Blanqi Maternity/Support Leggings

Today I am very excited to share about my very favorite maternity item: my support leggings! 

I heard about Blanqi via Instagram and was super intrigued by the promises they made. I had already added to my maternity collection and found the leggings I owned to be too much pressure on my sensitive stomach, too saggy in the front, or too restrictive throughout my expanding hips and thighs (pregnant ladies… am I right?!) So to say I was skeptical would be an understatement. 

However, as I assume most of you expectant mothers are, I am desperate to feel more supported, comfortable and secure throughout my day. It was recommended to order a size up to ensure  that the tights are not see through, which I did. I sized up to a medium and it was the PERFECT choice. 

My Blanqi maternity leggings are my favorite maternity piece for a multitude of reasons. To break it down, I identified the things that make them above and beyond other maternity leggings. 

Seamless:

I cannot tell you how many times I take off other pairs of pants and see lines ingrained in the side of my legs. Being pregnant comes with its own set of discomforts, and the last thing I need is my movement restricted and my skin being dug into it. With Blanqi, you won't have ANY of this! Completely unrestricted movements and no pressure on my thighs. 

Supportive: 

It's a fine line with maternity gear. You want fluid movement, but you also want to feel "held in". Somehow, Blanqi has managed to achieve this all in one! The stomach portion of the leggings is designed for maximum comfort and support. No awkward pressure, but I still feel like I am held in place. 

Multi-Functional:

Well, I wear these leggings everyday. I wash them constantly so that they are always available! 

I am able to wear these to work and dress them up. At the same time, I have worn them to work out in! They hold up beautifully, are NOT see through, and are completely breathable.

Finding a pair of pants/leggings that I can wear ALL DAY LONG has been absolutely priceless. I was hesitant to purchase a pair as it's hard to know what to invest in for pregnancy clothing. But this item has paid for itself over and over. I would recommend these pants to everyone expecting and I would buy myself several more pairs! 

I already have my eye on the Postpartum Nursing leggings and cannot wait to try more Blanqi gear. Being pregnant is not easy… finding clothing that is comfortable and makes you feel good is SO important. Get your pair of maternity support leggings HERE! 

Special thanks to Blanqi for the privilege of trying their leggings! All opinions are genuine and mine alone. 

Big thanks to Rocking J imaging for capturing my favorite leggings 

26ish weeks

I am almost 27 weeks. But not quite. But basically. It's all very technical. 

I wanted to do another fun, cute questionnaire to update you all on "the bump" progress, but I decided I have enough random thoughts concerning this point in pregnancy that I would simply just share those. 

Comfort is key. Too tight of pants will ruin your day. 

Having the stomach flu while pregnant is the worst. It's always the worst. Being pregnant makes it double suck. 

Underwires suck. Leave them behind. 

I know in the back of my mind I can't prevent stretch marks, but I am trying. Religiously. So far, so good. 

I still don't regret having my belly button pierced. Everyone told me I would once I got to this point. But I don't. (And yes, it's been long gone for awhile now!)

People constantly ask me, are you having cravings? I always say no. But I would say my thoughts are usually 90% about food.

It's getting uncomfortable to bend over. I've noticed to pick something up, I've started doing a weird squat thing. It's definitely not cute. 

Pregnancy brain is real. 

I've learned to try my hardest to not start crying when it "comes on". One, single emotional thought can turn into a huge, ugly cry session. In my car, on the way to a meeting. No thanks. 

I read a lot about how to make your regular clothes last far into maternity. I disagree. If I could go back, I would start wearing the stretchy, high waist things immediately. 

It is still the greatest thing ever when he is kicking, even when it's my bladder. He's wild!

Speaking of bladder, I despise you 4:30 AM bathroom break. You are the worst. 

No strangers have touched my stomach... yet. Apparently this happens.

I can't breathe. 

I need to update my baby registry again. 

Are my ribs breaking? 

Heartburn is the worst. Well, second to nausea. 

I still can't believe he will be here in a few short months. 

OMG HE WILL BE HERE IN A FEW SHORT MONTHS. Nothing is done. 

Friends who loan you cute maternity clothes are amazing. 

Pregnancy would be so much scarier without my husband. He is the best. 

And so many other things...

Pregnancy is so many things I had heard, but also so many things I didn't expect to feel! The general consensus is always "it's all totally worth it"... and I absolutely believe that! I cannot wait until our little guy is here. 

Here's to 13 more weeks! 

 

life update

Hi everyone! 

A few things: pregnancy is crazy. I realize I sound like everyone else, but I seriously had no idea how drastically my life, body, and emotions would change as I started growing this little babe!

Don't get me wrong, I am overwhelmed with happiness. 

I am also overwhelmed with a lot of things. Everything. The emotional toll (and physical, obviously) is the real deal. 

Today I am 20 WEEKS PREGNANT! That's halfway for those of you who aren't keeping up! :)

I thought it would be fun to do a little questionnaire! 

How far along: 20 weeks

Total weight gain: I really don't know. I don't keep a scale at home and I gained about 4 pounds between my first two appointments. More info on that to come for sure. That being said, I am POSITIVE I have gained weight. :) 

Maternity clothes: My favorite thing in the world. How many times in your life do you get to wear maternity pants to a Thanksgiving dinner? But seriously. I am still wearing most of my regular pants. I CAN button them, but not comfortably. It's either maternity pants or a belly band for me. Or leggings. Luckily, the current style is perfect for this stage of pregnancy. I can still wear most of my flowy tops and tunics. 

Stretch marks: (knock on wood) Nothing yet! Though I am told all of my efforts to rub creams, oils, etc. have NO bearing.... I still do it religiously. 

Sleep: This has recently become an issue. I went from barely being able to stay awake throughout the day to extreme bouts of insomnia. It's not uncommon for me to wake up at 2:30 AM and lay there for a few hours. Add in the nightly bathroom breaks and.... yeah. 

Miss anything: Hmmmm... every now and again I think a nice cocktail sure would be lovely. Or a glass of wine. Oh, and sleeping on my stomach sometimes. But it all pales in comparison to the joy I get in daydreaming about baby. :) 

Movement: UGH! I can't feel ANYTHING! There were a few times where I thought maybe...MAYBE it was him. But I want to be sure. And nothing "sure" yet. 

Food cravings: No serious cravings, just serious hunger. When I am ready to eat, it is NOW. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still weaning off of the Diclegis train. Every now and again I will get a little "gaggy" but overall, MUCH better! 

Have you started to show yet: Absolutely. 

Gender: Sweet little boy!

Labor signs: Negative, thank goodness!

Belly button in or out: I have actually noticed it seems to be pushing out! It's not OUT out, but it's heading that way! So bizarre to look at! 

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy but SO emotional. I am feeling everything at a very new level. Yikes. 

Looking forward to: Christmas! Seeing family for the holidays and upcoming gatherings. 

Thanks for hanging out with me for a little Q & A! This season of life has been so full... in every regard. I cannot wait for everything to come!

 To all the other mamas out there, I recently started my baby registry! There are so many helpful checklists out there, but I still love input from my friends and ALL OF YOU! So, tell me, what are your must have baby registry items? 

Have a GREAT weekend!

Thank you to Scottsdale Mom's blog for the questions!

Omaha Stork review & giveaway + {gender reveal}

Happy Black Friday! I am not much for Black Friday shopping (at least not as die hard as many people that I know) so today is just a lovely day off for me...and the perfect opportunity for me to share this exciting post! 

I can't remember the last time I have been so thrilled about a blog post... but that's exactly where I am at today. A few months ago, my friend and fellow blogger Abigail (Acreage of Grace) shared about her experience at Omaha Stork Vision. Though I live and work in the area, I had NO idea Stork Vision existed! At the time, I knew I was pregnant, but the only other person who knew this was my husband. We were bursting with excitement over our secret, and I knew that I wanted to find out more about Stork Vision as soon as possible. 

Fast forward a few months and I can finally say I was able to to have this miraculous experience. AND we now know the sex of the baby! And, as if that isn't exciting enough, Omaha Stork Vision has graciously offered a session giveaway to a lucky reader! (Scroll down for giveaway details!)

Stork Vision Omaha is the only free standing prenatal imaging center in the Omaha metro area. They offer clients the latest technology in 2D, 3D and 4D (LIVE!) ultrasound services for parents. They will even do gender reveals as early as 17 weeks! So, for those of you who simply cannot wait until that anatomy scan, Stork Vision is for you! Side note: you CAN utilize their services without finding out the gender of your baby. 

Scheduling an appointment with Stork Vision is insanely easy. You can call, email, or schedule on their website. My appointment was scheduled within a few days of contacting them....and from there we just had to wait! 

The entire day of our appointment, I couldn't think about anything else. I knew that in a few short hours, the precious baby growing inside of me was going to be a BOY or a GIRL and that information made the whole pregnancy so much more real. 

Stork Vision allows you to invite friends and family (the amazing living room atmosphere is set up with comfy couches and a giant big screen TV for ultimate viewing). We opted for it to just be the two of us. Clay and I were both so nervous and excited. Cathy, of Stork Vision, explained to us exactly what would happen during our session. She told us that she would take a few photos that would be sent to our doctor, and then she would find out the gender. Once she knew, she asked us if we wanted to know. 

We had discussed prior to our appointment that we wanted to find out if baby was a boy or a girl. Cathy explained to us what we were looking at and...

IT'S A BOY! 

I cannot say enough good things about Stork Vision Omaha. They made us feel so comfortable and you can tell they REALLY care about their clients. I had no idea what a memorable experience it would be... it was truly amazing. I had tears in my eyes watching our little one squirm around. And finding out that it's a BOY was just the cherry on top! Cathy took great time and care to snap numerous pictures of our sweet boy. I have never felt such an overwhelming happiness! We cannot wait to welcome our little guy in April. 

Sucking his thumb! This one kills me every time. 

A few additional things about Omaha Stork vision: they do NOT replace the care of a physician. In fact, you must be under the care of a prenatal health provider. You do not need written consent, but you do need to bring in proof of care (in the form of an ultrasound photo, prenatal appointment card, or prenatal prescription). 

For more specific information about Stork Vision ultrasound VS a medical ultrasound, please click HERE. 

And now for the exciting part! 

First off, a BIG thank you to Stork Vision for giving us this amazing experience. I am so excited that a reader will get to have the same! Stork Vision has offered one lucky reader this amazing package:

-3D/4D scan

-CD of all saved images

-DVD of entire ultrasound

-Printed ultrasound photos

-Heartbeat animal of your choice with your baby's heartbeat recording inside!

This is an INCREDIBLE package (valued over $225!) 

TO WIN:

"Like" Omaha Stork vision on Facebook HERE.

"Share" this post on your Facebook. 

TAG someone in the comments section who may be interested in winning!

Keep in mind, you do not have to be pregnant to enter! Wouldn't this be an amazing gift to surprise someone with? With Christmas just around the corner, I can't imagine a better gift for an expectant parent! 

The giveaway starts NOW and ends December 17th. Winner will be announced Monday, December 19th.

GOOD LUCK! 

This post was sponsored by Omaha Stork Vision

{life update} + Fall excitement

Happy Saturday everyone! I am trying to savor these (what I assume) are the last warmish days of Fall. I love the beginning of the cool temps and Nebraska is absolutely gorgeous right now! Yesterday I took a little bike ride around our neighborhood and the trees are perfect.  Fall really is the best time of year. 

On that note, this Fall has been just a little bit different for us! Basically, the real reason my posts have been so few and far between is because…

We're having a baby! 

We could not be more excited! 

And neither could Brick! :)

The last few months have been quite the ride! 

We found out that I was pregnant in early August. The first few weeks were so exciting and I was absolutely dying to get to my first doctors appointment. Soon after that (around 8 weeks) I started to get extremely sick. The thought of looking at my computer screen or even scrolling on my phone would make me nauseous. Basically, everything made me nauseous. 

I was surviving on Sprite and crackers and really just trying to get through my day! And the tiredness… what?! I knew pregnancy would cause me to be fatigued but I had NO IDEA! I couldn't hardly get to the end of my workday without a nap. 

The good news is….well, a few things. The good news is Diclegis exists. The second good news is that I am now 16 weeks and seem to be getting a little more energy back :) . 

For those of you who have taken Diclegis… it truly is a miracle medicine! Absolutely nothing as far as the typical natural remedies would work to control my nausea. My entire day was spent in a constant state of dizziness or dry heaving. And let me tell ya… it's nearly impossible to get anything done when you feel that way!

We are ecstatic to welcome our little chubby {I'm only assuming} baby into the world this Spring. I am due April 22nd (one day after my birthday!) 

In a few short weeks we can find out the gender… and we will! We are dying to know if it's a BOY or GIRL! 

Thank you to everyone who has emailed and/or still checked into the blog during my extremely absentee period. Hoping, as we continue into the second trimester, I can gather more energy for posts. 

Mostly, we are so thankful and excited that we get to be parents. YAY! 

xoxox 

Photos by Rocking J Imaging