Yoga Baby 2; 28 Weeks

Not much has changed pregnancy wise since my last post, but plenty has been going on...

Cravings: I actually don't have much of an appetite most of the time. I'll eat, but I think I've reached the point where I get full very quickly and don't find myself getting very hungry.

Aversions: Just the coffee thing. I've been able to have them out and about - I especially like having coffee at my parents' house, but its a major no-go at home.

Nausea: No nausea. Had another instance of lightheadedness the other day. I was worried I might pass out, so I skipped class that day - didn't want to be so far from home again if I did end up passing out.

Gender: Girl.

Yoga Baby 2: 26 Weeks

14 weeks to go! That seems far too long. Not much has changed since my last update

Cravings: Haven't really had them lately.

Aversions: Can someone explain this to me? I don't want coffee at my house. I can have lattes elsewhere, made at coffee shops, even at my mom's house, but not at home. Just no. Weirdest aversion ever.

Nausea: No nausea. I have a really strong gag reflex lately though. I think that's allergy related, not pregnancy related though.

Gender: Baby girl.

Yoga Baby 2; 24 Weeks

I need to figure out a better camera set up for my weekly photos. This quality is shoddy.

I am officially 6 months pregnant, and this is how things are going...

Cravings: Haven't really had them lately.

Aversions: Been feeling better about chicken and steak. I still don't get excited about coffee in the mornings, but I'm not really missing it, so no complaints there.

Nausea: Still free from nausea

Gender: Still a girl.

Yoga Baby 2; 22 Weeks

We appear to have had a bit of a growth spurt this week. 

Cravings: Still really into burritos. They are definitely my go to for most lunches lately.

Aversions: I've had a couple lattes here and there, but in general the thought of coffee makes me cringe. I still can't really eat chicken and steak unless their mixed into and hidden in something else.

Nausea: No nausea. Just short of breath all the time and lightheaded at least once a day (see last baby bump update re: fainting)

Just For Fun; Gender Prediction Wivestales

I found about a bajillion new wivestales to test out to predict this baby's sex. I just found out the sex of the baby this morning, but I thought it would be fun to test some of these wives tales:

• Carrying high or low? High means girl, low means boy. I'm carrying a tad higher than last time, but still pretty low. So, BOY

• Mayan Numbers - The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception.  If the result is a even number then baby is a girl, if its odd, you're having a boy. 33 + 2018 = 2051 = BOY

• Acne - If you have pregnancy acne, it means its a girl. I had some kinda gnarly acne in the first trimester, but it's since cleared up. I don't know if that's because I'm taking better care of my skin, or because of hormones, but let's say it's the former: GIRL

• Cravings - Salty cravings means boy, sweet means girl. The only thing I've "craved" so far have been tacos and peanut butter toast, so I guess BOY

• History of Parents Kids -  This one makes me laugh. It basically predicts there is no way we're having a boy. Haha. If you're the first child, you'll have the same sex babies that your mother had, starting with the second child. If you're the second child, you'll have the same sex babies your mother had, starting with the third child, and if you're a third child, you'll have the same sex babies in the same order. SO, my mom had three girls. Girl. Girl. Girl. GIRL. 

• Cold Feet - If your feet are cold, you're having a boy. If not, girl. It's the dead of summer in Los Angeles. GIRL. 

• Chinese gender prediction chart – age 33 in the month of May = GIRL

• Ramzi method – baby/placenta formed on right side = BOY

• Baby's heartrate – over 140 means girl, under 140 means boy. 164 at my 8 wk appt, 150 at my 19 week appt = GIRL

• Sickness – morning sickness means girl, not a lot of sickness means boy. I had none with my son, but got pretty sick this time around = GIRL

• Partner weight gain – Partner weight gain means girl. Mine is actually trying to lose weight at the moment and has done so successfully. BOY

• Headaches – headaches mean boy. No headaches means girl. I actually got a migraine and regular headaches with my son, and basically had a 2 month long headache this time – BOY

• Clumsiness – extra clumsiness means boy, no additional clumsiness means girl. I’m generally kind of clumsy, so I haven’t noticed any extra = GIRL

• Previous child’s hair swirl – if their hair swirls to the right (clockwise), it means girl, counterclockwise means boy. My son’s hair swirls clockwise – GIRL

• Nail growth – Nails growing longer, stronger and faster means boy. So, boy, but don’t prenatal vitamins do this??? BOY

BOY: 7 

GIRL: 8

Split pretty evenly down the middle, with a slight favor that this kiddo is a girl. What do you think???

Check the gram for a post soon to announce the sex of the baby!

Yoga Baby 2; 20 weeks

HALFWAY! There is something so exciting about reaching the halfway point. It makes February feel so close!
As I am putting the finishing touches on this post, I am on my way home from our anniversary trip/babymoon to Miami. Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. 💓

Also, kind of a big deal, but not too big a deal because everything is fine thus far, but dude... I freaking FAINTED. According to my doctor and Dr Internet, this is relatively normal and has to do with having lowish blood pressure during pregnancy.  I walk around not pregnant with blood pressure on the low end of normal, but now that I am pregnant, it is on the low end of low normal. So, basically every other time I stand up, I get dizzy. The fainting episode was different. I was sitting in class last Tuesday and I started to feel funny - like I needed to focus intently on breathing, so after a moment or two, I thought it would be helpful to get some fresh air. I got up and slowly walked to the back of the room toward the door. I have a vague recollection of reaching for the door handle, and then I was waking up on the floor. It was so incredibly surreal. I haven't fainted since I was a teenager. The rest of class was cancelled and the ambulance and fire department came. They checked my seated pulse and heart rate, then again standing - offered to take me to the hospital, but said that if I wanted my husband to take me instead, they thought I was well enough that they were confident that would be fine. So, I did. Hubby got an Uber out to school so he could drive my car and me back to my doctor. Baby and I got checked out and everything is A-OK. (He/she is dancing up a storm as I type this). I have a nasty bruise on my hip from hitting a chair on my way down, but other than that, everything is fine. Sure was scary though.

Yoga Baby 2, Week 18

I feel like the last couple of weeks have just been crawling along at a snail's pace!

Cravings: None lately. I've been super into chips and guacamole, but I wouldn't call it a craving necessarily. Chips and guac are sort of on par with how I felt about steak fries in my first pregnancy. If they are available, I would like to eat them. If they are not available, it would be cool if we could make them available. I also frequently see or hear of things and I have a "SQUIRELL" moment, and I want that thing. So, I saw an insta-story the other day of someone making ice cream. I obviously had to make ice cream.

Aversions: Coffee, meat products, and chocolate. Same same. Hubby made ribs. He makes great ribs, even when he's not confident about them, but I was just not into it. I will usually fill my plate. I ate 2, and I had to take bites of potato salad in between to break up the heavy feeling meat.

Nausea: Seems to be gone. *knock on wood*

Gender: We'll find out probably within the next two weeks. For now, it is still a mystery. Woooooo.

Name: I think we've settled on names for either a boy or a girl, but we won't be sharing until baby is born.

Energy: Comes and goes. I think it's pretty par for the course to have good days and bad days.

Missing: Still sushi, but also poke. I'd also like a tuna or turkey sandwich.

Sleep: Has been generally crap, but I think it's improving. I finally bought a new body pillow, but I just washed the case, so I haven't used it yet.

Maternity clothes? In it to win it. Hahaha. I don't even try to get my regular pants on anymore, and I'm loving all these big flowy hand me down tops my sister gave me. I'm also loving leggings. We went shopping over the weekend to find Tim a new suit, and I was cranky and tired because I was just standing around, wrangling the kiddo while he tried on clothes, but he wanted me there for my opinion. So, we added in some shopping for me - since I've been solidly in "I hate clothes" mode for a few weeks now -  and stopped at the maternity store. I got a new dress, shorts, and black pants to wear to work. I still don't feel like I really fill out maternity clothes, but they are a heck of a lot better than my regular clothes at the moment.

Exercise? Mostly good. I've been keeping up with my goals of 4+ days a week. Sometimes my workouts are shorter and less intense than I would like, but I'm staying active, so I call that a win.

NEW CATEGORY Movement: This one is exciting for me.  With my first, I had an anterior placenta (placenta in the front), so it was really hard for me to feel baby's movements. Until well into the 3rd trimester, I would really old feel him move if he did big, whole body movements, like flipping, but this time my placenta formed on my right side. So, starting about 3 weeks ago, if I laid very still and sort of focused my energy on baby, I could feel little flutters.  And last week, I stopped having to look for the kicks, because I could feel them throughout the day. It has been amazing, and so so exciting since I feel like I didn't really get to experience this the first time around.

Until next time...

Fit Pregnancy; Week 17

Monday I tried Dancinerate at the gym. It was fine. Haha. Not my cup of tea, but not a bad workout. It was a choreographed dance class, so there were a lot of breaks to learn the next 8-count. It was good to get moving in a way I don't get to much, so all in all, pretty decent workout.

Tuesday was kind of a killer day, so I ended up taking the night off of formal exercise. Between errands, class, dr appts, karate, I was just beat end the end of the day.

Wednesday was a long, exhausting day. I posted on IG about it, but I did find about 20 minutes to get in the Tone It Up Bump It Up Pregnancy Booty & Leg workout.

Thursday was vinyasa flow. It was my last class at Equinox, and actually my first time taking an evening yoga class there. I wanted to use up the rest of the kids club vouchers I'd already paid for. Haha. It was a good class. I did some small modifications - no laying on my stomach, focused on obliques during ab work, and widened my stance for twists and folds.

Friday was a rest day.

Saturday I did a whole bunch of YouTube workouts - the Tone It Up Bump It Up Pregnancy Booty & Leg workout, the TIU Total Body Tone Up, and then Anna Renderer's 20 Minute Full Body Pregnancy Workout. I did feel like I ended up hitting some of the same body parts multiple times, but I most days I have a hard time feeling "done" after only 20 minutes of exercise.

Sunday - 20 moves in 20 minutes. This was really tough. Then followed it up with a popsugar 2nd Trimester Toning Workout. The second one was dumb. She does like 5 moves, each only like 1 time. It was really lame.

Fit Pregnancy; Week 16

It was not my intention to make Monday and Tuesday rest days, but they definitely were. Monday I was not feeling well, and Tuesday was my first day of school(!), so I took my "spare" time in the evening to get myself set up with the class' online portal and do the chapter 1 reading. It's hard to do homework when you're trying to simultaneously feed your 3 year old dinner and block out whatever your husband is watching on TV. I'm going to have to start setting aside designated homework time where I am to be left alone. Oh, the things we take for granted when we are in our 20's and can lock ourselves in our rooms with no interruptions for hours.

Fit Pregnancy; Week 15

Monday I had the day off work! I got a massage and did a little bit of gentle swimming at the pool. A little later I went to Equinox, did 20 mins on the stair climber, and then ran through the Anna Saccone 2nd trimester workout. I did a little extra yoga and stretching, and I added some 3 lb weights to most of the exercises because I felt like they were a little wimpy.

Tuesdays my son goes to karate, so figuring our my workout plan every week is a bit of a challenge. This week, we packed up and went swimming at my parents' house. We swam around for just under an hour. I tried to keep moving as much as possible, instead of just floating around on an inner tube or sitting on the steps. After the kiddo went to bed, I put on my running shoes and went on a little VERY MELLOW jog. I ran about a mile and a half. It was my first jog since May. The first half mile was really hard, but as I ran, I slowed down a bit and it got easier. I got a good stretch afterward, then hopped in the shower and ate a late dinner.

Wednesday I went back to Equinox for another attempt at Firestarter. It was harder this week than last week. I felt sorta crummy for a few days this week, so it probably wasn't the best day to attempt a HIIT workout, but I did all the low impact options. No jumping, unless it felt right (which it actually did at one point, but then I went back to not jumping again). I move at a much slower pace than I used to. I did regular mountain climbers instead of cross body mountain climbers. So, just lots of modifications.

Thursday turned out to be a rest day. I was feeling pretty crummy, so I took some tylenol and took Joey to go swimming with my sister and nephew. I just grabbed an inner tube and enjoyed the weightlessness.

I actually ended up resting Friday and Saturday too. I just wasn't feeling up for much other than lounging about.

Sunday I got up and went to Vinyasa Flow at Equinox. In the beginning it was really hard, and I realized very quickly how much that class focuses on the rectus abdominus (the 6-pack), so I ended up having to modify quite a bit more than I expected. Once I got going though, it felt really great and I was very happy to have had the time on my mat.

Until next week!

Yoga Baby 2; 16 Weeks

Here we are! Week 16! I've started monthly self-care excursions. My first was actually for my birthday, so I couldn't get a massage because I was still in the first trimester, BUT NOW that I'm in the second, I can get my monthly massages and feel oh-so-good. I had a spa day all to myself last week. It was amazing. I swam and read and lounged about and didn't worry about anything at all.

Cravings: I ACTUALLY HAD SOME! The other day I smelled something that reminded me of peanut butter toast, and I stopped and made peanut butter toast right then. Other than that though, I mostly crave water. Haha. I am just really thirsty all the time.

Aversions: Still coffee and meat products. Haha. I actually have a bit of an aversion to chocolate, which is so strange. I even have a couple of pieces of chocolate in my desk and work, and I just am not interested in them.

Nausea: I haven't been nauseous in weeks! Hooray! Keep me in your thoughts I stay this way!

Gender: Don't know yet. I went in at 15 weeks and we tried to see, but babers was sitting crosslegged and the midwife couldn't get a good angle. I'll be scheduling my big fancy pants anatomy scan next month though, so then we will actually know.

Energy: Better! I am still tired and sometimes have bad days, but I definitely am feeling that second trimester energy boost.

Missing: Sushi, runny eggs. I'd like a turkey sandwich from Jimmy Johns.

Sleep: The vivid dreams are back. Sometimes up to three separate, very vivid dreams in one night.

Maternity clothes? Still loving sundresses. Toying with the idea of maternity pants. I bought some at Old Navy. I put them on the other day, but they are legit too big in the front... like maaaaybe I could wear a longish shirt with them to cover up some of the extra fabric, but it just feels awkward right now. I am back in my maternity uniform from my first pregnancy - tank tops and wide band foldover maxi skirts. I'm not as comfortable in it this time around though.

Exercise? As soon as I started to feel better, I started exercising regularly. I set a 4 day-a-week minimum for myself and I've been sticking to it. Most weeks I've been able to do more than 4 days.

Until next time...

Fit Pregnancy; Week 14

Since I think I've managed the ability to workout regularly again, I've decided to go ahead and start posting weekly workout recaps.

Let's start with Monday, eh?

Monday and Tuesday were actually the same exact workout. I did this Tone It Up Bumpin' Body Prenatal workout with Kat and Christina and then followed it up with 2 rounds of Anna Saccone's 2nd Trimester Workout. I am really digging this combination right now. I feel like it's challenging enough without making me feel like I'm overdoing it. Hubby also bought me a Bosu ball, so Monday I did about 50 Bosu squats, and Tuesday I did 30 Bosu lunges (15 on each side) and followed it up for 3 one minute planks. The whole sequence takes about 45 minutes, and I work up a good sweat without feeling like I'm hurting anyone.

Wednesday I went back to Equinox. This has been kind of a big deal for me (and I have actually cancelled my membership as of the end of August) since a) I was struggling to workout at all during the first trimester and b) my purse was stolen from the locker room in early July. So, I cancelled, and less than a week later got a letter that at the end of August they are raising their already high membership rates. ANYWAY, Wednesday I actually went back and took Firestarter. It's a HIIT workout. I modified a ton. A TON. I can't do jumping jacks at the moment. I move relatively slowly to make sure I don't get too short of breath. I'm basically short of breath just sitting down at my desk every day, but I did it. I got a good workout despite the modifications.

Thursday I took my son out for ice cream and took the night off exercise. Hehehe.

Friday I worked out at home. I busted out by current faves - the TIU and Anna Saccone workouts I did on Monday and Tuesday. I am really digging those right now.

Saturday ended up being a rest day also. I'm allowing myself that - two rest days. Considering I went over a month barely working out once or twice a week.

Sunday I took Equinox Barre Burn. I had to take breaks, but generally, it was a good class and I felt like I got a good workout. I'm really trying to get over to EQ as often as possible right now since my membership will be up at the end of the month. After class I treated myself and my kiddo to a smoothie from EarthBar. So delicious, and a great way to replenish after a workout.

Round Two!

Hiya friends! As of today, I am 14 weeks along, and baby is scheduled to make their appearance in early February. These last few months have been a bit of a roller coaster, so without further delay, lets get into this pregnancy update!

The first trimester of this pregnancy was nothing like my first pregnancy. I barely noticed a difference the first time around. Around 7 weeks, I started getting tired and would have the occasional headache. This time around, beginning around 5.5 weeks, I felt bloated, nauseous, generally crappy, so tired I could barely keep my head up all day, and had spotting that scared the heck out of me. Then at about 8.5 weeks I started getting really bad nausea and headaches. I had several days of just being completely confined to the couch or the bed, when even the simplest tasks, like getting up to get a glass of water or empty the dishwasher were just too much. Laundry sat in baskets unfolded in the middle of the living room. So, its been different. I started reading Expecting Better, which hadn't come out yet in 2014. I'm really enjoying it. My sister told me about it when she was pregnant in 2016, but I forgot what it was called until someone mentioned it on the Birth Hour, and I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle.

Here's the typical pregnancy stuff:

Cravings: I'm fresh out of the first trimester. I wouldn't say I have cravings. I would say I have "let's have X for dinner because it is the only thing I think I could tolerate right now" Usually, this means some kind of crunchy food - like hard shell tacos or big crunchy salad.

Aversions: Coffee. My usual morning latte just sounds repulsive at the moment. I was having iced chai in the mornings, mostly enjoying the flavor, but feeling yucky once it hits my stomach. So, I stopped having those. Most animal protein sounds disgusting. I've had a really hard time eating chicken and steak. I have to kind of disguise meat in other things - like (see above) big salads, burrito bowls, soups, etc. Around 10 weeks, my husband made his own parmesan chips. It stunk up the whole house and made me so sick.

Nausea: This comes and goes.Now that I'm clear of the first trimester, I'm *hoping* that means no more (or at least minimal) nausea. For a while there, I was nauseous and had some kind of headache every single day. I didn't throw up much - only once, I think, but we did have to stop the car a few times so I can get my land legs. The excess saliva is no joke. I just feel generally crappy and exhausted basically all the time. And bloated. So so bloated.

Gender: Don't know yet. Won't for a little while. We are going to find out though, so I'll post when we do.

Energy: What's that? I miss my workouts. I'm trying to workout more often, but I'm living my life with pretty much the bare minimum to get by.

Missing: I'd really like some sushi and eggs over easy on toast, and a freaking Jimmy Johns turkey sandwich. I feel like I could eat those things without getting sick.  I have been going a bit easy on myself with the restrictions, as Expecting Better helped lay out the medical evidence for all the things we avoid, but I still haven't taken the plunge on those most missed.

Sleep: Not terrible, but not great either. Falling asleep to begin with is the hard part, and even though the internet says Melatonin is OK to take, I'm not about to go and F with anybody's hormones.

Maternity clothes? Mostly no. I did put on one of my sisters big cozy maternity tops last week, but it didn't look very maternity-ish. I'm still wearing my pants, but I have resorted to the old rubber band trick until I'm ready to go full fledged maternity pants. Sundresses are a huge win at the moment.

Exercise? At the moment, I've been managing to get in about 2 workouts a week -  a steep drop from my usual 6-7, but I am hopeful that I'll work my way back up. I have had a couple of weeks when I managed 4 workouts, so I know that I can do it. I just hope it doesn't totally knock me back into feeling terrible.

I think that's it for now.

Currently; May 2018

Hi friends!!! I'm baaaack! (For now anyway) 

And I'm currently reading...

I went on an audiobook binge in April - I "read" Little Fires Everywhere, Ready Player One, The Language of Flowers, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. They were all good. I enjoyed them tremendously, but the last one had something that the others did not. I can't quite explain it. I'm sure if Eleanor were real and I interacted with her in person I would not like her, but I felt very connected to her as I was reading the book. I started reading Kindred a little while back - actually reading it, not listening to it. I started it back up in Hawaii. Still enjoying it, but its hard to get down time with a little child around. Now that life has calmed down a bit (just a bit), I'd like to get back to it.

Cloth Diapers; Our Hybrid (AI2) System

I started writing this post over a year ago... when my kiddo was still in diapers. Umm... because he's been potty trained since last summer. I even had it mostly written, but then life blew up - as it does - and I left my blog alone for a good long while. Part of me is still surprised sometimes that it's here.

So, here goes, eh?...