Right Now: 25 weeks

Right now we're guessing... 25 weeks 2 days!  15+/- weeks to go! More than halfway! Holy wow! 

Right now I'm feeling pregnant in that... growing belly and baby kicks! I also cry and am kind of sensitive. I'm aware of it. I'm not apologizing for it. I'm just saying. If we hang out for any period of time I will probably cry about... something. I'm also very sweaty. 

Right now I'm eating... 80% paleo, 20% everything/anything, for better or worse. No real cravings,. Actually, that's a lie-- chocolate chip cookies. All day everyday. I splurged on a normal person one from Chick Fil A (actually they gave it to use for free because we had to wait a while, Marshall started eating it and I'm pretty sure I just took it from him and finished it. I don't remember asking.) and WOW. I'm hard pressed to think about anything else. I doubled a paleo recipe and stuck it in the freezer to slice and bake. Still not GREAT, but better than a middle of the night trip to that all night cookie place on Hillsborough Street to eat an entire m&m cookie cake by myself (have I fantasized about this? Maybe...). But really, I like all food. Last night I was like "man! this is the best steamed broccoli ever!", today I was like "This is the best oatmeal ever!", later today I was like "this is the best crunchy peanut butter sandwich on gluten free bread ever!" and later later today I was like "these are the best pork nachos ever!". Food is happy, food is great. 

Right now I'm loving... everything. Ha! I really am enjoying Lincoln's age (despite the semi-regular tantrums that occur over nothing). Watching him learn about words and stuff is the best. He is becoming quite the conversational wizard. I am enjoying working from home and am finally starting to feel in a groove, 2 years later... (really, I think I've stopped holding myself to stupid standards which is very helpful). I was thinking today that I'm in a very Zoloft chill place...except not on Zoloft. Feeling very Proverbs 31, laughing at the future and whatnot. Really hopeful that I can remember this and get back here once things start getting wacky and real and not so sunshine and rainbow-ey. Right now, though? Basically there are unicorns walking around my living room listening to soundtracks of baby giggles and a puppy breath scented candle. Hormones are fun when they go to the extreme happies :) 

Right now, like last time... trouble sleeping. Heartburn sometimes. 

Right now, this is different than last time in that... well, first of all, we haven't officially "announced" because it felt weird with the holidays, Lincoln's birthday, etc. but we're having a girl! So that's really different than last time! 

In general, this pregnancy has been really different. I am not sure if it's the girl thing, how much my perspective of motherhood has shifted since my pregnancy with Lincoln, eating paleo before and better eating now, having a toddler and no time to sit and reflect... not sure. I guess I am a pretty different person than I was in 2014. In general, this is WAY better than last time. I feel pretty awesome most of the time. 

My only real "complaint", I guess, is that I have had a fair amount of back pain which may be worse than last time. I remember it towards the end with Lincoln, but my sciatic nerve has been on the fritz since my belly started growing and I've had crazy leg pain, lower back/glute issues, leg going numb, etc. It was pretty bad the end of last week and I was struggling with walking. It was rough. Thankfully it was the weekend and Marshall was home to help with Lincoln so I was able to ice my back, wear my belly support band and rest which was great. Friday afternoon Lincoln refused to nap and kept trying to climb out of his crib, so I literally put him in the car and drove around Garner with ice on my toosh and parked in the Panera parking lot and used their wifi so I could work. I handed him Netflix on my phone and it was perfect. Sometimes you just need wifi, man. 

So, I can't really lift a lot of things (including the 25 pound two year old) so we've been teaching Lincoln to do some things independently. Get in/out of the car himself, into his seat at the dinner table himself, go up and down the stairs himself... which he isn't really doing any of these unless the mood strikes him. Which, it hasn't been. Occasionally we can trick him into doing it by being a "big boy" and sometimes he gets really excited and proud and yells  "I did it!" (this morning I put my sweatshirt on and he said "Mama! You did it!") but most of the time that is a no go. So, I'm resting/icing when I can, going to see the chiropractor and we've rearranged grocery shopping to a time/day we can all go so I don't have to wrangle the toddler and heavy bags. I really struggle with asking for help/admitting defeat, so this has been hard for me... good practice for what is to come though. I'm sure I'll want some help with two little peeps needing my snuggles/boobs all the time. 

Also, I think I'm in that pregnancy immune system eczema remission thing. I've really cut back on light therapy, I'm not really adhering to strict dairy free/gluten free life. And I have a couple of places but in general I'm pretty clear and maintaining with moisturizer. That is HUGELY different than with Lincoln. 

Right now I'm looking forward to... My friends are throwing me a baby sprinkle in February which I think involves some sort of pampering of some sort and I'm pretty thrilled for that. All my favorite ladies in one place– I cannot even fathom. SO MUCH YAY. I'm also pretty jazzed to go to Ikea in a couple of weeks (FINALLY) to get our king bed and some things to make the transition to Ye Ole Big Boy Room for Lincoln-head. I really want to get him a train table but we don't have the money for that and he big fat DOES NOT NEED any more toys after his Christmas and Birthday. But I want it. We probably won't do it. Also, looking forward to next midwife appointment! They are so hands off, it's a change from the traditional OB experience but I like it. 

Right now I'm reading...  Grace Not Perfection and Respect Dare. Still. 

Right now I'm wearing...  leggings! My maternity skinnies still don't fit right. So yeah. Just leggings. 

Right now I'm watching... nothing. 

Right now I'm listening to... Been listening to old sermons on repeat via Podcasts. Had my own Code Orange Revival the past few days. Lincoln is really into Frozen and all the songs so those play in my head/house constantly. I have kept our car Frozen free though. I have a feeling if I ever let him listen to Let It Go in the car it will be our new normal and I can't take it. He has still been requesting Christmas music which is cute. I deleted my playlist off my phone so I've been playing Rend Collective and he thinks that's Christmas music.  

Right now kinda nervous about... nothing.

Right now celebrating... decluttering my life on ANOTHER LEVEL. We've hit every nook and cranny in this house just about and gotten rid of so much stuff. I cleared off my phone, backed up all my 2016 photos and videos, deleted all my emails and have been unsubscribing left and right (none of that unroll me mumbo jumbo) and it is SO freeing to cut ties with things. I really feel such a sense of peace when I don't let stuff have control over me. Also had some major wins with workflow for work that will simplify things.