Current Disposition: Feeling great! My energy is totally on point (for the most part); I have my days in which energy isn't at its peak, but don't we all? My mood is pretty upbeat, and just like my normal self. I generally feel like I'm not even pregnant, but then obviously look in the mirror and feel otherwise. 

Body: Yes, I definitely feel the extra weight but it's all part of the program. I certainly feel like my last pregnancy (my second pregnancy) with Vance was my healthiest, but this one is definitely a close second. I will talk more on this in fitness and diet. The aches and pains I was having last week have ceased, which it awesome. Again, I feel that extra weight and a little chunkier even in places like my arms, but not abnormally. ​

Weight: I weigh 143 pounds, which means I have gained 13 pounds since conception and 10 pounds since my 8 week appointment. Not bad, but not as good as my last pregnancy. Last pregnancy, I weighed 138 pounds at this point, but it also was a totally different pregnancy. I was able to control my diet a bit more and didn't gain early on (I think because I was still breastfeeding my first). Again, I'm not as concerned about weight gain because at the end of the day your body is going to do what it is going to do. At the same time, that doesn't mean that I'm totally oblivious to the scale. I certainly let myself give in to cravings, but if I do, I tighten up my diet the next day. It's not a free for all, but it's also not as strict as it was during my first pregnancy. Once again, I end up gaining the most weight in my final trimester. Last pregnancy, I packed on about 17 pounds in the final trimester. This time around, I hope that since I've gained a bit more earlier on that that won't happen again. But who knows. I feel a bit more confident about weight this time around. While never perfect in my ability to handle weight gain, my mindset has certainly improved from time's past.

Fitness: Fitness is totally on point this pregnancy. Amongst my three pregnancies, this pregnancy has been the fittest pregnancy that I have had to date. My first pregnancy I never exercised. My second pregnancy I exercised about 4 times per week; sometimes 3; it really depended on what I had going on. This third pregnancy, I have really committed to getting myself to the gym every single morning, and I totally feel better because of it. Sure, maybe the scale is higher than it was during my last pregnancy, but overall, I feel stronger and healthier. Again, my workouts are mainly a 30 minute tabata class, spinning and sometimes a 3 to 4 mile run or walk (I only do this once per week). I am working out almost every day. On my worst week, I had taken off two days, but generally will get in a workout every day or at least 6 days per week. How have I stayed motivated? Honestly, my Apple Watch has been a HUGE motivator in helping get me to workout on a daily basis. I have the face of my watch set to the workout/activity setting, which tracks movement, exercise and stand goals. I try to get all three of my rings, or goals achieved on a daily basis.

Baby: ​Baby is moving for sure. The movement has slowed down from the initial movement I felt, but pretty consistent and regular enough that I don't worry. As for gender.. I was sure that it was a boy, but I also am not 100% because of how narrow I am carrying. They say that you carry more narrowly with boys, but I don't remember carrying narrow with either of my boys. In fact, I felt like I carrier a bit wider.

Sleep: I've been sleeping great with the exception of the "no sleeping on your back" rule. I tend to be a side sleeper, but for whatever reason, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night on my back, kind of freaking out. I generally don't sleep on my back so it often feels weird that I am tending to that. But overall, I have no pregnancy insomnia and feel pretty energized after a good night's sleep.

Doctor's Visits: My next doctor's appointment will be at 28 weeks, and I am also scheduled for the glucose test. I am almost certainly I don't have gestational diabetes, but you can never be too sure. I thought it was interesting that the doctor said I could eat protein before the appointment; just not carbohydrates. I have an early 9:30am appointment, so it shouldn't be a problem. Other than that, the anatomy scan last week went so well, and I am feeling super confident about baby and my body. When I got the good news that all was well, it made me feel even more confident about having a third, as weird as that sounds. I think I've worried a little bit more during this pregnancy, but all for nothing because I feel reassured at every turn that everything is going smoothly.

Diet: my diet has been both good and bad. One of the biggest changes I have noticed the past week is that I feel like I can't eat as much. I often don't feel hungry, and when I do get hungry, I'll eat but then I can only have a few bites before I need to stop. For instance, I barely ate lunch ( I had hummus and chips), then I had a few bites off of the boys' dinners and a few bites of a cupcake and felt like I couldn't eat anymore. Most often, it feels like it happens at night when dinner rolls around in which my appetite is totally at a loss. Also, if I eat in the mornings, I tend to feel super sluggish, so I really have to pay attention to what I am eating. It also gets tricky when I like to workout first thing in the morning. I haven't quite gotten a routine when it comes to figuring out what to eat in the morning and timing my workout. Usually I don't eat, go to my workout class then have something after.

Oh baby! Planning for a baby the third time around is a little different than in time's past. With the first baby, you have all the feels about baby's arrival... and dare I say, a little bit of an obsession (or was it just me?). When I found out I was pregnant with my first, I was obsessed with planning all.the.things. From a baby shower to my baby registry, I scoured over every detail and poured myself into everything. But because we were currently residing in a one bedroom condo in Georgetown, Washington, DC, I wasn't able to plan my first baby's nursery. The only thing I could plan was the corner of our 'master bedroom', which only fit a mini crib, or a travel crib at best. Despite my lack of space, I made the most of it, but it didn't involve a whole lot of planning.
​
Fast forward to my second pregnancy, and we had finally moved into our first home in Nashville! It was a whopping 3,000 square foot castle and each of my babies had their own rooms. Not only did I get to decorate Rhett's (my toddler's) room, but I finally got my dream of being able to decorate a nursery. One caveat was that we weren't finding out the baby's gender, making it slightly more difficult to plan. But I did my best, and the nursery turned out perfectly. I incorporated much of the same pieces as I did today, using gender neutral greens, browns, blacks and whites.

Now that I am on my third pregnancy, planning a nursery is slightly different. We have moved once again, this time to Dallas and to a 4,200 square foot home! It feels big, but somehow as my boys grow and with the thought of having a third, I feel like I could have even gone bigger (gasp!). Nevertheless, I am so very thankful that we have more than enough space, however, I didn't decorate this house with our prospective third child in mind. His/her room is currently our second guest bedroom upstairs, full of guest room furniture. A queen bed from Restoration Hardware, adorable lamps from Cupcakes and Cashmere, etc. The perfect room to house a guest, not necessarily a baby. And because the room looks so cute already, in my opinion, I am going to wait on changing it until I know more about this baby and his/her personality. Plus, who doesn't love the idea of being able to nurse a baby on a queen bed?
Thus, for the time being, I redecorated Vance's nursery with the thought that maybe the baby would be in here and my two older boys would bunk up together, or maybe the baby would (once again) be in the corner of our upstairs guest room with a crib, and I would leave the decorating until after we found out the gender of the baby. So, if the gender of this particular nursery looks a bit masculine, bare with me! It is Vance's room as we speak, but doesn't mean I can't make it more feminine, adding in some pinks and reds.

Perhaps, one of my favorite things to incorporate in a nursery is wallpaper. It gives it that extra flare that maybe you wouldn't risk in another space, and you get to have fun with it. But because we constantly buy new homes, which means brand new walls, and often don't stay in one home for more than a few years at a time, I wanted something that was a little more temporary. Thus, I turn to removable wallpaper, and have partnered with Sweet Pea Wall Design on this fun, tribal nursery removable wallpaper.
Before trying removable wallpaper myself, I had fears about using it. Would it be easy to install? Would it look as good as regular wallpaper? It is worth the price? Does it really go on as easily as they say and stay up? And can I really remove it without damaging my walls? Suffice it to say, the answer to all of these questions is a big fat YES.
This is the third removable wallpaper that I have installed into a home, and yes, my husband and I have installed them ourselves. And trust me when I say that we are not handy people at all. In fact, we are quite the opposite. But installing removable wallpaper into bedrooms has become a very fun and actually romantic activity for the two of us. The time it takes to install in a normal sized bedroom is probably an hour or so, and all I can say is that it is easier than you think it is. I absolutely loved the way this tribal print turned out and Emily with Sweet Pea Wall Design was a gem to work with.

The crib is the Modo Crib from Babyletto and I love it. The crib sheet is from RH Baby + Child, however, I don't think they sell this print any longer; it is also organic. I love the RH crib sheets because they are organic, super soft and wash nicely, not to mention they are a great price, believe it or not. The leather pillow is also from RH. The Moroccan Pouf is from Houzz. The fiddle leaf tree is from RH, as well. Don't buy cheap fiddle leafs! You get what you pay for.

Not going to lie, but I ripped off the idea of using The Trendy Timber wooden signage from a decor-savvy friend of mine from high school. She posted a photo of her daughter's room on Instagram and I was quick to DM her, inquiring about the adorable sign above her daughter's crib. I purchased directly through their website all for about $140, and totally worth it. It adds a rustic flare and personalization to the room. I plan on getting the new baby one, as well.

When it came to purchasing a nursery glider, the bigger the better is what I thought. Again, by the time I had a nursery to decorate, we were on our second child, which meant that we needed to often fit not one but two kids in the chair. While some of the more dainty, smaller nursery rockers appear to be comfy, I was a seasoned enough mom to know better than to spend money on such a thing. I knew that a rocker is where I would live with my baby, and ultimately read stories to my toddler(s). What I wanted was the biggest and the comfiest chair around. I wanted it to glide and to rock. The only thing I might have missed out on was purchasing a reclining glider - and Pottery Barn Kids actually makes one (my sister bought it)! But, I will say that this Pottery Barn Kids Comfort Swivel Glider (Grand) has been a staple for rocking, reading, playing, napping, nursing, sleeping, and I can't imagine my kids' lives without it! Also, a big shoutout to Mooma (my MIL) for buying it as a baby gift for baby number 2!

I am a big McGee + Co fan and have been following their Instagram and the growth of their company really since its inception. When we bought our first home in Nashville and I FINALLY got to put my decorating skills to the test, there was one piece from their store that I had been eyeing from day one and it was this dresser. Sadly, I don't think they sell it anymore, but at the time, I purchased it from them (although a lot of other retailers carry the same piece) for about $1,000. I've never used a changing table because personally I think they are a waste of money. They cost as much as a fashionable dresser, which are generally way cuter than changing tables, and I usually change my boys on the floor. While this may not be sanitary, I am SUPER careful because I am OCD and like the look of a designer dresser better than a random PB Kids changing table.
As for the art, I purchased from HomeGoods for pretty cheap. The lamp is from Target. The little clock and the little Mexico boots were collected heirlooms. The gold elephant, candle and succulent are from Target and the license plate from Homegoods.

​Well, that is it! Welcome to our baby's nursery... or should I say Vance's nursery. It totally fits the vibe of our family; fun, bright, cheery and a little bit masculine. Sorry, baby girl, you'll get used to it :)

Lots of love! xoxo

I am officially more than halfway through my pregnancy, and it feels great. This past week was pretty exciting with a 22-week doctor's visit and also the much-anticipated anatomy scan. My body is certainly changing and things are "squishier" than normal, as Rhett says. Overall, I am so thankful to be pregnant and can't believe how fast this journey is flying by. I will recap everything here; also, I did add in some questions from my Instagram that people had asked and I wanted to expand upon. Sorry if I repeat myself, just wanted to make sure I answered everything! I'm also a bit tired as I write this, so sorry if I sound a bit drab :) Here we go!

Body: My body is starting to feel a bit achier. Some days are better than others, but normal daily tasks that involve lifting the boys in and out of the car are becoming more of a challenge. I feel a lot of it in my lower back, just from carrying the extra weight and also in my belly. Sometimes it is aggravated when I workout, but the benefits of staying active far outweighs the downside.

Weight: At 22 weeks, I weigh 142 lbs, which means I've gained 12 lbs since conception. This weight gain is within the normal range, projecting me to hit anywhere from 30 to 35 lbs. However, in pregnancy's past, I have gained the majority of my weight in the third trimester and I don't expect this pregnancy to be any different. I do feel like I've gained more fat earlier on. This might be from age (I am 31 years old vs. 27, which I was with my first) and the fact that this is my third pregnancy, so my body is storing more fat earlier. Whatever the reason, I feel decent about my weight gain. I feel slightly worried to a certain level that I may end up around the 40 lbs mark, or even more, just based on my body's cravings and also the way my body has gained the weight so far. Despite that, I am trying my best to maintain a healthy diet and am keeping up my exercise. Not a whole lot more I can do! (More about weight gain at the bottom section in IG questions answered).

Diet: My diet has been okay. I think overall for a pregnant gal I am eating healthy, but as compared to my non-pregnant self, I feel like I am eating a bit more and feel hungrier than I normally would. When not pregnant, I am one of those people that can wake up in the morning, workout and not eat breakfast until later. While pregnant, this isn't the case, I generally am hungry first thing in the morning and feel the need to eat, which is weird. I also feel like I am wanting to eat more at meals. Usually at lunch when not pregnant, I can easily eat a lower carb meal including things like turkey with avocado and Siracha, and call it a day. When pregnant, I feel like I need to eat more - so I'll do things like tuna on a piece of whole wheat bread or a baked bean-filled Siete tortilla with avocado, cheese and lettuce. Not necessarily a whole lot more than I would eat when not pregnant, but definitely more. Additionally, I always crave something sweet after lunch, which feels a bit odd. Same with after dinner. Not sure if I've just gotten into a bad habit or if it is an actual craving. But on a general note, I don't feel like I am overeating or pigging out. I will say that my stomach feels like it has less room in it once again making it difficult to read my hunger signals. So I feel hungry, and then I eat, but don't eat that much because I get full very easily and sometimes even a mild case of heartburn.

Fitness: Still getting in my workouts 5 to 7 day per week at least 30 minutes to 50 minutes per day. I am sticking to my 30-minute tabata class that includes tons of cardio (mountain climbers, jumping lunges, high knees, skaters, burpees) combined with weight repetition in 30-minute intervals. This 30 minute class is just enough to get my heart rate up but also doesn't overdo it as a pregnant mama. I go first thing in the morning to make sure I get it out of the way. My body is feeling heavier, so the workouts are becoming harder, especially because the class isn't easy. I am also a little achey at times, which. makes certain moves harder. Aside from that, I also do spin and run. Overall, I am so glad to be active this pregnancy and definitely feel like it is helping with weight gain and mental outlook. Working out is like an instant boost of endorphins and I am motivated because of how it makes me feel after!

Going from Two to Three: This realization has become a little bit more real. I am trying not to overanalyze how much our lives are going to change with three kids, but I definitely have my moments of wondering. With your first kid, you worry about how your life is going to change with a baby in general. The hardest part in having one kid is that it really does turn your world upside down and forces you to readjust your priorities; and really forces you to grow up. Your kid feels like your entire world, and it's a big responsibility going from caring about yourself to caring for another human. But of course, you want two kids because that's what people do, so you go for a second. With the second, you worry about how your life will change now with two kids, and when you finally have two, you realize how easy it was to have one! Looking back, having one kid was a breeze (if only you could have appreciated it) and two feels like one hundred.
I guess I wonder how this will all change in having three. What I've heard is that once you are used to juggling two, juggling three isn't much different, you just have to learn how to juggle faster. I guess I have those same worries that I did with having two. For instance, how I'm going to give each of my kids the attention they need, and how we are going to manage nap times for the baby while stimulating my other kids and maintaining our adventures. I'm really trying to savor my moments with having two kids, like the fact that I am hands free when I take my kids to an activity; they are basically off on their own, playing, while I sit there and watch/patrol the activity. In a few short months, I will not be hands-free; I will have a baby in my arms while simultaneously watching my two boys!! I'm both excited and a little nervous about this :)

Newborn Thoughts: A girlfriend of mine brought her newborn son (her third) to our MOPs group the other week, and it reminded me why I am going down this road again for the third time. I think this pregnancy has been so different because I now have a four-year old kid and a two year-old kid, verses when I went through my last pregnancy with only a toddler who could barely put together words. It has made me feel more mature going through this pregnancy and thinking less fantasy and more reality. I think in pregnancy, us moms can get caught up in the fantasy of having more children; I know I certainly did when I had my second. This time around, I have been pretty matter of fact that we are bringing a third kid into this world and the craziness that lies ahead. I've been looking forward to the newborn life and meeting another kid, but also very logical about it.
Though, after seeing my friend's baby, I was able to feel that magic of it all and it really lifted my spirits. Not that I was sad about having a third, but I think I have been so logical about it all and so caught up with my other kids, that I haven't had time to really fantasize about the person we are about to meet. But yes, I am getting very excited to have another baby. I can't wait to hold him/her, see what he/she looks like, learn his/her personality. Will he/she be a good sleeper? Will he/she latch okay? How will my labor and delivery be? All of those things, I am mostly excited for, but also a little nervous.. because I really know what is in store for me (and my family)! More than anything you hope that it won't disrupt your life too much, but then again, you're welcoming a baby into the world! It doesn't get much crazier than that :)

Doctor's Visit: I saw the doctor yesterday, at 22 weeks, for a checkup AND for the much anticipated anatomy scan. We started with the anatomy scan. Ryan and Vance were with me, thank goodness, because I was a nervous wreck leading up to it. I went to the bathroom like six times before the appointment out of nervousness. My stomach was in knots for a few reasons. One being the general fear that my baby wasn't developing properly. You hear such crazy stories that my mind couldn't help but wonder, could it happen to me? I also am so thankful to have two healthy kids that I sometimes am like ah I hope everything is okay since I decided to go for a third. Regardless, when I calm these nerves, I realize that God won't give my anything I can't handle. This is morbid, but ever if the baby had died, we would eventually be okay. (oh, the crazy things you think)
I think there was just added pressure because it was with the third baby, which feels like a bonus, and it would have been heartbreaking and kind of preventable. But, once again, I knew in my heart that this all happened for a reason, and I think I was having these crazy irrational thoughts that only come naturally to parents.  
Another thing I always worry about at the anatomy scan is that the ultrasound tech may give away the gender. Again, this wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would for sure be a let down to find out the gender on accident in a way that wasn't intended.
With all that worry, we started the appointment. I kept waiting for the tech to say that she saw a marker, like a cyst in the brain (which happened with both of my boys) or maybe that the baby had dilated kidneys (which happened with Vance) or that she would accidentally call it a "he" or a "she" giving away the gender... but nope. The entire time, she kept saying, everything looks beautiful! Healthy baby. Perfect. Wonderful. Beautiful. With each body part that she saw, she gave a positive affirmation. It really was the best ultrasound experience we've had to date. I walked out feeling so confident in my body and in my baby. And also so thankful that God has given us this opportunity to be parents to yet another miracle child.
Aside from the ultrasound, my doctor's visit was uneventful. She didn't check anything. Simply asked if I had any questions. I reaffirmed that we don't want to know the gender (as I always annoyingly do)! I also asked her about some cramping I was having during exercise. She said as long as the contraction goes away after I stop exercising that it is okay, and that exercising wouldn't cause any pre-term labor (another physician had also communicated this to me). Other than that, everything looks great!

Will you go for a fourth?: I get this question a lot. I think that once you decide to have a third, you are now considered part of the 'big family club,' and people are more apt to assume that since you didn't stop at two, you may not stop at three. I can't say with all certainty that we won't have a fourth, but if I were to give the straight answer now, my answer would be that we are, in fact, stopping at three. Why? I feel like three is the perfect number for me. Again, everyone has a different threshold for how many kids is appropriate for them. I come from a family of two, which I loved, but looking back it might have been fun to have a fuller house. It also might have been way crazier and maybe I wouldn't have liked it. My mom came from a family of four and she didn't love it, which is why she decided to have two. So, it's hard to pinpoint what the "right" number of kids is to have, but I thought three would be nice because it is more than two. It adds another sibling dynamic rather than having only one option for a sibling. I think that sibling personalities can be very different, and hoped that three would give that direct sibling dynamic that comes with two a break just in case someone needs another perspective.
Another reason I decided to go for three is because I felt like I gave up a big part of me to be a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my entire life. I don't have a career to fall back on; I have my kids. Something about that scares the crap out of me, but something about that also liberates me and makes me the happiest I've ever been. I'm a mom! And I am a full-on stay-at-home mom. This is my life; my world, and I felt like because I personally made the decision to stay home with my kids, that I could handle having more. If I worked, I don't know if I would feel this way just because it would be one more thing to juggle. Again, everyone has a different threshold and everyone woman is different. My personal threshold given my career as a SAHM is three. I felt like I could handle more than two, but I also know that I want to be able to have somewhat of a controlled environment and really be able to give my kids quality, quality one-on-one attention, and I feel like I can do that at the number three.
For me, I think I would get overwhelmed with four. I get overwhelmed by unmade beds and a messy house, and also by children screaming 24/7 and quality bedtime routines and bath time, etc. With two its a lot and with three it's going to be even more! .. I can't really imagine life with four, but I can totally, totally see how people have more than three. Children are gifts from God. You get to partake in life's most magical creation, and to stop having kids seems like part of that magic is over, but it is also the beginning of really diving into each child that you do have. So ya, that is the basic answer! 

How do you gain the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy?: This is totally and completely a case-by-case basis, and I don't want people to think my answer is a one-size fits all because it's not. Women are different; our bodies are different; we carry babies differently; we all have unique strengths and weaknesses. I am lucky that I get pregnant super easily. I have generally healthy pregnancies, and birth full-term babies who are at a healthy birth weight. My babies have been good babies; good sleepers and good eaters. I have much to be thankful for! One of my unlucky departments is in the pregnancy weight gain and postpartum weight loss department. I tend to be one of those women who gains quite a bit during pregnancy and carries wide. I get chunkier thighs and a droopier booty. Postpartum, I don't lose weight while breastfeeding and even tend to gain weight. I carry the weight in my belly and thighs and it doesn't come off until I stop breastfeeding. Like I said, we all have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to pregnancy, and I need to be thankful for mine. But can weight gain be controlled? Yes, I think to a certain level, but also no.
I have a unique story in that I gained 60 pounds with my first baby. I started at 130 lbs and topped the scales at about 190 lbs close to delivery. Looking back, I had a hard time handling pregnancy, as I was a first-timer. Morning sickness threw me for a loop and I ate constantly. I also felt like I needed to eat more because I assumed that is what pregnant women did. I stopped working out because it didn't feel right. I ate past the point of being full and often ordered unhealthier dishes because I was pregnant. I wouldn't say that I gorged myself on donuts and ho-ho's because I didn't. I just loosened my diet and packed on the pounds. I lost the weight at a year postpartum through a healthy diet and consistent exercise. I didn't have to try hard; the weight pretty much fell off at a consistent rate. 
With my second, I vowed I would not let myself go. I was 130 lbs when I found out I was pregnant and I had a goal of maintaining a healthy and fit pregnancy. When morning sickness hit, I didn't give in to the nausea with food, instead I worked through it by hydrating and keeping myself busy with other activities. My diet was clean as a whistle and looking back I probably wasn't eating enough, but I also didn't feel the need to. My pregnancy was very easy and my symptoms were not as drastic as my first (and third) pregnancy. I don't want to say it was easy to eat a healthy diet, but I also want to say that I had minimal cravings. My body gained weight at a slower rate, and I think I had a huge part in that because of the choices I made. I was also very active, maintaining workouts at least 4 times per week. Still, I gained 30 lbs. - within the weight gain guidelines.
My first and second pregnancies were very, very different experiences. With my first, I kind of let myself go and with my second, I was very disciplined. With my second, I was more disciplined than I would be if I wasn't pregnant because I knew how quickly my body packs on the weight. So what I would say to moms who want to stay within the recommended weight guidelines, is to come up with a plan before you get pregnant.

1. Compile a diet and exercise plan before you get pregnant, and commit to the idea that you want to gain less weight during pregnancy. This mental framework will set you up for success. It doesn't have to be concrete, but it can be something like "workout 5 days per week for 30 minutes" or "walk 3 miles everyday" or "eat a green smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch and high protein dinner with minimal dessert" or "hydrate with one cup of water every two hours" or "drink lemon water first thing in the morning". Just setup little rules for yourself that will keep you healthy and in line.
2. Try not to give into food when you start to feel bad. This is especially important during the first trimester. I feel like the first trimester really sets up your weight gain for the rest of your pregnancy. If you gain a ton in the first trimester, it is kind of hard to backtrack. So really commit to leaning on other things when you start to feel nauseas. Trust me, this is going to feel like you are exercising the most will power you have in your entire life when you start to feel queazy, but what I've realized is that eating food doesn't even really make you feel better. You may find relief for a hot second, but then the nausea creeps back in. So instead of relying on food to cure the queasiness, try and think up other things. Things that helped me were... believe it or not, working out, drinking lemon water, drinking a diet ginger ale ( I know the chemicals are bad but it really helped), going for a walk, playing with your kids, watching TV, getting fresh air. Just try and not use food as a crutch, and it should help you to minimize the weight gain. (I understand that some women feel bad their entire pregnancies, and that I cannot comment on! More power to you; just do what you can to get by!)
3. Similar to the last point: try and keep your diet/fitness tight in the first and second trimesters, especially in the second trimester. For me, the second trimester is when I feel the best and there really is no excuse to not eat healthy and to not exercise. Yes, I am pregnant and it is more difficult, but that shouldn't be an excuse to let myself go if I want to gain the allotted weight. So really try and hold it together in those first two trimesters and if you do, I believe you'll gain within the normal range.
4. Workout. Along with helping control weight gain, working out will make you feel better mentally! When I workout, I get so much more energy and feel happier throughout the day and thus make better dietary choices. Also, I tend to feel bloated while pregnant and can get a little depressed about it. If I workout, I tend to feel better about my body and have a better mental outlook. Working out really is a be all cure all!

A few disclaimers... some women gain more than the recommended weight no matter what they do. I believe this! So I don't want to make anyone feel bad that totally disagrees with this. It worked for me to control my diet, but it also didn't work for me because after I had my second baby (even just having gained 30 lbs), I couldn't lose the weight after! For whatever reason my body held onto it for breastfeeding. It held onto like 10 to 15 lbs. It was such a letdown because I had worked SO hard to maintain a healthy weight, and it kind of felt like all for nothing. Not entirely all for nothing because I felt and looked amazing during my pregnancy, but definitely a let down when I retained and gained a bunch of fat for breastfeeding. And this was all while maintaining the same diet and exercise routine. So, sometimes you really can't win. Sometimes your hormones are going to win every time and you just have to be okay with that. Give yourself grace during this time, and know that you aren't alone. I, along with millions of other women out there, went through the same body struggle. Just know that it is all worth it and once your hormones calm down (sometimes well after you stop breastfeeding), you will​ lose the weight!=

Last question, what helped you decide on spacing/timing between kiddos?: Once again, this is totally personal preference so I am just speaking for myself here. My husband and I both come from families in which the kids are spaced about 2 years to 2.5 years apart, except for I come from a family of two (my sister and I are 22 months apart) and Ryan comes from a family of five (all sibling roughly 2 to 2.5 years apart)! I think it comes down to a few things and really is only something you can decide on a kid-by-kid basis. After we had our first, we were so in love with being parents to him, that we couldn't wait to have our second. Once we hit the one year mark with him and started to get into a groove, we were open to getting pregnant and it happened the first time around. I think a lot of the timing had to do with our excitement to grow our family and the openness to it, and the fact that we were lucky/blessed that God allowed us that timing. While I say we are blessed that our first two are twenty-two months apart, it also came with a lot of challenges. Having two kids is freaking hard and having them so close together is even harder.
After we had our second, I went in and out of wanting to have a third. After our second was first born, I thought hell no, we are not having another kid (because the newborn stage is freaking hard and I was so sleep deprived), but after we got out of the newborn stage, I was quick to knowing that I wanted another baby. I wanted to have three kids for the above reasons that I just talked about. That said, I wasn't ready to dive in right away. I knew that I needed a little bit more time than I had had with the first two, so when Vance turned one, I still wasn't open for business.
It took me a little bit of time to really feel like I could handle three. At the same time, Ryan and I both really wanted the kids close together. I imagined the age gap between my oldest, who will be a little over 4 when the new baby gets here, and I didn't want that age gap to be too big. My dad comes from a family of three; the first time are closer in age and the third is several years born after the second. My dad's oldest sister commented that having the third sister so far in age was hard and wished she was closer.
So the way I saw it was that I wanted us all to be a super tight knit family (not that you can't be with a further age gap), but I think my personal belief is the longer you wait sometimes the more that child may feel like an only child. The goal in having three kids is that all of our kids would be able to be doing life together. That they would be in school together, involved in activities together and all that. Not just for their own sakes, but for the sake of my husband and I. I'm sure there are SO many benefits to waiting, but I feared that if I waited, I wouldn't want to have a third. I also feared going through the baby stage again after we were so far past it. I still feel like I am in the thick of being a mom to kids under five and I wanted to keep that groove going. I didn't want to have to go, then stop then restart again.
Once again, this isn't to say that people who wait are wrong for doing so. I think that there are plenty of benefits to both, I just saw so many personal benefits for exactly what we wanted out of having three kids, and what made the most sense for our family was to have them all pretty close together!