19 Weeks and Our Year in Review

Happy New Year guys!  Before I do my weekly recap, I would also like to look back on 2011.  This year was fantastic and brought so much joy and excitement.  As I look back on 2011, I'm grateful and hopeful for the next year.  Thank you for reading along and for being an important part of my life!

January: We kicked off 2011 in Australia and New Zealand.  I have never seen nature this beautiful and inspiring.  We had an unforgettable trip and it was our last hurrah before we started even thinking about kids.

We also did a gluten-free and fun-food free detox.  It helped me kick my sugar habit and really step outside of my food rut.
February: I got the best birthday present in my entire life- we adopted our puppy son Chino!  I waited 27 years to get my first pet and he is perfect!

Our first picture together :)

March: We spent time getting to know our new family member
April: We took our first family vacation to Mendocino
May: I had a foot injury but kept moving with walking and even participated in my first race.

June: We went on a fabulous vacation to Mexico, including Mexico City and Cancun.

July: We began working on our kitchen project and had a blog meetup with Amanda and Andy too!

August: Our kitchen was completely demolished and we spent lots of time being creative with meals.  I have never had so many salads and wraps!

September: We celebrated 2 years as a married couple and continued to work on the kitchen.

We also found out that I was pregnant and we were going to be parents! 

October: I spent most of the month feeling hungover, but traveled for work, made a few recipes, and spent time with family in our almost completed kitchen.
November: We finished our kitchen and announced our big news.

December: More work and all baby, all the time!

Now onto 19 weeks:

How far along? 19 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 2 pounds up as of week 18- assuming I'm up another pound or so this week.  I've eaten well.  I can definitely tell a difference in growth for the last couple of weeks in the belly for sure.

Maternity clothes? Still don't fit into my maternity jeans- they are sagging in all the wrong places.  I am loving some longer tops with leggings and my sweater dresses.  I still love my yoga pants too!  I wore my regular lower rise jeans today and so far they still fit.  I do tend to go with looser fitting clothes in public and more form fitting at home.  I still feel funny letting the belly hang out.

Stretch marks? Applying my burt's bees body butter so far to try to prevent them. 

Sleep: I am sleeping well. My days of waking up on my back are numbered but it happens rarely.

Best moment this week: We had the entire week off and it was heavenly.  Hubby also went to yoga with me all week and we got to see family and show off my baby gut.

This week's comment of the week:

Nothing of note- people keep asking if I'm exited.  I am, but it seems like I've been pregnant for a while now and I'm more anxious than anything.  I also get a few comments on my lack of bump- none of them harmful, but it's interesting what people have to say.  The measurements were all on track during my appointment so I'm not worried about it.

Miss Anything? No champagne on New Year's Eve, but that's OK with me.

Movement: I felt some bubbles popping after eating Indian food and a few more again last night- I think it's starting!

Food cravings: Still eating regular food.  I am feeling a little hungrier, especially with increased activity levels, but nothing insane.  Except for the evening I needed to have some marinated mushrooms.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting too tired.

Sex: January 9th is the day! 

Symptoms: I have the dreaded swollen gums.  Flossing kinda looks like a crime scene.  I also have some shortness of breath doing things that would never make me tired before.  Otherwise, still feeling fantastic.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to: the 'big' ultrasound on Jan 9th!

Exercise: Here is what the week looked like:
Sunday: 5.5 mile hike
Monday: Dog walks and yoga
Tuesday: Dog walk, yoga, and cardio at the gym
Wednesday: Dog walks and yoga
Thursday: yoga, and cardio at the gym
Friday: Rest day and dog walk
Saturday: Gym cardio, dog walk, and a fantastic yoga flow class

It Finally Happened

So yeah- I've been on this pregnant lady journey for a little while now and have not noticed a huge change in appetite.  Of course I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full and definitely enjoy food more, but haven't had any chocolate covered pickles with french fries on the side.

Tonight things changed a bit when I came home from a walk with the pup.  I was hungry for dinner and I knew I wanted breakfast for dinner- something that happens all the time.  I quickly nuked my Trader Joe's dairy and gluten free pancakes and added some cottage cheese and baked cinnamon apples.  I enjoyed each bite.

Then it was so good that I decided I had to have it twice.  I'm sitting and feeling very content with my stomach full of pancakes.  I definitely had two dinners and have to say it was pretty awesome.  Highly recommended.

My Holiday Weekend

Hey ladies and gents!  A rare random post from me, but I'm off work for the entire week, and therefore, have a lot of time on my hands.  I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend.  We don't celebrate Christmas but there is nothing wrong with plenty of days off and everyone getting together with their families :)  

If you've missed it, this weekend started off with my weekly pregnancy post.  I'm now at 18 weeks!  I have always loved the holiday time and this year all the lights seem brighter and all the food tastes better.  The best thing about this week is that I got my hubby a week long pass to my yoga studio so I now have a buddy to go with me.  I'm so excited to have him join the cult this week!

Here are a few of my weekend highlights:

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's. Oh mylanta.  Give me more!  I haven't quite regained my full sweet tooth, but a couple of these make for the perfect sweet treat!

Eggs on top of salad with mango salsa.  This kind of made my morning- try it!

Ice cream for lunch at the movie theaters.  Baby needs the calcium :)

A 5.5-mile hike with the family on Christmas morning.  We didn't see Santa Clause, but we did see this cool ornament display on our way.

A sweet puppy who lets us torture him.  I'm not sure what Chino celebrated before we adopted him, so we covered all bases, just in case.

I hope you had a great weekend!  If Santa visits your home, what did he bring?

18 Week Update

Each week that goes by, I think of the same thing- how did I already get to x weeks?  The beginning of pregnancy is so long and draining and then it seems to speed up.  It also helps that the holidays are here and I'm finally on vacation for a week.  I'm so looking forward to not wearing real clothes, spending time with my favorite boys, and doing as I please- like taking random mid-day yoga classes.  Now let's get on to this week's update!

*Side note:  Husband says I look like a pirate in this shirt.  Also, I swear I do wear other clothes besides boots and leggings, but this is my weekend uniform :)

How far along? 18 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I went to the doctor and I'm up 2 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight.  I did lose 4 pounds in the "Oh my God I feel like I'm going to puke but instead will only eat limited foods stage", but I'm counting from my starting weight.  The doctor said I was still on track!  

Maternity clothes? I tried on the maternity jeans I ordered and they don't quite fit yet, but I'll probably start wearing them in the next week or so.  I also wore my new  free GAP skinny jeans once last week and they were OK, but sagged in the butt and weren't quite as long as I'd like.  Beggars can't be choosers, right?  I'm still mostly wearing leggings and sweater dresses, my regular jeans (the lower rise ones), longer sweaters, and all my regular tops.

Stretch marks? Applying my burt's bees body butter so far to try to prevent them. 

Sleep: Still loving sleep.  I also learned this week that being on my back isn't prohibited quite yet, so I don't freak out as much now when I wake up on my back at night.

Best moment this week: Last day of work for 2011 was a good one!  We also had a holiday party at work, went to see the menorah lighting on our Downtown, and I got to see one of my besties who was in town from New Orleans.  I also got some test results back from my 16 week quad screen testing and everything is good!

This week's comment of the week:

I didn't really hear anything too inappropriate this week, which is both good and a little disappointing.  I did have a co-worker talk about her birth stories in detail in front of a male co-worker and that's always a little awkward for everyone involved.  Please keep that stuff to yourselves, people!

Miss Anything? Nothing of note.

Movement: Nope.  I am supposed to start feeling something in the next few weeks, but I am probably not perceptive enough to notice.  I know the little one is moving around in there because he/she had a nice strong heartbeat and was making a bunch of noise in there when the doppler was on my stomach.

Food cravings: Still nothing of note.  I have been trying to incorporate more protein into my diet and really liking cottage cheese this week.  I'm also digging fruit, avocado (with hot sauce), almond butter on my pancakes, sweet potatoes, eggs, all kinds of veggies, and I ate sardines because I read they were good for me.  Here are a couple of notable meals:

Anything making you queasy or sick: Getting too tired. 

Sex: January 9th is the day! Any guesses?

Symptoms: I got a little bit tired a few days this week, but I was probably just channeling Super girl and needed a break.  Otherwise, I feel great.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to: My week off =)

Exercise: Here is what the week looked like:
Sunday: Prenatal yoga and dog walk
Monday: Dog walk
Tuesday: Cardio and a weight circuit at the gym, hour long dog walk
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 2 dog walks, 3 mile hike, and a yoga podcast at home
Friday: 90-minute yoga class, 2 dog walks, and a cardio and weight circuit session at the gym
Saturday: Gym cardio and probably a dog walk

Hope you guys have a great holiday weekend!

Working Out and Fueling Up: Baby on Board Edition

Happy Tuesday and happy holiday week to you!  Whatever you celebrate, I hope you are taking it easy and not stressing yourselves out.  We are extremely low key and just excited to spend time as a family of three on our days off.  We are going to be taking our first born on lots of walks and to the beach and going to do some fun workouts together, which I will update you on.

As I promised a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to talk more about my workouts now that I went and got myself in the family way.  As a disclaimer, I am not a trained fitness or medical professional and this is just based on my experience.  Please ask your doctor for any fitness advice.

Just like my eating, some things have changed while others stayed the same.  I always knew that I wanted to work out when I was pregnant, both for my health and for the health of the little one.  There are so many benefits including better weight control, overall health, circulation, and of course better mood and self confidence.  As an active person, I knew that I would not be happy as a sedentary being and I knew I needed to keep exercise as a part of my life.  I did quite a bit of research since the rules on pregnancy fitness are a bit outdated and I found what worked for me.

First Tri

When I first found out about the pregnancy, I carried on as usual.  There are no modifications needed in the first trimester and as long as you have the energy and are not doing anything new, exercise is perfectly safe.  Of course you are never supposed to overheat while pregnant, so I made sure that I was well hydrated.  I have to admit that I was tired, more tired than I had ever been.  I was also traveling for work for much of my first tri and missed more than a few workouts.  I walked every day with the pup for at least 30 minutes and attended 1-2 yoga classes per week.  I also did some cardio at the gym as I started to feel better.  I had to make sure I ate dinner before my evening workout or else things would go south quickly.  As an evening exerciser, I never worried about going into a workout a bit hungry- I was able to make it with a small snack, but pregnancy is no joke.  Many times this caused me to miss a class because I was still digesting, but I was still active 5-6 times a week, although very moderately active.  When I felt too sick, my hubby also took out the pup, so I did miss a few evening walks.

Second Tri

Once I hit the second tri and was no longer feeling queasy all the time, I got back to more of a normal schedule.  I do get a little more winded doing normal things, but I'm not big enough to feel uncomfortable so I can see why people really enjoy this time.

Unlike a lot of the health blog world, I am more of a moderate exerciser.  Yes, I'm active every day (or most days), but I was never a distance runner or power lifter.  I built a workout schedule that worked with my life schedule and promised myself a long time ago that I would only do what I enjoyed: yoga, walking, hiking, light lifting, and elliptical or bike cardio machines.  I am able to maintain this schedule as a prego and here is what a typical week looks like:

-daily dog walks (unless it's too cold or hubby kindly offers)

-2-4 yoga practices (either studio or on my own with podcasts)

-2-3 cardio sessions at the gym with light weights

I have been having spontaneous rest days here and there depending on my schedule but still find myself pretty active with at least a quick dog walk or even working in the kitchen, which I still consider work!  The best thing I did was take a couple of prenatal yoga classes.  I really picked my instructor's brain to learn about the modifications I can use in my regular classes.  I am a huge believer in yoga and its health benefits and hope to use it as a tool throughout the whole pregnancy. 

Fueling Workouts

Since I exercise in the evenings, I often have either my dinner or a large snack an hour before a workout.  I know that I need to increase my calories now (by about 300 cals) as well as replace those lost during exercise.  Although I don't count, I make sure to eat when I'm hungry and I think it's been working well.  I definitely make sure that I get my protein sources in and find that fruit is a great snack before and after workouts.  I have had a few days of ravenous hunger thrown in here and there, but try to keep it civilized for the most part.  Let's not talk about the mountain of treats in my work kitchen right now :)

Question for you: Have you made any exercise modifications lately?  If you have been pregnant, how were you able to maintain your fitness?

17 Weeks and Baby's First Tournament

This weeks marks 17 weeks down.  It felt like the first trimester dragged since I was in a constant hangover and felt like overall poo poo.  Now that I'm in the second trimester, time has been moving at a good pace and I can't believe I'm almost at the halfway point.  I am feeling good, although a bit tired, and really looking forward to everything.

How far along? 17 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I weighed in this morning and I'm up a total of 3 pounds from my starting weight.  I think that's a pretty good pace for where I am, but I will confirm with the doctor next week.  I can see the bump now and I'm hoping the bean is doing what it needs to be doing and growing!

Maternity clothes? I ordered my first pair of maternity jeans online and received them last week.  I tried them on and they fit but didn't quite stay up.  It is nice to have something in the back of my closet though!  I am also wearing some maternity leggings, which just fit lower on the stomach and are ridiculously comfortable.  The rest are all my regular clothes.  In addition, I also got a free pair of GAP skinny maternity jeans today from a girl at my husband's jiu jitsu tournament.  She got them in a shipment for free and just gave them to me.  How exciting is that?!

Stretch marks? Applying my burt's bees body butter so far to try to prevent them. 

Sleep: I love sleep.  I wake up to use the loo and go back to sleep.  I've also been better about staying off the back and wake up if I am on my back and just turn over.

Best moment this week: This was another good week.  I was really busy at work and actually took advantage of working from home on Friday when I couldn't drag myself to the office on Friday.  

We also went to my husband's holiday party where we were inundated with advice and lots of congratulations.  People LOVE to give advice. 

Today was my husband's jiu jitsu tournament and I was there along with my brother and his family to cheer him on.  He ended up winning his belt's absolute division and we were so proud!  It made me excited to take our future little one to competitions (boy or girl- they can both go).  I'm only posting this picture because I'm proud- ladies...you're allowed to check out hubby just this once.

This week's comment of the week:

"Congratulations!  Do you know who the father is yet?"...this came from one of my husband's bosses and I laughed way too hard when I heard it. They like to joke around and this definitely got me.

Miss Anything? I would love some smoked salmon or raw sushi, but nothing I can't live without for another 5 months.

Movement: Nope

Food cravings: I have loved frozen mango as my evening treat and I buy watermelon at the store.  Other than that, still eating my regular foods and mostly sticking to savory foods.  Today I was offered ice cream for dinner (something that I would definitely do before), but I just wanted real food.  I'm still waiting for that uncontrollable craving to hit.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, just getting too tired or too hungry.  Today we 

Sex: January 9th is the day!

Symptoms: Still feeling good!  I had plenty of energy for my workouts and seeing the chiropractor really alleviated the back pain.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, happy, happy!

Looking forward to: Next week is the last work week before the end of the year!  I'm also finally getting my hair trimmed and highlighted, and hoping to get some stuff cleaned out during my break.

Exercise: A couple more rest days this week due to scheduling and busy days!  I also need to work on adding more strength workouts.  Here is what the week looked like:
Sunday: Prenatal yoga class, dog walk, and cardio workout at the gym
Monday: Yoga download and dog walk
Tuesday: Day off
Wednesday: Dog walk, cardio at the gym
Thursday: Dog walk, cardio at the gym with pushups and stretching after
Friday: Dog walk and rest day
Saturday: Dog walk and rest day

In other news, my first born child met a pony today at the park by our house.  It was the best day of his life.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Holiday baking is a ton of fun, no matter what the reason.  I didn't actually plan on doing any of my own, but my favorite nephew had to make some treats for his school and I was more than happy to micromanage and help with the task.  I stalked all my favorite blogs and we decided on making Bakerella's Red Velvet Cake Balls.  **Please go to her beautiful website for the recipe and pictures.

Let's do the math people- it's cake, red velvet, chocolate, and balls.  This makes for a winning combination.  You just can't go wrong- plus you get to excessively say 'balls'.  

Benny was on board and his mom had already pre-baked the red velvet cake.  He started with working on his own creation- a chocolate cake.  While he did that, we worked on rolling the balls, and put them in the freezer to set.

Once the balls were ready, it was time to cover them in chocolate (we used candy melts) and then pass them on to the CEO of sprinkles.  The man takes his sprinkles seriously.

I take my chocolate coating seriously.

And our little goober Chino made sure that not a single bite landed on the floor.

As we were getting closer to being finished, we took a picture with our creations.

And the final product looked fabulous- if I do say so myself.  Benny's mom, who also took all the pictures, purchased these adorable containers in Mexico for his teachers.  Don't you just love them?

I had a great time working with my little nephew and his mom.  Looks like we started a tradition- look at our cookie making from last year.  I can't believe how things have changed this year.  He was so little and cuddly, and now he's such a little man!

2010:

What are you baking this year?

16 Weeks

This week the baby websites tell me that at 16 weeks, the bebe is the size of an avocado.  So after all this avocado talk, I definitely ate some guacamole for an afternoon snack.  It was good.  I'm feeling good overall and enjoying most of my days.  A lot of the time I feel like my normal self until I get a little tired.  I can also tell that my temper is shorter (sorry hubby) and I can get a little tired during the weekdays, but other than that, I'm as happy and excited as ever.  Here is this week's recap:

How far along? 16 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I'm pretty sure that I'm up a couple of pounds from my starting weight.  I tried weighing in at the gym on a weeknight with all my clothes on and all the day's food in me...the number was going up- I guess that's a good thing.  I should know for sure after my appointment on the 23rd.

Maternity clothes? Nope- still wearing all my normal clothes.  I do love leggings, my stretchier jeans, longer tunics, longer sweaters, and boots over anything more uncomfortable.  I have an order of maternity jeans coming next week, so we'll see if I'm ready for it.  I do see a bump now each morning and have noticed that I am not quite a bump flaunter yet, especially at work- it still looks like I may have had a few too many tacos.  Once I get a bigger belly, then I'll wear the bump hugging clothes.

Stretch marks? Applying my burt's bees body butter so far to try to prevent them. 

Sleep: I love sleep.

Best moment this week: This week was great.  I loved our family day at the beach this past Sunday and spending every day with my boys.  I also made cakeballs with my nephew and got to see him twice this week and that always puts a bright spot in my day.  

This week's comments- a mix of both cute and inappropriate:

1. "Were you trying?"...um, thanks for asking but I don't know you and if you aren't in my bedroom, it's none of your business. This came from a co-worker.
2. After jogging at the gym next the hubby, he tells me "That's awesome.  With your cardio, the baby will be able to do 7-minute jiu jitsu tournaments right away!"

Miss Anything? Nope.  Life is grand but I could go for some sushi.

Movement: Nope

Food cravings: Still nothing crazy. I drank milk a few days this week, but this is because I am trying to up my calcium and protein.  In addition, I'm still loving the savory and salty foods.  I had carrot cake in the house all week and I ate a measly slice.  I hang my sweet tooth in shame.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I sat next to a smoker on the train and it was so bad I had to move.  I am sure it made him feel special, but I was going to toss my cookies.  Otherwise, the nausea is gone.

Sex: Still won't know for 4ish more weeks.

Symptoms: Feeling great for the most part.  I went to the chiro to check out the lower back pain and the mental adjustment and very minor neck adjustment really helped.  I crashed out on Friday night after a long week, but otherwise feeling like my chipper self :) 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: My friend is coming home for the holidays, baking for friends, and our holiday break.

Exercise: This week was a good exercise week.  I got 2 unplanned rest days, but I was crashing out and needed them!  Here is what the week looked like:
Sunday: Beach walk and gym cardio and strength workout
Monday: Yoga class and dog walk
Tuesday: Lifted with hubby and cardio (elliptical, bike, and treadmill)
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Short dog walk and rest day
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: 2 dog walks and 75 minute yoga class

What I Ate Wednesday: First Time

I'm testing out this whole What I Ate Wednesday deal from Peas and Crayons.  I'm not what you would call consistent when it comes to blogging, but I thought it was something fun to do since my food is back to normal and I'm eating to keep more than just me full.  Here we go!

Breakfast: Millet toast with almond butter and sliced banana, decaf homemade hemp milk latte on the side. Sadly I didn't get to finish my latte this morning since we were running late and my brain got all jumbly.
422 cals, 8.5 grams of protein

I made it through my commute and a couple of meetings before I hit up my morning snack: organic fat free cottage cheese and 1/4 cup granola
200 cals, 17 grams of protein

Another couple of hours later, it was time for lunch.  I had chicken soup leftovers and I promise I did eat out of a bowl and there was some broth in there:
281 cals, 16 grams of protein

Afternoon snacks came before the end of my work day.  First a honeycrisp apple.
80 cals

Then a few carrots dipped in peanut butter.
210 cals, 8.5 grams of protein

Finally, dinner was something completely random- a roasted chicken sandwich on a mini baguette (not the whole baguette :) ) with mustard, pickles, grilled onions, and melted cheese, cherry tomatoes on the side.
404 cals, 25.5 grams of protein

Then when that was all done, I broke into some leftover carrot cake from our dinner party this weekend.  I'm estimated 350 cals and 3 grams of protein.  Let's also pretend it looked like this:

Source

My totals came in at 1975 cals and 78.5 grams of protein.  I am pretty sure the carrot cake got me to my recommended calorie intake and it was quite good- it also powered me through my evening workout.  Calorie counting is exhausting and I don't think I'll continue it with this exercise when I do it again (if I remember to), but it was good to see where I am on a typical 'hungry day' and if I am getting enough protein, which looks like I am.

Do you ever post all your food in a day?  What do you think of this format?