Yoga Baby 2; 36 Weeks

So... I sorta stopped taking bump photos. I didn't mean to, but it got cold outside, and those little black tank tops were getting too tight (they're mostly size small and I have not felt like going to buy a bigger one). Today baby and I are 36 weeks. It's less than a month to her estimated due date and quite a few things have changed in the last 8 weeks.

Cravings: Yes! Though I don't have a lot of room in my stomach, I have had the same type of "cravings" I had with my first - mostly for sweets, and always after the thought has been planted by some external source - like the Great British Baking Show. I texted my husband and asked if he could stop at the grocery store and pick out a Danish for me... because it was Danish week. Then last night we watched some youtube video of a guy on Tasty trying to hide pickled vegetables inside brownies. Even though I maintain that does not sound good - I immediately made a batch of brownies.

Aversions: Getting better. I'm still not really interested in red meat, but I have been drinking lattes some mornings, which makes me happy.

Nausea: No nausea. Dizziness is back with a vengeance though - always when changing levels (sit to stand, lay down, etc) It started when I had a cold about a week and a half ago and just hasn't let up. Trying to move slowly, and I always brace myself because I'm pretty used to it by now.

Gender: Girl.

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)

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...

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...

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.

yoga baby; 40 weeks

Week 40

Whelp, we made it. Today is Thor's "due date". The Universe decided we would do the full 40 and maybe a little extra, so here we are...

Here's what's happening with me and the little guy...

Cravings: No cravings. I get hungry and so I snack on whatever's around and then I don't want meals because I'm full of snacks.

Aversions: Just don't ask me what I want to eat after I've had a snack. The answer is nothing. 

Energy:  Sometimes my energy is actually really good, but don't expect me to want to stay up past 9pm.

yoga baby; 38 weeks

Week 38

We are full term. Now the waiting begins...

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Same old same old. Mac, peppermint/chocolate things, lemonade, french fries. I don't always want them. but if presented with them, I will eat them without fail.

Aversions: I've been better about this. Luckily hubs does most of the cooking, but I've started frozen meal prep, so I can't say I'm averse to cooking. ;)

Energy:  Everything is exhausting. 

a shower for thor

The weekend before Halloween some truly wonderful women, whom I've had the pleasure of knowing most of for more than half of my life, threw us and our little man a beautiful shower.

It was a gorgeous day - not Fall-like by any stretch of the imagination.

They had a gorgeous spread of delicious food, including a cake (torta, actually) made by my mama, an adorable onesie decorating station, and a fun game so folks could guess how big I am - thanks to everyone who cut shorter strings ;) - and everyone played bingo while hubs and I opened presents.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the afternoon.

yoga baby; 36 weeks

Week 36

Wednesday marked one month to D-day. That was utterly terrifying, but also wonderful. I'm desperate to snuggle this little guy in my arms instead of inside my belly. 

As of today, we have just about 4 weeks to go. It feels like a waiting game now... a waiting game in which I stress about everything that still needs to get done!

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: No cravings. I have noticed I eat a lot of peppermint flavored things and mac and cheese. I don't outright crave them though. They just happen to be available and I like them better than other things. . 

Aversions: I still am not into cooking. 

Energy:  Waning. I'm not as sleepy as I was in the first trimester, but I sure do get winded quickly.

yoga baby; maternity photos

Earlier this week, I met up with a friend of mine at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks for a little sunset maternity shoot.

I'm not gonna say much else other than that. I am so happy with these photos. Have a look!

yoga baby; 34 weeks

Week 34

With just about 6 weeks to go, I am already feeling huge, but taking my weekly pictures has been a shock. 

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: All I want are carbs and sweets. I still don't crave specific things - except I NEEDED to make these cookies last week (and I did). 

Aversions: Cooking. Haha, oh, that's not an aversion, that's just laziness. I have been better about eating vegetables though. Hoorah!

Energy:  I've been napping almost every day. On weekends I'll nap for an hour +. Weekdays they're shorter and usually just a little pre-bedtime shut-eye. BUT I did have a really great workout on Monday. I wrote about it a little bit in my weekly workout recap, but I started dance central spotlight with such lightness! It was such a nice change from my new norm of lumbering around. 

yoga baby; 32 weeks

Week 32

Last Sunday was the 5th, exactly 2 months from Thor's EDD. From here on out, it's looking like *less than two months to go! *fingers crossed*

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I have been eating a lot of bagels for breakfast lately. I actually really wanted an onion or everything bagel, but I always opted for something more mellow because I didn't want to smell like onion all day, but this week I gave in and got an everything bagel... and it was glorious. 

I also wanted to briefly mention second breakfast because it's real. Every week day around 10:30/11, I get the munchies. 

Aversions: Vegetables. Not in a real aversion kind of way, I am just really not excited about eating them most times, which is weird because I usually love veggies. 

Energy:  Depends on the day. Usually I'm pretty good, but some days - especially in the heat we've been having - I could nap every day and be happy. 

Summer in October; The Pregnancy Clothing Chronicles

Am I actually writing a blog post about this?

I think I am... even though the weather is cooling down (now). I'm also not including any pictures in this post because there is nothing glamorous about complaining about how your clothes fit.

Last Sunday, after spending the better part of the day in yoga clothes - having taught at 830am and then taken yoga at 1pm - I got out of the shower around 5pm so hubs and I could make our one outing of the day together; a quick run to Target for a new video game.

I showered before he did. I always do when we are planning to go out because it takes the length of one husband shower for me to get my face on. Usually that works out perfectly.

Usually was not this past Sunday.

This past Sunday I got out of the shower and started looking through my clean clothes for something light and flattering to wear into the 100 degree heat. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND????

Nothing.

I found nothing that fit all of these criteria; clean, light, and flattering.

Maybe I just needed to do laundry? Yes, that's possible.

but I think I know what else you're thinking - "you're pregnant, Alyssa, get over your definition of flattering", but it's actually not that hard for me to find flattering things... usually (by my standards anyway). I kind of love my shape right now. When adorned appropriately, pregnant bellies are downright adorable and I'm proud to have one.
The trouble was finding things that were flattering and didn't also make me feel like I was wearing wool - because when its 100 degrees outside and you're pregnant, everything is itchy and hot.

I dug around and found a pair of clean, black maternity shorts with an itchy belly band that I can't fold down anymore because my son is too large and won't tolerate that kind of discomfort/tightness around the lower abdomen any longer, and a tank top that I only kind of like when I'm not pregnant, but was one of the few shirts in my closet that was long enough and could be easily paired with the shorts.

I was not comfortable. I was sweaty and itchy and all I wanted was to turn around, go back home and put on my pjs.

The next best option was to use this time at Target to buy things that looked large and comfortable... which is exactly what I did. I bought myself three super soft cottony things - a GOM nighty (on sale, woot!), this lattice back dress in black, and a really long cozy tshirt.

I wore them all within the next 48 hours, and today it is 20 degrees cooler than last weekend, so I may never need to wear them again. *face palm*

yoga baby; 30 weeks

Do I look bigger on odd numbered weeks?????

Week 30

Only 10 weeks to go... even more exciting and terrifying.

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Grapes, mostly. Not very interesting. I did really want In N Out earlier this week. Didn't manage to get over there though. Sad.

Aversions: I have a love hate relationship with food right now. I always want to eat, but I am always always feeling completely stuffed. So, I'm averse to everything and nothing.

Energy:  Comes and goes.

Missing: I'm kinda over missing things. Same stuff though - clothes that fit and are comfortable, fitting in small spaces, all the foods I'm not supposed to eat, all the drinks I'm not supposed to drink, etc.

Movement: My favorite thing right now is when I first get into bed and am laying on my side and part of my belly is resting on the bed. He stomps/punches into the mattress like "what is this? get it out of the way!" out of frustration. It makes me laugh every time.
He's big enough now that he can "kick" both sides of my belly at the same time, which is cool and scary.

Feeling: Achy, but generally good. I am always thirsty. Always always always. I can have a full glass of ice water and I'm thinking about when I need to get up for more. Weirdly, this does not make me have to pee more, which makes me think I may be really dehydrated, BUT you wouldn't think that if you saw how much water I drink.

Wearing: Tunic tops and leggings, maxi dresses, shorts. None of my old clothes. Well, almost done of my old clothes. I wake up in the morning, stare at my closet and say aloud "I hate clothes".

Yoga: Still one of my favorite parts of every week. I love that I can feel strong, like I'm getting a good workout and not hurting my joints or feeling like I need to support my belly. I have been taking major advantage of being able to get upside down as often as possible - especially since I'm carrying so low, it gets really uncomfortable sometimes. Inversions help move him up and out of my pelvis, so I can relax.

Can't Live Without:  Still my body pillow and ice water. I've started propping up pillows on the couch/floor/bed so I can lay on my stomach without actually laying on my stomach.

Getting Ready? The baby's room is furnished! Last weekend my mom was going to come over and me put up the decals I got on Etsy, but the weekend got away from us. On Sunday night I did manage to lay it all out flat so the edges won't curl up.
OH! I almost forgot and am adding this after hitting *publish* - I started putting up the decals last night. I'm a little worried about where some of the pieces are going to fit. The room is not very big, but I'm confident we'll figure it out.
I haven't been buying much because I don't know what we'll get at the shower. Once I see what we don't need, I'll probly go on a bit of a shopping spree.

I did start to work on an emergency kit in the last few days. We're gonna keep it in the baby's room because in the event of an emergency, that's likely the first place we'll go. I'll tell you about it next week. ;)

yoga baby; 28 weeks

Week 28

SEVEN MONTHS! 3rd trimester, yo! Sheesh, how fast this is all going! So exciting and completely terrifying!

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Cake. I made a chocolate bundt cake after my last post, and for the entire following week I still wanted more cake.

Aversions: Not any one thing or things in particular. Sometimes I just have zero appetite for real healthy food. I'll think to myself how I'm not hungry and food sounds terrible, but 10 seconds later I'll be on the couch with a popsicle.

Energy:  Major energy drop these last two weeks. I crash hard in the afternoons. Sometimes my energy is never that good to begin with. I pretty much feel like I could sleep all day every day.

Missing: Mostly the above. Energy. I was talking to a fellow pregnant friend about what workouts we used to do pre-pregnancy, and it really got me missing my tough workouts. I miss being able to challenge myself. I miss being better at things. Ha. I know that sounds terrible, but I really miss feeling strong.

yoga baby; 26 weeks

 Week 26

It only took six and a half months, but look at that, an actual bump. Haha. We had a growth spurt this week. That's more that a couple cheeseburgers.
It's been a busy week...

Lots happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: I'm just constantly hungry. Even when I'm full I'm thinking about what I'll eat next. I've been wanting some cake or donuts or similar lately. Haven't gotten around to that. Maybe that's why I still want it.

Aversions: No outright aversions. I just get home from work, look in the full fridge and think how I am really hungry, but not in the mood for any of what's in there.

Energy:  I feel fine, but I wipe out quickly. I get a lot of second winds - if you can even call them that. I'll work on a project for a while, tire out or get bored, and then get back up and on it again with equal or even more vigor.

Missing: Fitting in small spaces - like between my car and the closed garage door. I also miss my pants. Hahaha. Good thing it's too hot for pants anyway. I'm pretty excited to wear shirts with sleeves again when it cools down.