I keep weighing myself to ease my mind.  I know I’m not supposed to worry about weight when you are pregnant.  The only problem, my belly has grown!  I am about 13 weeks and this weekend I had to change out my wardrobe.  I have been going back and forth a little for the last couple weeks.  I was cleaning the house and finally decided to hang up all of my maternity clothes.  The first task, try on all my pants to see if any of them will fit for a little while longer.  I have already outgrown all of them!  They were even loose because I had recently lost 15 pounds.  I was shocked to say the least.  I shouldn’t be completely out of my pants yet!  It’s just at the beginning of the second trimester!  It seems with each pregnancy, my belly grows quicker and quicker.

I spent my Sunday evening online clothes shopping.  I love to have an excuse!  Most of my maternity clothes had gone through me and a friend, all in all 7 pregnancies.  I got rid of most of them after my last baby.  They needed some updates and were well used.  I know we all want to keep our style and be hot mamas.  I am a thrifty (never call me cheap though) shopper.  I love to sniff out a deal especially when it’s something that is expensive and I get an amazing deal (they make for great bragging rights).  For clothing, I love eBay.  There is just always so much, you can always find an amazing deal.  I have been scouring and bidding away.  Go to eBay and search for your new maternity wear, and if you need some baby clothes, it’s a great place to start.  You better not bid on the same ones as I am:)

Usually when morning sickness hits, we dread it.  Every morning (and sometimes night time) when I let loose, I am thankful.  I tried to explain this to my hubby, at first he was pretty confused.  My first doctor appointment isn’t for about 2 more weeks (a little later than normal, but that’s what happens when you have an awesome doctor and she is always busy).  When I had my miscarriage, I wasn’t very sick at all.  Every time I throw up, I see it as positive.  This little baby has to be growing because the hormones are racing through my body still.  With all of my other pregnancies, I haven’t felt as horrid as I do this time around.  Thankfully it’s only a stage!  My poor family hasn’t had too many homemade dinners lately and my house is messier than I want.   I just keep telling myself, a short time of less than stellar nutrition won’t affect them long term (they probably won’t even remember this time). This too shall pass…this too shall pass…this too shall pass.

Sometimes I know I can be a wee bit crazy (or driven as some may say).  Has anyone else ever felt this way too, thankful and happy to vomit?

If you are anything like me, I wonder about the lives of other mothers. Do they also get grossed out when they are in public and hear the words “I need to go potty, mommy”?  If they wonder whether they are too clingy or not responsible enough? Recently, I came across Daphne, the creator of Cool Mom.  She is the average mom doing the best she can with a humoruos twist.  She maintains a blog as well as a vlog.  Go over to Cool Mom and meet her, then subscribe to her feed for some daily smiles and laughs.

When shopping for breastfeeding wear, I am usually pretty disappointed by the options. Why can’t there be pretty bras?  Womama has the cutest and sexiest nursing bras. They also carry the only organic birthing wrap in the world. It is incredible! You can wear it during pregnancy as a wrap, then wear it while giving birth. You can even wear it after as a nightie or a wrap after the baby is born. This would be such a great gift for the pregnant mama who isn’t all that excited about wearing the very chic hospital gowns.  I might have to get one for my next baby so i can be the chicest mama in the maternity ward.  Womama also has nursing singlets.  These are tank tops which unhook at the strap.  You can still be modestly covered while the baby is feeding.  No one has to see that post baby belly we are usually really concious of.  It is certainly for that mama who wants some ingenious, fun, and funky maternity/breastfeeding wear. Womama has so many really cool products, you really need to just go to their site and check it out!

In 1350 women urinated on wheat and barley seed to see if they were pregnant.  She could urinate on the seeds for several days, “If the barley grows, it means a male child. If the wheat grows, it means a female child. If both do not grow, she will not bear at all.”This was the first recorded urine-based pregnancy test. In 1963 this method was tested with “modern” medicine and 70% of the time it worked!! Can you believe how smart those Egyptians were! Geesh!

In 1976 the e.p.t (early pregnancy test) was FDA approved. By the end of 1977, it was ready for consumer use. In 1978, it was advertised in various, major women’s magazines. An article in Mademoiselle’s April issue, stated “For your $10, you get pre-measured ingredients consisting of a vial of purified water, a test tube containing, among other things, sheep red blood cells…as well as a medicine dropper and clear plastic support for the test tube, with an angled mirror at the bottom.” HUH? Serious? Sheep’s blood? i have been inspired to go on a mission to talk to women my mom’s age to get some more scoop on this one! The test took two hours, and was more accurate for positive results (97%) than for negative (80%).

It amazes me to think not until the 80’s was there really the pee on a stick kind of test. It really wasn’t even that long ago women got pain relief during labor. Maybe soon they will invent a machine to quickly get your pre-baby shape back without the pain of a strict diet or personal trainer. i can see the pitch line already, “Place the belt around your abdomen every time you are breastfeeding and within 4 week you will look even better than before you became pregnant. It’s simple, easy, and very effective.”

If you want to read the comprehensive version of the history of pregnancy tests, go to A Timeline of Pregnancy Testing.  If you are a woman who experienced the sheep’s blood version, i would love to hear about it!

We all dream of having extra time.  i have already started day dreaming just after writing that sentence.  My friend over at The Integrated Mother is having a magnificant giveaway.  To give us more time, we have to be organized.  Just think if you did have to hunt for your keys in the morning, or those shoes that always pick you up on a bad hair day.  Plus, we all know preggo brain and how our brain conviently forgets more than we can keep up with.  How would you spend your time if you had an extra hour a day?  Go over to The Integrated Mother and let her know for chances to win.

Ok, it’s honesty time ladies. We all know how much of a uuhhmm we can be with our hormones raging during pregnancy and the wonderful post partum time. Sometimes (at least for me) our men are left bewildered (and trying to find where you put the milk THIS time) not sure what to say or how to respond less they cause us to go into a volcanic eruption. i have found the greatest support for them that is also HILARIOUS. On the right sidebar, check out the Youtube video, and feel free to charm your man when you both come home tonight.