I’ve been keeping a secret…
And trust me, it hasn’t been an easy one to keep to myself.
This November, Zach and I are expecting a sweet new addition to our household ❤️
I’m currently 23 weeks pregnant. I’ve been dying to share this with you. I’ve kept everything to myself mostly out of sheer anxiety (even at 23 weeks I feel so grateful to be here but still worry, a lot), so forgive me that it took me so long to share this sweet news with you.
I’ve also been sick. Compared to a lot of morning sickness stories I’ve heard, I honestly think I’ve been pretty lucky, but I had non-stop nausea from 5-15 weeks and some serious food aversions. When you’re a food blogger, that can be a little bit problematic (not to mention not being able to taste-test cookie dough anymore, thank goodness for edible cookie dough!).
Zach and my mom have been lifesavers, helping me with recipe testing and kitchen cleanup, as my productivity in the kitchen took a nosedive.
Fortunately, the morning sickness has almost completely subsided in the second trimester and, aside from some back pain, I don’t have too much to complain about. I do get hangry, though, and have had a lot of crazy-vivid dreams about Zach being really mean to me!
What?! Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s experienced something like this because I’ll admit I’ve spent a few days upset at my actually amazing and very patient husband because of something I’ve dreamt. 🤷🏼♀️
Weird dreams and back aches aside, life right now is hectic and crazy and honestly a little stressful, but I am so, so grateful for all of it.
With just 17 weeks left, there’s still so much to do, and so much to buy! Cribs and adorable itty bitty baby clothes and diapers… I feel over my head reading reviews and my sister is pushing me to finish my registry! Please leave me comments with any and all of your pregnancy/newborn must-haves, I would appreciate it so much. (Like, do I really need a diaper genie? Is there a stroller out there that I could actually love?)
Oh, and are you wondering, boy or girl? We did find out, and I’ll share that with you in the near future, but for now I’m going to keep you guessing…
Thank you for sticking with me through a non-recipe post! If you’re looking for something sweet to snack on I did share a new video today for my Dirty Brownies (one of my early pregnancy cravings).
Shelly Knobloch
Hi Sam!😃…what a joy.. I was just laughing with my daughters about a dream I had when expecting, Mandy, our first…I dreamed I had a little girl with a bonnet’ blonde hair and a red dress…she was giving me a mean look and clearly, she didn’t like me!… If I’m remembering it correctly, I think I might have dreamed it twice!😂.. anyway!!.. my daughter, Mandy, has blonde hair and has always been know for the ” Mandy look”…she would lower her brows as far down over her big blue eyes and stare her discontent…and now..at 32, her own blue eyed, blonde haired daughter, does the same thing!….we laugh…Mandy is a wonderful daughter and mother…count it all joy, your precious one is fearfully and wonderfully made by the loving hand of God…and he is sharing his blessing with you…thank you for all you do for us Sam …I pray for you..and make alot of donuts!
Sam
😂 That is too cute! Thank you for the support. I may have to convince my husband to do the donut making in the near future. 😂
Naomi
Congrats! How you managed to keep baking anything through morning sickness is commendable! Wow…morning sickness just took over my life..haha!
Anyway, my advice is to not let mommy guilt run over your life. No one else in the world (no matter what their Facebook/Instagram pages profess…) is doing everything right, has no problems, has perfect kids, etc. Having good days and bad days is perfectly normal and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Also, don’t let anyone else run your parenting world with (perhaps unsolicited) endless advice. You guys will make good decisions and maybe not so good decisions…and that’s OK. It’s life. Even though I’d rather not think about it, I have such a hard time with the comparison game. And worry…am I doing everything right? Is that person’s kids going to be smarter?? Totally not worth it…haha! Live your own life and be the best mom you can be. 🙂 (And also get rid of Facebook…that helped me a lot with the comparison thing. 😉 ) Wishing you all the best!
Sam
Thank you so much, Naomi! I have to give my husband a lot of credit. He did a lot of baking for me while I “supervised.” That is great advice and a great way to think about things. Thank you. 🙂
Mary
Congratulations, Sam. You look lovely. My youngest is now 31, so I can’t make product recommendations, since everything I used then is now obsolete! My very best advise, however, is don’t try to be perfect and do everything perfectly right. Your baby needs a happy and relaxed mommy. Enjoy your wee one and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Sam
Thank you so much, Mary! That is great advice. I definitely worry about being perfect.
Ryan
Congrats!!! My wife and I made this same recipe 6 times and loved it! 😂😝😆 We’re due in mid November! Best of luck to you guys and your new addition. To say kids are a blessing is an understatement. Enjoy!
Sam
6 times?! Wow… Well congratulations to you too! 🙂
Ryan
Yep! This will be #6! We usually double your recipes 😆
Lisa
Congratulations, Sam! Just wanted you to know that the dreams are normal! I had five babies and I was upset with my husband a lot because of what he did or did not do, say or not say in my dreams! Crazy! Poor guys! My youngest is now 19y so I really do not know what is available these days, but I do know that my easiest babies were the ones I nursed on a schedule, and not just demand feeding. I wish you well with this little blessing from God.
Sam
Thank you so much, Lisa! That is great advice for nursing. 🙂
Aimee @ like mother like daughter
Congratulations Sam!! I’m due in October. Hope you’ve been feeling okay through the summer heat. It’s killing me haha!
Sam
Congratulations to you too! I am really trying to stay inside lately. Man it has been hot!! Good luck the rest of the way. 🙂
Iram
Wow I am so happy for you both! I’ll keep you in my thoughts. I really hope everything goes smoothly for you. Please put your feet up whenever you can.
Sam
Thank you so much, Iram! I will definitely make sure to take time to relax. 🙂
BMB
Congratulations!!!!!
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Selah Howard
Oh, and BTW, you look absolutely adorable!! Just love all the sweetness and adoration in the photo of you and your pregnant belly!! Also love the way you surprised us! Can’t believe you kept it a secret for 23 weeks! So little to go, yet so long to wait!
Selah Howard
This was so surprising to see!!!! I’m so excited for you guys! This truly brightened my day!! Can’t wait to find out what gender!
As far as tips, I would say that having the Amber Teething Necklace is useful. I am an Auntie to 7 little sweethearts and I think they are helpful, if you haven’t heard, they help with reducing pain while teething, plus they look absolutely adorable on little ones. One thing to make sure of with the necklace is that it is small enough for your baby to not be able to put in its mouth because then it becomes a strangulation hazard among other things (my sister-in-laws have followed this rule and we have not had any problems with choking, beads coming off, or anything hazardous). This necklace isn’t one that is supposed to be chewed on, the heat in your babies body releases something called a succinic acid inside the gemstone into the body to soothe teething pain. It does sound odd and almost a waste, but truly I think that it does help. And if nothing else, they can be ‘gangsta’ looking or cute on your baby!
One thing that my mom, a mother of 13 kids believes in is that it is not good to diet or cut down on your eating after having your baby. (If you choose to nurse your baby). We believe that when you cut down on your food it results in bland milk that doesn’t taste good to your baby. Many of my sister-in-laws have done this to try and lose some post-partum weight, without fail they have had nursing problems. Our advice is that you KEEP eating regularly. This is just sort of our opinion or suspicion whatever you want to call it about eating and nursing.
Hope this helps in some way! Congratulations!!!!!!!!! 😀
Sam
Thank you so much! WOW 1 of 13!!! I can’t even imagine…. I’m one of 6 and it was always loud in my house. Thank you for all of your advice. ☺️
Selah Howard
You’re welcome! Haha! Yes, the holidays are especially loud, right?! Lol! Hope it’s of some use!
Hope to get a lot of updates and pictures of the baby and such once he/she comes out! So excited!! I’m a lover of babies, that’s why I babysit my nieces and nephews so much! ;P
Sam
I’m sure there will be plenty of updates. 🙂
Dawn Williams
Congratulations. If this is your first, please know you will do great. Talk to your friends who have kids. They will help you through most questions. And you will know why Mother lions will fight to their death to protect their young. Again, congrats to you and your family.
Sam
Thank you so much Dawn! This is the first. We are definitely nervous.
Debbie in California
HOW EXCITING! Best Wishes!
What a lucky baby to have such lovely Mommy and Daddy.
Yes, everything you’ve described is absolutely normal.
So glad the morning sickness is subsiding.
Perhaps, someone already mentioned this but the only thing I wasn’t at all prepared for was the extreme fatigue after baby was born, for both parents.
I wished that I’d been forewarned about the exhaustion.
So, if you have help, that is wonderful, but if not..Rest now and enjoy it! And just remember the ” no sleep” phase won’t last forever.
One thing I learned..nap when baby naps. You may be tempted to do laundry or clean or BAKE or what ever you think you “should” be doing, but you need your rest and cat naps are essential.
Thank you for sharing your joyful news!
Sam
Thank you so much, Debbie! It was such a relief when the morning sickness subsided. I’m definitely nervous about the exhaustion, but I like the advice to sleep any time I can. 🙂
Barb
Congratulations! The most useful baby item was the stroller that allowed you to snap the car carrier right into it without waking a sleeping baby. The best gift I received when I came home from having my 2nd son was an incredible Cherries in the Snow cake baked by my Aunt. My love of all things sweet runs deep too.
Sam
Thank you so much Barb! I will have to look for that stroller. I’d love to come home to a nice cake. 🙂
Rebecca Halk
Congratulations wishing you the best
Sam
Thank you so much, Rebecca! 🙂
Cassie Johnson
First off…. CONGRATS!!!! Children are such a blessing!! I have 4 and one of the main things that I used is a Boppy. I nursed 3 of kids and even the one I didn’t nurse I still used the Boppy. It’s great for that and also great for tummy time. Youll also need a infant tub to bathe your little bundle of joy in. I used mine til the baby could sit unassisted. The one piece of core advice I could tell you would be that no one is perfect and it’s OK if you wing it at first lol but seriously go off of instinct, and to also be patient with nursing, (if you decide to go that route) and late nights and early mornings. And YES you can definitely find a stroller you will love there are so many out there!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Cassie! I have definitely checked out getting a boppy. I think I am definitely going to need one. I am really not looking forward to the late nights and early mornings, but it will all be worth it. 🙂