Cravings

I've been thinking recently how there are a number of things that have happened during pregnancy that I did not expect.  Some funny, some odd and some that make sense, I guess.  Here goes:

During pregnancy I did not expect...
1. To not actually have a big appetite (the rumors are not true, you are not hungry all of the time).
2. That although I miss beer and wine, abstaining has not been that hard.
3. That feeling the baby kick is the coolest/ best feeling in the world - I wish he kicked all the time.
4. To be exhausted all day if I wake up before 8:30, regardless of when I go to sleep.
5. Heartburn to come out of nowhere. Just thinking about it can bring it on.
6. To give into cravings without a fight. I find myself buying Frappuchino's, Sour Patch Kids, Dairy Queen, iced decaf coffee, fast food, or whipped cream without a second thought. Pre-pregnancy, my self-control kept me from these irresponsible choices.
7. Shopping to no longer be fun. Maternity clothes are usually expensive, and rarely cute. Normal clothes just do not fit right. Short dresses (my uniform in the summer), are often too short in the front.
8. That sleeping would get harder, not because I have to sleep on my side, but because I get extremely hot at night.
9. That there are growing pains involved with the growing baby bump. Sometimes these round ligament pains are so intense I can't stand up straight.
10. To not "feel" pregnant until I started to show, and I didn't start to show until over halfway through!
11. That although I know he will be here in about 3 months, I don't think I (we) will fully comprehend this until we bring him home from the hospital.

Crazy Fires

Over 100 degree weather for at least the past week, combined with extremely dry conditions have resulted in fires all across Colorado right now.  There is a huge fire burning outside of Fort Collins, and another, even more devastating in Colorado Springs.  This was all close to home, but not as close as it became yesterday when Boulder put itself on the map.  A fire on the Flatirons that started by lighting has been burning since yesterday afternoon.  Yikes.  As I write this it is actually raining (hallelujah!) and I hope this storm can help the fight rather than ignite another spark from more lightning.

In other news, I am now officially 24 weeks pregnant, aka. 6 MONTHS!!  Crazy!  As normal as I still mostly feel, the bump is undeniable and is starting to get in my way.  In fact, I feel HUGE, but then I remember how much further and bigger I have to go...

I had my first stranger comment this past week!...and I am now officially recognizable to the public as pregnant.  I know this sort of thing bothers some people, but I think I'm going to continue to enjoy and embrace this entire experience.  The one thing I am not stoked on right now, however, is that I feel like my stomach has shrunk in two.  Peanut has grown so much recently that I already feel him kicking my ribs, making it harder to breath sometimes and taking over precious space where my stomach once was.  I can no longer eat a reasonably-sized meal without feeling completely stuffed.  My hope is to cut every meal in half and eat twice as often...although for me this is much easier said than done.  I may just have to get used to feeling a little more uncomfortable more of the time.  Oh well, such is pregnancy!

And the progress on the nursery!  Lots to do and I'm loving every minute of it!

Growing Pains

I am so excited and just had to post because I just ordered what is quite possibly the cutest diaper bag on the planet!!  Somehow I stumbled upon this on Pinterest, which took me to an Etsy vendor in France.  After reading dozens of extremely positive reviews, I am pretty confident that this is going to be a very worthwhile purchase.  Check it out!:

I'm also patiently awaiting the shipment of a variety of fabrics that I ordered online last week for many of my nursery projects.  Thanks to Pinterest I have found a number of DIY projects that will take up plenty of my time as I await the arrival of this little guy! 

Now that we know we are having a boy I have started brainstorming ways I can make the room a little more masculine, than neutral.  Of course, Pinterest to the rescue, again!  I found these awesome ideas for a vintage airplane-inspired room that I am super excited about.  Judd's grandpa and dad were both pilots and Judd has always loved airplanes (he also has his glider-plane license).  I love that not only is this going to be a very cute theme, but it is meaningful to this family!  Here is some inspiration I am liking:

I feel like this baby bump is growing at such a rapid pace these days!  I've actually been experiencing a good amount of growing pains - something pre-pregnancy I was not warned about!  I thought these baby bumps grew so gradually that you hardly noticed and then one day you were big!  Nope, I can literally feel pain in my side on a pretty regular basis right now as this guy grows.  This paired with some Braxton Hicks (contractions that don't mean labor) I have started to actually feel what a tiny, tiny degree of labor may actually be like - a little scary!   

Other than a growing mass that does not feel like my body anymore, I feel great!  I've been able to continue in all of my normal day activity, am eating normal and only experiencing mild heartburn occasionally.  I've had good friends all around my deliver their babies recently and this has gotten me so excited for the arrival of this guy!  I really can hardly wait.  I know, I know...it's still 4 months away...  Peanut has been kicking a ton recently though which still continues to be the coolest feeling in the world.  In fact, last night Judd felt him kick for the first time!!  It was awesome to see his face light up when he realized what he was feeling!  By the looks of how active this guy is already, I'm a little nervous/excited we are going to have one energetic little man!  Watch out!

Embracing Maternity

It's been a little while, so another post it is!  I have been pretty confined to indoors the last few days because there is a huge fire burning an hour north of us in Fort Collins.  So far the fire is at 49,000 acres.  Boo!!  We had a pretty big fire in one of Boulder's Canyons a few summers ago and it was completely devastating - many people lost their homes.  It's sad to know this is going on again just up the highway.

Since I'm not outside, I have been enjoying continuing my workout routine in the air-conditioned aerobics room at my local YMCA.  One thing I am very thankful for having done was starting a workout routine that I enjoy before I got pregnant.  Had I not been doing something that was convenient and that I enjoyed, I probably would have been much more likely to slack during pregnancy.  I met a girl this past weekend at a friend's wedding who is pregnant with twins (!!).  Because she is considered high risk she was told by her doctor not to work out at all - pretty tough considering she is a personal trainer!  It hit me how fortunate I am to maintain a sense of normalcy by maintaining what my body can do while it changes in so many ways.  So far I have only noticed slight adjustments I have had to make in some of my classes - like no more crunches.

I was getting mixed reviews on how hard to work out my abs during pregnancy, but have come to trust the majority of doctors/ instructors and friends who have warned against too much ab strengthening.  After spending my entire life believing crunches are the road to a perfect summer-ready body, it is strange to intentionally stop them now.  I would rather not split or tear my abs though, so no more it is!

I am now 100% in maternity clothes.  I finally caved and ordered a pair of maternity jeans and shorts from Old Navy.  The thing I am quickly learning about maternity, is that you almost always have to shop online.  I love browsing the mall occasionally, so this is a bummer.  Plus, who knows if this stuff will fit when I don't even really know what size I will be when!  I also just ordered a maternity dress to wear in my mom's wedding coming up in August.  By then I will be 7+ months preggo, so maternity was a must.

Updates on the nursery!  We bought a crib!!  Here is the crib (not our nursery).  It has yet to be put together, but I am hoping we can get that done this weekend.  I also have started my list of DIY projects, including lots of sewing (curtains, a bed skirt, changing pad cover, pillows) and a few other crafty adventures.  I know, I'm ridiculous.  It's all this creative energy that is no longer being poured into grad-school projects - I need an outlet, and this is so much more fun!

It's a Boy!!

This week was especially important because it contained my 20-week ultrasound that not only told us baby peanut is healthy (praise the Lord!!) but that he/she is a HE!  We wanted to make the revealing of the sex fun and exciting, so I asked a friend of mine to bake a cake, filling the inside with blue or pink frosting, depending on what the sealed envelope from the doctor revealed to her.  In front of some of our closest friends we revealed to ourselves and to everyone that we are having a boy!

Pinterest Inspiration

I write again on another rainy day, something I am so thankful we are getting here in Boulder!  I also smell slightly like a coffee shop as Judd and I spent part of this afternoon down at Folsom Coffee, listening to live music, drinking Latte's and reading.  My reading of choice today was "Baby Bargains."  So far this has been my right hand guide as I start to learn about what we will be needing and not needing for little one.  Unlike registering for a wedding where you pretty much know what you need (if you have cooked before, you should know what tools you need for example) but with a baby, its all foreign and new.  I have been logging the items are interested in on Diapers.com, mostly as a place to keep it all organized, but also as our registry.  I will report on exciting finds as they come up.

What is changing with my body: I cannot deny that I feel pregnant now.  My lower abdomen feels full and tight all of the time.  Sometimes it feels tighter than others (like when I am working out, this causes me a small amount of concern, so I try to not push it).  I remember my pregnant friend mentioning slight contractions during weight lifting class occasionally when she was as far along as I am a few months ago, so I'm guessing this is normal.  It's really strange, I can literally feel this baby growing and moving upward.  I still feel subtle flutters pretty often now, nothing too crazy, just a fun reminder that someone is here with me!

The most exciting thing right now is that I am planning our Gender Reveal Party in a little over a week!!  I am so excited to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl and I can't think of a better reason than to celebrate with friends and family!  I found this awesome idea for party decorations that I am using as inspiration:.  I will definitely be posting post-party pictures with the results of course!














Another fun thing going on is that I have started gathering ideas for the nursery!  Our progress so far includes painting the room a beautiful gray color that I found from a nursery I like posted on Pinterest.  I have decided to go for yellow, gray and white whether we have a boy or a girl.  I love these colors together and like that they are pretty gender neutral.  Since we will be finding out the sex, I'll spruce up the room with a few girly or boyish touches down the road.  This way if we are still living here when we have more kids, we won't have to totally redo the room.

Pregnancy Tea

I write this blog while sipping my newest purchase, pregnancy tea (which is actually pretty good).  I had my friend Rachel over last week whose roommate is pregnant and apparently has done a lot of research on herbs, etc. for pregnancy.  Rachel was telling me about Raspberry Leaf tea and Nettles, two things that I was very skeptical about, even after she later emailed me an extensive list of benefits.  Taking my skepticism to my midwife appointment this morning I was very encouraged by her support of both these herbs.  My midwife, Angela, recommended drinking two cups of Raspberry Leaf tea starting at 28 weeks and increasing this to 4 cups a day after 36 weeks.  If you check out the benefits listed below you'll see why I think this is worth a shot.  Angela also said that Nettles has plenty of prenatal benefits and that I should start taking it now.  She recommended the aforementioned pregnancy tea that I purchased today at Rebecca's Apothecary in downtown Boulder (side note - this place is really cool.  It almost feels like you are taking a step back into the 1700's).  This pregnancy tea is a blend of Nettle, Raspberry and Oatstraw, and a low enough dose of raspberry that I won't be putting myself into early-labor :)

Another purchase from the apothecary was belly butter.  In the last week or so I have started to notice I have been subconsciously itching my stomach.  I had been thinking about investing in a belly butter, and when I dreamed last night that my enormous boobs had stretch marks all over them, I figured now is a good time to.  This stuff smells delicious and I can't wait to start trying it out.

I doubt I can blame this on crazy pregnancy hormones, but blueberry muffins have started to sound really good the last few days.  This morning when I came across a Real Simple recipe for Whole Grain Blue Berry Muffins I knew I had to make them.  These were a HUGE success and taste even better than they look, if you can believe that!  I recommend you take this recipe and go make yourself some.



Whole-Grain Blueberry Muffins (from Real Simple)


Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled*
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal (available at natural-food stores)
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, plus 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh blueberries or one 8-ounce bag frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a food processor, process the flour, oats, flaxseed meal, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in the blueberries.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes.

Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea:

Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry tea through pregnancy are traced to the nourishing source of vitamins and minerals found in this plant and to the strengthening power of fragrine - an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Of special note are the rich concentration of vitamin C, the presence of vitamin E and the easily assimilated calcium and iron. Raspberry leaves also contain vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorous and potassium.

The benefits of drinking a raspberry leaf brew before and throughout pregnancy include:

~ Preventing miscarriage and hemorrhage. Raspberry leaf tones the uterus and helps prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage from a relaxed or atonic uterus.
~ Easing of morning sickness. Many attest to raspberry leaves' gentle relief of nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.
~ Reducing pain during labor and after birth. By toning the muscles used during labor and delivery, Raspberry leaf eliminates many of the reasons for a painful delivery and prolonged recovery. It does not, however, counter the pain of pelvic dilation.
~ Assisting in the production of plentiful breast milk. The high mineral content of Raspberry leaf assist in milk production, but its astringency may counter that for some women.

~ Providing a safe and speedy pariuntion. Raspberry leaf works to encourage the uterus to let go and function without tension. It does not strengthen contractions, but does allow the contracting uterus to work more effectively and so may make the birth easier and faster.

Benefits of Nettles:

Vitamins A, C, D and K, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron and sulphur are particularly abundant in nettles. 
The benefits of drinking nettle infusion before and throughout pregnancy include:


~ Nourishing mother and fetus.
~ Easing leg cramps and other spasms.
~ Diminishing pain during and after birth. The high calcium content, which is readily assimilated, helps diminish muscle pains in the uterus, in the legs and elsewhere.
~ Preventing hemorrhage after birth. Nettle is a superb source of vitamin K, and increases available hemoglobin, both of which decrease the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage. Fresh Nettle Juice, in teaspoon doses, slows postpartum bleeding.
~ Reducing hemorrhoids. Nettle's mild astringency and general nourishing action tightens and strengthens blood vessels, helps maintain arterial elasticity and improves venous resilience.
~ Increasing the richness and amount of breast milk.

Belly Band to the Rescue!

I just wanted to write quickly because a few fun things happened today.  Two days ago it was blazing hot and today was the most rainy of a day Boulder has seen in a long, long time.  To celebrate the gloomy sort of day I met my good friend Laura Ramos for coffee.  Laura brought along her little bundle of joy, Tate, whom is about 6 weeks old.  Having been born 5 weeks early, however, he is still a very little and adorable guy.  While holding Tate for a good portion of our visit he decided to leave me a special gift and pee on me :) Thanks Mr. Tate for getting me ready for what is just around the corner!

Today Laura also gave me a bag of a few of her maternity clothes, including two belly bands.  I have been holding out, making my clothes continue to work as long as possible.  The last week I have really started to notice that even my most stretchy jeans are becoming noticeably uncomfortable.  When I came home I immediately put the belly band on and WOW!  This thing is so comfortable!  I am thrilled that I can now probably fit into all of my normal pants for a few more months at least.  Thank you Laura!

Major Changes Happening!

A wonderful Saturday morning with the ladies

Reporting here at 16 weeks.  Wow, 4months!  Its crazy how much of pregnancy seems to pass before you really "look" or are known by the world to be pregnant.

What is happening this week:  This past weekend Judd was on a mountain biking trip to Moab.  Coincidentally, a good friend of mine, Katiegrace was in town, so I had a wonderful weekend full of a lot of sweet girl time.

Come Sunday I was really starting to feel uncomfortable in my normal clothes (not pregnant-looking, just fat).  So, wonderful Katiegrace joined me on a trip to the mall where I bought my first maternity-appropriate clothes.  Rather than continue to try and hide this growing bump I am excited to embrace it.

Something else extremely exciting happened on Sunday!  I felt peanut move for the first time!  I was sitting at church, and during the Prayers of the People I felt a funny sensation on the left side of my abdomen, something very similar to a muscle twitch.  I sort of brushed this off because I didn't think I could actually be feeling peanut yet.  Most places I have read say that first time moms should feel their baby anywhere from 16-22 weeks.  Sunday being the first day of week 16 I thought, "no way, its too early."  After feeling a similar sensation multiple times throughout the day since, however, leads me to believe that I am in fact feeling peanut move!!  This has been such an amazing sensation as I truly am feeling like there is actually a baby growing inside of me.  Crazy.

As far as how I am feeling goes, overall I feel great!  Absolutely no more nausea or food aversions in my life!  I am back to eating normal and am even able to focus on making the best food choices possible.  I have had a number of prenatal headaches however.  These headaches are subtle and unlike others I have had pre-pregnancy.  They come on as a dull pain and just sort of stick around forever.  Other headaches in the past usually tend to increase until they are unbearable and only ibuprofen can save the day.  I can take Tylenol, but since it doesn't always seem to help, I have tried to avoid it when I can.  I have read on another pregnancy blog that a little caffeine can help, so I have been subtly self-medicating with a little coffee here and there :)  (even a java crunch chocolate bar seemed to help yesterday :)

The only real major change these days is the way I am sleeping.  I have always been a back-sleeper and typically sleep hard and straight through the entire night.  This has not happened in months.  Realizing I am going to have to fully make the transition to side-sleeping in a few weeks I have started to try and adjust.  Sleeping on my side sucks!  I am trying to figure out how to use pillows to help out and they only mildly do.  In addition to waking up anywhere from 2-5 times a night to pee (how in the world is there enough water in me to do this I wonder daily!?) but I am now waking up constantly because my back hurts or I am uncomfortable.  Oh well.  I am going to continue to try and adjust and figure out how to make this work.  I'll report if I figure anything out :)  Until then I am taking full-advantage of the fact that work is slow and I can sleep in a lot :)

For those of my friends that know I am pregnant, they are not afraid to tell me so.  (For the rest of the world, I imagine they think I have had too many beers lately).  I think the funniest response so far came last night from my friend William.  I joined him and a table full of friends for happy hour (don't worry, Italian soda for me :) and from across the table he blurts out, "I can see your baby!"  Umm...thanks William.  So you are saying I look a bit chubby :)  I imagine some ladies would be offended by these early comments, but I am excited that Peanut is finally making his/her debut appearance!  It has only just begun...

Baby Bump Birthday

I would say I am long overdue for a post.  Last I wrote was the unveiling of the fantastic news to my family!  Over two weeks have past since then and lots has changed!  To start off, I am now in my SECOND trimester!!  This pregnancy thing is starting to feel a little more real :)

With the exit out of the First Trimester, I have also managed to leave behind morning sickness!  Not many things in pregnancy happen as they are "supposed to" but this one seems to have obliged.  It is so nice to be able to eat like a normal person again.  The other day I was going through past Cooking Light magazines and was tearing out every other recipe because everything looks so good!  I don't feel completely back to normal though because in place of the nausea has been a lot of heartburn and headaches.  In response I have upped my constant intake of water and pop the occasional berry-flavored Tums (these are delicious btw).

This last weekend was very eventful.  First off I spent two nights in a beautiful cabin outside of Nederland with 30 amazing women from my church, All Souls.  If I could pin down when I actually started to "show" I can literally pin it to about 7pm on Friday night.  Friday morning I dressed in a long yellow dress and definitely noticed how non-pregnant I looked.  By the end of the day however I was sporting a baby bump.  Many of the women noticed which was a bit strange (I kept thinking..."um, are you sure I haven't just over-eaten tonight?").  The funny thing though is that this new bump has not gone away.  Friday and Saturday I also experienced subtle cramping around my midsection, somewhat similar to something I experienced at 6 weeks.  Upon further research I have figured out that this is called Round Ligament Pains, experienced when ligaments are stretching to accommodate a growing mid-section.  Makes sense, peanut is growing!

This picture was taken Sunday when I got back from the trip.  I know it doesn't look like much but when I wear certain clothes there isn't much hiding.  I'm so thankful the weather has been so nice because I plan to wear skirts and dresses straight through the next 5 months at least.

Another fun thing that happened this last weekend was that I turned 28!  I'm pretty sure this year is going to be the best yet!  Sunday, my actual birthday, was pretty casual, not doing anything too crazy to celebrate.  Completely unexpected, Judd threw me a Surprise Birthday Party Tuesday night!  He invited a number of our friends over and together we chowed down on chocolate cake (that he made!), carrot cake and strawberry lemonade.  I am so thankful for such amazing friends and an even more incredible hubby.

Until next time with more updates!