Bump it: 21 Weeks

Hey Everyone! I'm 21 weeks along!

Still feeling good! I had my first prenatal yoga class this past week which was really fun. I practiced yoga pretty regularly my last year in San Diego and was going to a heated vinyasa studio about 3-4 times a week but since I moved I haven't really practiced at all.  Thankfully the prenatal yoga was really relaxed and focused on restorative poses. The class is 90 minutes but the first 20-25 minutes is discussion based and each class focuses on a different subject relating to pregnancy and/or labor. Last week we talked about the pelvic floor. We discussed exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor (kegels etc) and how the pelvic floor changes during the labor and delivery/postpartum periods. We also talked about how your pelvic alignment helps with the baby's positioning later on in pregnancy. It was pretty informative and I learned some helpful things to try. Apparently when resting it's better to stay right on the hip bones and/or leaning forward instead of leaning back, this widens the pelvis and encourages the baby's head to descend at the end of the third trimester. I'm definitely going to try that!

I also spent most of this week finishing my baby registry since my baby shower is officially a month away! My mom and my mother in law are co-hosting my east coast shower when I'm home in May and I am so looking forward to celebrating with everyone!

I chose amazon.com for my registry because I want the majority of the gifts shipped to my house so I won't have to lug huge boxes back on the plane! I do plan to bring an empty bag for all the cute little baby clothes I hope to get!!

Check it out here

I would really appreciate any feedback on things I should add (or things I might not need). We will surely address this subject again as we get later into the summer but for now if my registry has any huge holes please let me know!

Until next time I remain a happy mama to be!

Bump it: 20 Weeks

Hey Everyone! I'm 20 Weeks along!

I'm officially halfway through this pregnancy!!!

Stil no movement yet (I think). There are times where I think I'm feeling little flutters or "something" that I don't think is me (I don't know, maybe it's gas lol) but still no real kicks for this little guy.

Oh by the way, we had our level 2 ultrasound and we're having.....

A BOY!!!!!!!

It's for sure now even though I wasn't very surprised by the news; I had a feeling from the beginning that we were playing for team blue! Now I keep visualizing how cute he'll be and how much fun it will be to raise a son. It's also the perfect reason to start buying up little cute boy clothes!!

I'm still feeling good even though my breath support for clarinet playing is getting worse every week. I have a big concert coming up in May and after that I'll be able to dial back my playing for a bit which will be somewhat of a relief for me. I'll be out of town for about a week too (back east to visit family, see my sister-in-law graduate and have my baby shower!!!!) and after that I'm going to dive into full on nursery set up mode!

I can't believe this journey is already half over, I can't wait to get to September so I can meet my baby but I also want to savor every moment now while Kyle and I are just husband and wife and not mommy and daddy!

Until next time I remain a happy mamma to be!

Bump it: 19 Weeks

Hey Everyone! I'm 19 Weeks along!

I'm wearing my running technical shirt from my second half marathon, the Disneyland Tinkerbell 1/2 marathon, to show support for the people of Boston. As a New Englander I was touched in a special way by the terrible events of that week. I do know several people who live in Boston as well as a few friends who were actually participating in the race. No one I am close to was hurt but I do have friends that have loved ones who were among those injured in the bombings. 

As a runner I feel particularly sad about the fate of those severely injured. I know on some small degree the amount of time, sweat, endurance and just plain insanity it takes to train for a race; and I have never run a marathon distance, or come even close to qualifying for an elite race like Boston. It did warm my heart however, when I saw the press photos of runners who crossed the finish line and continued straight to Mass Gen to offer blood donation for the victims. The strength and endurance of the city of Boston was awe inspiring, not unlike NYC after 9/11. 

I pray for the wounded and grieving of Boston

I pray for the ER Nurses and Staff Nurses at all the Boston Hospitals who are caring for our wounded

I pray especially for the Nurses of the second bomber, that they provide that young man the highest quality of care, which is probably just close to impossible to do, have strength and faith you guys...

Anyway I'm babbling, but that's why I'm wearing the technical shirt :-)

This week has been pretty good so far pregnancy wise, although I am noticing this week that my lung capacity for playing my clarinet has significantly decreased. For some reason this can change depending on the day and even the time of day that I choose to play. If I practice in the morning I can do OK as long as I take frequent breaks, however if I play towards the afternoon or evening I get really winded after just a few minutes. Initially I was pretty frustrated by this but I have been encouraged and supported by my wonderful husband to relax and accept that my body is changing and I have to "roll with the punches." Ya, easier said than done buddy; but I'm trying...

Prenatal Yoga starts next week! Super excited!!!

Have a good week everyone

Until next time I remain a happy mama to be!!

Bump it: 18 Weeks

Hey Everyone! I'm 18 weeks along!

Mo' baby belly!!!

My baby belly continues to get bigger with each passing day. It has come to the point where I am only comfortable sleeping at night when I have my body pillow tucked under my head and legs for support. I am still having really vivid dreams; I don't know if I have mentioned my recurring dream about the dancing mug of beer? It dances around just like those cartoon soda cups and popcorn buckets used to dance during the opening credits of movies; it keeps spilling beer out of it's top and I get very distressed because the delicious beer is being spilt. Any dream analysts know what that's about? (haha)

 Still no movement yet which is a bummer but I know it will happen eventually. I just am so looking forward to some sort of physical sign that my baby is in there and is doing ok just for my own reassurance you know?

I have continued to run and do my workouts.

Workouts for week 18

Monday - Zumba
Tuesday - Prenatal Pilates
Wednesday - 2.5 mile run
Thursday - Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout
Friday - OFF

Not much else to report here

Until next time I remain a happy mama to be!

Interesting Points: Water vs. Coke

Since I became prego I confess I have indulged in soda more than I used to (mostly because when we go out to eat I can't get a beer or a cocktail). I have, however, been very diligent about making sure I drink my 64oz of water a day. Below is an interesting article about the differences between the two, read on.....

Very interesting indeed! Water or Coke? We all know that water is important but I’ve never seen it written down like this before.

WATER

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 30%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water or coke?

**taken off of Facebook but I don't know who to credit with the actual article** 

Bump it: 17 Weeks

Hey Everyone! I'm 17 Weeks along!

I'm getting bigger every week! The other day I was at the gym in my neighborhood running on the treadmill and I looked over at the floor to ceiling mirrors and I thought to myself; wow I really look like a running pregnant lady! I'm still feeling good although lately I have been sleeping pretty late into the morning. I have gotten a lot of sage advise from a lot of mothers that I should relish this time to relax and sleep because after the baby comes sleep will be nothing but a distance memory! 

I have started running indoors on the treadmill when I do longer distances because I need to stop frequently (about every 1.5 miles) to pee. Today I went 2.25 miles without needing to stop to pee and I felt so accomplished!!! I'm still doing alternating days of Zumba, Pilates, Strength training and Running and I think that has a lot to do with how good i've been feeling. My scale at home says my weight gain is only about 8lbs so far and i'm feeling good about that! 

My new favorite food: Veggie Wraps

This is my go to lunch sandwich; it takes so good and gives me a huge serving of fresh veggies which is awesome. I love sandwiches and not being able to make my go-to turkey avocado sandwiches has been pretty difficult. But they say necessity is the mother of invention right? So it was necessary for me to create a delicious sandwich I could eat so I invented (well just made I guess I didn't really invent anything lol) this sandwich!

Ingredients:  

Whole Wheat Burrito Tortilla

lg scoop roasted red pepper hummus

Avocado Slices

Cucumber Slices

Tomato Slices

Sprinkling Feta Cheese

Banana Peppers

lg handful of Baby Spinach 

Roll up and enjoy!! Yum just typing this makes me want to go make one and EAT IT!!!

Until Next time I remain a happy Mama to be!