Baby Brain

No, I'm not talking about that thing that happens to pregnant women when they suddenly can't remember anything/have instant ADHD.  By the way, that is a real thing, I swear it.  Today I am talking about how I have become an epic freak about everything.

First of all, we are finding out the gender next Wednesday morning!! OMG!  I am sooo anxious for this.  I keep saying I am excited, but actually I just feel the weight of anxiety pinning me down.  Is this normal?  I have always had a pretty high anxiety level, but I feel like I ball of nerves.  I don't know why I am so anxious about this! Ok…I kind of do.  I am terrified that I will have "the wrong" reaction to whatever news we get.  I used to really want one of the genders, but I have completely opened up to both.  But….I still have this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I will somehow be disappointed.  AM I CRAZY?? This is a real question, please tell me I am not alone!

Week 18

Symptoms?

I feel like I have more energy to stay up later, but am still pretty tired in the afternoon.  No new symptoms though, just the same old stuff!

Stretch marks?

No!

Food cravings?

I craved a bagel and cream cheese all week and finally caved and got one on Friday.  It was glorious.  I went to Panera for lunch on Sunday and had a terrible time deciding on something, NOTHING sounded good at all. 

Movement?

I still don't think so. Its really hard to tell though because I have so much going on in that area due to my GI disorder.  I wish I could tell for sure what I am feeling.  

Workouts?

I went to the gym 3 times and walked the dog twice, so I feel pretty good about it.  I sort of beat myself up for not working out on Sunday, but I knew I was getting sick and didn't want to over work my body. 

Gender?

We have an appointment on April 2nd to find out! 

Maternity clothes? 

I'm mostly wearing maternity with a few exceptions.  Please get warm soon, I don't want to have to buy winter clothing!! 

what I miss? 

Cold medication.  Seriously, taking some Nyquil would be awesome.


I'm linking up today with Kristin for Baby Talk!

Weekend Update

This weekend involved some painting, some board games, some yummy food, and this kitty:

We were cat-sitting for our friends while they are in Florida, so we got to hang out with our buddy Mr. Paws, such a sweetie.

Last week, I decided that I finally had had it with our living room.  We painted it last year and the color turned out the be not at all what we wanted.  I didn't take a good before picture, but here is the color it used to be and then some paint samples. 

We went with the darker of the two grays and also patched up some holes in the wall.  I love the way it turned out! Such an improvement.  We also decided that the room was too cluttered and ended up selling our tv stand and coffee table, both of which FLEW out the door on craigslist. 

I can't believe we got the entire room and hallway taken apart, painted, and put back together in one weekend.  I helped as much as I could, but my husband and his brother did most of the work.  Mark worked non-stop from Thursday night through Saturday afternoon.  

We got things put back in place in time for my brother in law and sister in law to come over Saturday night.  We ordered a few pizzas and played board games while watching the NCAA tournament.  It was really fun, but I was definitely wiped out by the end of the day!

I went to church Sunday morning with some Bible Study friends and then out for lunch at Panera.  It was great to catch up with them, but by the end of lunch I started feeling like I was coming down with a cold.  I felt like I just needed to take it easy the rest of the day, so I watched Property Brother on the couch for the rest of the afternoon.  I really hope I don't get more sick!

March BirchBox

I finally got on board with Birchbox a couple of months ago, and I love it!!  I meant to write reviews of my previous boxes, but time just got away from me.  I loved my March box though , lots of great products!

Starting in the top left corner and working clockwise:

Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Body Lotion

I got the shampoo and conditioner from this collection last month and I loved the smell, so I was happy to see this!  I love having small bottles of lotion to take in my purse with me, but I already have a lotion that I really like from Target, so I don't think I'll buy a full bottle of this.

Harvey Prince Cherie Blossom

Yum!! This smells SO good!  I am not a big perfume wearer, but if I do, its Chanel no. 5.  However, this smells so good that I might consider it if it wasn't 55$ for a full size.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle

I really like this product.  A leave-in conditioner is nice for me to have since I try not to shampoo my hair everyday, but still end up showering everyday.  This stuff does not leave your hair with the crunchy feeling that some leave-in conditioners do.  Its not super expensive either, so I will seriously consider ordering more!

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cherry Tango

Getting chocolate in the mail? Yes please!  I love keeping a bar of dark chocolate around for when I need my "sweet fix" after dinner but don't want to have dessert.  I find that eating just one square of high quality chocolate totally satisfies that craving.  I will remember this one for sure.

COOLA Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face

Now THIS is a product I will definitely be purchasing!!  I honestly love this, and it will be the perfect thing to wear on my face this summer.  I hate wearing makeup/powder in the summer time, and this is the perfect compromise.  It feels AWESOME too, its so silky smooth.  I definitely recommend it.

Tea Forte Minteas

Again, getting a sweet treat in the mail is a good thing in my book.  I am enjoying these, but I don't think I'll buy any.  They have a nice flavor, but I prefer mints that are really minty and these are more green tea flavored.

I can't wait to get my April box!  Seriously, I don't know why I waited so long to sign up to get these, super cheap and such a fun little treat!

Favorite Lunch Recipes

I'm back today with more of my favorite recipes from around the web- this time all lunch recipes!  I usually have a hearty salad for lunch with some protein and healthy grains.  Bonus points for added fruits and veggies!  I love to make a big batch of one of these on Sunday afternoon and portion out my lunches for the week.  It saves so much time and energy for someone like me who is always very concerned with what my lunch is going to be!  As you can tell from my selection below, I hardly eat any meat, but I'm sure these would all be great with some grilled chicken or shrimp.  

THIS quinoa salad with apple, chickpeas, toasted almonds & apple cider vinaigrette is TO DIE FOR.  Also, I'm obsessed with apples.

I totally love this salad as well- the lightened up protein power goddess bowl from ohsheglow.com, which you need to go check out because I get tons of recipes from that blog.  I am in love with the tahini dressing!

This is another great lunch salad.  Quinoa with black beans, avocado, and cumin-lime dressing.

This salad is really tasty, but to be honest, sometimes I seriously skip a few steps and just mix cooked quinoa with a jar of salsa and a can of black beans.  It gets the job done.  

Of course, I don't always have time to make something like this.  My usual go-to is cottage cheese with pineapple and a piece of nut butter toast.  Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.

What are some of your go-to lunches??

Week 17

This past week has been great!  The weather is sooo much nicer and I can actually get out and about without dreading going outside.  I'm just praying it stays nice out.  This weekend Mark and I started a baby registry just for some basic stuff.  It may be early, but I'm going nuts trying to keep track of the products that I know I want, so it made sense to just start putting it on a registry. 

Symptoms?

If you go back to my post from last week, you'll notice my belly seems to have shrunk.  I guess it really was just a food baby after all last week.  I feel pretty good this week, I've had more energy, but I get tired in the afternoon if I push it.  My nails are growing like crazy and my hair, oh my gosh.  How can my highlights already be so grown out, I just had them done! (Yes, I'm one of those people who still gets their hair done while pregnant, my doctor assured me that its fine, so thats good enough for me.)

Stretch marks?

Nada.  Last week seems to have been a false alarm.  Only time will tell.

Food cravings?

I still crave sweet things, like my jellybeans, but I did have one fairly intense craving over the weekend for mozzarella sticks.  Kind of embarrassing, but its true.  I have been SUPER healthy most days for 90% of the day, but will indulge in dessert or yes, mozzarella sticks, when the moment hits. 

Movement?

I don't think so.  I'm used to having lots of weird cramping in my abdomen thanks to my lovely colon, so I'm really having a hard time distinguishing between that and the baby.  

Workouts?

I worked out 5 days this week, but I was very active getting other things done on my "rest" days still.  I have been running some, walking some, using the elliptical, and lifting weights.  I taught yoga on Sunday, which was active, but I'm counting it as a rest day because I didn't demonstrate that much.  To be honest, teaching is getting a bit tricky.  A lot of poses don't feel right at all so I have to skip those. 

Gender?

We have an appointment on April 2nd to find out!  Anyone find any of the old wives tales to be true??

Maternity clothes? 

I'm mostly wearing maternity with a few exceptions.  I just hope it gets warm quickly this spring so I don't need to buy any long sleeved stuff.  I have a few already and I don't want to buy more!  Even though I have a ton of clothes from when I bought my co-worker's old stuff, I still browse Zulily.com and I bought I cute summer top from there this week.  I don't really NEED anything, but its so fun to look. 

what I miss? 

Not too much.  It was St. Paddy's Day weekend and I thought I would miss my favorite Irish beverages, Harp and Bulmers Cider, but I really didn't.  I had the BEST prenatal massage this week, and although it was sooo great, I missed being able to lay on my belly.  Very small complaints though.


I'm linking up today with Kristin for Baby Talk!

Homemade Rye Bread

My mother in law makes all of her own bread from scratch always sends us home with at least one loaf of rye bread.  We usually savor it until its gone and then wait it out until the next loaf comes our way, but after finishing off a loaf about 2 weeks ago, I decided that I'd try out her recipe and see if I could make something similar.  

The bread tastes so good, it is perfectly sweet and yeasty.  I didn't get mine to rise properly, as seen in the photo above, but it still tastes great and toasts really well.  I will allow more time for it to rise next time, and I think I'll try using the kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook.  Also, I'm planning to add more rye flour to my next batch because usually her loafs are much darker in color and have a strong rye flavor.  Suggestions welcome.  My MIL is going to bake some with me next time we go to visit, so I don't want to completely embarrass myself!  Here is her recipe (passed down from her grandmother) that I followed:

Mix and let stand together for 10 minutes

1/2 c. water

2 pkg yeast

1 T sugar

In large bowl mix:

1 1/2 c. warm milk

1 T salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

Add (I warm this all in the microwave):

1/2 c. melted butter

2 T. molasses (I used Plantation blackstrap)

2 T Dark Karo Syrup

Add Yeast mixture, 1 cup rye flour and 1 cup of white flour.

I beat with a mixer for a few minutes. 

If mixture is too thin, add more flour 1 cup at a time. 

Recipe calls for 6 c of white flour, but I usually don't use it all. 

Continue adding flour until soft dough and kneed till elastic and smooth.

 Place in a warm place to raise to double in size. Knead down, raise again. Then put in bread pans, smoothing out the dough. Let raise in bread pans.  Bake 350 degrees for one hour.

This dough made 2 loafs this size.  

Week 16

I know I keep saying this, but I just can't believe how fast this is going.  The snow outside is starting to melt (!!!!!!) which makes it feel like summer is just around the corner!  I had a doctors appointment last week and he said everything looks great.  I had a couple questions (related to labor/delivery with my Interstim implant, which has never been studied in a pregnant woman) that he wasn't really able to answer though, so I'll keep asking each doctor I see.  

Symptoms?

Mostly back pain and headaches.  I have noticed that my belly is finally growing though!  To be fair though, I had just gotten home from getting dessert with a friend when we took this picture, so theres a food baby in there too.  The back pain has been really hard for me.  I got the BEST gift from my aunt though- she got me a package of 6 prenatal massages! OMG!  I am getting one this week and I can't wait!

Stretch marks?

Ahh! I think I might have spotted some on my chest.  I am hoping it was just a weird mark from how I was sleeping, but to be honest, I haven't checked it out since.  I am using body oil, but I know I can't really control this and stretch marks are a small price to pay. 

Food cravings?

Jellybeans!  Or maybe thats just because they are all over the place at Target now that Easter is approaching.  I have days when everything sounds good and days when nothing sounds good.  I may or may not have had a small breakdown at dinner time on Sunday because NOTHING sounded good! 

Movement?

Not yet…I guess it should be happening in the next few weeks though!

Workouts?

Since I wrote the 15 week update just before the weekend, and I worked all weekend, I don't have much to report.  I did go to the gym on Monday and ran/walked about 3 miles and did some light weightlifting.  I'm planning to get in some exercise most days this week. 

Gender?

Ok, I sort of have a guess but I don't want to say it.  We get to find out the first week of April!

Maternity clothes? 

I'm wearing a lot of maternity tops and bottoms, but I did wear 2 completely non-maternity outfits to work this weekend, but they were things that normally fit me pretty loosely.  I am loving wearing all this maternity stuff though, I totally don't understand why anyone would wait to start wearing it! So comfy!

what I miss? 

Not too much.  I had lunch with Kelly last week from Jimmy Johns and a good ole Turkey Tom would have been awesome, but my veggie sub was a pretty good substitute!


I'm linking up today with Kristin for Baby Talk!

Favorite Breakfast Recipes from Around the Web

I've been wanting to share some favorite recipes for awhile now, but I have so many of them that I decided to break this up into several posts.  To start out your Monday morning, here are some favorite breakfast recipes that I've found online.  Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, but it happens to be my absolute favorite meal as well!  I hope you try some of these, they are so tasty!

First of all, this is my absolute go-to on the weekends or days off from work- Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal.  If you have never made any recipes from this website, do yourself a favor and pick one to make today.  I've tried more than I care to mention, and I haven't ever had a bad result, plus they are all healthy!  This is my favorite though.

While you're browsing Chocolatecoveredkatie.com, go ahead and check out this recipe for pumpkin bread in a bowl.  I make this all through the fall when I have a lot of canned pumpkin, but it would be good anytime of year.

Another favorite of mine is this raspberry & cardamom cream chia pudding.  If you've never had chia pudding before, give it a try before judging it based on how weird it looks.  And I won't lie, the texture is weird at first too, but it won't seem that weird after you start eating it. 

I don't usually get to eat fancy breakfasts like these, but I love it when I have time to actually make something instead of just opening up some yogurt or making toast.  Let me know if you have any go-to breakfast recipes, I'm always on the hunt for more!

Week15

It feels like August is right around the corner now that its March!  I just can't wait for it to get warm out, then August will feel even sooner.  I finished my 15th week a few days ago and am finally caught up to real time with these bump dates.  

Symptoms?

Ok ladies- can anyone tell me what round ligament pain actually feels like?  Would I already be feeling that?  I keep getting weird stretching feelings low in my pelvic area.  To be honest, it feels a little like my Interstim does when its turned on- and it keeps freaking me out that it has turned itself back on so I keep checking it!  I am also getting BAD headaches and I had a migraine that lasted for 3 days!  No!

Stretch marks?

Nope.  My body hasn't changed enough for these yet, but hopefully I don't get any!

Food cravings?

Mostly sweets.  I feel like I MUST eat something sweet, even a tiny piece of candy, after I finish every meal.  I'm trying to keep it in check, but I probably indulged too much over the weekend. 

Movement?

Not yet…I guess it should be happening in the next few weeks though!

Workouts?

Meh.  I went to the gym once and did my DVD twice.  I also taught 2 yoga classes, so that sort of counts.  I also took my first prenatal yoga class! It was by no means a "workout" but I loved it! Hopefully I can keep going!

Gender?

No clue.  Mark has a guess, and I sort of do…but I am not going to say what that is!  One of my best friends just found out she's having a boy in July though, and I am more and more excited to find out- no matter the outcome!

Maternity clothes? 

Same as last week- I'm wearing maternity pants for the most part, I wore a belly band last week with a pair of black pants too, and that worked well.  I don't need maternity tops but I'm still wearing some of them.

what I miss? 

My co-workers all did this really fun event over the weekend which involved "sledding" on a mattress down a ski hill.  I went to cheer them on, but I was sad to not be able to actually participate!  

30 before 30 update

I posted this list exactly one year ago from today, how crazy is that!  I wanted to break up the baby posts and what a better way to do that than to give an update on my 30 before 30 list.  (I have no intention of turning this into a baby-themed blog, but I just have to get caught up to current time…then things will calm down- promise!)

I was able to do a lot of the things on my list in the last year, but sadly, I don't think some will happen before I'm 30.  Am I allowed to make changes to this?  I don't know the rules.

Going to Europe last April really helped me to accomplish a lot of this, but other stuff I am proud to say I set out to accomplish on my own.  Here's the scoop:

1.  See the Cliffs of Moher DONE
2.  Travel around Europe with Mark DONE
3.  Drink beer at the Hofbrauhaus  DONE
4.  Get at least a handful of private yoga students- No private students but I have a handful of regulars who attend my classes, so I'll call it 50% done. 
5.  Take a road trip on the East coast
6.  Visit Alaska
7.  Learn how to maintain a garden- we'll see this spring if any of the stuff I planted last summer survived the winter.
8.  Take a cooking class with Mark
9.  Run a 5k with my dog
10.  Take Mark to a college football game in the deep south- Roll Tide?
11.  Golf at Torrey Pines- I did not golf there but I visited the pro shop….close, but no cigar. 
12.  Cook at least 1 recipe from every cookbook I own- making progress
13.  Go to DisneyWorld & Epcot with Mark
14.  Go to a wine and canvas event
15.  Host a Thankgiving and make the turkey
16.  Sing karaoke
17.  Set a new half marathon or marathon PR- ran a half marathon, but no PR.
18.  Find a studio to teach a weekly yoga class at DONE
19.  Plan and pull off a surpise weekend getaway with Mark
20.  Master at least one yoga arm balance DONE
21.  Try standup paddle-boarding
22.  Run a relay race with friends
23.  Learn how to put in a new floor in our house
24.  Try a barre workout class DONE, I went to several actually!
25.  Brew our own beer
26.  Go on a yoga retreat with friends
27.  Visit Kripalu
28.  Participate in a Bike MS ride
29.  Have a real spa day
30.  Read the entire Bible

And there you have it.  I accomplished 6.5 out of 30.  I know some of these are doable, but all of these vacations will probably have to wait.  Some of it will certainly have to wait until after the baby comes too.  So my question is, if you have one of these lists, do you make changes based on circumstances or hold yourself to the original list?

Week 14

Week 14! (Posting a little late!)

Wow, week 14 already! I can't believe I'm already in the 2nd trimester, how crazy is that?  We spent this week in San Diego and it was great to be out of the cold weather.  Going on vacation while pregnant was a little different, but definitely still appreciated.

I got all caught up last week with the 1st trimester, so now I am posting this on the last day of my 15th week.  I'll have to knock out one more of these to get all caught up!

Symptoms?

Mostly fatigue.  I do feel somewhat better now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, but I get really tired mid-afternoon still.  I also go to bed really early, which has been even more pathetic being 2 hours behind while we're on Pacific time. I still have sporadic tail bone pain, which makes me look like I can barely walk!

Weight gain/loss?

I've been thinking about this, and I don't feel that its appropriate for me to write weekly about my weight, given my job in the world of eating disorders.  However, weight gain is a real subject for pregnant women, so I will write about it occasionally- I just won't focus on it week after week.  For now, I'll just say this- I am supposed to gain 25-35 lbs, and in the 1st trimester, I lost 3.  My doctor says its fine though so I am not worried.  I will probably do a full post on weight/body image a little later once I actually know how I feel about it. 

Stretch marks?

Nope.  I decided to use Mama Mio oil for this since Kelly had such great success with it.  I'm hoping that I won't get any stretch marks, but of course, I will learn to accept them if they come.

Food cravings?

I'm finally wanting healthier things.  I LOVE all kinds of fruit right now!  Well, I always do, so this is no surprise.  I actually WANT to eat salads too.  It all balances out though with my constant sweet-tooth.  Cookies, ice cream, brownies….yep, give me all of the desserts.  Oh, and anything with coconut, majorly craving that this week!

Movement?

Not yet.  I had an ultrasound at the 1st trimester screening and the baby was literally JUMPING up and down, like it was on a spring board on something.  I am so shocked that I can't feel that!

Workouts?

I've been way more active this week on vacation than I was all of the 1st trimester.  I actually started running again- in very short spurts mixed with walking.  I have run/walked 3 miles every day here, and did some hiking and kayaking too!

Gender?

No clue.  We find out in April though!  I don't have much of a feeling on this yet. 

Maternity clothes? 

I'm wearing maternity jeans now.  I don't really need them yet, but they are so comfy.  I have been wearing maternity tops too, but thats mostly because I already swapped my non-maternity stuff out of my closet to make room for the HUGE pile of stuff I got from my co-worker. 

what I miss? 

I've got to be honest, I do miss being able to have a glass of wine or beer while on vacation.  I did not even think twice about this at home- it did not appeal to me and I didn't miss it.  On vacation though, yeah- its hard.  It's not so much that I miss the actual drinking- I miss the social aspect of being with Mark and just going to a bar for a mid-afternoon drink on vacation.  Oh, the sacrifice.

Weekend!

Wow, I haven't done a weekend update in a LONG time!  All this baby stuff took over last week and I haven't even recapped our vacation yet!

On Friday evening I taught my Yin class and was prepared to sub for the happy hour Vinyasa that is right afterwards, but the teacher showed up and said that she forgot to tell me I didn't need to sub!  Oh well!  I should have stayed to take the class, but instead I went home, picked up Mark and headed out to get something to eat.  After eating way too much, we came home and watched a few shows on the DVR.

Saturday morning, Mark and I made our weekly Target run and then stopped by Babies R Us to test out strollers.  I'm pretty sure we've decided on one and it feels good to be able to stop worrying about that.

That afternoon, we got all bundled up (and I put on a pea pod costume) and we went over to Buck Hill to meet my co-worked for Bedrace for Bridging, which is a fun charity event that we participated in to promote eating disorder awareness, given that it was National Eating Disorder week.  The event is hilarious, seriously- so ridiculous.  Teams get dressed up in crazy costumes and pile onto a mattress to "sled" down the snow-tubing hill.  I obviously wasn't able to go down the hill, but I still got all dressed up to support them and take pictures.  It ended up lasting into the evening and it was a ton of fun!  Seriously, my co-workers are awesome.  Some of them brought various family members to spectate also and it was great to have a little cheering section.  The only downside was that it was FREEZING out!  Literally.  Actually, it was below freezing.  I had to do a lot of warming up in the chalet, but it was totally worth it.

On Sunday, I taught my yoga class in the morning and had a couple of my friends come to the class.  We went out for brunch afterward at The Lynn on Bryant- omg SO GOOD!  I had the best raspberry French toast!  My yoga class was good too, its was a really full class and I got a lot of compliments on the sequence afterwards.  I was nervous to teach actually because I tried out teaching a slow flow style for the first time, I'm subbing a slow flow class next week and wanted to make sure I knew how to do it!  Anyway, it went better than I thought it would- phew!

I was pretty lazy for the rest of Sunday.  A little cleaning here and there and a crockpot full of taco meat was made, but other than that- total laziness.  Is there a better way to spend Sunday?  I don't think so.