Boy oh boy, I can tell you right now I feel so loaded up with updates I don't even know where to start. I really shouldn't wait so long between posts. Not sure if this one will be a doozy or if I will break it up into a few posts. Let's find out together, shall we?
First it would be appropriate to update on my pregnancy, of course! I am currently 17 weeks along and feeling so so so much better than I was in the beginning. Holy smokes, I don't know if I really was more sick and more tired this time around or if it just felt that way because I'm chasing more kids around but wow. I cannot even put into words how hard it was! I barely did anything around the house and my poor husband had to pick up my slack (which he did great at by the way). I started feeling better around 14-15 weeks, and still feeling more fatigued than normal but improved. I haven't really had any cravings yet, I'm still just getting used to having an appetite again. I still don't get super hungry, which is odd for me, especially while preggo. The closest thing I've had to a craving so far is anything that sounds like it won't make me sick, ha.
I've also been EMOTIONS. Like nobody's business. I don't remember crying this much, ever. Not at sad things, but everything. Sometimes I am shocked by it and say "really, Lindsay? This is making you cry? Is this really happening?" Haha most of the time it is amusing, but there has been one time where it came out in anger and let's just say I felt bad for Dave after it passed and Zach told me I was mean. I don't think he's ever said that to me before. I guess the whole family sacrifices when momma is pregnant, but I will say I am usually always a positive and happy person. So we'll just say it happened, now we're moving on. :)
We find out on August 17 if this babe is a boy or a girl, and I have a really strong feeling of what it's going to be. :) I'll give you a hint, the color associated with it's gender rhymes with "you". :D But we'll see, not long now before we know for sure! Here's the bump, anyway!
13 weeks :)
17 weeks :)
Another little fun fact- I chopped my hair off! After the horrible haircut I had five years ago (that took over a year and a half to grow back out) I was so scared to do much with it once it got long again, but eventually I caved because I have SO MUCH HAIR and it is a pain to make look nice. I am now able to blow it dry and straighten/curl it in a half hour. I'll take it! :)
Here is a bathroom selfie that I was too embarrassed to post anywhere but here because, well, it's a bathroom selfie. :) This was the day I got it cut.
That kind of leads into something that is a little sad but not all that surprising to me... I have felt called away from doing hair in a very strong way. Not even in a "still for friends and extended family" kind of way but in a "only immediate family when they absolutely need it" kind of way. It's a really interesting thing to go through, because from the beginning I never planned on hair being a long term thing. I was 20 years old when I graduated from school and my plan was always to use my trade to support myself through college. Of course a lot changed along the way, and hair always remained as a fun skill that I could always have with me if I needed it, but I knew there would come a day when I would be done with it, and that day is now. I suppose what surprises me about it was how much I dreaded my appointments. Not because they were hard or anything wrong with the person, but I just did NOT want to do hair anymore, period. I stopped taking appointments when I got sick, and felt so relieved that I had a legitimate excuse to tell people no, which made me realize I was for sure done. So there it is. And I am more than okay with it. :)
On a lighter note, I'll leave you with some simple things I have been enjoying this summer.
My boys! I'm so in love, I just cannot get over them. They love being outside, and I have felt so guilty about not taking them to parks enough or even outside enough during the first part of summer because all I could do was lay on the couch! But we are trying to make up for it now.
Zach is the best big brother EVER. He is so sweet, even when Julian is a little stinker to him. His favorite thing ever (and mine!) is reading to his little brother. Just melts. my. heart.
This is our third summer in our house and we just realized that we have black raspberry bushes lining our entire backyard. How did I miss that?! No idea, but the boys loved picking and eating them. It's crazy how many berries a little kid can tuck in in one sitting. I was impressed!
Perhaps my favorite thing about this summer is no school for Big Z! My goodness I have kept him up so late on some nights I wonder if I'm doing this parenting thing right. ;) We just love having him home and being able to stay up and watch movies and play games and not worry about getting up early. He sure is excited about first grade though, and I'm excited that he's excited!
I just had to put this one in here because Dave and Julian have this new game called "ready" where Dave holds him by the armpits and using his legs flips him around in a circle. It scared the bajeebers out of me the first time he did it but we're all used to it now. #godad
While on summer break from GVSU my little sister Alannah has been able to spend so much time at our home! Dave, the boys and I all LOVE having her here, she is such a positive and FUN presence. She loves introducing me to new shows, cooking and painting nails together. In the weeks leading up to Zach's birth, we literally painted our nails a different color every single day. We love baking brownies and watching movies together. Despite our nine year gap, we have always been close and even though I'll always be her big big sister I love seeing that gap narrow as we both get older. Our middle sister Brianne is in Texas with her fiance for the summer, and we are looking forward to having her back in Michigan this fall to finish school!
Alannah also got her very first car ever thus summer. Haaaaaaaaallelujah!!!
Farmer's market selfie with mom, Alannah and the boys. Dad was impatient and ducked out the last second. Ha.
I am very sad to say that this coffee loving girl no longer loves coffee, at least for now. I had such a strong aversion to it the first few months of this pregnancy that even though I'm feeling better I still can't quite do coffee. I think it's my body's way of saying "baby don't like that!" So, I have been experimenting with other different drinks which has been fun. Starbucks has this Very Berry Refresher that was seriously so good I took a picture of it. Yumm!
And of course my trusty green tea. I am picky about my green tea and have only found two that I love. This one is Celestial Seasonings honey lemon ginseng with white tea for a smoother taste. I sweeten it with a little stevia and oh my taste buds it is delicious.
Sometimes I like to make myself a nice little afternoon hors d'oeuvre and eat it alone on my porch. It's just one of those little things I do for myself that fills my tank up a little bit. :)
Something about walking down to our landing one day and seeing two little pairs of crocks amidst Dave and I's shoes was so sweet to me I just had to take a picture. Children don't choose to be here, they are here because we brought them here and evidence of their presence is everywhere. It makes me sentimental for some reason. I even feel that way about toys on the living room floor after they go to bed. It's evidence of their joy and innocence that fills this house and makes it a home. I love love love it!
And last but not least- I was a second shooter for my first wedding! I have really been getting into photography as a creative outlet and am love love loving every second of it so far. I have done a family/ maternity session, a home birth, a newborn shoot, a wedding, and numerous pictures of my boys. I am planning on continuing it for the foreseeable future and look forward to what's in store.
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
