first day back!

march 20: my first day back to work since december 27!

i took a few months off through the winter because of the flu epidemic in colorado. the vaccine proved to be about 40% effective this year, and we were seeing a LOT of flu cases in the ER.  pregnancy is a higher risk category so i just didn't want to have the exposure unnecessarily since i don't technically have to work.  the time off was wonderful in a surprising way. it was almost a "test-run" for being a full time stay at home mom, and i actually loved it.  i didn't know if i would be bored or find meaning in staying home full time but i loved it, and felt more relaxed in general.  i decided to go back a few days a month through the end of my pregnancy and then decide over my maternity leave if i want to return to work at all with two babies. 

my first shift back was good though, and i remembered why i do love being a nurse also. tough decisions lie ahead for me, deciding what to do. in some ways i can't imagine my 13 year nursing career coming to a close, but in others i think this season of my life may have more meaning to be to stay at home and raise babies & run a home with more peace and balance.  hopefully time this summer with two littles (not to mention building a house, selling a house, moving, etc!!!!) will bring some peace & clarification to me about what the best decision for our family is.

nursery progress.

after moving B to his big boy room a few weeks ago, we rearranged the furniture in the nursery this weekend. i've started piecing together patterns for bedding & the changing pad cover.  and i got a cute coral rug and some new ruffle curtains to girly it up in there. so exciting to walk by the room now and see it starting to take shape as a girl nursery!! just moving the furniture around makes it feel so different.  i can't wait to see it all come together & then to sit in the chair with a sweet little newborn this summer.

end of the day - 25 weeks.

by end of the day, my baby bump is HUGE! it's much smaller in the mornings, still, thankfully...

mama's birthday.

we went out for lunch on my birthday! it was a gorgeous 70 degree day, which called for flip flops & patio seating. had such a good day with my boys and feeling so grateful for all we are looking forward to this year...

24 weeks.

24 weeks with baby girl!

i'm in the sweet spot of pregnancy, feeling good and loving all the kicks and movement i feel from her every day. multiple times a day in fact, she's a mover, just like brady was. 

some things i want to remember about this pregnancy:

1. i'm trying to be healthier this time & actually work out (didn't do much when prego with B) so we go to the gym four or five days a week. i do barre twice a week and the other two or three workouts are on the elliptical. it's nice to keep moving and feel soreness in my muscles (not overdoing it), but honestly it's also just really nice to have a change of scenery most days for brady & me both. he gets to play with new stuff, i get a break from him + endorphins, and we leave much happier together! mike is in the throes of his final MBA semester so brady & i are on our own a lot and while we are making it work great around our household, i'm tired by the end of most days & the trip to the gym in the afternoon post-nap (or sometimes mid-morning) is really something i look forward to.  by the time we get out, it's dinner/bath/purple time and the day is almost done! 

2. i've gained maybe 12-14 pounds so far (i don't have a scale at home so it's a guess based on my 22 week appointment) and feel like my belly looks about the same as it did this time with brady. i love that i did even-week photos with my brady pregnancy to look back on.  i gained a lot of weight with brady, and really had some swelling towards the end. i think regardless of exercise this pregnancy, i may still gain the same (sometimes your body just does the same thing for pregnancies no matter the external variables) but i'm hoping that exercise keeps my in decent shape to lose the weight more easily post-delivery.

3. i realized the other day that having delivered brady at 37 weeks, i've only got 13 weeks to go potentially!!! that was sobering!

4. i have no specific cravings or aversions at this point.

5. at 24 weeks, we are still working on a name for babykins. i think her middle name might be belle, which is french for "beautiful" and definitely is a strong contender. mike loves everything french & i always envisioned using that inspiration if we had a daughter. it's not set in stone, but it's a front runner.  we go back and forth on her first name still. i was in the 30s (weeks) before brady really sank in when we were naming him. so, no rush!

6. when you ask brady where baby sister is, he points to his own tummy. the other day mike said, "but what's in mommy's tummy then?" and he said "baby sister. one in mommy's tummy, one in my tummy."  I HOPE NOT! :)  his preschool teachers told us this week he talks about baby sister all the time and also tells them she is in his tummy.  so adorable!  we moved him into his big boy room a couple weeks ago and now he calls his old room "baby sister's room" and tells me all the time, "i no sleep in a crib, crib is for babies." i love how he's starting to put it all together. he still pronounces sister, "baby sicker" and i love that too.

 speaking of little man, here he is supervising mike taking my 24 week bump photos:

such a big boy now. i can't wait to see him holding his little baby. i think he'll really be a sweet, kind, gentle big brother.

THE sweetest.

post bath purple-watching. armrest provided by the baby bump.

THE sweetest ever!!!

prego jeans.

i wore pregnancy jeans for the first time this week! i can still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with a belly band but these are waaaaay more comfy by the end of the day...