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!

7 Month Check Up

I'm doing my glucose test this morning, so a lot of waiting around! I also had my 7 month check up - everything is good, the heartbeat is strong (it should be, this kid is raging around in there like a champ). 

I only gained 1 pound this month, officially, though probably a couple more since the last time I was weighed it was 4 PM and I got weighed at 8 AM this time. I'm pleased with that - trying to gain only baby weight from here on out, not Jeanette weight!

It's still a little struggle to accept my body - it's strange to not fit into my normal sports bras and for nothing with a waistband to fit and shirts not cover my belly! I did a little shopping to fill in some gaps, but I hate spending money on temporary clothes.

Going to a rehearsal dinner tonight at a super awesome restaurant! I'm excited to hang out with lots of friends tonight and to eat some great food. Big treat for me! I got a pretty maternity dress at Target for $15 for the event- I love deals :)

I'll leave you with a picture Chris snapped of me and Koda that I love:

Purple Foods

I'm at 28 weeks pregnant today! Can't quite believe it - about 3 months to go till I can meet my baby :) Still feeling pretty good physically: I'm walking a ton still, getting enough sleep (despite multiple bathroom breaks in the middle of the night!), and not suffering any of the ill effects that are possible at this point in a pregnancy (big knock on wood there!!). My biggest discomfort is no longer being able to lie on my back without feeling suffocated. 

I've definitely put on weight - I'll find out how much at my appointment on Friday (I'm getting my glucose test done this week). I tried a pair of shorts that were a size 4 and they didn't even go up my thighs! I have a couple, stretchier pairs of sixes that still fit (under my belly haha) but it's weird to see shorts/leggings/underwear/etc that fit for years all of a sudden NOT. 

I'm not one of those super fit moms-to-be who only have a baby belly. I filled out for sure! Still coming to terms with that and believing I'll get my body back. I'm just not as strict as I used to be with food and exercise as I used to be - for good reason: I want my baby to have the best possible environment in my body it can! If I'm hungry, I eat (I used to not mind a little bit of hunger here and there, going to bed hungry or whatever), if I'm tired, I sleep (I used to go without a little bit of sleep here and there to get up earlier to work out), and my workouts are not intense like they used to be (no big jarring jumping around and twisting around - sticking to walking/hiking and yoga). It's just what is feeling right for me right now and my baby is thriving - moving a ton, right on schedule as far as size, great heartbeat. So I'm happy :)

So even though I'm off my paleo template, I'm still sticking with my rules of limiting my grains to one or two servings a day. The reason is because I needed to focus on getting a wider variety of nutrients - more fruits and veggies! Been doing pretty well at this, apparently I was craving purple foods (eat the rainbow!) today because we came home with this from the co-op this morning:

Grapes, fairy tale eggplant, purple peppers (my first time seeing these!), and plums! I think my body was trying to tell me something- that I need something in purple foods, maybe antioxidants? 

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-you-should-eat-more-purple-fruits-and-vegetables.html

Been working to get in my greens, too. Putting whole bags of spinach into a smoothie with coconut milk and berries is one way! Last week we precooked lots of sautéed zucchini and I had some at every lunch.

So to recap - I'm eating more than maybe necessary, but me and baby are feeling really good and healthy and getting lots of rest and nutritious foods. It's not the time in my life to focus on my aesthetic body. I'm not going terribly off the rails, don't worry, health is still the goal (and getting back to obesity is NOT how I plan to start my life as a mom). I've just realized what's more important than an "ideal" body... It's been nice to let go that obsession.

Got a busy week ahead - meeting with a pediatrician, doing my glucose test, and my good friend's rehearsal dinner and wedding (I'm in the wedding! Will post pics of me in the bridesmaid dress).

One Day Vacation and Belly Pic

Enjoying the Adirondacks today- taking a one day respite from writing, cleaning, cooking, worrying, and doing!

Had a great day with Chris, his family and Koda! We hiked, went out to dinner (I had crab cakes!), and spent time by the lake.

Can you spot Koda in the background??

Namaste <3

My Body as Public Property??

Wow, so my belly got exponentially bigger this week! (Okay - that's an exaggeration :D) But, really, the baby is growing fast right now and so is my waistline. It feels so incredibly strange to have this weight on the front of me. It wasn't like that when I was overweight/obese because I carried my weight pretty evenly over my whole body. Now I feel all unbalanced and strange!

Strangers have started to remark on me being pregnant, that's odd for me.

And friends just cannot help themselves, some just want to touch the belly! I've found that I don't mind it when most people do it, those I consider myself close to and love dearly. It's actually kind of awesome.

But not everyone! One person who is more of an acquaintance than a friend said, "You know your belly is public property now!" and put her hand on my belly. Um, no. No, it's not. Yes, there is a whole other person inside there, but it's still my body. I found that a very weird thing to say on her part, especially as a woman!

Chris has been gone this week and I am pretty overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to do - mostly because I really, really want to make progress on my dissertation so I tend to get frustrated when house/financial/etc stuff has to take precedence. Chris does so much about taking those things off my plate when he is home, I'm grateful for him!

I've let some of my daily yoga practice slide this week, because I am walking the dog now, so I am getting in over 10k steps a day. But I definitely need to fit in 10-15 minutes of stretching even during these busy days.

So, otherwise, things are going well. Enjoying my new car, eating well, sleeping well (sorry Chris- but I do sleep so much better when you are gone... this pregnant lady needs to stretch wayyyyy out!), and getting stuff done overall.

Just a little check in, hope your week is going well, everyone <3

Great Weekend in the Woods!

It was time for the annual Cabinfest this past weekend! I almost didn't go, because it's a big party and obviously I'm not going to be drinking, and it's loud so not really conducive to the amount of sleep I need, stuff like that. But in the end, my friends convinced me to go and I ended up with a private room in one of the cabins far away from the music so that I could sleep when I wanted to!

Turned out, the extroverted part of me doesn't need to have a drink in order to party pretty hard! I stayed up until 330 in the morning both nights, and slept in and got plenty of sleep the next day- it was awesome. I got so energize just by talking to people and listening to the music that I didn't get sleepy. I'm so glad I went - last Cabinfest without kids!

I got to go swimming:

Enjoy the woods with friends:

See lots of great music: 

And enjoy a BBQ with my husband:

Party with my dragon: 

And sleep in an awesome cabin:

Successful weekend! I'm glad I didn't shy away from it just because I'm pregnant. I want to keep doing this kind of stuff with my kids, it's going to be different, of course, but it's a part of my life that I love.

But this week is a focus on healthy, nutritious foods (because I had quite a bit of junk over the weekend) and lots of sleep (I got a full seven hours the first night, but only five hours the next night because we had to leave early to pick up our dog).

Oh! And Chris assembled the crib before we left for the weekend:

I love it!!

<3

One down

One problem solved:

And now just hoping I can start whittling down the problem list - instead of adding to it!!

Tonight I'm visiting my friends and their new baby. Obviously I'm pretty excited! I still sometimes can't believe I'll have a little one in three months.

Just a quick check in - also a little photo proof of how I'm looking at 6 months pregnant :)

Namaste <3