Lankford Love

This post is so overdue that frankly, I'm not even sure where to begin. I'm backing way up a few months, so bear with me! After I started seeing my naturopath and Dr C, I started to see improvement in my symptoms. I had more energy, though sleep was just so-so. I actually got comments that I was looking better physically, not as drained. I could feel my vitamin stores improving. As for sleep, I did stumble upon tart cherry juice (the concentrate, no dilution) though, which helped me to start sleeping like a normal person! Essentially tart cherries have natural melatonin in them. The average person needs 20-30 MICROgrams of melatonin; however every OTC melatonin I've seen contains 1-5 MILLIgrams of melatonin, which is 5-25 times more than a person needs; hence why it makes many people restless, rather than inducing sleep. Two Tbsp tart cherry juice contains about 50 MICROgrams natural melatonin, so it's not surprising that for many people this is a better option. It...

SURELY we are almost there! And I'm trying it all to get her out! That false labor gave me false hope I think. But for now, I am holding onto what could be false hope that she will arrive before her due date! Really though her due date is sneaking up on us -- Thankfully! So even waiting till her due date doesn't seem so bad at this point. I've been exhausted, achy (back and legs), and creaky (joints). Apparently our house is freezing too, or so I've been told by the numbers on our electric bill and everyone who comes in our house... even my child who is never cold has been saying we live in a cold house! Ha! All this to say, I am getting antsy and desperate to meet Adeline! The reality is though that I have so much to be thankful for! So today I made a list. Here are a few things that made the list... I am thankful for... A healthy and smooth pregnancy. No GD or GBS. Healthy weight gain, actually less than last time. No abnormalities that have shown up. Great sono...

Okay so confession, this is really going to be photos of half the master. I'm still wanting to do a painting project with our dresser (NOT before Adeline. Ha. That would be crazy. But when I have my brain back and it's cooler out), and we have a little corner of clutter... birth center bags and Lil's bag, a bin of maternity/ post-maternity/ nursing clothes, and a Moses basket, which is waiting until we move the dresser a bit for it's new home. Still, I've totally been meaning to post pics since Randi rearranged our house, so here are a few more! The living room was rearranged and gained the glider from our room and lost the chaise lounge... I'm sorta embarrassed to post these pics because I am kinda terrible about figuring out lighting with windows and the iPhone camera (or any camera for that matter). I know there's all kinds of stuff with f-stop and ISO, but I don't really understand that stuff. ( Send any simple suggestions my way! ) Anywho, here...

At 37 weeks, I finished the guest room/ nursery. I'm pretty sure with Lilleigh, I had this done months before. But it's amazing the things you don't worry about with the second! This round, I know that anything not done before Adeline's arrival really can be done after. Eventually I will have energy again, and until I do, things can wait. Here are some guest room/ nursery photos -- I bought 6 lanterns off our Facebook swap site for $8. The gold dot wall decals are from Etsy. They were around $30, but I overbought on accident. Really it would've been closer to $20 I think. I also bought new bedding, but that was completely necessary anyway. It was inexpensive, from Home Goods (love), but I'm considering that from nesting fund, not nursery fund. :) Don't mind the terrible lighting. I don't really know how to take photos well when there's a window obstacle. Turning lights on looked funky too. But here you get an idea o...

We are reaching the final stretch!! And although I really don't love the newborn phase (just being real) and am a little nervous for the two kids transition, I am so ready to meet Adeline and to not be pregnant anymore!! I really am a happy pregnant person, but as you get bigger, things just become more challenging... the bruises on the inside of my tummy (from her kicking), not being able to bend over, getting out of breath after a very short walk, etc... I love being pregnant. The last part is just a little tough. But enough of that. Here's a photo of me 35 weeks pregnant with Adeline. Up until now I haven't had much of a pregnancy craving with Adeline. But these last few weeks, I've found my snack of choice. Fresh blueberries, frozen! YUM. Seriously amazing. You should run out and grab blueberries right now. Take them home and rinse them, spread them on a cookie sheet, and place them in the freezer to freeze individually. Then after a few hou...

I am 27-weeks tomorrow! I really thought I was already 27 weeks... does that just show you how different pregnancy is second time around compared to first? #cantkeepup Exercise: I'm still trying to stay active! It's getting a lit hot (already) to be walking in the afternoons, so I've been doing a lot of at home work-outs, realistically around 3x a week, though I aim for more. I also did prenatal yoga for the first time this week. I loved it. May be a good way to diversify my exercising! Eating: No real cravings and no real aversions either. Still trying to eat healthy. Still no black tea, other than my weekly chai latte treat. That said, fermented tea is a different story - I'm loving kombucha. And I am trying my first batch today of iced tea, made with pregnancy and red raspberry leaf teas. Here's to hoping it satisfies my taste for good ole iced tea! Body : Other than my bump, I haven't had much weight gain elsewhere yet. I'm sure it's only ...

Since I am FINALLY starting to feel better, I thought I'd give a pregnancy update! I am now 14 weeks and definitely showing. I haven't gotten any "When are you due?" comments though, so I'm pretty certain I'm still in that awkward "Is she pregnant? Does she just need to watch the desserts?" stage. But I know it's only a matter of time! Sickness As far as sickness goes, I was basically "sick," as in hunger-induced nauseous, every night by 5 or 6 PM, if not before, and on through the night. I am so so so thankful for a hubby that loves spending time with his little girl and can get home early enough to let me retire to bed during those evening hours. We resubscribed to Netflix, and I've been watching Good Luck Charlie , mainly because I've had a few people now tell me Lilleigh looks like the little girl in that show. It's a Disney channel show, but let me just say, I love it. No drama. All funny. All cute. So how ...

Because after 6 months, I STILL could not wear my wedding ring, Brendon got me this pretty ring to wear in the meantime! I LOVE it! I love that it's simple yet has a wedding ring feel to it. I wore it proudly for five whole days... until yesterday, when my new ring started to feel a little loose. I know what you're thinking, "You must be joking, right?" Nope. Not kidding. Funny that after 6 months, my wedding ring now fits. And overnight too. Is it bad that I am wishing I could fit into my new ring, rather than my actual wedding ring? Hmm... At least I'm prepared for pregnancy (and post-pregnancy) #2...

The birth story, as promised... For the few days preceding labor, I had woken up in the middle of the night to premenstrual-type cramping. So when I woke up on Super Bowl Sunday to this cramping again I didn't think too much of it until a few hours later when the cramps were still there and consistent - whether I was sitting down and eating, walking around, or trying to sleep. I figured I was in labor. Still, the contractions really didn't hurt. My back ached though, since the baby was turned on her side.  Around lunch time Brendon, Sammy (the dog), and I went on a long walk around the neighborhood. By the end of the walk, it was getting more uncomfortable for me to walk, and contractions were growing stronger and closer together. We went home and watched Freaks and Geeks (great show), while I leaned over the birth ball. My back pain was becoming much more intense - more so than the stomach pain, which paled in comparison. My back began aching so badly that I figured it surely...

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, before little Lilleigh was born. I just found it entertaining!

Any day now! I'm hopeful. Here are the latest photos! Someone told me this week that I look like I'm going to explode. Naturally it was a man. I'm sure he was single. Thanks, bud. He asked if I was overdue. I told him next week, but thinking about it, I should have told him I'm due in May.

Jean inspired me with her list of maternity must-haves over summer, so here's mine! The winter edition... BELLI Elasticity Belly Oil, 4 oz and Target's Up&Up Cocoa Butter In an effort to avoid stretch marks, I've put on the cocoa butter after ever shower. It's basically replaced my old lotion, so I put it everywhere. And before bed each night, I have used Belli Oil, per Jean's recommendation. And I will say that the only place I have gotten a stretch mark (thus far... knock on wood) is the one place I did not use the oil! So put it everywhere - butt, thighs, tummy, love handles, chest... you name it! Wherever you are gaining weight, use it! Still, I think the cocoa butter has made any damage minor - and hopefully not permanent!  Maternity low-rise jeans from Old Navy I HIGHLY recommend these jeans, and they are only $34.50! I have another pair of maternity jeans from Gap, and I hate them. Before I got extremely pregnant they were okay, but once I got...

Some of my cravings... Chai tea lattes, preferably from Starbucks Although I'm not sure this counts since I wanted them daily prior to pregnancy too.   Chickfila lemonade    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies... with milk chocolate chips, of course. And since Cait asked, here's the recipe .