Maternity Monday: week 25

Week 25: We've definitely been missing the Caribbean sun this week, so we've been trying to stay toasty by our fireplace at night. I think that we should make a yearly trip to the Caribbean in the winter, maybe January or February. I'm not opposed to celebrating Baby P's first birthday beachside. I know unlikely, but I can dream. 

I won't lie to you, the pregnancy hormones have been crazy this week. Poor J; I've been incredibly teary and weepy over a few things that have come up this week. I also haven't been sleeping well so that could be a contributing factor to the tears. I've been having a lot of hip pain from sleeping on my sides despite the snoogle and pillows. 

Other than those little things, I'm still feeling great. Baby P and I have gotten to work out this week in between shifts, have a lunch date with J at his work, grab coffee with Emily, and get house projects done, and started buying Christmas presents.

It's been a good week gearing up for the holidays. I love this time of year. I can't wait to buy our Christmas tree, open our Christmas boxes, pull out the new items we bought, and start decorating for our first Christmas in this house!

Maternity Monday: week 24

Week 24: This may have been our best week yet (if you follow my on IG: aileenpp, you know why)...we went on our babymoon! 

We decided this was the week for our babymoon because it was the last week my OB wanted me traveling internationally. We didn't want to miss our chance, so we flew to St. Thomas for a week of sunshine, sand, and a great time together. I loved everything about our trip; we stayed at the Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Resort. We loved the views from our hotel, the beach and pool, and had some excellent meals in town. 

There were so many things that I loved about this week: 

...spending so much time with J and talking about our future and baby! 

...sleeping in a king bed with a cocoon of pillows.

...drinking lots of water and fruit smoothies beach and poolside. 

...enjoying the beauty of watching sunsets over these hills every night. 

...being pleasantly surprised by some fabulous dinner spots. 

...floating in the ocean

...feeling lots and lots of baby kicks since I was relaxed, sitting, or laying most of this trip

I'm so thankful for this week away in the sun celebrating our sweet girl. I'll share a full babymoon post with dinner recommendations, photos, and more soon! 

Maternity Monday: weeks 21-23

Happy Monday! 

My first Maternity Monday post is here! I have a couple of more weeks to catch up on, and I think that I might post most of them a week behind because I "turn" the next week on Sundays. 

Week 21: I absolutely love knowing that we're having a sweet baby GIRL! I ordered her first pj gown/maybe coming home outfit with her name on it. We have been set on her first name for a while but still tossing around names for her middle name. I can't wait to decide, so I can start monogramming. 

The very best thing this week was that J felt the baby move/kick for the first time! 

Week 22: I got to spend most of this week in Birmingham! I love seeing my college bests and celebrating Amy & Justin at their trendy, hipster wedding. Spending time with these loves makes my heart so incredibly full. I'm just so thankful for have friends who love me (and know our sweet baby!) so much!

This week, I ate some of my Birmingham favorites: O'Carrs chicken salad (twice), Steel City Pops, O'Henry's, and Jim & Nick's.

 

Week 23: I realized why I don't sleep well at night, it's because Baby P is dancing, kicking, and jumping on my bladder all night long.  She and I were both awake for three night shifts this week.

After my third night shift, we had an OB appointment and got to hear baby's heartbeat.

Before the first night shift of the week

This was an exciting week for us... we celebrated our fourth anniversary and J's birthday! J picked a new favorite for us on Thursday night: Bida Manda. The Laotian food was incredible. We loved the spring rolls, gingered ribs, crispy pork belly soup, and a grapefruit ginger spritzer for me.

For J's birthday, I picked a local brewery that has rave review pizza and beer. I can't wait to try their cider, post baby. We enjoyed dinner out, and then a quiet night at home opening presents and celebrating.