Tagged: Pregnancy

June 4, 2014

Eating for Two: The Home Stretch

Hey folks!! Happy Wednesday!!

I’m still alive, still here, and still VERY pregnant!

It’s been a busy time, man!! Although I adore blogging… it just hasn’t been a priority these days. Particularly because I usually blog … ya know … new recipes or workouts or things of that nature. And, to be honest, making new things and doing new workouts haven’t really been priorities either. I’m still cooking and still working out, of course, but it’s just easier these days to eat the same things I always do and pop in a yoga DVD so I don’t need to think about it or worry about it too much when I’ve still got cloth diapers that need to be washed and a hospital bag that’s almost-but-not-quite together (I know…I’m due next Thursday…it should be done by now…I live on the edge).

Regardless, I know that I wanted to share with my loverly readers (yes, that’s you) some of the fabulous photos Johnny and I had taken at 36 weeks (I will officially by 39 weeks pregnant tomorrow. WTF mate?!)!! My amazing friend Ashely’s awesome friend Lindsay was kind enough to take these for us and I love, love, love them so, so, much!!! I hope you guys enjoy!! These are just a few, but they’re my favorites!! We’ll see if I can squeeze in another bumpdate before I squeeze out this baby, too.

I’m still linking up with Jenn this week for What I Ate Wednesday. So far, as today is Wednesday, I’ve eaten a banana oat muffin, some decaf english breakfast tea, and a banana with some peanut butter. Exciting stuff, right??? That’s why I’m sharing THESE photos and not THOSE photos. XX/OO!!

me and my belly

March 21, 2014

Eating for Two: Week 28

I don’t know about you, but I am sooooooo happy it’s Friday!! This week went by pretty fast, thank goodness!! I’m sooooo looking forward to spending the rest of my evening relaxing with a good book, getting up early tomorrow and making a healthy breakfast, and heading out to yoga class tomorrow morning with Miss Ashely!! I’ll be spending the rest of my weekend cleaning, organizing, and starting to get some of the nursery together!!!! Eeeeeeeeee!!!!!! Johnny is going to be doing the painting, I’m going to be cleaning and organizing. I think it’s fair, yes? Good! Now, onto what you’re really here for – the bUmPdate!!!

How far along: 28 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: Up 26 pounds total so far. I’m very thankful it seems to have all stayed in my belly. 😀

Maternity clothes? Love them!!! Though I was quite excited yesterday when I slipped on my green Gap khakis and they still fit great everywhere but my belly!! This belly band was probably the best investment I’ve made throughout this whole pregnancy!! I’ve got a shopping cart filled with maternity stuff at Old Navy.com, too, that I may or may not buy this weekend. It’s spring, ya’ll, and I need some dresses!!

Stretch marks? Nope!!

Sleep: I actually slept for like 9 hours last night. I’m getting it while I can I suppose.

Miss anything? I’m back to really missing my runny yolks. I love me a plate of eggs benedict. I’m pretty positive at this point in time my post baby diet will consist of smoked salmon eggs benedict, sushi, and melty brie and sangria.

Movement: Oh goodness yes!! All week this little lady has been tumbling and somersaulting like a little nut!

Food cravings: I really only ever want to eat chocolate and peanut butter and only eat other things for nourishment. I’m actually sooooo sad that I left my bag of chocolate chips in my desk drawer at work today so I can’t have my chocolate chip peanut butter banana oatmeal tomorrow. 🙁 Eggs it is I suppose.

Food aversions: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Best moment this week: Signing back up to be a Pampered Chef consultant!! I’m so excited about it!! There are so many amazing new products that I can’t wait to have in my personal kitchen and I look forward to helping whoever I can earn free and discounted products for themselves, too!!!

Gender ~~prediction~~: GIRL!

Labor signs: Nada.

Symptoms: I’ve been pretty emotional this week. Or maybe just for the last 24 hours. Last night, I’m pretty sure I started crying because I was bored. I don’t even know. I just started bawling out of nowhere!!! Oh hormones!

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody pants McGee over here.

Looking forward to: SO MUCH!!! This weekend will be productive and relaxing, next weekend we get to see Bill and Susan again, the next weekend we’ll be in South Carolina, and the next weekend I get to see my Momma and it’s my baby shower!!! Ahh!!! So much happiness!!!!

March 11, 2014

Eating for Two: Week 26

Hey folks!! I hope you’re all spectacular.

Me? I’m lovely! Thanks for asking. 😀

Over the weekend, Johnny and I went to our Childbirth Preparation Class!! It was Friday night from 7:00 to 9:00 and Saturday from 9:00-3:00. Everyone’s all “Oh wow! That’s such a long time!” Well yes, I suppose it was, but I pretty much loved every second of it.

I’ve always been the type of person who really enjoys learning and this class was no exception. There are sooooooo many different things that you need to know about giving birth! I guess, technically, people have survived for this long without necessarily knowing everything, but I took comfort in learning about the different stages or labor, relaxation techniques, and birthing positions.

I also went into the class with a pretty open mind about having an epidural. Although my plan has been to deliver naturally, I have never ruled out the idea of having an epidural if I really thought I needed it. This class successfully changed my mind. That is, unless there is an emergency and I need to deliver via c-section, I genuinely hope and believe that I will deliver completely drug free.

Yes – I understand that it’s painful. So is a giant needle in your spine!! And did you know that sometimes – epidurals wear off!! So you’re stuck sitting in bed, because although the pain relief has worn off you certainly still can’t get up and move around with a catheter in (again, no thank you) and you’re in just as much pain as you would have been in without it!! Only now, you can’t change positions in an attempt to relieve the pain! I also learned that 60% of all births where an epidural was administered require assistance with either forceps or suction. Assistance like that is almost unheard of with a natural birth. (Seriously, I asked the nurse who was teaching the class. She’s been nursing for 15 years and said she has never witnessed a natural birth that required assistance. ) I am also sooooooooooo confident in Johnny’s coaching abilities. Even just during this class while discussing everything we were learning he just kept telling me how much faith he has in my abilities and how I’m going to rock. With that kind of attitude and support I totally feel like I can do anything.

Anywho – now that my rant is over – let’s get onto what I’m sure you’re really here for anyway. My bUmP-date!!

How far along: 26 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: 140 lbs – 25 lbs gained total so far. I’m feeling good and right on track!!

Maternity clothes? Yes please!! I think I may even need to get a few more tops for when the weather warms up. I’ve been sticking with what I have, but I really don’t want to stretch out every shirt I own!!

Stretch marks? No, sir. Still applying cocoa butter daily.

Sleep: I’m pleased to report that I’m sleeping well!

Miss anything? Nah – we’re good. (heh – get it)

Movement: As we speak! It’s so silly. It makes me giggle every time I feel her!

Food cravings: None that I can think of!

Food aversions: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Best moment this week: I loved everything about my Saturday. I loved the Childbirth Class. And I loved that we had time to go to the gym before we went out later that night and a very fit woman looked at me with a smile when I turned to her and said “Your belly is perfect!” And finally, I loved that we had a super fun night over at Ashley and Jared’s! I made a chicken enchilada flat bread for dinner, Ashley made a riddddiculous salad with strawberries, pomegranate, candied walnuts, and basil vinaigrette, anddddd there was Tiramisu! Such an awesome day!!

Gender ~~prediction~~: GIRL!

Labor signs: Nope. Though I’m pleased to say that now I know what to look for when it comes. Yay, learning!!

Symptoms: Still just pretty forgetful like…all the time. Like the other day when I asked Johnny if he still wanted to stop and get gas on our lunch break and he kindly reminded me that we literally had just stopped at the gas station on the way to work!

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: See, I don’t like this question anymore. Because happy is totally a mood! And moody really just means that ya know, you’re experiencing many moods – right? I feel happy right now, but it wouldn’t be too hard to irritate me either. Sigh. So moody.

Looking forward to: Eeeeeee it’s a New Jersey weekend with Bill and Susan and Romeo and their new puppy Loki who I can’t wait to meet! AND it’s My Desirae’s Baby Shower weekend!! Hooray!!

February 24, 2014

Eating for Two: 24 Weeks Pregnant

Hey dudes and dudettes!! Happy Monday to you!! Did you do anything exciting this weekend?! I, personally, had a faaaaaaaaaaabulous weekend with the hubs, Bill, Susan, and my Poppa Bear!

We ate a lot, as per usual, and we made an AWESOME healthy(ish) dinner on Saturday. Susan and I took a really interesting yoga class, too. Funny story – the instructor didn’t show up until the last minute so I didn’t have a moment to let her know I was pregnant before class started, which I typically like to do so they know what’s up, but I’m at a point where it’s pretty obvious and I have random strangers congratulating me in Trader Joe’s (for reals!). Well, she didn’t notice the whole time I guess (or just thought I was chubby) so when the time came for Bow Pose and I started cat/cow instead she came up to me to ask me if I was okay so I got to announce to the whole class (which was HUGE by the way, like 40+ people! I’ve never taken a yoga class with so many people in it!!) that I was pregnant. She laughed and was apologetic after. I take it as a compliment, though, because the flat-on-my-belly stuff are the only poses I need to modify right now! I even rocked Crow pretty hard, which I was impressed with, because I really haven’t practiced it the last 24 weeks.

Anywho, onto the survey! I was getting bored of the same questions with so many of my answers being the same week to week lately, so I found some new questions to pop in here! Hope you enjoy!

24 weeks

How far along: 24 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: 137 lbs – 22 lbs gained total so far. I’m feeling good and right on track!!

Maternity clothes? Oh you bet!! I’m living in leggings lately. The fact that hoodies don’t even hide my belly anymore is crazy!

Stretch marks? Nope!! Let’s *knock on wood* hope it stays that way!!

Sleep: Meh – the last few nights I’ve been waking up a whole bunch. Not for any particular reason, but it’s still not much fun.

Miss anything? I’m doing well on this front. I still submit that the two things I have missed the most since finding out I was pregnant are over easy eggs and the sauna. Otherwise I’m peachy-keen.

Movement: You bet!! This little miss is becoming more and more active every day – which I take to be a good thing!! She’s already kind of on a schedule, too. I feel her usually between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning, around lunch time, around 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, and at bedtime (which lately is around 9:30 or 10:00).

Food cravings: For the last two weeks allllll I’ve wanted was to eat some shrimp!! I FINALLY got my wish last night and made Shrimp Scampi and it was perfection. (Thanks again for the shrimp, Kyle 😉 ) I’ll be sharing that recipe this Thursday.

Food aversions: Nope!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Best moment this week: Saturday in general was pretty fantastic. I loved getting some girl time in with Susan and our friend Brenna, who I hadn’t had to opportunity to hang out with in quite some time! We went to yoga and grabbed a lite brunch. Then Susan and I went to Trader Joe’s which was AWESOME because there are none by me (COME TO CENTRAL PA, TRADER JOES!!). We picked up some really great produce, a delicious mixed berry oatmeal blend, some rosemary foccacia we enjoyed with dinner on Saturday, and I snagged some chia seeds on the cheap!! My Dad came over and hung out for dinner. I love long nights spent in the kitchen and at the dinner table just chatting over a long dinner. It was such a perfect day!!

Gender ~~prediction~~: GIRL!

Labor signs: No. That’s just silly.

Symptoms: I guess I’ve actually been pretty “symptom free” for the last two weeks! Hooray!

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Been feeling slightly less moody the last week or so (no matter what my husband says!).

Looking forward to: This Sunday I plan to catch up with some of my girl friends over coffee!! I can’t wait to see all of their beautiful faces. 😀

Home or hospital birth? No matter how much I don’t care for hospitals I don’t think I’d ever really be down for a home birth.

Natural or medicated birth? At this point in time I’m comfortable saying that I intend to do this thing au natural. However, if during my labor it gets to a point where I don’t feel like I can hack it I won’t be heartbroken if I decide I need an epidural. I can’t predict the future, ya know? Johnny and I have discussed this at length. He’ll be with me and encouraging me and we can hope it’s enough buuuuut we’re pretty realisic people, too. So, I’ll really only know the answer to this questions when the big day arrives!

Who will be in the delivery room with you? Just Johnny and the medical staff.

Will you breastfeed? I will do everything I can to make it happen!

Do you think you’ll need a c-section? I don’t think so…I hope not…but again…if it’s necessary I’ll deal with it and I won’t get too worked up about it.

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time? Heh – that’s like asking me if I’ll eat peanut butter today. (That answer, of course, is DUH!)

What’s the first thing you might say to her? Oh goodness, who knows, probably something incomprehensible because I’ll be crying so hard. Ha.

Would you let someone videotape the birth? Nooooooooope. The only people who need to see it will be there in the room with me.

Are you excited or scared about the birth? Well obviously I’m super excited!! I think I’m a very healthy combination of the two, actually. Haha. I can’t wait to meet this little munchkin and see her pretty little face and hold her, but ya know, popping her out is a little intimidating.

February 7, 2014

Eating for Two: Week 22

Oh my gosh. 22 weeks already! Time flies when you’re counting down!!

Only 125 days until Emma makes her grand arrival!!

It’s ridiculous how much there is to do and prepare for. I’m really looking forward to getting started on her nursery soon! I’ve been working on our registry for the last week or so. Neither Johnny or I are particularly comfortable picking something BIG out exclusively online, so we’re probably going to take a little road trip to Maryland in a week or two to take a look at a crib we really like. It’s just not sold in any stores around here! Boo on that!!

Oh well, at least it’s Friday!! If you can’t tell by my appearance in this lovely photo I was pretty bummy today. I feel like my belly is really starting to pop – and I can really tell when I try to wear jeans!! I hate to say this, but Johnny was right when he told me not to throw out my “fat jeans.” They are the only ones I can be comfy in all day! I definitely may need to invest in at least a pair of maternity jeans. We’ll see, I suppose, but that’s enough chatter from me. Here’s the scoop!!

How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I’m about 133 right now (this is my estimate because the gym scale says 135 and the home scale says 130…oh life). Either way, I’m feeling good and that’s roughly 18 pounds gained so far!

Maternity clothes? Indeed! And they are wonderful. And in addition to leggings and such the Bellaband is probably the best purchase I’ve made this entire pregnancy. They keep my pants up even though I can’t button them all anymore!

Stretch marks? My skin is still looking pretty good. I finally invested in some Palmer’s Cocoa Butter and even most of my itchiness has subsided, which is such a relief! Except, of course, wherever my bra touches me…because they are all officially too small now…next on my to buy list!

Sleep: I’m still sleeping well. I looooooooooooove the body pillow my fellow pregnant bffl Desirae got me for Christmas. I just wrap myself around it and pass out every night.

Miss anything? I could go for some sushi. And there are a few yoga poses I need to pass on now – like cobra and bow. But it’s cool – I just alter my practice a bit and I’m thinking I may just snag a California Roll the next time I’m at Wegmans. 😀

Movement: Yes!!! Sunday night was the first time I ever really noticed it. We found out at my ultra sound that I have an anterior placenta – which means it’s sitting in front of the baby, rather than behind the baby. Nothing to worry about!! It’s totally safe, just not quite as common as the reverse. Either way, that explains the delay in my feeling her wiggle. There’s a big ol’ cushion in between her and my belly. All week, though, I’ve been noticing little thumps and bumps in my belly. Miss Emma does NOT like sitting in meetings at work. I feel ya, munchkin. Mommy doesn’t like meetings either.

Food cravings: Funny story. Johnny and I catch up on shows we like during our lunch break on Hulu. I’m not kidding when I say every day for the last two weeks I’ve seen a stupid commercial for stupid Dunkin Donuts “Bakeshop Blends” coffee and it’s always for their Chocolate Glazed Donut flavor at every single commercial break. Well, Dunkin Donuts marketers – congratulations! I couldn’t stop thinking about this stupid doughnut all week. And my hubby, being as awesome as he is, humored me and took me to Dunkin on lunch today. That chocolate doughnut was everything I hoped and dreamed it would be. I also had a decaf toasted almond flavored coffee with cream and sugar because…well…why not??

Food aversions: Nope! Just eating a bit less meat in general these days.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Why yes I have.

Best moment this week: Definitely feeling Emma move! It was so exciting! Johnny has pretty much been poking and prodding at my belly every night to see if she’s in there and I swear it was just like two swift little kicks and we were both so excited! Baby girl is going to be a ninja.

Gender ~~prediction~~: GIRL!

Labor signs: No. That’s just silly.

Symptoms: Headaches! Pretty much for the last three weeks at some point every day I have had a headache. Nothing unbearable or excruciating, just present enough to be annoying. Buuuut apparently that’s normal pregnancy stuff. I still forgot everything, too.

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Oh who am I trying to kid – I’m SO moody!!!

Looking forward to: Finishing up our Baby Registry! I’m still working on making sure we’ll have everything we need by the time June rolls around. Mommas – I’d LOVE any suggestions you have for some of your favorite products, whether they’re super common or totally random!!

Alright, folks. It’s time for me to do some dishes, fold some laundry, and hunker down with my copy of Insurgent until I fall asleep. Hopefully I’ll be cooking something new this week so I should have a new recipe for you soon!!