cate's preggo update: 26 weeks

Hi hello!

It is currently 9:45pm California time. I am very sleepy and would love to just turn over and fall right asleep. However, I wanted to give you all a quick little update on my pregnancy at 26 weeks.

Not a lot has changed in the last week or so. But I have noticed I've been more thirsty in the middle of the night. I am drinking a ton of water throughout the day but for some reason it's not enough or my body is just needing more at this stage. I keep a glass of cold water by my bed just in case. I'm pretty much waking up in the middle of the night to pee once, sometimes twice, a night. Meh... I even make an effort to not drink a ton of water right before bed, but as I said, my body craves it. And honestly, I'd rather drink water even if it means getting up more to pee. Oh well!

Also, during my workouts, I'm noticing slight cramping sometimes, so I just take it easy until the next movement/exercise OR I simply modify. I do a significant amount of cat cows and include deep breathing, which makes me feel great. Today I was in my closet and baby felt really low, as if he was sitting on my pubic bone- not comfortable- so I did some cat cows and it seemed to put him in a different position or relieve some pressure. I didn't experience this with Kai in my first pregnancy until about 8 months pregnant. My OBGYN did tell me that with each pregnancy, the baby will feel and actually be lower. Some women even feel like the baby is going to slide right out. She assures them that's not really the case even though there is much more added pressure than their previous pregnancy. I can attest to this!

Because I have a pretty large bump already, it is MUCH easier for my husband Duke to feel like this whole thing is actually real. haha! When I first REALLY popped, he said to me, "Wow! You're pregnant. It's starting to feel real now." I'm sure a lot your men can relate to this, and I think it is so cute. I almost feel bad for the dads because for a lot of them it is hard to know how to bond with the baby inside the womb and even when they are born all the way until they are a few months old. It's different for every guy, so I'm anxious to see how Duke bonds with Baby B and when that special time will come...when it all settles in. : ) For now, he prays out loud for the baby, talks to him, and tells him he loves him. Kai does the same. Bonding is already forming.

​For me, I talk more to the baby and rub and pat my belly. I tell him he is amazing and that he is going to do incredible things. I speak life over him and tell him he's going to be an easy baby, a wonderful sleeper, and that the bond between him and his big brother Kai will be unlike any other. This all might sound weird, but I believe in the power of words. Try it- it might surprise you! The more you talk to him or pray for him out loud, the less weird or awkward you might feel.

Now that it's almost May, it's becoming more real to me that in just about three months our home will be different. There's a bitter sweet to that for me only because I love our family of three and love the relationship we have with Kai and the quality time we get to spend with him. I don't want life to get more hectic. I want to feel at peace and a sense of calm. I want our home to be a place of joy and that peace I'm talking about. The reality is yes it can be at times, and other times  I know it will feel a little chaotic, but at the end of the day, we will be a blended family of four (so crazy) that will grow together in love. If you didn't know, we are in fact a blended family. My amazing husband Duke became, as we like to call it, "insta-dad" when he met me and then married me in a short 11 months. Kai was 2.5-years-old at the time Duke walked into our lives and what a gift he was! Duke is daddy because Kai doesn't see his biological dad, nor does he talk about him. Duke and Kai have the most special, precious relationship, and I could not be more grateful.

On the other hand, I do think about when Baby B comes that the bond could be different. This thought doesn't cross my mind very much but it has come up. It worries me a little and makes me sad for some reason because, even though Duke loves Kai as his own son, and you would never know he wasn't his biological daddy, I just want Kai and his baby brother to have an incredible relationship and for Kai to know HOW MUCH he is loved and will always be loved. This is straight from my heart and real concerns as a mom who had a son out of wedlock. I know the amount of love Duke has for Kai and vice versa and am excited to see the brotherly love that will form and how this baby will be similar AND different than Kai. Overall, I'm focusing on how God redeemed my life and my situation and brought a wonderful man into my life to be the man I need and the dad Kai needs. Woah, God is faithful!

On a lighter note, I am also starting to really think about a list of to do's before the baby arrives.
1. Tour the hospital- Since Duke has never been to the maternity ward, we will most likely go there so he can know where we are going when I'm in labor (oh my gosh this is going to be so funny to see his reaction- hahahah!)
2. Meet with our doula- My amazing friend Ashley will be our doula. I had another doula when I had Kai who helped me immensely, so having a doula is a MUST in my book! And now my dear friend, who was in our wedding, gets to be our birth coach- yay!
3. Preregister at the hospital- DONE! I did this easily online and provided my personal info and my insurance. Easy peasy!
4. Choose a pediatrician- I had one for Kai, but he is pretty far in Irvine, and I just found it difficult to get a call back at times or even make an appointment. He was great, but we will be looking for another doctor. I also might be interested in driving all the way down to San Clemente to see Dr. Sears. We'll see!
5. Sign up for a baby/birthing class- Duke is super easy going and very supportive of my approach to pregnancy/labor. I did the Bradley Method. We will most likely go thru my book here and there and have our doula, Ashley, explain his role and the process of labor, etc. He might want to sign up for a class at Hoag Hospital but we shall see! I will labor at home and then go to the hospital just about when I can't have conversations without pausing. I'm hoping this labor is as quick, if not quicker, than my first!
6. Sign up for a breast feeding class- FOR FIRST TIME MAMAS... or not. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND finding a breast feeding class BEFORE baby comes. It was helpful for me. I attended a class at Milkalicious in Laguna Niguel- for those of you in the Orange County area. It was great!  PS- I had ZERO complications nursing Kai and breast fed him until he was two. Not sure I can go that long this time, but my goal is 18 months!
8. Start thinking about your birth plan- If you have no idea what this means or looks like, I'm happy to share mine with you. I will be sharing my birth plan I created when I had Kai. I will review it again and most likely keep it the same for this baby. If you would like to see I do so, please comment below, and I'd be happy to send to you. Keep in mind, I had a natural birth with no epidural or drugs. Even if you are choosing to have one, and by all means, you can use mine as an outline or use Ila's as a reference!
7. Nursery planning- I have come up with ideas in my head and created a Pinterest board, but haven't bought anything yet.. in my spare time! 
8. Start a registry- I signed up for Babylist.com and have added a couple items. I will continue to add and have fun with it! One word of advice, I recommend not registering for items on Amazon. Personally, it was a pain for me when I had Kai to deal with returns if I got double items, etc. I love Babylist because you can add any item you want from anywhere! This too may get challenging if you need to do returns- so be sure you register for necessities and your favorite things. 
9. Nest/Fix things around the house- I'm slightly a perfectionist and like to organize and WANT things to be in order. However, this is pretty much not the case 85% of the time. I have a couple things in mind that I'd like to do/fix before baby arrives. One- I'd like to have our couch and downstairs rug organically cleaned (meaning with no chemicals). Yup, I'm THAT mom. I'd also like to redesign Kai's room and make it look better since I didn't get around to doing that when we moved in. OH, and I'd love to get an actual headboard/bed frame for our cal king bed. Mattresses on the floor don't look that great! 
10. Decide on a NAME- We have definitely talked about it and I'm pretty sure we've narrowed it down to a couple names, but who knows with Duke! : ) We will choose a couple, pray about it and ask God to give us a name, and then wait until he is born to choose one. At least that's what we're thinking! It's funny because I chose Kai's name pretty early on and it stayed that way for months. We're mixing things up a bit now! OH, and of course there is the middle name! How fun is THIS!

In the meantime, I have cut out gluten and wheat and am eating less artificial sugar. I am focusing more on a paleo diet, with some exceptions, because of how much it helped me when I had Kai. I'm working on deep breathing so I don't get anxious or overwhelmed as easily. Also, key word- kegels. Yes, kegels, is another part of my daily routine. Don't forget to work your pelvic floor, mamas!

That's a wrap!

Keep treckin' away and enjoy your bump while you have it! Do your best not to stress over all the lists and details and TO DOs. Your pregnancy journey will be MUCH more enjoyable and peaceful if you are able to take one day at a time and not put pressure on yourself to know everything and do ALL the things you want to before baby. : )

Blessings!

CATE