A Big (Baby) Announcement!

We are so, so excited, and I’m thrilled to share that we are expecting a baby!

I’m amazed at how much I thought I knew about being pregnant because of friends and family members having babies, and I knew literally nothing compared to what I know now. And I still have a lot to learn. We’re nearly halfway through pregnancy already! My goodness, though, the things they don’t tell you… (Update: I blogged about some of the things they don’t tell you about the first trimester!)

It has been great to be able to follow some of my favorite bloggers who have either recently given birth or are much more pregnant than I am… Especially for inspiration on how to navigate blogging and pregnancy. I know there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but being able to see others doing it is definitely helpful when it’s something so personal but so visible at the same time!

I’m planning to share monthly “bumpdates” here, but I promise there will be plenty of non-maternity content, too, for those of you who aren’t planning on starting a family anytime soon! Now, onto the fun stuff!

baby details

How far along are you? a little over 18 weeks! Baby T is the size of a sweet potato or bell pepper, depending on which app you ask. Baby T is due mid-September!

Do you know the sex yet? We do! We shared with our family members at a fun gender reveal and I’ll post about that on the blog next week.

Have you thought of names yet? We’ve talked about it, and we have a list but nothing is a definite!

What have you bought for baby so far? Honestly, not much. I’ve been buying things for a year or so, ever since we decided to really give this a go, so Baby T’s current possessions include a couple of books (including a Paddington book we bought in London!), a Boston College t-shirt, and a Patriots t-shirt. Aaand that’s about it. Oh and a onesie I had made on Etsy with a drawing of Sprout on it (obviously). It’s ridiculously cute!

mom details

Any cravings? The first trimester I really wanted fruit (specifically raspberries and strawberries) and big green salads, which is a lot healthier than my norm. Then I went through a bagel phase. Now all I want is pizza for dinner pretty much every night! I’ve also found a new love for cereal with cold (the colder the better) milk.

Any aversions? I absolutely cannot look at, smell, eat, or think about garlic. I had a couple of weeks where I didn’t want any kind of meat, but that went away.

What are you reading? I have What to Expect When You’re Expecting, which I look at on a weekly basis. I’ve also started reading Expecting Better, which I would definitely recommend (I’ll do a separate post soon on my favorite books so far!).

How do you feel? Good! I went through a rough few weeks in the first trimester (and at the same time I got a stomach bug) but things thankfully got better pretty quickly. Now I feel like I’m getting some of my energy back, though I’m not anywhere near the energy level I was at before I got pregnant.

Currently wearing: I have a new appreciation for flowy clothes and what I formerly referred to as my fat pants. I started having to do the elastic trick with my jeans earlier than I thought I would have. Then I moved onto the belly band and some maternity pants (though I’m still wearing a few pairs of jeans that are non-maternity). I’m thankful that the trend right now is boho/flowy, because that is working well for this growing bump!

Has Sprout noticed any changes? I have noticed some changes with most of the dogs in the family (we’re big dog people!). Sprout started sleeping in our bed, which he hadn’t done before – he has his own dog bed setup in our bedroom, and he has always preferred that! Now he sleeps right between me and T. He’s also a lot more protective of me when we’re on walks and will bark at any dog that comes near us, which isn’t typical for him. I think he’s going to make a great “big brother”!

And what about the nursery?? We don’t have any furniture for the nursery yet, but I have a very clear idea of what I want to do with the space. (T is, of course, totally on board 😉 ) I can’t wait to start getting the pieces in and making it more real!

blog details

Are you going to be a mommy blogger now? I don’t think so! I hope to keep this place home, travel, and style-focused, though I have added a new section in the top navigation called Motherhood (under Lifestyle). You will also be able to search posts by using the Pregnancy tag. I want feathers and stripes to remain a place where I share what I would share with my girlfriends, so you will see posts like a nursery reveal, baby essentials, and maternity wear. If there’s something you’re interested in, let me know!

Thank you for reading, and I can’t wait to share more! xx