoped for if we had to make the choice to put him down ourselves. I was nervous about cremation and didn't feel it would do our little guy justice. Once Mark got the information, he found a perfect little white kitchen cabinet that we used as his casket. We lined it with his bed and toys, and he will rest peacefully in our back yard, exactly how it should be.

On a more positive note, I have been receiving a few shipments both maternity and baby related that have made me more than happy. I purchased two inset panel jeggings from the Gap and some baby clothes and I just get giddy looking at everything. I may or may not have already worn one of the pairs of maternity jeggings and I'm pretty sure they are my new favorite thing. :)

And finally, in an attempt to stay festive and keep my mind busy, I baked a whole slew of sugar cookies. The two recipes I used were these sprinkle cookies and these cut-out sugar cookies with royal icing. I may have made one too many but I'm sure they will all be eaten soon enough.

That's a wrap for week 8!
Thanks for reading!! XO