Hello again! I hope you’re doing great today. Thanks for stopping by to read the bloggy blog.

So much has happened since my last post. The pictures above are actually from when I was 19 weeks and one day. You’ll notice the dress and location because this is the same day I filmed our announcement video. I haven’t even edited it yet, but if you’re reading this it means everything has gone public!

The day I took those photos is also the same day we found the midwife we’ll be going with for our labor and delivery. I’ve had a few midwives saved in my notes for several weeks that I wanted to contact, but with all of the things going on in the health industry, I was in no rush to get into a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office. This is a personal choice, but honestly I was not okay with not having my daughter and husband be a part of the experience of my prenatal appointments.

The midwife I found was able to meet with us in her private office on her day off and my husband and daughter were welcome to hang out during the consultation to get questions answered and see if we’d be moving forward with this particular midwife. I’m so glad to say that we found the right person on our first try!

Here are a few photos from that visit. Even though it was just a free consultation, our midwife checked my heart rate, blood pressure, went over dietary supplements, and I got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. I can feel the baby kicking so I know there is life in my womb, but something about that crystal clear heartbeat gets you right in the feels. These photos are of me seeing the size the baby should be at that time in utero. I was actually shocked at how big it was!

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While we were getting a midwife meeting wrapped up, then heading to the beach to film, we also had to get some last minute things for our trip to the East Coast the next day. Flying out was very different because we haven’t traveled since things started shutting down in March. It was funny to hear announcements over the speaker at the airport letting travelers know that any non-essential travel was not the best idea. I’m pretty sure everyone waiting at the gate to board the plane had already thought about that and decided that flying was 100% going to happen. Lol.

Also, we took a red eye flight hoping to get sleep on the plane and help with getting adjusted to East Coast time. Did not happen at all. It took a few days to get through the lack of sleep, which is a lot harder when pregnant and being more exhausted than usual. When I was pregnant with Petra, me and my husband also took a trip and I was about 7 months pregnant then. Traveling on a plane while pregnant is apparently not super fun for me.

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Something cool that did happen though was after our main flight from LAX to Charlotte, we boarded the tiniest commercial plane ever for our short flight to another small airport. It was my first time walking onto a plane from the ground and having to put our carryon bag under the plane because there was hardly any overhead storage. Petra loved having her own little seat by itself.

If you’ve been listening to our podcast, you’ll know we are currently in North Carolina. We’re staying in the mountains in my Dad’s property here and the weather has been interesting. For someone from a very dry place like LA, having rain come out of nowhere and disappear just as fast is kinda cool and refreshing. Our main focus has been on spending time together, but we have been able to have a few outings to the pool, to visit a petting zoo, and Petra’s been going on field trips almost everyday with my Dad and his girlfriend. We see it as an amazing summer camp experience.

We’ll be here into the first week of July, and I’m honestly not looking forward to saying goodbyes. That’s one of my least favorite things ever.

As far as how I’ve been feeling, it’s been a rollercoaster as usual. Some days I’m fine and others I’m throwing up three times a day. According to my blogs from my last pregnancy, in a few weeks I should feel brand new if things go the same. That would be great. The baby’s kicks are getting stronger, and my belly is growing at a pretty rapid rate. My dad even mentioned that he can tell the difference since we’ve been here.

Once we get back into LA, I’ll be setting up my first official appointment with my midwife and getting to know when we’ll find out the gender. That’s definitely exciting!

So, here we go with some stats…

Age and size of baby:

20 weeks old, 6.5 inches long, 10 oz in weight.

Cravings:

Man, I feel like I haven’t had a craving in a while. I’m mostly just trying to make sure I’m not eating anything that makes me sick. My Dad has been cooking most meals each day, so it helps to not have to stress about grocery shopping and figuring out what to eat.

Morning sickness:

I had it pretty rough for two different days that I’ve been here in North Carolina. I’m not sure what triggered it, but I could kinda tell as soon as I woke up that my belly wasn’t right. Being in the mountains also adds to it if we’re going anywhere that day. Driving up or down winding roads sets my motion sickness off the charts. Fortunately the weather has been cooler which really helps to make me feel better and not overheat.

Stretch marks:

Nothing new, but my belly is feeling tighter around my belly button.

Crazy hormones:

I’ve had two days (including today) that I couldn’t hold back tears. There are some personal things I’m dealing with that have been hard on me spiritually and emotionally throughout these past few months. That started even before coronavirus and it seems like things just keep piling up. I have to kind of fight to keep my peace and joy and I try really hard to focus on what really matters and the blessings I do have. Even just the fact that I’m pregnant is a huge answered prayer and good thing to be grateful for right now. I just get caught off guard when I have an overwhelming sadness and my thoughts start to wander and get stuck in negativity.

Sleeping habits:

A major blessing right now is being in vacation mode. Even though me and my husband are still getting things done that we need to with work and online stuff, my Dad and his girlfriend have been taking so much initiative with Petra and showing her such a good time. It helps me to not feel bad when I’m stuck in the bed because I know that Petra is well taken care of and that everyone is enjoying the time we all get to spend together.

So, that’s that for now.  Be blessed and take time to make your dreams into your reality.

-Kytia L’amour