The babe has started moving with gusto recently, and KC has even gotten a chance to feel some movement, despite my anterior placenta (which blocks a lot). This kiddo is clearly a party animal just like his big sisters.
weeks: 23.5
baby’s size: grapefruit
i’m feeling: ok. I’m not as tired as I was previously, and the nesting instinct has definitely started to kick in, but I’m definitely still not feeling like myself these days. My energy feels perpetually lower than I’m used to and I’m constantly wondering when I’ll actually feel like myself again (after delivery? Later? Who knows.)
food love: granola bars (specifically just the trail mix ones from TJs) and little ice cream treats (TJs Hold the Cone and the mini mint ice cream sandwiches — yum!)
food hate: not much. I’m not actively avoiding anything right now, but I definitely get tired of certain foods much quicker than I normally do when not pregnant (mostly meat and fish).
3 pros for july: 1. KC and I just got back from our little babymoon trip to Hawaii. It was so relaxing and nice to get away (and sleeeeep!) 2. Even though getting away on vacation is so dreamy, it’s so nice to be back in our own house with our sweet and crazy little ones. 3. KC and I have made it a point to go out every Friday on a date, and it’s become such a nice tradition over the past 6-7 months. I look forward to Friday nights every week and the girls get special time with our nanny on Fridays — usually with pizza and a movie — so really it’s a win for everyone.
3 cons for july: 1. I am continuing to despise the heat in my pregnant state. In Hawaii we hiked out to a secluded beach through more than a mile of unpaved/loose lava rocks. It was so hot I wanted to just lay down and die. 2. My mood has been pretty low lately. I’m not someone who stresses out a ton or generally has a lot of anxiety, but some recent life issues have bubbled up a whole lot of these feelings and I am really not into it. (Also, stressing out about feeling stressed during pregnancy is like the least fun Catch-22, ever.) 3. I’ve got the nursery fairly put together in my mind, but have nothing together in real life. I was hoping to take care of one piece, recently — a painted wall — but instead ended up taking two trips to Home Depot for five (5!) different paint colors, none of which are quite right. Ugh.
currently living in: shorts, dresses, and all the SPF.
looking forward to: finding the right paint color for the nursery.
dreaming about: getting the nursery put together.
I’ve really enjoyed following along on your family’s move to and back from Amsterdam and – as a woman who LOVED pregnancy, I’m enjoying vicariously living through yours (in a totally non-creepy way 🙂 )! I hope your stress diminishes and your mood can buoy up with that. I know your first pregnancy was in the states, second in Europe – now, having experienced both and going through it again, do you have any thoughts/feelings/comparisons? My family and I (husband, four sons ages 4-9 years) have soooo strongly considered and mapped out moving to Europe over the past 3-ish years (we love Amsterdam the most out of all the European cities we’ve visited but the boys and I are German citizens and we also love Germany – plus I speak German! My husband, though, is the breadwinner and works in network security and does not speak German). I’d love to hear any insight/opinions you’ve developed, having lived in and raised children in both countries.
Anyway, way longer comment than I intended, but I’ve been meaning to ask! I have *also* really appreciated your posts on natural cleaning/recipes and use your all-purpose recipe consistently. Hope some energy comes your way soon!
You are too sweet! I love hearing about other people’s pregnancies too — you’re not alone! As for raising kiddos here vs Europe… well, that’s a long list of pros and cons. We thought very seriously about staying in Amsterdam, and agreed that if we didn’t have kids or if we weren’t close with our families we definitely would have stayed in the Netherlands. I think Europe is a better environment for raising children, in general (though I wasn’t fully sold on the Dutch school system). I think that children are allowed to grow up much more freely there than here, not to mention the vastly different (coughBETTERcough) governmental and support structures in place for parents and children. The work/life balance is definitely better there as well. But, it’s difficult to raise kids outside of your normal support system as well — I definitely learned that. You could create your own support system over time, but it’s hard to replace extended family and long-term friendships. So basically my answer is both options have their pluses and minuses. That said, I’m so glad we took the option to go overseas. The door to go back is still open for us, so I like the idea that we have the option of returning to the life we had in Amsterdam if we’re finding that the US just isn’t providing us/our kids with the life and values we’ve been working for.
That’s so awesome. Definitely makes sense, about the support system and friendships. That’s kind of what we keep coming back to – it’s the “starting over” of our social networks (and in our mid-30s! Not the easiest time to try to start forging new relationships, haha). Thank you for your insight and taking the time to answer my questions; I appreciate it!