Monday Musings

Source: zengirlinthecity.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

Babymoon in San Diego – Part 1

Going back to work last week after getting back from an amazing 5 1/2 days in San Diego was SO hard.  I’m still trying to adjust and I have a short week again!  Luckily the weather today was about 10 degrees less than what it was in Cali, so I could pretend during my lunch break I wasn’t back in MA.

We debated about when exactly in February we would go on our babymoon, and I’m very glad we picked the week we did.  This was mostly because my bump was not huge yet (it was getting a little hard to keep bending down to grab snacks out of my purse underneath the seat in front of me on the plane), and I also had not been feeling much aches or pains yet in my pregnancy.  I still had a lot of energy and I was able to keep up with all the walking we did until the very last day. 

Starting off, the non-stop flight there from Boston was long and not very comfortable.  It was a little under 6 hours, and I’ve done much longer flights than that, but usually I can fall asleep which helps pass the time.  With this flight, that just was not happening.  We did splurge on extra leg room seats on Jet Blue, but it didn’t help much.  I wish they would offer 2 seater rows instead of 3 seats as an upgrade instead, but I’m guessing the price for those would be outrageous.  I had a mini inflatable pillow for my back, so that did help me from getting sore.  The worst part of the flight was as we got close to landing, the turbulence was awful.  I was clutching the arms of the seat and trying to breathe deeply since it was stressing me out, but that was not fun. 

Once we were on land, I felt fine; I had no swelling and didn’t feel dehydrated – I was just HUNGRY!  I had plenty of snacks during the flight (I was prepared with trail mix, Goldfish and fruit snacks) but I definitely needed dinner ASAP.  It was about 7:30 PST once we  checked into the hotel, which meant it was late “our” time.  After quickly dropping off our bags in the room, we headed out to find something quick to eat.  We drove around the city a bit and eventually ended up in the Gaslamp Quarter.  I had heard from many people this was a must-neighborhood to check out, so it was cool to see it the first night we were there.  The Gaslamp Quarter has a ton to offer – lots of restaurants, plenty of shops and even saw a couple nightclubs.  We ended up eating at a Mexican restaurant that reminded me of Margarita’s – it was like a chain and nothing really special but at least the food was good. 

The next morning we decided to wake up early and head to the zoo, hoping that it would be less busy on Thursday instead of on the weekend.  Since I was still on Boston time, I ended up waking up around 5:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I decided to grab Hubby’s iPad and chill on the patio for awhile.  Good thing I did this, because I saw the sun rise and would eventually complete one of my goals later on for watching the sun rise and set in the same day :) 

marina view from our room, sunrise

Speaking of our patio, the hotel room we had was great.  It was a 2 room suite, with an almost full kitchen (stovetop), a large dressing room/closet area, a huge bathroom, and a separate bedroom from the living area.  We ended up with 2 queens since they only have one of these suites with a king, but it wasn’t a huge deal.  The decor was very tropical and the entire resort reminded me of St. Lucia – or I guess it would be like Hawaii but I’ve never been there before. 

We stayed at the Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn & Suites on Shelter Island, and the overall experience was very good.  It was in the perfect location – only 7 minutes from the airport but definitely far away that you couldn’t hear any noise.  It was also in a great central location, since everywhere we went was only about 10 minutes away with the exception of La Jolla and also the outlets near the international border.  Beds were comfy, room was always clean (though they did come really late around 6pm one night), and the front desk staff were very friendly.  Considering the cost of the room and how nice the hotel was (I’d say it was about a 3.5-4 star rating), we were pretty impressed and happy with our decision, especially since I mainly relied on TripAdvisor ratings for it.  We did not end up checking out the restaurant on the property since the menu wasn’t that big and I wasn’t in the mood for what they had to offer.  There also was a heated pool and jacuzzi, but we did not end up using them (obviously I wouldn’t have baked Baby C in the jacuzzi).  I had one bathing suit that fit me by the time we left, but we were just never in the mood to go swimming, especially since we would get back later at night.

Next post I will share some cute pictures from the zoo :)

23 Weeks

Last Friday I had a follow-up ultrasound to check on Baby C’s stomach and kidneys.  The ultrasound tech told me to eat about an hour before, so I made sure to have a HUGE lunch.  And then I was snacking on trail mix right on my drive over to the office.  Luckily she was able to see his black stomach bubble right away and everything else looks good.  She did some more measurements and the computer figured that he’s about 1.4 pounds and measuring right on target.  I’m actually measuring 2 days early, so let’s hope it stays that way :)  Definitely would not mind delivering a week early or so!

I had to buy a new pillow for my work chair today because Baby C kicks me like crazy if I lean too much forward when I’m sitting.  I’m hoping the pillow will help me slouch down a little.  He is so active now – it’s funny because I wanted to feel his kicks badly a few weeks ago and now that I do every day, I’m wanting him to calm down just a little.  But his kicks make me feel more connected so it’s a good thing.  I usually can feel the movements just when I’m laying down or sitting down for more than a few minutes, but not when standing yet.  Daddy and Auntie were both able to feel them from the outside this past week, too.

How far along?: 23 weeks

Baby is the size of a:  pomegranate

Total weight gain/loss:  +13-15.  Didn’t lose much of the vacation bloat :( 

The Bump: Getting bigger every day.

Symptoms: Hungry.  OMG so hungry all the time.  Also, I have an overall sense of just feeling big…I’m tired at doing little things and bending over to pick stuff up is an effort.

Food Cravings:  Sweets and chips.  I resisted the urge to buy a box of Mike & Ike’s today.

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nothing.

Sleep: Ehhh not too great this week because of pain in both hips, which is annoying especially since it doesn’t matter what side I sleep on.

What I miss:  Blueberry beer…Hubby bought a 6 pack this week and it makes me sad. 

Weddings Rings On or Off: On

Any Names Picked Out Yet:  We have 4 maybes, but no final decision yet.  That is HUGE progress for us, though!

Movement: I feel something every day now.  Milestones of Hubby and Sista feeling kicks. 

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much just maternity stuff now, though I did wear non-maternity leggings today and they were still comfy as long as I rolled them down a little.

Labor Signs: N/A

Best Moment of the Week: Finding so much nautical stuff at the Christmas Tree Shops for the nursery.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: nothing in particular, I feel like time is going by too fast!

23 Week Pic:

What I wore to work…maternity tunic and leggings from Old Navy, skinny belt from Target:

Nursery Inspiration – Nautical/ Ocean / Navy Blue/ Green Decor Board

I’ve mentioned before that we will be keeping our spare bedroom the same celery green color so that way we won’t have to paint again.  Since we found out Baby C is a boy, we’ll be adding accents of navy blue, white, and maybe a dark brown.  This color scheme easily goes with a nautical/ocean theme, and that’s perfect because I have so much leftover stuff from our wedding in Maine.  Here’s my inspiration board for our green-blue-nautical-ocean nursery:

You can find the links to all the images here at my Pinterest baby board.

I know I want to do a wall decal above the crib, so I found the cute sailboats image on Etsy.  There are a few other decals I’m considering, but that one is probably my favorite right now.  Instead of doing the canvas whale art, we found a really cute decorative tile with a whale image on it in San Diego and got it framed.  I’m just trying to figure out how it will work with all the other art pieces I want to add to the walls :)   Hopefully I’ll finally have some time to DIY this weekend. 

22 Weeks

We are back from our babymoon!  We left last Wednesday and got back early on a red eye this AM.  San Diego was AMAZING.  I can’t believe I haven’t gone out to the West Coast before this trip.  The food was great everywhere we went, everyone was very friendly and laid-back, and the scenery and views from all over the city are gorgeous.  Hubby wants to move there but I would miss the New England seasons too much :)  I’ll do a couple recap posts in the next couple weeks.

Best part of my Valentine’s Day so far?  Seeing my belly move from Baby C’s kicks for the first time.  He was moving like crazy during the entire trip and today while I was posting my pictures on Facebook, he was kicking really hard and I thought Hubby might be able to finally feel them.  He couldn’t feel anything, but we both did see my stomach moving in little ripples.  It was the weirdest but coolest thing I have ever seen. 

How far along?: 22 weeks

Baby is the size of a:  papaya

Total weight gain/loss:  +13-15.  Ugh I can’t believe I weighed myself today after a week of stuffing my face on vacation.  Let’s just hope the extra pounds I gained are from bloating/water retention and I lose a couple.

The Bump: Getting bigger…it was a little hard to bend over to get stuff out of my purse on the plane.

Symptoms: Felt more round ligament pain when we were doing a lot of walking.  It would eventually go away but it was not pleasant to start the morning out with.

Food Cravings:  Nothing in particular, but I noticed I didn’t have a problem finishing everything on my plate when we went out to eat :)   

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: Nothing.

Sleep: It was hard sleeping without my Snoogle on vacation so I had to substitute a regular pillow in between my legs.  Definitely not the same but I managed.

What I miss:  Feeling out of shape from doing simple things…we went to the USS Midway Museum which is basically a huge navy ship that you can explore.  Lots of stairs from going up and down all the decks = an out of breath/waddling preggo.

Weddings Rings On or Off: On

Any Names Picked Out Yet:  Discussed one on vacation after hearing a dad call his little boy it, but I’m not sure how well it would go with our last name.

Movement: So much more movement!  Milestone of seeing Baby C’s kicks from the outside today.

Maternity Clothes: Wore only maternity stuff on vacation…much more comfy and more flattering.

Labor Signs: N/A

Best Moment of the Week: All the fun things we did during our babymoon…we did so much but it was still relaxing.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Time to work on the nursery!

22 Week Pic:

And what I wore to our Valentine’s Day dinner at a local steakhouse – maternity dress and leggings from Motherhood Maternity Outlet, shrug from JCPenney

Recipe Review – Pumpkin Waffles

I know it’s not the “season” for pumpkin, but there was a leftover can in my pantry that was just dying to be used in a yummy recipe.  Luckily this recipe for waffles only asks for a cup of pumpkin puree, so I can save the rest for muffins or cupcakes this week :)

Since we received a waffle maker for Christmas, I’ve been searching for healthy waffle recipes on Pinterest, so this one from Prevention RD came up right away.  Very easy to put together.  Only modifications I made were almond milk instead of buttermilk, and I ran out of wheat pastry flour, so I had to use some regular white flour, as well.  I knew I would be putting some light whipped cream and maple syrup on top after they cooked, so I decided to omit the sugar from the recipe.  Looking back, I probably should have added one packet of Truvia to make the batter just a little sweeter.

These were delicious and good to know they’re not horrible for you since pumpkin is naturally low in fat and also lots of good stuff in it!  The nutritional facts said 240 calories so I’m assuming I was around that even with the modifications I made.  You definitely need something sweet to top off the waffle, though, so indulge in a little syrup :)  This was a 9 out of 10 for sure.

Recipe - Pineapple Orange Smoothie

I’ve always loved smoothies, but lately I’ve been making them more frequently since they’re such an easy way to get in most of the fruits I need to eat for the day.  My newest favorite version?  Pineapple and orange…mmmm!  It’s a great tropical drink and would be a good way to start off the morning. 

Ingredients you will need:

• 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple tidbits (I found a bag at Trader Joe’s)
• 5 frozen slices of banana (if you really like the taste of bananas, you could add more, I only use them to thicken the mixture)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt
• 3 or 4 ice cubes (I ended up using 6 ice cubes because I like my smoothies extra thick)

Blend all ingredients together for about 1 minute until smooth.  Enjoy!  This makes about two 8 oz smoothies.

You could also substitute the pineapple for frozen mango chunks instead – my Trader Joe’s didn’t have the frozen mango last time so I decided to go with pineapple and I’m glad I did!

Love Story

A new blog I have been following is From Mrs. to Mama and she’s featuring a link-up party to share your love story.  I don’t usually do these, but I figured this one would be fun :)

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?  Almost 5 years…3/2/07

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}  We actually lived on the same floor only a few rooms down the hallway from each other my freshman year, but never talked much.  We were acquaintances throughout the rest of my college years and attended a few parties together but did not actually start dating until my senior year.  All I remember is being awake at 3AM on a Saturday and no one else was on AIM (oh yes, AIM!) except for Hubby.  Well needless to say he started talking to me about one of my away message’s that contained a Grey’s Anatomy quote and it started from there :)  We officially became a couple about a month later during the night of the semi-formal.  We slow-danced to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts and that’s been “our” song ever since.

3. If married, how long have you been married?  Two year anniversary coming up on May 15th.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding?  We were married in York Harbor, Maine on a perfectly sunny day.  It was definitely one of the best days of my life, sharing it with our favorite people, and I still can’t believe how fast it went!  About 130 people attended so it was a good, manageable size. 

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!  No, we don’t really do the nickname thing.  Although I have been called Princess before :)

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.  He is willing to bend over backwards and do anything for me.  He is very goal-oriented.  He is a good friend to his guys.

7. Tell us how he proposed?  We were talking a walk on Old Orchard Beach in Maine after dinner, he asked me SEVERAL times if I loved him, and then finally got down on one knee in the sand :)  

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?  Flowers and teddy bear!  Haha I have a few stuffed animals now.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?  Really depends on my mood – I could go either way.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?  Hmmm this is tough since we have done a lot of traveling together already.  We have always wanted to visit every ballpark in America so I would say being able to do that would be awesome!   And eventually visiting Hawaii is on our list, but will probably be pushed off until we are both retired :)

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.  Nothing!   

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?  Nope, we will be spending enough on each other during the babymoon.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.  It is okay to go to bed angry as long as you still kiss each other goodbye in the AM and say “I love you”.  Sometimes it’s better to resolve a fight the next day after you’ve had time to think about things.

14.  Show us a picture of what love means to you.

21 Weeks

So the 20 week ultrasound obviously went well since we found out Baby C is a boy :)  However, I do have to go back in 2 weeks for a follow-up ultrasound since the tech was having a hard time seeing his kidneys and stomach.  She told me it was probably because I did not eat for a few hours prior (which was true, I was starving and my stomach was grumbling the entire time during the scan).  It made me a little worried but my doctor said all my bloodwork has come back normal so I just need to make sure to eat an hour before next time.  At least it will give me an excuse to see my baby boy again!

After our appointment we went to Longhorn’s for dinner and then to Target for a few things.  I did pick up a couple of little boy clothes, but the main reason for going was to get Puff’s with lotion and stock up on Vitamin Water Zero’s.  Yep, I knew Hubby’s cold from last week was finally hitting me Friday night.  Let’s just say being sick normally is bad enough, but being sick when being preggo is ten times worse.  No Nyquil means I have been getting no sleep.  And then having to pee after drinking all this OJ and water plus having a baby pushing on my bladder makes relaxing in bed not fun.  Especially when I sneezed twice in a row, I almost peed myself.  ALMOST.  I’ve been trying to lay low and do absolutely nothing but as of today I’m still only feeling so-so.   

How far along?: 21 weeks

Baby is the size of a:  length of a large banana

Total weight gain/loss:  +10-12 pound range

The Bump: I don’t think I’ve gotten much bigger, but I did notice a couple stretch marks on my tummy are getting longer (ugh they were already there well before I was preggo).  I’m using cocoa butter lotion every morning and then trying out Burt Bee’s Mama Bee’s oil at night to see if it will help with moisturizing.

Symptoms: Nothing new this week other than an itchy belly…just cold symptoms :)

Food Cravings:  Bagels.  English muffins.  Carbs in general.   

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: I made chicken taquitos for the Superbowl and was spreading a layer of refried beans onto each tortilla before adding the chicken mixture.  The smell of the refried beans almost made me puke (I don’t think having the cold helped).  Let’s just say Hubby had to finish that batch.

Sleep: This week it’s been horrible but not really because of Baby C. 

What I miss:  Being able to take meds when you get sick.  And beer. 

Weddings Rings On or Off: On

Any Names Picked Out Yet:  Discussed a few but of course no agreements yet.  We do have some maybe’s, though, which is progress!

Movement: I feel more movement each day but still not constant.

Maternity Clothes: Wearing mostly maternity stuff now.

Labor Signs: N/A

Best Moment of the Week: Finding out Baby C’s sex!!!  Ahhh I’m so excited to have a little guy, I cannot wait!

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Babymoon is coming up!

21 Week Pic:

What I wore to work…can you tell I like polka dots?  Non-maternity button-down from JCPenney’s, black maternity pants from Target, skinny belt from NY&Co

 

Monday Musings – Preggo Thoughts

I’ve noticed quite a few controversial topics after following some other blogs and websites with message boards dedicated to pregnancy and babies.  Some of them being…

• When Should You Tell Your Family You’re Pregnant

I feel like mama-to-be’s are so divided on this subject.  Some are completely firm on not telling anyone until after the first trimester (usually 12 or 13 weeks), since you typically have an ultrasound at that point and can hear the heartbeat.  The percentage of miscarriage also goes down considerably after this milestone marker. 

For me, I wanted to tell my sister, my parents and hubby’s parents right away.  I took my first test on a Tuesday at 4 weeks, took a second test on Saturday and then called my mom a couple hours later.  If I were to have a miscarriage, I knew I would want my family’s support.  We decided to wait to tell our closest friends and the rest of our family after my first appointment at 7 weeks.  We saw Baby C on the ultrasound, heard the heartbeat, and my doctor said everything was looking good so far.  If something were to happen after that, I would rather have my friends know what was happening rather than keeping it a secret.  However, I understand that some people are more private and would rather keep it between them and their partner.  Posting it on Facebook was a different story – we waited until I was about 13 weeks along for that.  I have no regrets on how we handled sharing the news, however I do feel like some of our friends felt we told people too early.  If there’s anything that I’ve learned with this pregnancy, it’s that you always just have to go with your gut instinct and take other people’s “advice” with a grain of salt.

Another controversial topic…

• What Should You Eat When You’re Pregnant

Ugh.  I want to keep this short as this topic frustrates me because people tend to over-share their advice regarding what’s “okay” and what’s not.  I will just say that you should talk with your doctor about the foods you should avoid and foods you should eat in moderation.  My practice has a more of a “eat in moderation” belief, so really the only foods I’ve been avoiding are cold deli meats (I will eat paninis and sandwiches if the meat is warmed up), sushi (luckily I’m not a huge fan anyways), alcohol, soft cheeses like feta and blue cheese, diet soda, and regular coffee (I do drink 10 oz of decaf at work still).  Supposedly there’s lists of tons of foods you “shouldn’t” eat while pregnant – including various fruits, teas, other meats, etc.  Some websites even state you should limit peanut butter or else your baby will have an allergy later on in life.  I’m sticking to the everything is fine in moderation belief – I mean our parents ate all of this stuff and we came out normal, right?  ;)   Again, just trust your gut instinct and talk to your doctor if you’re really that concerned with it – talking with other people will just make you more worried.

Source: getfitorgohome.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

Baby C is a…

BOY!  My mommy instinct was right :)  I just had a hunch from the very beginning that Baby C was a boy and the ultrasound on Friday definitely confirmed this fact.

I am beyond excited to have a little guy come June but I have a feeling I’m going to be in serious trouble with football and video games when he’s older…luckily I’ll only have to deal with one cranky-pants so far today if the Patriots lose :)

Recipe Review – Southwestern Pizza w/Black Beans & Corn

I love making homemade pizza and coming up with new versions, especially if I can somehow make them healthy.  This recipe for Southwestern Pizza was found at The Kitchn and did not disappoint.  Best part – it’s a meatless pizza which fits within one of my goals to find more recipes that are vegetarian so we can swap one in during the week. 

I modified the recipe a little as I knew from prior experience with using chiles in adobe sauce that they are HOT.  And the sauce alone is way too spicy for me.  I used about 1 teaspoon of adobe sauce instead of 1-2 tablespoons that the recipe calls for, and then I mixed the sauce with a couple tablespoons of salsa instead.  It gave just the perfect amount of kick to the pizza.  My favorite part had to be the avocado and sour cream mixture that you add on top after baking…mmmm so creamy. 

This pizza took about 20 minutes to throw together, so it’s a good weeknight meal.  For next time, I would decrease the oven temp down to 425 degrees as I think 450 was a little excessive.  Other than that, no changes need to be made – I think this may be a 10/10 :)