Coast to Coast with Lyn & Leigh

Well I’m about half way through my pregnancy and I thought I would share some books that I have enjoyed throughout this time. I received one of my favorite books as a gift from my mom early on in my pregnancy. It is called, The Belly Book: A Nine Month Journal For You and Your Growing Belly by: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

This book is great because you can journal about your pregnancy from your first to third trimester. There are separate sections for each trimester. Each section has a special place to journal about doctors appointments, ultrasounds, cravings, and any other pregnancy milestones. There are even places to put pictures of ultrasounds and your growing belly each week. I love it because it is in a week-by-week format where I can write specific things about each week. I think it is going to be a great way to look back and remember my pregnancy.

I received a few other books including the popular, What to Expect When Your Expecting, but was not impressed with this book. The other book that I have really enjoyed is, The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth .

I love this book because it goes into so much detail about each trimester. In each section there is a week-by-week guide to describe what is happening with you and your growing baby at that week. There are pictures that show what your growing belly looks like along with your baby. Each section has a wealth of information about the trimester you are in including: symptoms, problems, travel advice, eating well, emotions, finances, etc. I am so impressed with this book, you could call it my bible. Adam loves it when I tell him each week what is happening with the baby. It is very user friendly and I would recommend it to anyone who is going through pregnancy their first time, like myself. I think I might have the older version because the newer ones have a different picture on the cover. Both books can be found at bookstores and also various websites. Happy reading!

I’m sure a lot of people have gone through the process of telling their boss or employer that they are expecting, but how do you tell them when it’s a new job? Most of you probably don’t know that I am a teacher. I have been teaching kindergarten for the past 4 years and just got a new job where I’ll be teaching 3rd grade. I am moving school districts and haven’t even been in my new classroom yet to get everything prepared so I don’t really know any of my coworkers or my new boss yet. School starts in late August when I’ll be about 5 1/2 months prego. I know I’m not going to be able to hide the pregnancy for too long. When is the right time to tell them? I guess I feel guilty because I am due in December and I’m planning on taking the rest of the school year off. Has anyone else been in a situation like this? I know if it was my old employer I would have no problems telling them. Any teachers out there that would care to share how to deal with this?

Well I’m coming to that stage in my pregnancy that we’ll be able to find out the sex of the baby. Here lies the problem. Adam doesn’t want to know and wants it to be a surprise. I want to know to have everything ready and to be prepared. This is an area that everyone seems to have an opinion on and they don’t back off from telling us what we should do. What should we do? I do think it could be cool to have it be a surprise, but then I’m thinking we will not have anything for the baby. You know clothes, bedding, etc. I guess I’m too anxious and want to start finding cute baby clothes. Where we live they are really no options for unisex clothing. UUUGGGGHHHH! Decisions- decisions! What do we do??????????

I couldn’t be happier that Adam and I are expecting our first child in December. There are so many things that we are excited about. Unfortunately, I am not so excited about gaining weight and getting bigger. I am finally in my second trimester and have reached the stage where my regular clothes are too tight and maternity clothes are way too big. Some of them I can’t even button or zip. My co-workers taught me the rubber-band trick to make the waste band bigger. I have used that on a few of my pants and shorts but it does not work on all of the ones that I have. I didn’t think I would have such a difficult time with getting bigger because I’m so excited to be pregnant, but it’s not sitting so well with me.

I had my first shopping experience trying to get clothes that would last me through the summer. What a treat! I’m trying my hardest not to buy any maternity clothes yet, I’m just not ready for that! Anyway, I really don’t need maternity clothes since my belly is only popping out a little. I found some great things that I think will last me through this summer that aren’t maternity. I don’t want to spend money on clothes that I might not wear again so I am buying things that I hope I will be able to wear next summer when I am not pregnant. I found a great pair of shorts at Old Navy while I was shopping. They have an elastic waist band and they are not maternity - go figure! They are called women’s twill cuffed shorts. I think they are awesome because they still look cute and I’ll be able to wear them when I’m not prego. I also found some great tank tops at American Eagle that have a bit more room in the belly area. It wasn’t as bad as I thought because most of the styles that are out now I can get away with since I am in this awkward phase of my clothes not fitting and maternity clothes being way too big. We’ll see if these clothes really last me through the summer!

I am so excited because my sister-in-law Lindsay and her husband Adam are having a baby! In celebration of their news we are going to be featuring Lindsay as a guest blogger over the next 6 months and beyond. I think it will be cool to follow Lindsay as she journals her most exciting time yet… the journey to motherhood.