Happy Friday, friends! I can hardly believe that the month of June is nearing its end already. It seems like just mere weeks ago my family and I were counting down to our Disney trip, and here we are, two weeks after leaving for Florida- already! While we had a great time on our trip and had lots of adventures between the Gulf Coast, Kennedy Space Center, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom, we were glad to come back to NC and settle back at home. Traveling while seven months pregnant is not for the faint of heart. I was determined to do it, and I'm glad I did, but I'll tell you, it's taken nearly a week to recover from our action-packed week.

I'll spill all the deets on our daily adventures in Florida next week, and of course, I'll share tips on navigating these locations while pregnant. For now, I'll just focus on updating you on Baby C (Cosette), who will be making her way into the world via C-section in about 11 weeks.

I had a lovely check-up with my OBGYN two days after we returned from Florida. My nurse for the morning let me know that it was time for my TDAP vaccine and asked if I wanted to go ahead and get it that morning. I couldn't find a reason not to. I hate shots, but after two rounds of the Covid vaccine in April and May, another shot just sort of seemed routine. I went ahead and got the shot, despite not having had breakfast yet (mistake!). I barely felt the shot at all but did feel flushed and nauseous afterward.

I met with my doctor and she said that baby looks great. She's measuring about a week ahead and has grown 4 cm since my last visit, four weeks prior. I'm hoping that won't mean that we'll have to have our C-section earlier than planned. My weight is on track, BP is awesome, and my labs from my glucose test looked great. Lots of moms-to-be worry about how to pass the glucose tolerance test, so this was a relief. Green lights all the way! At my current maternal age (38), we have prayed that the baby and I would both be healthy through this pregnancy, and God has faithfully answered our prayers. Thank you, Lord! You are good!

Later that morning, I began feeling extremely fatigued and noticed extreme pain and soreness in my arm at the injection site. Oh right- side effects of the vaccine. I didn't even think of them before I said 'yes' to getting the shot earlier that morning. I spent the next two and a half days in an absolute fog. I could hardly keep my eyes open during the day, couldn't lift my arm or lay on it at night, and was just plain uncomfortable and brainy foggy from that darn shot. Honestly, the side effects from the TDAP vaccine were much worse for me than either of the two Covid vaccines. Go figure. 

Today, I'm feeling more like myself. We've had a cooler week at home, and my feet and ankles have been loving the lower humidity. My husband even commented how nearly normal my feet and ankles looked! They've been very swollen through this entire pregnancy. I'll take what I can get. 

I'm settling into the super uncomfortable months of pregnancy. I know the end is in sight, but the finish line still seems far off in the distance. My belly is huge, I'm uncomfortable all day long, and trying to sleep is well... trying! A hot shower helps, and then the back pain creeps back in mid-morning. I told my husband that I wished I could just stand under the hot shower water all day. Aside from leg cramps at night and just feeling tired all the time (again), I'm managing. 

My main goals for the next few weeks are to organize the house and do some deep cleaning in areas I can get to, as well as get the kids' rooms situated. Everyone is being shifted, rooms are being repainted, and the nursery is getting outfitted and organized for sweet Baby C, whom Beanie has nicknamed 'Setti Spaghetti.' I have a week-long beach trip to pack for, my dad is having surgery next Tuesday, and I'm going to try to be as much of a help to my mom and dad as possible as my dad recovers over the next 6 - 8 weeks. My sister and best friend are planning my baby shower, and that will be coming up right after we get home from our beach trip. I'm so excited about the celebration, and more so, to see my sister and my bestie! Soon after, I'll have to get everything organized and ready for the kiddos to head back to school. Did I mention that this is all happening while growing this baby, working from home, and managing two kiddos on summer break? It's just another day in the life of this momma. Hey, I'm grateful for all of it. Complaints aside, we're truly blessed, and I can't and won't take a single thing for granted.

Whew- what an update! My next doc's appointment is in three weeks, so I'll have another update for you soon! In the meantime, follow @mommysblckparty on Insta for bumpdates, travel pics, life updates, and more!

Looking forward to sharing more with you soon. Until then, thanks for your thoughts, well-wishes, and prayers for our family in this journey. We covet them and appreciate them (and you!) so much.