Beach Babes - 17 Weeks Pregnant

Baby Charlie will have Texas blood running deep through her veins. This is something her father will never let her forget. Her Grammi and Pop, along with her ecstatic Uncle Tommy, will live in Texas and this insures she will forever know she is truly %60 Texan at heart.
Note : I'm going to say %60 because she has grown up here thus far..

Papa Crane and Mommy heading to the beach back in 1991!

I love the time I've spent in Texas. Houston may not be my favorite city, but Texas as a whole has so much to offer, especially to young children who have the energy to spend all day and night in a river fighting a current...oh wait...that was me..last summer..

Charlotte will have Texas blood in her veins, but, my baby girl is getting raised beach side. In late March or early April, mommy and daddy to be will trek across the country, Charlotte riding along in-utero, and we will set forth on our nest adventure, Los Angeles, Long Beach, the Orange Curtain and more!

I'm going to put together a fun blog (and try and get it circulating some fun mommywebsite) but I need help from other SoCal mommies and daddies!!!

So!!!!!!!

Email me : Kandycelynncrane@gmail.com

What : A photo, or two, of your little one experience California! Surf Side, Joshua Tree, the gum wall, the Friendship Bell, you know what I'm talking about!!

And? : A little blurb about why you, as a parent, were glad to have raised your child/ren in such a lovely place. Feel free to mention why you were glad to be raised here as well if you happen to be a native!

Let's get started!
Send me your pictures, stories, etc., to Kandycelynncrane@gmail.com
Feel free to ask your friends to join in on this fun mommy activity! The more the merrier!

16 weeks pregnant and feeling fat

I miss having the freedom to lose a few pounds.

I'm 5'2 and always happy with my body. I'm always happy with my body because I was blessed with a decent metabolism and an incredible ego. Right now though, I am NOT happy with my body.

I'm at this awesome point in my pregnancy where I don't really look pregnant yet, I just feel pregnant, and look fat. Ah! I enjoy being on the thin side. I have always loved food but had a absurdly small capacity for it.

In my life before pregnancy waiters would chuckle, sometimes scoff even, when I asked for a box. I knew it didn't look like I had eaten much, in fact, it used to make me very self concise, I didn't want to be seen as the girl who didn't eat so she could stay thin, thin-shaming is such a mean thing.

Anyways, there were years of my life where I would eat like a bird, be completely STUFFED and go about my merry ways. A little bloat? No problem! Favorite jeans getting a little tight? Give me three days! I HATE MY PRE-PREGNANCY SELF!!!!!

I bought a pair of polka dot leggings today. Patterns are dangerous territory when uncomfortable with your current weight. I'll be honest, I still bought size XS, but I can't help but stare at the patterned dots and questions if they aren't looking a little..oval? Instead of my normal fit of maybe a little extra slack around the thighs I'm truly wondering if maybe I should have just passed on the form fitting pants until I mentally adjust to having hips and thighs for the first time since my major (and temporary) weight gain since summer of '06.

'Fat' is an ugly word and I've never been the girl to complain of looking like a whale in order to fish a few compliments, but God! I feel SO fat! I swear, the second little Charlotte enters the world I'm going on a raw/juice/paleo binge till I feel normal again.

I would like to point out that Dad To Be has been absolutely the sweetest man ever. He constantly tells me how beautiful and (I find this one laughable) sexy I am. I don't know what he's seeing but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm hosting his blood line in my uterus...

The most depressing part of all of this? I went shopping today for the first time in MONTHS and it didn't make me feel better! I feel worse! Retail therapy is failing me and all I want is to lose a few pounds but I'm still on the low end of healthy weight gain so it's time to mom-up and try and put on a few more healthy pounds for Charlotte.


Charlotte, mommy loves you so much that she's willing to try and get even fatter, just for you.


bleh.

2nd Trimester Glory, Crazy Gender Reveling Blood Tests, and More!

15 weeks and 1 day in! The last few weeks have been eventful to say the least. Filled with magical moments and insane, unexpected, pregnancy side effects... #burping non-stop anyone?

Things that happened since week 13 - last update here at ohwowmommy

1. Gender Reveal!

I didn't expect to find out the gender to a few more weeks in and possibly a few frustrating, poorly poised, ultra-sound photos, but lo! They can tell your babies gender via blood test now! I was amazed, in fact, I was skeptical, but I did my research (Google) and found that this is a fantastic, non-invasive, very accurate way to get early gender reveal results. Awesome.

We're having a girl! Me and DTB cried in the office. If endless months of puking hadn't made it real enough, hearing that we would soon have a little baby girl was a slam dunk of reality. We've settled on the name Charlotte, after DTB's aunt, an amazing women who I absolutely adore.

2. Discovery of Team Green and More Research

I learned something very interesting around week 14, anxiously awaiting my blood results that would give insight to my little families future. Team Green - waiting till birth to find the gender - can actually be very hurtful to new parents!

Not to say that this is the case in all Team Green births, but, a vast majority of Team Green parents described a sense of mourning at the birth of their child, regardless of gender! This bitter sweetness stems from a life pictured with both a daughter and a son, so when the child is born the parents experience a sense of mourning for the daughter/son they didn't have. Fascinating!

3. I grew a bump!

Say 'Hello' to the world baby Charlotte!!!

4. Am I the only one who burps constantly in my second trimester?

Because I am! I can NOT stop burping! I've had to discontinue all consumption of carbonated beverages, I have to prop myself up when lounging around, and sometimes, SOMETIMES, it just happens, out of the blue. Bleh. I have to burp right now actually. I'm not a natural born burper either, in fact, I can't remember burping much at all outside of pregnancy. So over it.

5. Mood swings have developed in these early weeks of my second trimester

I don't cry. I just don't. I generally get pretty monotone when angry, and just roll over and pout during arguments. This is no longer the case. A few days ago, for no real reason at all, I just started hysterically crying! DTB asked what I was crying over and the only answer I could muster was 'I don't cry often so I'm obviously upset!'

Over all my second trimester has been a God send. I'm snapping back to normalcy, starting to go out at night (mostly to places I know I can get a table and eat at) and at the very least, can always laugh at my mental break downs a few hours later.

DTB is holding me together most days, he really is an essential piece to my sanity. He's gained this new found ultimate-patience which allows me to have my crazy moments and not completely destroy our entire relationship.

I never thought pregnancy was really this stereotypical. Not every women is the same but so far I've had it all, though I am crossing my fingers to skip the stretch marks, varicose veins, constipation, hemorrhoids, and above all the episiotomy. Dear God, please let me skip that last one....