First things first, I wanted to say thank you for all of the well-wishes you sent our way when we announced our second pregnancy last month. (What an interesting month it has been since we shared the news!) Speaking of news, and as you can tell from the photos, we have some very exciting news to share today: Baby Kerley is a BOY!!
Patrick, Annie and I are over the moon to be welcoming a little BOY to our family this September. We found out about our boy gender reveal a few weeks ago. I don’t think I have ever been more shocked in my life than I was upon seeing the word “boy” circled in blue marker on our gender result form. Life is about to change for us in so many different ways and we are feeling incredibly blessed right now about our boy gender reveal.
Today’ I’m sharing a few updates on all things first trimester along with our thoughts on welcoming a baby boy to the family. It’s been four years now since I was pregnant with Annie and so much has changed. Not to mention, this pregnancy feels entirely different too. (I should have known it was a boy from the get-go!) I’m chatting more about how I felt during the first trimester, the intense cravings & symptoms I had this time around, and how we shared the gender with our families. I’m also rounding up a few of my favorite pregnancy-related products that I can not recommend enough for expecting mamas!
Our Boy Gender Reveal!
First Trimester Feelings
My first trimester feels like it flew by! This is mostly due to how busy we were those first three months. I traveled to Washington, Houston, Disney World and even went on a road trip through the Carolinas. We certainly soaked in some adventures before Coronavirus and quarantine life hit the country.
When we weren’t traveling, you could have found me cozied up at home on my couch. It was almost like my body had to make up for the busy days by completing vegging on my off days. It’s wild how much work your body does during the first trimester without you even realizing it. Growing a baby sure is exhausting! I’d drop Annie off at school and give myself a few hours just to r-e-l-a-x before I got started on anything productive for the day. There were days I would let Annie go to aftercare just so I could take a long afternoon nap. Looking back now (especially that we’re in a state of quarantine) I’m so glad I gave myself that quiet alone time. It is something I haven’t experienced since then, that’s for sure! Ha! Thankfully though, I have a bit more energy now that I’m in my second trimester and Annie is at home full time with me.
My Experience with Nausea and Food Aversions
Along with the extreme exhaustion, morning sickness arrived in full force within days of getting that first positive on the pregnancy test. I never felt nauseous with Annie so I should have known from the onset that we were having a boy. Everything has felt so different! Thankfully, I never actually got sick and threw up from nausea – it was just a constant feeling that would linger almost all day long – not just the mornings like the name suggests. (My sweet friend Margret recommended these pregnancy pops to me and they were a gamechanger to help keep nausea at bay.)
In addition to nausea were extreme food aversions. This was something I experienced a little bit with Annie but certainly not to this extent. We’d start preparing dinner and one look at uncooked meat had me running out the kitchen door as fast as I could lol. While traveling, I’d look at restaurant menus and couldn’t even bring myself to pick something – which is very unlike me! I ironically lost weight during my first trimester due to this and upon chatting about it with my doctor, she recommended I start eating hearty snacks every few hours instead of focusing on traditional meals. Since implementing this (& upon entering my second trimester) I’ve certainly made up for any weight that I most likely lost. (Our quarantine horde of snacks and supplies just steps away have helped too!)
Our Boy Gender Reveal
We decided with this pregnancy we wanted to do the genetic testing blood test for peace of mind and so we could find out whether or not we were having a girl or boy 9 weeks earlier. We were excited to find out the gender results but were mostly just anxious to hear confirmation that our baby was healthy and growing. I got the call from my doctor that the results were ready while we were on Spring Break in Columbia, S.C. She offered to tell me the news over the phone but instead, I asked her to leave the results in an envelope for Patrick to pick up. We wanted to share the surprise together immediately upon my return. You can only imagine how eager I was to get back to Memphis on the last day of our trip!
My family all came over that night, shortly after we got out of the car from our 10-hour-road-trip, to find out the gender with us. Patrick and I stepped away so we could be surprised just the two of us. We did this with Annie too and being able to have that moment together without any distractions was so special. We were absolutely SHOCKED to see “BOY” circled instead of girl. Both of us just stared at each other smiling and in complete disbelief after learning about our boy gender reveal!
Why We Were Convinced it was a Girl Before Our Boy Gender Reveal …
Even though all the signs and symptoms I’ve been feeling pointed to boy, we were convinced we were having another girl. I think we tricked our minds into thinking we were having another girl because “girl” was all that we knew. We’ve been raising one for three years now, after all! We also had crates & crates of girl clothes and accessories that we’ve saved away, sitting in our attic waiting to be used one day. (Those crates will be heading to my sweet cousin’s little girl as soon as we can get up to visit her in Nashville.)
But back to the story! We stepped out of our bedroom ready to share the news with my entire family. It wasn’t a traditional gender reveal – we didn’t have any fancy balloons or confetti – but the room was filled with the ones we love and that’s all that matters. As soon as we told my side of the fam we FaceTimed Patrick’s family to share the good news too. It was such a special evening! Looking back, I’m so thankful we were able to get together to share this moment with some of our family in person. Only 48 hours later, the country began going into lockdown due to the Coronavirus and I haven’t been able to be with my family since. We’ve FaceTimed both sides constantly though! I truly can’t imagine going through this pregnancy (& life in general) without video calling right now.
Bring on Baby Boy!
I knew I would be happy no matter what gender we were having but a part of me originally thought I had wanted another girl next. One of my best friends has two daughters and I loved watching them play together. Plus, the thought of being able to use all of Annie’s stuff again sounded so easy!
Within seconds of finding out we were having a boy I thought, why on earth did I think I wanted another girl next, this is SO EXCITING!!! Everything now feels new and different, even though we’ve “done this before.” I grew up with two brothers very close in age to me and had such fun playing with them, learning from them and sharing life’s experiences with brothers. I’m thrilled that Annie will get to do the same with her little brother too.
Patrick and I have been daydreaming about all of the new and different things having a boy joining our family will bring – the good kind of chaos and energy that comes with little boys, Star Wars toys littered throughout the house, superhero costumes, Tonka trunks in the backyard and a bit more mess but one we’re thrilled to embrace. My friends have warned me that their little boys are much wilder than their little girls in terms of energy and overall demeanor. Of course, every child is different and I can’t wait to meet ours and see who he will be!
But one thing I’ve heard repeatedly is that all little boys just LOVE their mamas and I can’t wait to love on my little boy right back!
My First Trimester Must-Haves
Pregnancy Pops: These sweet and sour candies saved me throughout my first trimester. The candies are made with natural essential oils and botanicals to relieve nausea – and they taste great too!
Snoogle: The snoogle is my answer to a good night’s sleep on your side. I’m normally a stomach sleeper and without my snoogle, I’m not too sure I could function. It was my favorite purchase the first time around too and I updated mine this pregnancy with a new jersey cotton pillowcase.
Grayson Button Downs: My bump made an appearance very early this pregnancy so loose-fitting or maternity jeans paired with my go-to Grayson Button Downs became my wardrobe when I wasn’t wearing dresses. These button-downs are quality and the fit is always amazing. I’m wearing a white one above and I’ve also been loving this stripe print this spring.
Maternity Jeans: Knowing how comfortable maternity jeans can be, I didn’t even bother with the rubber band trick this pregnancy. Citizens of Humanity jeans are my favorite brand of maternity jeans because they don’t go over the bump and fit like a regular pair of jeans. The hidden elastic at the sides works wonders!
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter: The best way I know how to avoid stretch marks is by rigorously applying cocoa butter to your bump. I was successful last pregnancy, fingers crossed that holds this time.
The Bump App: My favorite app to track the baby’s growth and development each week. The app also includes interesting articles relevant to each stage of pregnancy. Ps: Right now Baby Boy is the size of a Pomegranate!
Protein Bars: I tend to get lightheaded if I go longer than 2 hours without eating while pregnant. I’m convinced Laura Bars have saved me from fainting a time or two already. They are also a delicious and easy way to pack on the protein.
What We’ve Bought for Baby So Far
Baby Boy Kerley will be receiving a lot of hand me downs from his big sister, that is for sure. We haven’t felt the need to purchase much of anything for him just yet. At 18 weeks tomorrow, we are not quite to the halfway point, so there is plenty of time to shop. However, we did pick up a few things for him in recent weeks that I wanted to share. Having tangible items in the house belonging just to him feels like an extra bit of proof that he’s really coming!!
West Elm x Pottery Barn Crib: Annie was able to climb out of her crib at 18 months due to the flat top sides. It was a no brainer to find a new one for baby #2. I love the mid-century modern style of this wooden crib!
Pacifier Clip: We found this at Marigold Modern – the most ADORABLE children’s clothing store I’ve ever seen – in Columbia, S.C. At the time, we didn’t know the gender but wanted to buy him or her a little trinket anyway. I’m thinking this stylish & functional clip will be well-loved come fall!
Taco Pajama Gown: Of course we have to share our love of all things tacos with our little one. I’ll just want to eat him up when he slips into this taco gown!
We will be turning our guest room into his bedroom later this summer. When we painted the space this December, we knew the green color would work for either a baby boy or girl if we were fortunate to get pregnant in 2020. We had no idea it would happen so soon! (Literally just days after finishing the guest room lol.) We are keeping the curtains in there and most of the Western art as we plan to have the nursery be “cowboy-themed” for our little cowboy coming this fall.
I’ll be sharing more of how we transform its space along with all sorts of pregnancy updates months. Thank you all again from the button of my heart for all of the love you have sent our way recently. It’s such a treat to be able to celebrate these milestones with y’all!
xo, alice
Have you done a girl or boy gender reveal before? What did you do? Let me know in a comment below!
