23 Weeks

Hey all! I finally hit the 23 week mark and it's been a rough couple of days. I still feel great but just really low on energy.  The summer heat here isn't helping either. The baby is going through a growth spurt right now, so I think that's why I'm tired all of the time. The belly is definitely growing faster now and I feel like a 5lb dumbbell is resting in my tummy.  Little boy is soooo active. He kicks ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT! My husband can now feel when he starts his little kick-boxing sessions. It's pretty entertaining!

Cravings:  The cravings aren't too strong where I "need to have it now!"  I'm still loving iced coffees and iced teas. They are so necessary with my lack of energy right now!  I really love eating Bengali dishes I grew up eating when I was a kid now with chilies and lots of lime squeezed over it. Pancakes are another fave right now. Every Sunday we go out to brunch so I can have pancakes!

Face & Skin: Most of my acne is gone thanks to my Belli products!  I think I'll even end up using them after baby comes since they're cruelty-free and the face-wash doubles as a mask.  My skin has been really dry lately though so I've been loading up on my Kiehl's Moisturizer. I haven't gotten any stretchmarks yet (knock on wood!) but I have been slathering myself with Palmer's Cocoa Butter like crazy to keep everything moisturized!

Sleep: Insomnia was a problem up until this week. I found it so hard to fall asleep at night. But now, I'm out as soon as I lie down. I still need to nap during the day if I can. I miss sleeping on my tummy.  I've been trying to sleep mostly on my left side using my Snoogle pillow but somehow in the night I end up sleeping on my back...

Maternity Clothes:  Definitely!  I can still fit into my non-maternity jeans since they're low-rise. I ended up getting some great maternity pants from ASOS for work (now out of stock, but so hoping they bring them back!)  

Bellybutton (In/Out): Still an innie but def looks like a stretched out innie. lol! No black line yet either.

Workouts: I'm still able to get in some good workouts. Some days I just feel overly tired, so I end up just resting.  I find that if I push myself on my "off days" to work out I end up feeling more tired and achy, so I just take it easy if I'm not feeling my best.  I'm still doing tons of yoga and even busted out my old P90X Legs & Back video....I just do the leg parts and skip the pull-up bar stuff.  I have to keep reminding myself to "hug my baby towards my spine" while working out to prevent diastasis (separation of ab muscles and main culprit for the "mommy pooch" after baby comes).

Fave Moments:  Whenever my husband feels baby kick and talks to him. The baby will stop kicking as soon as Viv talks to him as if he's listening intently! So cute! The baby also loves to kick when the puppies start barking!

I'm also just trying to enjoy as much time I can with my husband and the doggies.  Pretty soon most of my attention will be directed elsewhere so I'm trying to get in as much family time as possible now. 

Moru and Mommy relaxing while Yoki is running around like a lunatic!

My little boy! <3

What I'm Missing: Being able to go longer without eating. Searching for food every couple of hours is the only annoying part of being pregnant for me. I like to cook as much as I can and right now I'm having a hard time "supplying my demand"! My cart at the market is always jam-packed with food as if I'm feeding a small village. lol!


Next week I have my 24 week check-up. We're doing another ultrasound to make sure the little guy is growing at a good rate since I'm a little underweight. Can't wait to see what weird position he'll be in this time!

Happy Mother's Day! It's a..........BOY!

Just wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Yes, we'd like to officially announce that we are expecting a beautiful little boy this Fall! We found out early on via genetic testing but waited to verify the results on the ultrasound. I found out the news first at about 12 weeks from my doctor and needless to say, there were tears....like crazy, ugly crying! Instead of rushing to tell my baby daddy, I decided to surprise him with a reveal cake.  I rushed to bake a boxed cake with blue coloring inside before he reached home. But the hubby came home early while I was in the middle of baking the cake! I banned him from the kitchen and told him to stay in his office until I told him he could come up. Since I was rushing, the cake color barely came out blue! Instead it came out as a morbid gray color! When he cut into the cake, he stared at me and said "BOY?!"  I asked him how he knew that it was supposed to be blue for a boy. He replied, "Well, it's not PINK!" He was so surprised, especially since he thought this baby was going to be a girl.

Completely obsessed with "The Little Prince". Bought this French addition for my little guy!

I'm so happy to hopefully have a mini version of my husband and watch him grow up. I am more of a girly girl, so it will be interesting raising a boy and finding ways to entertain him!  Both my husband and I came from families where the eldest child was a girl and the youngest was a boy.  We're excited to shuffle it up a bit and raise a boy first.

 We've been so busy prepping his nursery. I'll probably do a post about that as soon as we add the finishing touches. I'm already in love with his room!

We decided to do some gender reveal photos to have as keepsakes.

Yoki wanted to show her excitement for baby boy!

She is so ready for baby!

Moru needed some camera-time too!

Not too excited about the new baby coming. I think he will have a hard time sharing mommy's love.

I am in love with this tulle skirt I bought from Space 46! Thanks to my girlfriend for recommending them to me!

I can't wait til I can celebrate Mother's Day with my little guy.  I'm ready for hand-made macaroni cards and flowers! <3

Happy Mother's Day everyone! And Happy Mother's Day to my Mama and Grandmamas! <3

Puppy Grooming

I'm in no way a professional dog trainer or groomer, however, I do have some experience dealing with 2 puppies. Grooming perhaps was one of the most challenging obstacles (after potty-training).  I have 2 pomeranians which require a lot of grooming in order to keep their coats tangle-free. Here's a couple of tips I learned along the way and products I use for my fur-babies.

Wet dog!

The first bath was always a challenge. This where you see how your puppy reacts to water, touch/prodding, and the dreaded hair-dryer. My first pommie, Moru (now almost 3 years old), wouldn't sit still during his bath and kept trying to leap out of the sink. He hated his first blow-dry and would try to gnaw on my fingers to get away. I got so frustrated that I ended up taking him to the groomers every month.  However, I found that with a puppy, you never know when they'll make a mess and you'll need to bathe them at home.  So, it really was necessary to learn ways to make bath time less traumatic.

A friend recommended slathering some peanut butter on the side of the sink/tub to occupy the pup while you bathe them. This worked wonders! Moru was so distracted and stayed put while I washed him!  Yoki, (now almost 2 years), wasn't a huge fan of peanut butter at the time, so I had to sing to her and use a calm soothing voice.  I also made sure to have everything handy before bathing him. You don't want to be running around trying to find a towel to dry them up while they're soaking wet on your floors. I would line up my shampoo & conditioner (a must for long-haired dogs), wash cloth (to clean their face and eyes), towel, and small cup (to wash their bodies). Also, make sure they get in a good potty break before the bath. It wasn't too fun when Moru decided he had to go right after his bath while he was sopping wet! Just like prepping a bath for a baby you have to test the water before putting them in.

Dogs have sensitive skin too and you can burn their skin if the water is too hot.
After a good wash, I'd wrap them up in the towel for a minute or so to soak up the water. My brother uses a warm towel from the dryer to comfort his dog. I also had my supplies ready for post-bath grooming....brush, blowdryer, and doggie bed...yes doggie bed.  I used to try to blow dry Moru on the floor and he hated it!  One day, I tried blow drying him in his doggie bed and he was so calm! He even fell asleep! He loves to burrow his head into the nooks of the bed and lets me dry him. You want to use the coolest setting for your dog, especially if you use it on the "high" setting. If at anytime you feel their fur get warm/hot in one spot, stop! You don't want to burn their skin!  Yoki still isn't a fan of the dryer but she'll let me dry her if I use slow movements with the dryer. She hates when I wave it around over her fur quickly. You want to dry behind their ears well, but not for a long period of time to avoid burns.

Aim the blowdryer behind the ears for a 30 seconds at a time to avoid overheating. I never really need to use a brush after I dry them because I brush them daily and they don't have many mattes, but I always keep it nearby just in case I run into any.  The only way to get your dog to somewhat like a bath is to keep bathing them at home. They'll come around eventually. I find that the more you take them to groomers, the more skiddish they become during bath time (at least for my 2).

 My 2 favorite brands for dog grooming products are Tropiclean and Viva La Dog Spa. They both do not interact with topical flea treatments. Some shampoos out there can deactivate flea treatments.  I find that Tropiclean can be a little drying to my poms' coats, but Viva La Dog Spa does a great job at moisturizing their fur and it smells amazing!  I love their Oatmeal Shampoo and Pink Potion Conditioner.  I also use their French Moroccan Oil Treatment with Argan Oil to add a little more shine to their fur after drying.

Bad hair day! Yoki needs a bath!

Viva La Dog Spa products

Since my pommies have thick coats, I use a slicker brush to brush their coats everyday. It really helps get down to the undercoat and prevent mattes.

For nail cutting, I use cat nail clippers for my small dogs since they have smaller nails.

Every so often I use an electric trimmer to trim up the hair under their paws and under their tails to keep it sanitary.

What are your tips for dog grooming?