Baby Shower!

I had a super lovely shower on a perfect autumn day - my family threw it, the decorations and food were awesome! Lots of friends came, too, and I had fun (friends - with the guys! - came over later that night to have some drinks and finish off the leftover cookies and cake pops from the shower, it was a nice way to finish the day :D ).

Some pics:

My sister-in-law and I wore the same dress!!

Successful shower! Lots of adorable forest themed items for the baby, too, so the nursery is coming along great. I'm going to take an inventory of what I need to get now for the baby, so more basic clothes and first aid/bathing type supplies.

My doctor appointments last week all turned out well. My platelets are still low, but the hematologist thanks they aren't low enough right now to warrant any concern, and thinks that it is just gestational. They are going to continue to draw my blood at my appointments, keep an eye on it, and have me back after I give birth to make sure everything returned to normal.

Also - the baby is growing right on schedule! Even a little bit ahead of the curve. I'm so glad all is well and healthy :)

I'm exhausted and not sleeping well at all anymore - I'm taking today (Sunday) easy, writing thank you notes, doing a little baby stuff organizing, and enjoying another incredibly beautiful fall day at home. I went to the barn and took a short walk with my horse in the morning, the place is gorgeous this time of year.

That's all for now!! I'm hanging in there, making the best of this time, and trying to rest a little bit too, haha.

Namaste friends <3

More Photos - 32 weeks pregnant

The wedding was fun - it was on beautiful Lake Champlain! I'm tired today but still ran errands and visited the neighborhood street fair, which was also great!

Some pics:

At the wedding-

At the fair and surprised by my stranger shadow! -

32 weeks today. Time is moving so slowly AND so fast, it's strange. Doing a little work on the nursery today :)

Namaste <3

Trying to fit it all in!

Obviously blogging had to fall by the wayside - but rest assured, not much has changed for me!

I lost a lot of my 2nd trimester energy and have been feeling very lightheaded/dizzy. Turns out my platelet levels have dropped below the normal range again - my OBGYN is having me go see a hematologist for testing, monitoring and potentially a transfusion before I'm due. I can't get an epidural if my levels are this low (I haven't decided I definitely want an epidural - but I want the option!!).

Also - the baby has been measuring small so I'm getting an ultrasound next week to check on it's development. The doctor assured me it's probably nothing - human error in measuring my belly or the baby was turned sideways, etc. I'm looking forward to making sure everything is okay, though!

So- my life is work, schoolwork, house chores and getting the nursery ready. I'm working hard to make sure life is as ready as it can be when the baby comes!!

I've been decently sedentary aside from my walking (9-10k steps) because of all the lightheadedness. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe! So no additional working out for now - it's hard enough just to vacuum!!

I have a wedding to attend today - and then MY baby shower next week (excited!). Will try to post more in the interim!

Some Pregnant Pics

Today is my two year anniversary - Little more low-key than last year, because I'm pretty tired. I'm definitely entering another phase of pregnancy, and I'm struggling with my blood pressure and dizziness a lot more again. So taking it easy!

We went and visited Edith Wharton's home in Lenox, Massachusetts, to stroll the gardens and the historic house. We ate sandwiches and drank lemonade on the terrace overlooking the gorgeous gardens. It was a really nice afternoon, but I had to come home and lay down for a while to recoup. Going out for dinner at our favorite local spot tonight :)

Some pics of me pregnant (30 weeks now!):

Feeling pretty good about my pictures lately, even if it is weird to see this big belly preceding me everywhere!! Just enjoying this baby feeling more substantial now :)

Back to resting before dinner!

Never Comfy and Frozen Dinners

Not posting a ton because, truly, my brain just does not work anymore. I am never comfortable which means I'm really not sleeping. And sleep deprivation is not good for my creativity. I'm pouring all of my available energies and efforts into my dissertation, so this blog, which has so helped me in the past, isn't getting much attention. And I could really use a good outlet!

I am still not used to sleeping on my side, even though I've been doing it for about six months now. I have a body pillow that I use, but it doesn't change the fact that my shoulders just do not like being slept on. I've been waking up 5 to 7 times a night (usually to use the restroom, but also because of being in physical discomfort). If one shoulder hurts too much, I'll sleep on the other side to get back to sleep. But lately, my hips have been killing me, and I can find no relief.

The other night I woke at 2 AM with hip pain, and try to get back to sleep for almost an hour, before I decided to just get up, recognize that I was not falling asleep with that kind of pain, and started to do some stretches and exercises to find some relief for my poor muscles! Not fun.

But at least I won't be too shocked when the baby comes and I'm sleep deprived! I've been living that way for a few months already, haha :)

I am just very tired - and home alone this week. Food prep for this week means that I am eating chicken burgers and butternut squash for lunch every day, grapes, carrots, and yogurt for snacks. I switch back-and-forth between cereal with flax milk and banana for breakfast and my usual cottage cheese with sunflower seed butter and blueberries. 

For dinner, I totally went to super easy route, and got some frozen dinners (from Amy's- Mexican and Indian). I just simply do not have the energy to make dinner when I come home, deal with the dog and get the house cleaned up, before writing my dissertation. I hope not to rely on frozen dinners in the future, but this week, I simply didn't have it in me. I had to admit that... I'm starting to get overwhelmed and weepy! Adding dinner prep, cooking and dish washing was the sacrifice this week.

In bed by 8 pretty much every night (and I get home around 5:20 from work, so you can see that I really don't have a lot of time to spare in the evening) and up around 6 to walk the dog.

Making what fits, fit. Doing what I can, and try not to get too down on myself that I'm not the picture of health and fitness and clean living right now!