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Baby Stew Monthly Recap

02 Friday Oct 2015

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Month:

September 

Baby’s Size:

Weeks 24 – 27 

Eggplant, Cabbage, Squash, bunch of Bananas

I’m feeling:

Confident but apprehensive (I know two very conflicting words & emotions) try feeling them at the same time! And when I say apprehensive I don’t mean that I am fearful that something bad is going to happen, I’m more just anxious from time to time about all the unknown to come. I feel so confident in my pregnancy and my body’s ability to keep Cash safe it’s hard to think that he will be living on the “outside” in just 13 short weeks or so! 

Food I love:

Captain crunch was my all time favorite snack this month along with talenti Alphonso Mango and Roman Raspberry sorbetto and apples! 

Steak is also still high on the list along with salads and watermelon. 

Pros of September: 

  • We did our first healthy pregnancy class at the beginning of the month which was fun! It was based on the Bradley method of birthing which is a method we are both fond of. It was informative and was also a great opportunity to be around other couples on similar journeys! 
  • We spent Labor Day weekend in Oahu with my sister, Mike and my parents. It’s honestly so special and so important to us to be around family sharing all of these moments right now as much as we can. We also spent some time with Deni and Ameila which is always a huge highlight of my trip and this time even more so since Colt got to meet Amelia for the first time! It was so incredible to see him with her! We also went to Babies R Us which was a fun experience since we were able to use the gun to register for a bunch of stuff on our registry. My favorite part was watching how excited Colt was about everything! My sister (Tia) and Mom (MeMe) also got to feel Cash moving which was SO special since up until that point Colt & I were the only two who had felt him.  

Family beach days are my favorite

  

Just “normal” behavior from these two when they are together

  

Just stop it right now, my heart is offically mush

  

She is my favorite of all times ever, I’m so excited her and Cash will grow up together

  

Ok, now my heart is really offically mush

  

My Dad is going to be a Vavó

  

Watch out, we were dangerous with that gun, LOL

    

  • We had our first official meeting with Kris our Doula and we started working on my birth plan. It’s so great and comforting to have her walking us through each and every single aspect of labor, delivery and postpartum. I feel SO empowered and excited after our meetings with her and I am so happy we made the decision to have her with us on this journey.

My Birth Plan under Construction

  • I did my gestational diabetes test on Tuesday September 22nd I don’t know why but I was SO nervous about it. I had heard such horror stories about the drink being so bad and woman getting so sick afterwards so I am thankful that for me it wasn’t like that. I had the Orange flavor and it was cold. It tasted like Gatorade with extra sugar with a diet after taste and it didn’t make me sick. During the hour wait I called & talked to my grandmother and read my birthing books. Once the hour was up they called me back in to draw my blood and then told me to follow up with my doctor in a few days. By Monday I still hadn’t heard anything so I called my doctor and got the exciting news that I had passed and that my levels were great! I felt like I had won the pregnancy lottery — another test down! 

  

  • It’s seriously been like Christmas around here now that the baby shower invite(s) have gone out! We honestly come home every day to a package at the door! It’s so fun and so exciting and we feel so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives that love and support us and that are making this time so so special for us! Cash is already the most spoiled and loved baby boy in the world! All of your thoughtfulness and kindness brings us so much happiness and joy. We will be sure to send lots of pictures after the shower(s) next weekend, however I did want to let you all know that the gifts are arriving (daily) and we are so appreciative. 
  • Our friends Leslie and Brian from Washington (who we met several years ago while they were on vacation here and just kept in touch) got married and had their wedding here in Maui! It was honestly such a blast and such a beautiful wedding for such a great couple! We danced our butts (and bump) off all night long! It was so fun to get out and get all dressed up and just spend time laughing with some great people! It’s these date nights that make me realize how much is about to really change once Cash is actually here and it makes me appreciate the one on one time with Colt that much more! 

 

The beautiful couple, just Maui’d

  
  

The stunning bride and her Dad

 

Say hello to my little friend, gecko on the bottle neck 😉

  

26 weeks

 

Dance Fever

     

 
   

  • We got to enjoy a magical dinner under the stars and moonlight at a private birthday celebration for our friend Charlie at the Four Seasons. It was truly one of the most surreal experiences we’ve ever had and we feel so lucky to have been apart of it! 

 

Happy Birthday Charlie!!!

  
 


Cons of September:

  • My only real complaint with my pregnancy so far is the constant pelvic pressure which over the last two weeks has got much more noticeable and bothersome. The pressure is predominantly on my right side and most noticeable after a long day of work. 
  • My only other complaint constipation — self explanatory, yuck! 
  • Oh and calf / leg cramps! Talk about a 2 a.m. rude awakening!  Ouchy! 

Currently living in: 

All different style dresses, I’ve officially outgrown my “normal” clothes, welp! 

Looking forward to: 

Spending time celebrating & sharing my pregnancy with our family & friends at Cash’s baby shower(s)! 

Dreaming about: 

Being a Mom…lately I stop and wonder who SHE is. I look at her, deep into her anxiously excited but often exhausted eyes and although she looks so familiar I whisper, who are you? She smiles, this half a smile, symbolically acknowledging who she was and who she is now. She’s raw, exhausted, exposed, sometimes overwhelmed but mostly happy. So freaking happy. She knows that even on the hardest of days her new self, this new body is creating a perfect life within her. A life in which she will give her whole life for. Her body, her mind, her soul, her heart, her self. Shy but confident I look at her one last time and without a doubt of hesitation I acknowledge my new reality…I am his mother. His mother I am. 

  

Milestone: 

I leaked colostrum from my right nipple at 24 weeks 6 days. It kind of freaked me out but also kind of made me feel like a bad ass [soon to be breastfeeding mama!]

Baby Stew Monthly Recap

12 Saturday Sep 2015

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Month:

August 


Baby’s Size:

Weeks 20 – 23 

Banana, carrot, spaghetti squash, bunch of grapes 


I’m feeling:

Really pregnant! Weeks 20 through 23 have certainly been a transition. I can feel the shift in my body weight and balance and I’m having to be much more self aware and mindful of the things I do and how I move my body (bending over, lifting etc.,) 

Food I love:

My appetite has officially come full circle and I feel like most of my cravings have subsided. I’m also noticing that I tend to snack more now and eat smaller meals / portions. 

Food I hate:

Still never had any aversions regarding food. 


Pros of August: 

  • We hired a Doula and I am seriously so so so excited & ecstatic about her! Her name is Kris and she is just what I was looking for! She has 19 years of experience on Maui with both at home and hospital births. She is humble in her experience but very much knows her stuff. She is way more affordable then what I was thinking which was a huge factor since insurance does not cover the cost! We also just felt a really good connection with her which of course was most important. The other thing that I really loved about her was that she was all about Colt coaching me through the birth and her coaching Colt (which I absolutely love and I was so happy about because I wasn’t sure I would be able to sell Colt on the idea of hiring someone) She’s also 100% on board with what I want with my natural birth plan but she is also open minded if I do decide I want pain management. She is also willing to have unlimited meetings with us over these next 4 months to prepare us for labor and delivery as well as unlimited postpartum visits after the baby is here to ensure we are all transitioning into our new roles which is great because a lot of other doulas have a set number of visits!  I’m seriously so obsessed and I just really, really love the idea of her being on our team. We are so blessed! 
  • All of my tests came back normal for risks of abnormalities or defects. Thank you Jesus. 
  • Both of my cervix length tests were normal which means my body is doing exactly what it needs to do to make room for him to grow. 
  • Our appointment with our specialist was great and everything still looks normal and his growth is 100% on track. 
  • We started the nursery! Colt is seriously a Mr. Etsy / Pinterest next level dream boat. He is so creative and can turn any idea into a reality. He built this amazing bookshelf and redesigned the whole closet space. We also ordered two dressers and put those together! It’s coming along so nice and now that we have our vision we can’t wait for after our baby shower to finish it all up. 

   
    
    
   

  • I found out that the breast pump that I really wanted is 100% covered by my insurance and that all my doctor has to do is call it in so I can pick it up — stoked! 
  • We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary at the Grand Wailea and I got my second prenatal massage while Colt got a deep tissue which was heavenly!!

   
    
    
    
    
    
 

Cons of August:

  • I pulled a muscle in my upper back / shoulder. It had me in so much pain for nearly a week. The day that it happened I honestly thought I was dying. I’ve never felt so much pain in one isolated area from a pull or strain. Of course there wasn’t anything I could do for it but rest (which hurt even more because laying down escalated the pain). Luckily (for me, not for her) my cousin Chrissie had a similar experience with pulling a muscle in her lower back during her second pregnancy and I remember her telling me about it. Knowing she had a similar experience really helped get me through the pain when all I could think about was how the pain was never going to stop, of course it eventually did. 
  • Because of my pulled muscle I really wasn’t able to work out as much as I have been which sucked. I had to take almost 2 weeks off from the gym to heal and rest which was hard for me because I’m really trying to stay as active and as healthy as possible. 
  • Even with 2 ultrasounds we were never able to get a really clear look or picture of baby boy. The first ultra sound the quality was just low and the second one with our specialist he was breech (whelp) and pushed up against my placenta so we only got a peak of the side of his face, which was still adorable of course! I’m really, really hoping that our next appointment in October will be better (especially since our sister Ashley will be here for it, ekkkkkk!!)

 

 

Currently living in: 

My Birthday suit this heat has just been too much so if I’m at home you guessed it I’m naked and tummy butter is the only thing you’ll see on me. 

Looking forward to: 

Finishing the nursery 

Dreaming about:

Having most of our family here for our baby shower in October! 

Milestone: 

We officially announced Baby Stews name (drumroll)….

Cash Olden Stewart 

We are so in love and we couldn’t have thought of a better way to have announced the news then while celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary (6 years together) at the Grand Wailea — our most favorite place on earth!! 

 

The Halfway Point 

15 Saturday Aug 2015

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I can’t believe we are officially at the halfway point (20 weeks) into my pregnancy. Most days it literally still feels like I just got the news and I’m standing there in a haze of disbelief staring at those two pink lines, but then I look down at my belly and remember those days are long gone. 

  
The last 3 weeks have been pretty mellow in regards to pregnancy symptoms and changes. This second trimester has truly been a God-send and I still feel really really good most days. School has officially begun again here on Maui so my coaching schedule is getting busier and busier by the week. I am really excited to start my third year of coaching since I absolutely love my job but I also know how quickly the time is going to go now, game over!  

This past week has been a little tougher on me as I did catch a little something and I’m still not sure if it was bad allergies, a summer cold, the flu or just the stress of my schedule picking up but it had me down for the count. It’s honestly the worst that I’ve felt so far through this pregnancy process (which I know is a blessing in itself) but I’m also so glad that I’m back on the up and up and feeling better, thank goodness! 

August so far has been fun because we hit the jack pot of ultrasound appointments. We will have 4 by the time the month is over which means so many Baby Stew viewings! We had our “gender” ultra sound on August 4th which revealed that baby Stew is indeed a BOY! Haha, we got lucky that we got to find out earlier with the specialist but it was also such a nice relief to hear yet again that he is indeed a boy, happy danceeeeee! 

  

  
The following day August 5th I had my 19 week check up with my doctor. She confirmed (again) that baby was a boy and that all of our tests for abnormalities, down syndrome etc, had come back normal thank you Jesus! I also had a cervix test to measure the length of my cervix to septum and it was normal length which means my cervix is stretching with baby and making room for him to grow, which is the best case scenario. I have another cervix length test scheduled for next week and then I see my specialist again on the 25th to check that growth is still on track! So far all is checking out, and my pregnancy is still considered “normal” which we are feeling very blessed about. 

As the days continue to go by I’m feeling more and more connected to the process and I’m loving it more and more. I can feel baby boy moving pretty consistently now and it’s the most amazing and reassuring feeling in the world. The movements are still pretty light but Colt was able to feel his first official movement the other night before bed which was amazing. It was so awesome to see his face light up as he said “Jenn I swear I just felt it, was that it..” — indeed it was (happy heart) 

With the halfway point here and gone and the clock officially ticking we both have ourselves pretty emerged in the world of baby, parenting and birthing books. I love that we are slowly growing into “informed baby people” together one chapter, opinion and conversation at a time. I just know we are going to make a great team at this labor, birth and parenting thing!  

 

This week we have also officially launched the start to our baby registry which has been equally as fun as it has been overwhelming! I have also started my research on doulas! We are hoping we can start interviewing with a few soon so I can get my birth plan working. With that being said if anyone has any great advice or insight on doulas here on Maui please pass it along my way. 

With summer coming to an end (theoretically) the countdown is officially on and I can feel the list of “to do’s” piling up as I type. So much to do, so little time yet my main goal is to relax and enjoy the ride so with that I am off to yoga! 

Until next time…

Perspective

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

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I think it’s safe to say that I’m officially obsessed with being pregnant. I absolutely love every single thing about it. The good, the bad, the gross, the scary, the magical. It’s honestly all so amazing to me. I love knowing that my body is creating a little human being, our own human to love and to care for and to teach and to watch grow. It’s truly like nothing I can or will ever be able to explain and because of that it is so easy to feel truly grateful every single second of every day. 

Now to be fair let’s be honest, before actually getting pregnant I was also obsessed with “trying to get pregnant.” If you didn’t read my first pregnancy post about our 13 months of trying (you can read it here, just like that) and even though in the thick of it the only thing that I thought I wanted was to get pregnant I was also fearful.

I love our life, Colt & I’s. I love our marriage. I love our friendship. I love our love for adventure and our equal love of lazy days. I love that we do whatever we want, whenever we want at the drop of a dime. I just love us, I really do. I love who we are together and how we make each other better. 

With all that being said it’s really no big surprise that when we first started talking about having kids although it fascinated me it also equally scared me to death. I didn’t want all the above things to change. I didn’t know if I (or we) were ready to change in so many drastic ways. 

After 5 years together and 2 years married I still wasn’t sold that we were ready for that next chapter, until we started “trying” and it didn’t happen. Let’s face it nothing makes you want something more than not being able to have it. So insert my obsession and what seemed like forever but looking back now I know it’s exactly how it was meant to be. 

Not getting pregnant right away was an unknown very hard to deal with blessing in disguise. It gave us the time we needed to really get ready and really decide whole heartily that this is what we truly wanted. It helped us to get use to the idea of becoming parents long before we would actually ever be parents. It gave us time to be there for each other in a way we never had to be before. It made us better and stronger and some days bitter and weak. It also made us appreciate when the test finally said “yes” that much more. It made this journey our own and for that I am grateful. 

Now that our first “trying to get pregnant journey” is behind us, my actual pregnancy has also made us happy in ways we never knew were possible. It’s made us think of things we’ve never thought about before. It’s allowed us to grow as individuals and together day by day and week by week. It’s allowed us to regain so much hope and faith. It’s allowed us to trust in something so much greater than ourselves and our own understanding. It’s allowed us to relinquish control of the uncontrollable.

In just 18 short weeks it’s already challenged and changed us in so many different ways and I am eager and excited to see what these next 22 weeks hold. 

I am honored to be your mother. I am honored to be your Daddy’s wife. And we are now forever honored to be your parents! We love you baby boy. 

18 weeks and 4 days 

  
    

17 weeks 



    
    

Love letters to our baby boy from Daddy  
  

Before I go I wanted to take a second to send out an extra special thank you to my best friend Anu. Her involvement, enthusiasm and love since day one to capture every moment of this journey has been the biggest blessing. Thank you for all your hard work and for the passion that you put into your photography! You have truly giving us irreplaceable memories for so many years to come. I love you boo! 

Until next time… 

It’s a…

15 Wednesday Jul 2015

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On Tuesday July 14th we met with the specialist from Oahu. He comes over to the Maui office once a month so I was grateful to be able to get an appointment here rather than having to fly over there. I woke up excited but anxious. I was really excited to see Baby Stew as well as get some actual answers on the condition of my septum but having answers also meant possible bad news so I was trying to keep an open but positive mind set. 

My appointment was at 1:15 and it seemed like the morning took forever to come and go. I was so happy when my last class finally ended at 12:00 and I was on my way (or so I thought). As I left class to go load up my van I noticed the back door wouldn’t open. Originally I thought that maybe it had locked from the inside which has happened before so I climbed around to take a look. Once I got inside I quickly realized the whole inside handle had somehow fallen off and the door was completely jammed, no no no no not today! 

I immediately tried calling Colt hoping he was still somewhere in Kihei and could come help me but his phone kept going right to voicemail so I tried a million different things until the panic finally started setting in. The clock was ticking and I was stuck I needed help and fast. I ran back into my class and asked if the teachers dad who was home could possibly come and help me. Poor guy had just come home from a root cannel but he was sweet enough to come take a look. He agreed that the door was jammed, the handle was unfixable without additional parts but he was able to get it open! I was so happy and grateful to be back on my way! 

When I arrived to the doctors office Colt was already there waiting and ready to look at the door. I had called him flipping out on my way to the doctors and he was well aware of the situation. In true Colt form he was calm and reassuring and was able to fix the door in less then 5 minutes, I was so grateful (my hero). I took a deep breath, let go of the day and we walked into the doctors office ready for anything!

After waiting for about 45 minutes they finally called our name. My stomach dropped as I thought here goes nothing! We walked into the room and we were greeted warmly by Dr. Hirata. I instantly knew I was going to like him and I could feel my whole body relax. I sat down in the chair and we went over all the routine questions and answers, minus when he asked if I had two uterus (umm, I freaking hope not) he then handed me a pair of 3D glasses to watch the ultra sound, lubed up my belly and got started. 

All I kept thinking was please, please don’t let me have two uterus. I didn’t, whew — but I did indeed have an arcuate uterus which in English basically means that although my uterus looks more normal than some other cases it actually has a dip, or slight indentation at the top. It is a more common abnormality, affecting about a quarter of women and depending on how far down the dip goes it can or can not cause different issues during pregnancy. In my case he said it was nothing to get overly worried or excited about. Colt immediately stopped him and said “can you please repeat that for her” he did — it was nothing to get overly worried or excited about. We all laughed and I once again started to feel really excited and relieved.

Once he was finished measuring and taking pictures of the septum he quickly moved on to baby Stew! It was so mind blowing getting to watch everything on those 3D glasses, it truly made me feel like I was inside my own uterus. Within seconds Baby Stew appeared on the screen and was looking cuter and bigger than ever! I squeezed Colts hand as this was the first time he was seeing the baby since our 8 week ultra sound! It was so awesome getting to see Baby Stew together. 

Dr. Hirata was measuring and talking to the nurse as we just sat there in complete awe watching Baby move around like crazy. You could now see so much of the development taking place, arms, legs, fingers, spine, eye sockets, ears and then just like that a SMILE. We froze as I loudly & overly excited asked was that just a smile?!? Indeed it had been, we got to see Baby Stew smile for the very first time. I melted into a thousand pieces and as I lay there thinking it really doesn’t get any better than this — it did, we were about to find out the sex. He asked us if we wanted to know! He had seen it on the screen and he was ready to confirm!  

Baby Stew’s Smile at 16 weeks 4 days

We very excitingly told him that yes we wanted to know and he told us that Baby Stew was a baby BOY! It was the Best.News.Ever! He then showed us to confirm and it was unmistakable our baby was a in fact a boy! Cloud 9, here we come!  

Baby Stew is a Baby BOY!

As he continued on with the ultra sound he confirmed that baby boy Stew’s heart, organs, and growth were all healthy and normal and exactly where they needed to be for 16 weeks and 4 days. He said as of now the septum is not having any adverse effects on the pregnancy or the baby and that things are good. I do however have to continue to see him throughout my pregnancy so that he can continue to keep a close eye on things. I see him again in six weeks to confirm that baby boy is still on track.

The main thing he will be keeping a close eye on is that baby continues to have enough room to grow. Other risk factors at this point are still premature labor, premature birth as well as the baby being breech and me having to deliver via c-section. Or I could carry full term and deliver naturally, we just won’t know until we know and for now that’s ok. 

  

Baby Stew is perfect and I’ve never been better. So today I’m whole heartily enjoying every second of right now and we couldn’t be anymore happy and or blessed! Thank you, thank you for all your love and prayers, we appreciate them more than you will ever know. 

We are having a boy!!  

   
    
   

Until next time….

We survived our first (and hopefully our only) visit to the ER! 

13 Monday Jul 2015

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We had our first official Baby scare last Sunday July 5th.

I woke up and like every other morning lately my allergies were already flaring out of control. I rolled over and sneezed and as I did the muscles in my stomach got really tight and painful. I laid there in pain for a few minutes and then the pain gradually lessened. I got up and went to the bathroom, I could still feel the pain but I figured I must have just pulled a muscle.

We had breakfast plans at Anu & Joe’s so I took a shower and got ready to go. We got to breakfast around 8 and Anu had a wonderful spread of strawberry and banana crepes. They were delicious and even though I was still in some pain and having discomfort I was able to eat. I was hoping eating would help but unfortunately it seemed to make it worse. I started thinking maybe I just had some really bad indigestion and that going to the bathroom would help — it didn’t!

We got home around 10 and I figured a nap might just do the trick! So I went and got all cozy in my pillow and passed out. I woke up around noon and the pain was gone. I was so happy and relieved until I got up to go pee. 

As soon as I went to the bathroom a huge amount of pain and pressure instantly washed over me but this time it was much stronger then before. I called for Colt who told me to call the doctors office.

Of course it being a Sunday my primary doctors office was closed but luckily I was able to get in touch with the on call nurse. I explained my situation from what had happened in the morning until now and she pretty much immediately suggested that I go to the ER and get checked. Her main points were one being the obvious that I was 15 weeks pregnant but also that since it was pain on my right side it could be anything from my appendix to gallstones to kidney stones. I hung up terrified and told Colt to get ready that we were going in.

The ride to the ER was the absolute worst not only because I was in a great deal of pain but also because at that point I was scared out of my mind. It was probably the most scared and out of control I’ve ever felt in my life. I just sat there crying and breathing and praying that the baby was going to be ok. 

We got to the hospital and of course it was packed. Not only was it the day after the 4th of July (I swear there was at least 5 people waiting with broken arms) but it was also a Sunday. I took a deep breath and prepared for the wait, I knew it was going to be a long one. As we waited to be called the pain was pretty constant between about a 4 to an 8 with the worst of it coming every time I would pee. 

After what seemed like forever (2+ hours) they finally called my name. We got in the room and went over everything with the nurse. She took my vitals and said the doctor would be in. At this point my pain had lessened and for that I was grateful. The doctor came in and ordered blood work, an IV hook up (just in case) and an ultra sound. 

They took me to the ultra sound area and wheeled me in. Unfortunately they wouldn’t allow Colt to come in the room with me. I was so anxious and panicked and just wanted to hear that the baby was ok. Whatever else it was with me could wait. 

The tech was an older lady. She was nice enough but still rough around the edges. She didn’t say much besides the usual small talk, “how many weeks was I,” “where was the pain,” “when did it start,” “any history of stones or appendicitis” I lay there still as she started and waited for her to confirm something, anything…what did she see. 

After looking for at least 15 minutes and not saying a word I was in a full blown panic attack so I finally asked if my baby was ok, she replied “she hadn’t even gotten there yet” she was making sure my appendix wasn’t going to burst. I took a deep breath as the tears started to flow pretty uncontrollably and my anxiety hit an all time high — I just kept thinking please, please dear God please tell me that my baby is ok, please!!! My baby HAS to be ok. Nothing…

As I lay there waiting I hit my point where I knew I just couldn’t take even one more half a second without knowing, I was losing my mind and I knew I was about to pull a Vovo Manny (my very Portuguese grandfather) on this lady when suddenly there it was the most magical sound in the whole entire world, our babies heart beat — everything else fades away. 

She continued on for awhile without saying much. The whole ultra sound took over an hour. An hour doesn’t seem very long until your in pain and having extreme anxiety in which case it feels like 10 years. She eventually told me that the culprit of my pain was an enlarged ovary. She said it looked like it might also have some fluid around it which would have been consistant with a ruptured cyst which would explain the escalated pain. My appendix, kidneys and gallbladder all looked normal. She also said that the enlargement of the ovary, the pain etc., did not have any affect on the baby (thank you Lord) and then she flipped the screen and there it was my baby with big eye sockets, right there in front of me! 

Baby Stew was moving around like crazy showing off all kinds of new moves! I could see that the spine had developed as well as full eye sockets, arms and legs. She also showed me that Baby Stew had 5 fingers on each hand! I could not believe how clear the scan was and that I could actually see the tiniest, cutest and littlest thumbs ever! 

After letting me gawk and giggle for a bit she finally wheeled me out of the room where I was reunited with Colt, who at this point looked way worse than me. Poor guy had been sitting outside the ultra sound room just waiting to hear if we were ok — we were. I slowly watched as the blood come back into his face. 

Once the scans were read the doctor felt comfortable that the enlarged ovary was indeed the cause of the pain and he requested that I follow up with my doctor on Monday. We left the hospital exhausted but happy. Our baby was going to be ok! 

I followed up with my doctors office the following day but since I wasn’t in any more pain and I already had a scheduled appointment on Wednesday they said we could just go over everything then. 

Wednesday came and went and the appointment went well. It was another routine check up with no ultra sound (boooooo). She did order a blood test for my quad screening though to check for Down syndrome along with all other chromosomal abnormalities and neural tube defects like spina bifida. We also went over my ultra sound results from Sunday. She said she agreed with the fact that my ovary was enlarged but she thought the pain was most likely being caused by round ligament pain which is common in the second trimester especially in active pregnant woman rather than a cyst. She said either way she was just happy that the pain was gone, the baby was ok and that I had went in to the ER because it’s always better to be safe.

My next appointment is tomorrow the 14th with the specialist. I’m looking forward to finally getting some information and answers on the septum and condition. I just want to know every second of every day that our baby is ok. I never thought it would be possible to be so in love with someone that you’ve never even met! Or that it was possible to feel so happy and excited and scared and terrified all at the same time every single day for that person. We love you so much Baby Stew and we are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy! 

Until next time…  

July 4th beach bumming with the fam

  

Baby Stew Monthly Recap

11 Saturday Jul 2015

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Month:

June 

Baby Size: 

Weeks 11 – 14 

Brussel Sprout, Passion Fruit , Lemon, Beet 

I’m Feeling:

Overly excited and ridiculously happy 

 Food I love:

  • Watermelon 
  • Salad 
  • Cucumbers with apple cider vinegar and salt 
  • Red Meat 
  • Wendy’s junior bacon cheese burger with honey mustard 

Food I hate: 

Still no food aversions but I also haven’t been into sweets like cookies, brownies or ice cream 

Strong smells also still get me pretty gaggy! 

3 Pro’s of June:

  1. My energy is back to normal and most days I feel really really good! I love that I’m able to workout and that I found a good prenatal yoga class 
  2. I got to celebrate my first birthday pregnant – hello 31
  3. My friend Deni had her baby! Welcome to the world baby Amelia! 

3 Con’s of June:

  1. No ultra sounds so we didn’t get to see, peek in on or check up on Baby Stew 
  2. My allergies are out of control with minimal to no relief 
  3. Migraine number 2 

Currently living in:

Bikinis, Sports bras, Yoga pants, Sundresses  

Looking forward to:

My doctors appointment on the 8th of July 

Dreaming about:

Nursery designs and Baby Shopping 

Milestone:

The “bump-a-lution” 

Baby Stew is Growing! 

 

Week 11

  

Week 12

  

Week 13

  

Week 14

 

Last day of June

 
  

 

Live Feed

25 Thursday Jun 2015

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The last week and a half has been a whirlwind of changes and emotions. 

Having everyone officially find out we are expecting has been so unbelievably overwhelming but in the best way possible. We have received so much love and encouragement and support. It truly stops you dead in your tracks and reminds you how blessed you truly are with the most amazing families and friends.  

Sharing the news was also a wonderful way to bring in my 31st birthday. Colt made the week extra special for me by bringing home a card and present everyday. We don’t usually do presents so it was really fun to get spoiled all week long. He did really good and bought me everything from MAC to gelato to new workout clothes to the biggest and baddest pregnancy pillow ever just to name a few. 

This pillow is seriously the mother load of all pregnancy pillows! We found it on Amazon and instantly I knew it had to be mine. It was so big and looked so perfect until I saw the price tag – $100 for a pillow! The perfect part went right out the window. Colt knows I would never spend that kind of money on something like that so I opted for the next best, more wallet friendly version and called it a day! Lucky for me it was my birthday and Colt spoils me to death so you can imagine my surprise and excitement when it came in the mail a few days later! I couldn’t believe it was mine, I’m so in love and I’m already sleeping so much better! As for Colt and Kai, well let’s just say it’s not the smallest thing on the bed so they don’t exactly love it! 

 
Kailea is pretty much deathly afraid of it and Colt can’t even get within a foot of me so it’s pretty interesting so far – haha! It’s a good thing it’s so legit and that it makes me so happy! 

For my actual birthday I had to work! I think it was the first time in years and years that I actually worked on my birthday but it wasn’t bad which is when you know you are truly doing what you love to do. I coached two morning classes then meet Anu and we did nails! We later met up with Joe & Anu and had a spectacular dinner at Duo at the four seasons. It was so nice and we all ate entirely to much but it was the perfect way to ring in 31 and this next chapter. 

   
 

Week 13 continues to bring renewed energy which I absolutely love. I still take full advantage of napping as often and as much as possible which I think is helping Baby Stew grow since my belly continues to pop a little more everyday. I’m in the stage where things are starting to get snug but since I don’t really look pregnant it’s difficult. I had a really hard time finding a birthday outfit and the workout outfit that my father in law bought me for my birthday made me look like a big fat marshmallow. 

It’s been some what challenging to not get a little down and stressed about the sudden and BIG changes going on within my body but I just keep reminding myself that it’s totally normal and that gaining healthy weight is essential to Baby Stew’s development. I’m trying to take everything in stride and one day at a time while constantly reminding myself to be gentle. Moderation is my new favorite word to live by and with my renewed energy I’m back in the gym and running which helps a ton! I also just did my first prenatal yoga class and I absolutely fell in love! I am really excited to add that to my weekly mix of activities during the next few months.  
   

  

My first official “bump” picture on my way to my prenatal yoga class at 13 weeks and 5 days! 

I can’t believe that June and my first trimester are already coming to an end! I’m a little sad it’s going by so fast but I’m also so excited for what’s still to come. My doctor called me today and asked me to switch my next appointment from Monday the 6th to Wednesday the 8th. I’m hoping by then we will get to find out if Baby Stew is a boy or a girl! And if not at that appointment then hopefully we will find out on the 14th when I see the specialist! What’s your guess? I can honestly say that I really have no idea! 

Until next time…..

12 weeks = 3 months 

15 Monday Jun 2015

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So we’re totally turning into “those” people, the ones who use weeks instead of months when someone asks how far along we are! We promised we would NEVER be those people and here we are! 

To our defense and as an apology to “those people” I totally get it now! When your pregnant everything goes by weeks! All your app updates, pregnancy trackers, things you look up online and doctors all talk in regards to weeks so it’s just easy to follow suite. So here we are referencing everything in weeks, but I promise once the baby is born if you ask me how old he or she is and I tell you they are 208 weeks, or even 24 months please just slap me, no seriously though. 

Hitting the 12 week, 3 month mark has brought a whole new world of excitement and anxiousness. We officially sent out all announcements to our extened families and close friends on Friday. I am SO excited for people to start getting them but it’s also making me a little anxious to have the news go completely public since it still feels so early in the pregnancy to me.

I have my next two appointments in July and it seems like forever away so for now I’m just trying to enjoy the day to day and embrace everyday of pregnancy as it comes. 

My nausea and exhaustion has officially subsided (thank you placenta) but now it’s heartburn taking its place. I also got my first migraine on Friday around 4pm and it lasted through Saturday evening. It was so painful and so sad because there was nothing I could do but ride it out. I read that hormones at this stage are the leading cause of mirgranes especially if you are previously prone to them which I am. I think this migraine might have been brought on from not drinking enough water and not eating enough. 

Everyday is a new trial and era and I’m learning how to take care of the new me with Baby Stew in tote. I’m also so thankful that Colt is so amazing to me and that he is really understanding of everything I am going through on the day to day. It’s nice to be able to lay in bed all day if I need to and he just happily understands and helps out with anything I need. I’m so lucky and I know this. 

 

He’s also extremely creative and crafty and is totally rocking our weekly Baby Stew board! And yes, he does these all free hand with just chalk pens! 

Today has been such a beautiful day filled with lots of sunshine and good energy and I know it’s going to be an even better week! 

Until next time…

  
Suns out, Bumps out! 

 12 weeks and 2 days or 3 months! Lol 

11 weeks, 6 days 

12 Friday Jun 2015

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I didn’t take a nap today. It’s the first time since finding out I was pregnant that I didn’t take a nap. This may seem like no big deal to most people but to me this was a huge milestone since its proof I am giving way to my second trimester!

Second trimester! It doesn’t even seem possible that I’ve been pregnant for 3 months, (well almost) I’m 11 weeks and 6 days and as my first trimester slowly comes to an end believe me I can tell.

This week my energy seems to be back to normal and I feel more and more like my old self, well minus the protruding belly. I know it’s not even close to looking like or being a baby bump yet and I doubt other people could even notice it but to me it’s huge especially since I’m up 5 pounds which feels like 100 on my frame (and for the record I’m pretty sure 2 pounds of it are in my boobs). 

Other than the every day noticeable changes in my physical-ness it’s also been a really big and exciting week because we’ve been gearing up to make our official pregnancy announcement to our extended family and friends. I also told my boss which was such a huge amount of relief but it also made things seem so much more real!

For the announcement we’ve had all these great ideas (Pinterest inspired and for the record Pinterest you are the devil) but really we’ve seen it all! There are so many fun and creative ways to tell your loved ones your exciting news now a days and lucky for us my best friend Anu also happens to be a great photographer which means photo shoots all day, everyday!

Once we decided on our announcement idea we set up the day and time with Anu and got the props ready! I fell in love with the big golden balloons that spell out BABY. I ordered them on Amazon and eagerly waited for them to arrive. On Saturday an hour before the photo shoot Colt and I drove to the mall to get them blown up (note to the world blowing up 40″ balloons in Maui is not cheap and or worth it) $50 later the balloons were blown up and we were on our way home to get ready.

Once we got home we decided to not mess with the balloons so we left them in the car and went in to grab the rest of our stuff. We knew we would be quick and we were in and out just in time to get back to the car and see that one of our “B” balloons had popped, big slice right down the middle — melt down city 

Not only was it popped it was unfix-able and and not only was it unfix-able it was a disaster (a now very expansive disaster) I was pissed but since it was already late I couldn’t really cancel so we re-grouped and went up to take the pictures anyways.

To say Anu & Colt are miracle workers would be a major understatement because they some how pulled me out of the worst, saddest, most pissed off mood ever and Anu ended up getting some of the best, most beautiful, timeless and perfect pictures. She is truly so talented! 

By the end of the shoot we were all in agreement that the balloons just weren’t meant to be. We were also really glad that the pictures were done so we could now make and send our announcements.


  

The above three are the ones we decided on to actually send out as the announcement. There were so many great ones but in the end we felt these three were the best line up and flow! Below are a few of the other awesome “runner ups”


          

    

It’s been a wonderful first trimester of privacy, joy and a lot of unknowns but we are ready, excited & hopeful and we can’t wait to finally tell the world about our newest, greatest adventure.

In life there are perfect moments. You cannot plan them – the very act interferes with the laws of the universe – but you must be ready to recognize them when they come…”

Until next time…