MandiBox Beauty

I haven't posted an update in a few weeks, which always means life is just too hectic. In the midst of this crazy election, I'm reminded that my God is sovereign and I appreciate the miracles I get to experience each day. Last week, I heard my HunnyBee's heart beat for the first time. Strong and fast, in the 130s! In some ways, this pregnancy has been easier than my Little Bear's, but in others it has been more difficult. The body pains I felt at the 6-7 month mark with Little Bear are back with a vengeance at just over 4 months. Though I have some of my energy back, I find myself still very exhausted a lot of the time. Most of my nausea has passed, though it kicks up in waves. Overall, this is what my doctor calls the "coasting" phase. This will be the easiest part of my pregnancy! On another note, I will not post my thoughts and feelings about the turnout of this election. As a believer, I have love and compassion for all sides. We can't go forth i...

Almost 13 weeks in and I'm already feeling little flutters of my baby moving! In my first pregnancy, I didn't feel these flutters until about 18 weeks, but they are definitely there now. My body is very sensitive so I'm not surprised that I'm feeling movement earlier (most second time moms do!). I'm actually excited because those kicks and wiggles, which can become uncomfortable later, are a beautiful reminder that my baby is ok. I have sparingly taken my nausea medicine (only twice since I got the prescription), and it definitely helps. I am starting to get a bit of my appetite back, though I have no crazy cravings to share yet. This weekend's major adventure is going to be dress shopping with my ever growing baby bump. I have a big fundraising gala to attend next week and need a dress. I'm loving the new jewelry I got from Chloe + Isabel. I'm loving the Confident Curves options from my La Senorita Jolie business, so I'm going to start there. ...

Yesterday was the big day! I got my first ultrasound and feel very relieved that everything seems to be going just fine with my HunnyBee. In fact, I found out I'm almost a week further along than we all thought, based on my baby's development. Sunday I will officially be 3 months, the completion of my first trimester. As for my nausea and vomiting, I've been having good and bad days. Unfortunately, after throwing up mints after trying to control my nausea last week, they no longer soothe my belly. My doctor did prescribe me meds to help control my sickness, but I think I'm going to try and hold out just a bit longer. I know everyone really wants to know the baby's sex, including my husband and myself. I did ask during the ultrasound and got mixed messages. I will hopefully know after my next appointment, which is a month away, haha! In the meantime, we'd love you to comment your guess!! Ok, the moment you've been waiting for: #HunnyBee at 11 wks 4 d...

Earlier this week I heard on the news that women who experience nausea during pregnancy are less likely to have a miscarriage or give birth to a stillborn child. I think I mentioned in one of my posts that I know this "suffering" is a blessing. I know so many women battling to have children, so I am blessed. It doesn't make this discomfort any easier though. Some days have been better than others this week, but the rising hormones are definitely impacting me. I've been taking naps in the early evening and trying to eat small frequent meals. I've switched from Tic Tacs to Altoids since Altoids are sugar free. Oatmeal also seems to soothe my belly for a little while. This week I'll get my first ultrasound on Thursday and I'm super excited! I'm pretty sure it's still too early to determine the baby's sex, but I'm looking forward to hearing its heartbeat. Next week's update will include the ultrasound image!             ...

9 weeks has brought about the discovery of Tic Tacs! The white peppermint candies are the only things that have been able to calm my nausea. A few friends have suggested Preggie Pops, which I'm hoping to get my hands on this weekend. My latest routine has included feeling sick all day, but actually throwing up at night :-/ In 2 weeks, I'll go to my doctor to see my HunnyBee for the very first time on an ultrasound. Although I have faith that everything is just fine, there's always a little worry. Seeing my baby and hearing everything is fine will really put my spirit at ease. The other big symptom I'm struggling with is fatigue. I just have very little energy and hardly feel like myself at all. The hardest part of all this is still being a good Mom to my Little Bear. As a 2 year old boy, he has so much energy and really loves my attention. I'm grateful for all the support around me, but I'm looking forward to getting my energy back up. My businesses have a...

A lot can change in just one week. I went from feeling ok, with small bouts of "morning sickness," to having all day sickness. Though I haven't been throwing up, which is progress from my pregnancy with Little Bear, I'm still feeling pretty nauseous. I'm not sure if it's because of my Diverse Ability, or just me, but any change at all in my body affects me pretty severely. Speaking of my Diverse Ability, let's talk about a few things that are a direct result of it that have come to the surface again. Last week I went to my first OB/GYN appointment for this pregnancy. All went pretty well, though we did discuss my need to limit my weight gain. All women are told to eat healthily and to try not to gain too much weight, but this is even more important for me since I have such limited physical mobility. During my first pregnancy, I gained about 35 pounds. My doctor has asked me to keep a weight gain goal of no more than 25 pounds, though she even acknowledge...

When I first started The #DiversAbleModel Project I knew I wanted it to evolve into something bigger than just fashion. I wanted the blog and the project itself to give people a place to openly share their "normal" lives. I wanted to help everyone understand that everyone is part of the #DiversAble population because we all have Diverse Abilities. I'll be honest, it's been very frustrating lately feeling like I just can't get the content that I once had, content that is genuinely impactful and has power. This may sound strange, but last night I had a dream that I documented my pregnancy journey on my blog. I woke up thinking about all the doctors that have told me how little information on pregnancy and Arthrogryposis (my Diverse Ability) there is. When I was researching the challenges I might face during my first pregnancy, I was so disappointed at the lack of information. For this reason, I'm going to do my best to be part of the solution. I...