Baby Zajas: 18 Weeks

Hello friends!

Well, here we are at 18 weeks and I can hardly believe it! Each week seems to go by faster and faster. I had a dream the other night that I was holding our little one in my arms, and it won't be long until that is a reality. Only (approximately) 22 weeks to go! :)

This week is an exciting milestone for us. On Wednesday we go in for our big ultrasound to discover if Baby Zajas is a boy or a girl! I can hardly wait! We are going to be so thrilled no matter which way it goes, but it'll be so nice to finally know and be able to call our baby by his/her name.

Do you have a guess as to what we're having? Submit your guesses below. (As a prize, the winners will receive affirmation in their guessing abilities!)

Do you think Baby Zajas is a boy or girl?
Boy Girl
	Results

I feel like I've really popped these past two weeks. I may say this every week though, so I'm not sure how accurate it is...haha! But I really do feel like my tummy looks more like a baby bump now rather than just a thick stomach. And...I'm kinda loving it!

Baby has been moving a lot lately, and at times the movements have been feeling stronger. At first, it just felt like little flutters, but now there's a feeling of a slight tapping. I absolutely love it! 

Hope you all are having a blessed week!

-Tiffany

What will our baby look like?

So often lately I find myself daydreaming about what our baby is going to look like. We're counting down the days until we get to meet our little one in person. It's going to be so surreal and amazing!

I keep wondering what features of our kiddo will be like Jonathan and what will be like me and what will be uniquely his/her own. I can't wait to see what God comes up with! :)

We go for our next appointment a week from today to have our big ultrasound! We are so looking forward to finding out if we're having a boy or girl. Can't wait to start calling baby by his or her name. I feel like this will make everything seem just a little bit more real to us. Exciting!

P.S. Isn't that picture of Jonathan the cutest thing ever? Seriously, I think that's my favorite picture I have ever seen. Apparently he posed like that without anyone telling him to...I love it! haha!

Favorite Things: During Pregnancy

Hello friends!

I thought it would be fun to do a Favorite Things post all about things that I've loved during my pregnancy. For me, it's been really helpful reading about the things that other moms-to-be have found helpful during this time. So, I thought I'd share the things that have made my pregnancy even that much more enjoyable! :)

Vitafusion Prenatal Gummy Vitamins
Oh my goodness...these things were near life-changing for me when I discovered them! They are tasty, and they have all the nutrients that baby and I need (including DHA!).

I've always had difficulty swallowing pills. I actually couldn't swallow pills until I was 15 years old, and even now it's not something I'm very good at. So when I had to start taking prenatal vitamins--that were the size of horse pills--this proved to be quite the challenge for me. My first prenatal vitamins also tasted like rotten fish (because of the DHA)...so that, along with my difficulty swallowing pills...made my morning sickness even that much more challenging.

Needless to say, when I found these I was incredibly happy!

Loved by Heidi Klum Maternity Jeans
Once I entered my 2nd trimester, my normal jeans were getting snug around the waist and were not comfortable to wear at all. I was very wary of purchasing maternity jeans, but knew that it was something I had to do. I did lots of research online, trying to find some that would be the best for me, and that's when I discovered these!

These are the most comfortable jeans I've ever owned, and they are so cute too! You really can't tell that they are maternity jeans either. I've read from other bloggers that they work well all throughout pregnancy too. I'm certainly a fan!

I bought mine on Amazon, but you can also find them in Motherhood Maternity if you want to try them on before purchasing.

Preggle Pillow
When I had to start sleeping on my side, it was a real adjustment for me. I've always been a back sleeper, and when I transitioned to sleeping on my side, I started having a lot of hip and back pain. I would toss and turn all night trying to find a comfortable position, but it only proved to be frustrating.

Because of this, my sweet husband did lots of research online and then bought this amazing pillow for me! The first night I slept with it, my hip pain was gone! This pillow makes sleeping so much more comfortable now. I highly recommend it!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter
A while ago I heard that Palmer's Cocoa Butter is amazing to use during pregnancy. When I heard that, I tucked that info away for when I needed it...and then when I found out we were expecting, I researched it more.

I've read from several mom bloggers that they used this cocoa butter and didn't get any stretch marks. I also read from a couple of them that they used it during their first pregnancy (and didn't have stretch marks), but then didn't use it their second pregnancy and ended up with stretch marks.

I started using it from the very beginning, and so far so good! We'll see how things go, but in the meantime, I am loving this cream! During my first trimester, almost all smells of perfume sent me into a spell of nausea. Because of this, I had to stop using many of the products and lotions that I was so used to using. This cocoa butter was one of the only things that I could use for lotion without getting sick.

It makes my skin so soft, that I think I'll continue using it even after the baby is born!

You can find this at Target in a smaller size, or buy this value size on Amazon.

Prenatal Pilates
I've always tried to make exercise a part of my regular routine, but since I was so sick during my first trimester, it was hard for me to continue as normal. Because of this, I went on lots of walks and made that my main form of exercise during those first few months (mainly because it was the only exercise that wouldn't make me sick).

Now that I'm past my morning sickness phase (thank God!), I'm trying to step up my exercise some in order to be in good condition for labor and delivery...and so that the baby is healthy! I've been using the 10 Minute Solution: Prenatal Pilates DVD for a couple weeks now, and I really enjoy it. It's split up into several 10 minute sections, so you can pick and choose which areas you want to focus on. I normally shoot for at least 20-30 minutes in the morning, and then also go on evening walks with Jonathan and Maxo. The gentle stretching of pilates has also been a welcome relief to my sore changing body, and has helped with relaxation.

Tomatoes
If there is one thing that I have consistently craved throughout my entire pregnancy, it has been tomatoes! During my first trimester, I ate homemade tomato soup almost every day (husband became a pro at making it too!)...it was one of the only "real" foods that I could eat without getting sick at times.

And now that I'm into my 2nd trimester, I have still been craving tomatoes on a regular basis! I still make homemade tomato soup (although not as often as I was), and have been finding lots of ways to incorporate it into meals. Sometimes I'll just slice one up and eat it as a snack. I've also made caprese salad and baked tomatoes in the past couple weeks.

Tomatoes = YUM!

So, there you have it...those are a few of my favorite things during this pregnancy. If you're a mom or a mom-to-be, what have been some of your favorite things while you've been expecting?

Love and blessings,
-Tiffany

Baby Zajas: 16 Weeks

Friends!

Wow, it's so hard to believe that we are 16 weeks along in this pregnancy already! This means we only have about 5 months left until we get to meet our little one...crazy! :)

Last week we went for our 4 month doctor's visit. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again, and that completely melts my heart every time. While there we scheduled our next appointment (two weeks from tomorrow!) where we have the big ultrasound and find out if we're having a boy or a girl! To say that I'm excited is quite the understatement.

Here's a current baby bump photo. I'm definitely growing, even though it's gradual! There are some days where I feel more pregnant than other days...not sure if it's psychological or if those are days where baby is having a major growth spurt or something.

I've still had 0 morning sickness since the 13.5 week mark! For that I am so thankful! I know there are some moms-to-be who are sick the entire time...and my heart goes out to you. I am so glad to be over that stage in pregnancy. I have been dealing with some pregnancy migraines, but I'm thankful that they came after my morning sickness so I wasn't having to deal with both at the same time.

Right now Baby Z is around 4.6 inches long (from head to rump), weighs approximately 3.5 ounces, and is about the size of an avocado. Because of the whole avocado thing, I have been craving guacamole like CRAZY the past few days. Thankfully, my sweet husband took me out to get some last night. It was delicious!

Bless that sweet man. He's been so good to us!

Have an amazing week! :)

-Tiffany

Baby Zajas: 14 Weeks

Hello friends!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and are enjoying the New Year! Jonathan and I had an incredible holiday season. The day after Christmas we flew up to Maine (and Maxo came with us too!) to spend a week and a half with my family. It was such an amazing and refreshing time. So thankful and blessed that we had that time there.

Baby Zajas is doing well! We are now at 14 weeks, which means we have entered our 2nd Trimester! I cannot believe the first trimester is over already...it sure did fly by. I've been feeling great for the past 6 days...woo hoo! Absolutely no morning sickness during all that time, which is such an amazing feeling. I've still been super tired all the time, no matter how much sleep I get, but that's to be expected (and so very worth it). And my doctor says I'll probably get a 2nd wind of energy soon, so I'm looking forward to that!

Here's an updated baby bump photo. Some days I can tell that it's getting bigger, and other days I'm not so sure. It'll be fun to have these photos to look back over and see the gradual change though.

Right now our baby is about 3.4 inches and about the size of a lemon (or the size of my closed fist). That's so crazy to me! It seems like just yesterday baby was the size of a poppyseed. Our next doctor's appointment is next week, and then at our appointment after that we'll find out if our kiddo is a boy or girl (although we have our strong suspicions as to what it is). :)

This pregnancy has made me so incredibly thankful for all the great blessings God has placed in my life. My husband has been so great through all of this, and has taken care of me so well and so sacrificially during the many many days I was sick. I appreciate him so much.

This year is going to be the best yet, I just know it!

Love and blessings,

-Tiffany

Baby Zajas: 12 Weeks

Hello friends!

Today begins our 12th week with Baby Zajas. It's so hard to believe how fast this first trimester has flown by! We had our 2nd doctor's appointment this week, and everything went so well. We got to see our little one again and hear it's heartbeat for the first time. That is never going to get old. :)

It's crazy to me how much this little one has grown in just a few weeks. It was so cool getting to see the baby kick and move and dance on our ultrasound. Makes me so excited for when I will eventually be able to feel the little kicks and movement.

The baby is not the only one who has grown! Ever since we found out we were having a baby, I was looking forward to the day that I'd start showing a little. Over the past couple of weeks I've finally been able to tell that there's a baby in there. We have lots of close friends and family who live far far away, and many of them have been asking to see some pictures of the growing baby bump. So, we finally got around to taking some pictures (thanks, husband!) to share with you all.

I hope to photograph the progress as we go along, so we'll be able to look back and see the growth.

As Jonathan and I have been preparing for Christmas (YAY!) I can't help but get super excited for next year and the fact that we get to celebrate with our first child. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, and I can only imagine how wonderful it will be to get to share all the joy of the season, the traditions, the gifts, and lots of love with our baby. I am so looking forward to that! :)

I hope you all are having an amazing Christmas week!

Love and Blessings,

-Tiffany

To see other posts about Baby Zajas click here.

We're having a...

We're having a baby!

We're so excited to finally be able to share the news here. Jonathan and I couldn't be more excited, and we're so looking forward to going on this new adventure together. We can't wait to meet our little blessing of a baby on (or around) July 8th, 2012!

We've had so much fun telling our family and friends via Skype, phone, and some in person the past couple of weeks...and we wanted to announce it to the rest of the world in a creative way of sorts. Last night we announced it to our students at Real Life (our youth group) and were blown away by how excited they were for us (some were even crying with excitement!) It melted my heart. When we got home last night we quickly posted these photos on Facebook to let the rest of our friends know about our news.

Thanks so much to everyone who has already congratulated us! We are beyond excited, and it makes us so happy to have such wonderful people to share in our excitement.

I hope to be a better blogger and post updates on here more often in the months to come, documenting the journey along the way. :)

The pregnancy is going really well so far! I've had lots of days of being really sick, but it's oh-so-worth every moment of it. At our last doctor's appointment we got to see our little baby and it's heartbeat, and that moment was such a surreal one for both of us. I'm not sure when this will all sink in...it still feels like such a dream.

Here's our baby's very first picture that was snapped last week at our appointment. I couldn't believe how you can already make out it's little head and face and little arm and leg nubs. Love this little one so much already!

With lots of love and excitement,

Tiffany + Jonathan :) (+ Baby Zajas!)