
I'm in tune with my little Princess' movements and I've come to expect hiccups, kicks, morning tickle-fests, and "taps" throughout the day. Her movements are like clockwork and I know when to expect them all. I look forward to them and love talking to her.
I've always loved to dance since I could remember I've been dancing. Ironically she loves it too! When I dance, and then stop I feel her start moving too! LOL go figure I have a gymnast, MMA technician, arts loving, future foodie, curious little being and she's not even born yet!
Our most recent loves have been Kale and Mango smoothies, they are delicious! We also love fresh fruit and veggies (of course), and a little apple sauce with cinnamon of course. We are really into cinnamon. This fall seems to have really awakened the warmth and heartiness of the season. My nesting cycles are in full bloom, and I've been preparing for her arrival. I still haven't painted her room - yet, and I still have to evict my winter wardrobe from her closet (work in progress). With that being said, I'm actually satisfied with the progress that's being made on most days and others, not so much. I'll do some before and after photos to share. I've also been pinning on Pinterest some of the deco ideas I have for her nursery - you can check those out here.
To me, I think my belly's sitting out there pretty far, and I seem to be mostly belly (thank God). One of the challenges I'm facing is that I'm not able to use herbs and detox like I would normally do with the seasons - or use adaptogenic herbs to assist with maintaining balance and managing stress naturally. I'm at peace with it and am just focused on eating well, catering to the occasional cravings when I have them and just taking good care of myself and my family. I can still safely use Nervine herbs, such as lemon balm tea (made from the Melissa plant). It's an amazingly calming and soothing plant that has a number of health benefits and very mild in flavor - my son loves drinking it too. Nervines are not well understood by the general population, and many have never heard of them unless you are in the natural/alternative wellness space, much like adaptogenic herbs, Nervine herbs aid your nervous system and help the body to remain in balance especially in response to stress.
To manage my moods and help me remain balanced, I've become more creative since I'm pregnant and options are limited. I consistently rely on essential oils (aromatically mostly not really topically) for mood balance, meditative breathing, mental clarity and a sense of calm, since my dreams are kind of out there - I also listen to an amazing playlist full of natural sounds and set the timer for that at night - it takes me into a deep and restful sleep state without the weird dreams to disrupt my sleep patterns. I also stay in meditation and prayer daily. This helps tremendously! The only thing that's different is how I use essential oils, and I've eliminated certain foods/herbs and supplements from my lifestyle.
My pregnancy so far has been an easy one, I do not look for ways to become stressed, I trust my body and I am trusting the process - God designed us for this. I am loving every moment of it! Outside of the bouts of occasional aggression ("Hangry" moments or someone does something utterly ridiculous - like bad driving) we are good to go.
An update on the family, big bro is really stepping into the role of being a big brother, sometimes I think he thinks he's my father, Dad is very excited and talks to her daily - we are still not a 100% decided on a middle name, but I think we are close lol! Grandparents, Aunts, cousins and a host of other family and friends are all looking forward to her arrival as well.
Well that's all for now until next time loves - take care
XoXo- Davon