Posture, Pressure and Peas

I'm almost halfway through my pregnancy. Part of me thinks I've been pregnant way longer than only half the time, and the other part of me thinks that this will be over before I know it (and then I have to start worrying about what I look like again - ugh).

Posture: I don't have awesome sitting posture to begin with, but I try (and then five minutes later I have to sit up and try again). So as my belly and baby grow this adds a new challenge to the fight against the hunchback. I feel so much better when I'm standing up, but you can only do that for so long. Some days I try so hard to have better posture that I end up making my back hurt and give myself a headache. I can't win! However, most days, if I do some stretching or prenatal yoga, and watch my posture.. I can make the following 'P' a little better.

Pressure: I am not complaining.. I'm just commenting. And please, please no one tell me to 'just wait because it's going to get worse'. That, my friends, is the mantra running through my head too often as it is. Part of what makes me need better posture is that something (my spleen!? - I don't think it's my stomach and surely it's too early for it to be baby feet) is being pressed up against my bottom left rib. I'm mostly thinking.. isn't it way to early for this!? I'm also thinking (again) oh man.. and this is only going to get worse! Every week I feel HUGE, and every week I look back at the last picture in which I felt huge and realize how I wasn't huge yet at all.. and still am not. However, the heartburn is creeping up and the pressure is building... with more to come.

I'm feeling a different kind of pressure too, the pressure that comes with the reality that soon we'll know this little one's gender, and that means picking a name. There's also the added pressure as I realize more and more how much this little guy or girl will depend on me to have it together, keep it together, or at least look like I'm doing one of the two. I'm excited to see our little kicker soon and be reminded of the joy that comes with all the responsibility.

Peas: One of my goals for the year is to eat more green vegetables and with more of a variety. The little common pea never makes it on my list because truly, it is the only green vegetable that I can think of that I don't really care for. I might have to revisit the pea though, if I'm going to meet this green goal and heaven forbid I pass on my disliking of peas to Pumpkin, just because the poor guy or girl wasn't exposed to them enough (although, if that's the only food he/she doesn't like.. I'd still call that a win).

So really, I had posture and pressure on my mind and saying that made me think of an old standby dinner party recipe (we served it at our wedding actually) for Pasta, Pesto and Peas by Ina Garten. I think I'll make it for dinner tonight with a little chicken added, because it's one of the few ways I can enjoy peas (so far.. I'll work on that). In addition to using whole wheat or multigrain pasta and subbing out some of the mayo, I also like to add a little more spinach to the dish by making the pesto with part spinach, part basil. This recipe already mixes the pesto with spinach, so it's a double whammy. You should try it sometime, it's delicious! I'll warn you though, it makes a lot, I usually half it when it's four or fewer. Tonight I was lazy and used store bought pesto.

A Day At the Fair

It was a hot day in late July, 1995. I was twelve years old. My brothers, Jared and Jordan, and I were hanging out at the Cowlitz County Fairgrounds because my parents had a vendor space for their tractor business.

We spent our days wandering the fair, blowing up balloons and trying to get any free things we could from the commercial building. Some of my older brother's friends from school were there and would stop by to say hi now and then. One of those friends was Blake.

That is how we met. He was a charmer with red hair, a baby face and smile that melted your heart.

I immediately had a crush on him. He came by pretty often and would ask my little brother, Jordan, to go walk around with him (to check out cute chicks). Once, he asked me to come along. I found out later from Jordan that he had asked me to come along because then he wouldn't have to look too far for a cute chick.

Time went on and the next summer Blake would come over with other friends of Jared's for paintball wars in our field. I would watch the guys gear up for their paintball game from an upstairs window. Once I was joined by Jordan who wasn't allowed to play in this particular war. I told him I thought Blake was so cute, his red hair easily seen from far away.
"He never talks to me though," I said with a pout like only a thirteen year old girl can, "doesn't seem to notice I'm there."
"That's because Jared said that he'd beat him up if he ever looked at you again," Jordan told me with a grin.

I remember being so mad that my brother would interfere like that. Who was he to say who could talk to me and who couldn't!? Then I remembered that Jared was usually right about things, and I was the kind of thirteen year old that knew that nothing would really come of a crush anyway. So I let it be. I still made the guys sandwiches and snacks for after their game, and enjoyed the praise that hungry guys gave to anyone that brought them food. I still had a crush on Blake (and honestly, one or more of the other boys too) but nothing could be done about a protective brother. And that was that for many years.

Blake says that after a few years, around the end of high school, he realized that he was bigger than my brother Jared. He realized that he could talk to me now because my brother couldn't beat him up anymore. And so the friendship began... mostly with a lot of teasing by Blake.

The story continues here...

Blogspiration

It's a new year. It should be an exciting year! I'm fairly certain our lives will change forever this year. However, I'm following the trend and reflecting on last year.

In looking back through the year as it relates to my blog (and thinking about where I want to take it this year) I have a few thoughts. I made 77 posts, at least two per month and significantly more in the summer. There are a lot of life event posts and only a few thoughtful posts, with the last half of the year being primarily life event/vacation/baby only.

In starting this blog, or rather in getting serious about it, my primary goal was to journal and capture my thoughts in a more organized, spell-checked and searchable way. Part of journaling is remembering life events, but probably with more of a focus on the emotions and thoughts behind the life events. I still want this to be one of the purposes of my blog.

However, as time goes on, life gets busy and family continues to be far away, I'm okay with an increase in life event posts. Especially now that our family is growing. It's a good way for extended family to keep up with what we're doing when we don't see them every week.

So, in true new year fashion here are some goals for the year, in no particular order:

Have a baby (hey sometimes you need a sure thing on your to do list)

Make time for hobbies. I know that sounds funny, but in having some more personal time throughout the last half of 2012 I realized how hard it is to make time for things that basically only matter to me. Knitting, crocheting, reading, blogging and even photography don't have a place in my weekly routine (neither does cleaning the shower.. but you can't win them all) and therefore they get pushed off to the random Saturday morning when I don't have an agenda. My goal this year is to find a way, even with a new baby, to build these things into my routine. Case in point, it's taken me 12 days to finish this post!

Spiritual depth. I've been doing pretty good with reading my Bible but I'd like to have a little more depth to it and actually study and learn as much as read. Along with this I'd like to be better about spending more purposeful time in prayer. I really want a Spirit-led life and I feel like these things need to be more of a priority.

Eat more green vegetables. And a greater variety than spinach, broccoli and green beans... okay, and the occasional kale. Fruit, no problem.. green vegetables however are harder to work into the daily diet.

And because what's a post without pictures.. here are some favorites from the past year.

January

Blake turned 30!

February

Apparently nothing interesting happened in February.
but here is this pretty sunset picture I took with my cell phone!

March

The first picture. I {finally} got my new camera!

April

Spring Break in Mexico with the Sauras.

Family Easter on Bainbridge Island

May

Home for Mother's Day

 

Memorial Day with the Sauras on Bainbridge

June

Early birthday beach trip with Sauras

I finished my second job in Pendleton

Weekend home to celebrate father's day and
turning 29 (this is also when we decided
to move up our baby plan)

   July

We celebrated my cousins' marriage

We moved!

We made it to the beach with the Beasleys!

We hiked up to Adam's Creek Meadows

August

We celebrated our 3rd anniversary

 We went on our big backpacking trip and found out that the Sauras are expecting!

September

We went camping with cousins for Labor Day weekend

We celebrated my cousin's 30th b-day and my dad's 56th.

 

October

Woo-hoo! We are expecting!

We made it to Rome!

 

November

We toured Israel!

 

December

We enjoyed telling everyone we could that we are expecting!

We had a great Christmas!

Pumpkin: Weeks 16 & 17

December 29th - January 11th

How I Look
I definitely look pregnant. It's funny because by the end of the day, between gravity, digesting food and gas I look and feel HUGE (at least to me). However, in the morning when I wake up, my tummy is flatter and while I still look pregnant if you know it, I also just look (and feel) chubby.

How I Feel
I'm feeling pretty good! Still lightheaded in the mornings, but I'm learning how to manage and minimize that and I'm not as tired as I had been. By the end of the day I feel full and stretched to the max! My pregnancy related symptoms are pretty minimal at this point.

What I Feel
I'm getting to that point where I *could* start feeling the baby moving, but didn't really expect to feel it until later, since this is my first pregnancy. Starting Sunday of week 17 I would lay quietly and see if I could feel anything. I was pretty sure I was feeling tiny little flutters but then on Thursday I was driving and clearly felt this thump inside. SO cool! Every day it is stronger and stronger. We also got to feel the baby at our last midwife appt. After listening to the heartbeat she was palpating my uterus and found the head and bottom and back, and put our hands on my abdomen and explained what we were feeling. That was pretty cool!

What We're Doing
At our last midwife appointment we got the order for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound! It is scheduled for January 24th. It was soooo tempting to schedule it a little sooner, but I really don't want to feel like we need to question the results, so we're forcing ourselves to wait until the end of week 19. We're SO excited to find out how our little guy or girl is doing... and of course if it's a little guy or girl!

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Next baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 18 & 19

Previous baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 14 &15

Announced!

It's official. The whole world knows that we are having a baby.

First off, and most importantly, I'm feeling so encouraged and loved by all the discussions, thoughts and comments that we've had with people as we've told them. I don't want to be mom-zilla and think that this is the first baby ever born ;) but it is nice that people have been so indulgent in sharing our excitement and obsession about our first baby. 

Secondly, and pardon the pun, I already feel bad for our second baby (I know.. getting a little ahead of myself here) because I'm fairly certain that much less fuss will be had in announcing his or her arrival. 

I'll try not to let Pumpkin hijack my blog... but no promises. He or she has pretty much hijacked my brain ;). If I manage to post about other things, you can always find the baby related posts under the label "First Pregnancy" or by clicking the page link titled "Our {First} Baby Story". 

And lastly, for the photography nerds.. this was the first picture of 32.. of course I used the first one I took. I think the light was best at this point though, and then it started getting darker. I'm sure we all know how much I over-thought how to announce this on FB... I'm just glad it's done and out there. Now I can move on to over-thinking other things (please, like we don't all know that I already have) ;). 

Pumpkin: Weeks 14 &15

December 15th - December 28st


How I Look
I guess I'm looking pregnant! Twice now people have come up to me and asked when I'm due or exclaimed "you're pregnant!" This surprises me because I didn't expect to 'look pregnant' until later (I'm pretty sure this is helped out by a little well-placed pre-pregnancy fluff that is getting pushed out still). I'm also finally including a 'bump picture' because I guess it's looking like a bump now!

How I Feel
Tired! I thought exhaustion was a first trimester thing, but that's how I've been feeling lately. Always tired. On top of that I'm usually pretty lightheaded in the morning and have really low blood pressure. It generally passes by about noon and then I can move around a little more. Overall, I'm feeling good just lacking energy, especially in the morning.

What I Feel
It's still early to feel the baby move so the only thing I feel lately is round ligament pain from time to time.

What We're Doing
We're working on our baby registry here and there and doing lots of research on car seats, strollers, swings and all those other baby items we'll eventually need. We also got a fetal Doppler and are enjoying listening to the heartbeat and movements whenever we want!

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Next baby post: Announced! or Pumpkin: Weeks 16 & 17
Previous baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 12 & 13

Pumpkin: Weeks 12 & 13

December 1st - December 14th

Second Trimester!

This has been an exciting two weeks. We've been telling more and more people and still have a few more to tell. This telling people business is a little agonizing actually... mostly because I make it that way, I'm sure. I'm always worrying about who will be offended if they find out in which order and in which way. There are a few people left that I'd like to have told sooner, but would also like to tell in person. So which would have hurt their feelings more, telling them in a text since a phone call hasn't worked out, or telling them later but in person... and will I ever know either way? *sigh* I'm relieved though that soon it will be out there and all this will be a thing of the past. I have bigger (and growing) things to think about!

How I Look
My belly chub is getting a little more rounded. I felt like at the beginning of week 12 I popped out a little bit. Not in a way that anyone else would notice, but to Blake and I with and unobstructed view, you can tell there's something going on below my belly button. I still don't really look pregnant, which is not a surprise for this stage and first pregnancy. However, it helps me to know that things are changing and even thought I feel a little more fat than anything else, I also appreciate that I can still wear most of my tops and (with some modifications) most of my pants. I'm just savoring these last few weeks of looking 'normal' before I start to enjoy looking pregnant :). Oddly enough, I lost two pounds in my first trimester, and I'm not sure why. However, it seems like a good way to face the weight gain expected in the next six - seven months!

12 Weeks, posing for our Christmas card picture

How I Feel
Still pretty good overall. Oddly enough I've been a little more tired these weeks, but I'm contributing that to holiday busyness and too many late nights in a row. A friend loaned me a full body pregnancy pillow which has been amazing. I didn't think I'd need it really for awhile, but tried it out anyway and have been getting much better sleep since then. My joints feel better, I don't wake up as much at night when I move around and I wake up with fewer headaches in the morning.

What I Feel
Still nothing aside from the occasional and quick 'round ligament' pain.

What We're Doing
We met with our midwife at the end of week 13. I had been anxiously looking forward to this appointment. Anxious, in part, because I didn't know what to expect, but mostly because I really want to hear a heartbeat and I know that isn't a guarantee at this stage. Well, I'm happy to say that we heard it! Our sweet little Pumpkin was really hard to find and our wonderful midwife was patiently persistent in finding him or her until we got a read. Hearing it put a big smile on our faces. It was also fun to hear Pumpkin move around as she tried to find him/her. Now we're reading through the packet of information she gave us about what to expect through the months, and all those tests etc that we have the option of doing (which we aren't). I'm still just trying to eat healthy during this time of sweets and trying to get some exercise... however, I must confess I'm not nearly as good about that as I was in the previous 11 weeks.

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Next baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 14 & 15

Previous baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 10 & 11

Pumpkin: Weeks 10 & 11

November 17 - November 30th

Our big milestone for these weeks is that we started telling people. Over the weekend of Thanksgiving we told our parents and in the following week some extended family and some very close friends. We're still being cautious and not telling the whole world yet. Every time we tell someone I get really nervous and jittery. I think that I get nervous because part of me feels like I'm leading them on since I don't really feel pregnant yet.. but I am! It's funny that this is really true, we actually have a baby developing in my womb (I prefer uterus.. but some people hate that word). It is like people say, a little surreal. Blake is all about telling people, probably because he can't see or feel it either way, he just has the fact that 'we are' and trusts that more. And he's a guy and doesn't over-think things like I do (I'm sure I can blame that on hormones, right?).

How I Look
Boated and chubby if I'm honest! I'm really happy to say that I still haven't gained any weight and maybe my middle has grown by half an inch (it's hard to tell thanks to the bloating). I measure and weigh in the morning, but some mornings are more complimentary than others ;). I *might* start taking pictures soon.

How I Feel
Well, aside from the bloating and the random bit of nausea in response to some funky smells, I'm feeling great! Still the very occasional sharp pain here or there, but that's pretty rare. My emotions are seeming pretty stable, except for some teary eyes with those darn Hallmark Christmas movies that I'd normally roll my eyes at ;). I'm not craving anything specific, just depends on what I see, smell and think of, some things are harder to get out of my mind that others.

What I Feel
Nothing!

What We're Doing
Thinking of creative ways to tell family and close friends, and then putting it into action. I prefer to tell people in person, but sometimes that isn't working out. We are also getting antsy for our next midwife appointment and really wishing we could see Pumpkin again since last time we saw him or her, he or she was just a little lentil sized speck and all yolk sack. We will hopefully hear a heartbeat at our appt, but I don't think we'll see the little guy or girl again until January when we find out if it is a guy or girl!

We told our parents with a gift that was 'just something we got them in Italy' and that something was a baby bib. Both of our moms got the hint pretty quickly and were very excited and a little surprised. We also announced to some friends that are also expecting by getting their baby a book and writing a message inside that was from Baby C. That was fun :). I think for our Bible study small group I'll bake a cake with one pink and one blue layer and have someone else cut into it. We'll see if anyone catches on. That won't be until next week though (maybe, unless I chicken out).

Here is the only presentable picture from when we told my parents, I was shooting from the hip, so it isn't great and the others are really dark. I didn't get any other pictures from our other announcements.

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Next baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 12 & 13

Previous baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 8 & 9

Pumpkin: Weeks 8 & 9

November 3rd through November 16th

We were in Israel most of this time, and things got trickier with travel and pregnancy. The food is weirder, there is less walking and more sitting on a moving bus and so many strange smells.

How I Look
Part way through week eight, I could have swore that I was already showing and would have had myself convinced of twins (if I hadn't already seen the sonogram) because by the end of the day I was so darn bloated! Any weight that I lost in Italy has been replaced with air inside me. I ate a lot the first few days in Israel (until I got tired of the same thing each day), and I think that all the strange new foods weren't friendly to my GI tract. Now, by the end of week nine, I'm back to usual. I didn't gain any overall weight in comparison to my first morning weights from before we left. I still feel bigger after eating and at the end of the day, but not as much as those first days in Israel. My goal is to gain only one pound during the first trimester (they say you should gain 1-5 pounds, so I'm shooting for the one)!


How I Feel
I'm feeling just okay now. I'm feeling the effects of being on the go-go-go so much. I'm also not feeling my best in the mornings, especially in Israel. It was hot there, and we usually drained all of our water bottles by the end of the day, leaving no water in the room at night. I would drink water with dinner, and lots of it, but I still feel dehydrated in the morning and pretty lightheaded in general until around noon. Again, this isn't unusual for me, just more extreme than I usually experience. I've had some pretty bad headaches, one that made be break down and take some Tylenol and surprise, surprise, it actually did dull the pain a little. I definitely didn't experience typical, daily hormone nausea, but I'm definitely nauseated by certain smells and foods much more easily. However, it goes away as soon as the smell does.

The last three or so days in Israel were the worst, getting even worse during the flight home. At one point I ate something that didn't agree with me and got sick from it. I think it was some kind of seasoning or food additive. I noticed after getting sick from it the first time that I could smell it in things that were yellow. After that, my stomach was a little uneasy about all the food and I played it pretty safe. Which wasn't hard because I was pretty much sick of the food after day three, it was all the same in the way that dorm food is all the same. Also, horror of horrors, chocolate and chocolate desserts don't sound good to me (and most of their other desserts in general), however, chocolate ice cream bars - MONEY - specifically the Magnum Infinity bar which is chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate shell with cocoa nibs and a slight drizzle of either caramel of chocolate running through the inside. I know, it doesn't make any sense that a chocolate bar or dessert is unappealing, practically revolting, but yet chocolate ice cream covered in chocolate with more bits of chocolate is where it's at. Ahh hormones.

During the last day in Israel I felt generally nauseated all day and I was sure that this was it, I was going to suffer from 'morning' sickness from now on. I was still sure of this the following two days of travel when I just couldn't keep things down and felt a general feeling of awful (we're fairly sure it was some combination of too many strange foods and some bad food on the plane because both Blake and I were experiencing symptoms for a few days). However, once we got home and back in our own bed and kitchen, I'm back to normal and very seldom feeling nauseated (again, back to only when a smell gets to me) thankfully.

What I Feel
Actually, nothing aside from the above. Blake really wants to tell our families over Thanksgiving and I had finally agreed but now I'm realizing that I really don't feel pregnant and that makes me worry that what if we tell them at week 11, only to find out during our next midwife appointment that things have gone wrong. I think that it's not unusual to feel 'nothing' at this point. The cramping is pretty much at a minimum and I obviously wouldn't feel the baby move for a long time still.

What We're Doing
Still just hitting the treadmill for 30-40 minutes, sometimes running, sometimes walking, usually at an incline. Blake is great about keeping me motivated to get up and do it, and it helps that it gives me more energy and makes my GI symptoms better. We are reading about Pumpkin's development and praying that he or she is making their way through these stages successfully. Otherwise, we aren't doing much, just waiting for time to pass until we are ready to meet with the midwife again. We're also scheming about how and when to tell our family. I want to wait longer and Blake wants to tell everyone, like right now ;).

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Next baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 10 & 11

Previous baby post: Pumpkin: Weeks 6 & 7

Italy Tidbits

There are some things that I realize I forgot to include in my daily recaps, that we'll want to remember as part of our trip. So this is tidbits - vacation recap style.

1. Public transportation is so convenient and affordable. It was a life saver to have learned the buses, metros and trains. Although we still walked - a lot - we saved ourselves a ton of time by using Rome's public transportation.

2. Instead of pizza-by-the-slice, they have pizza-by-the-kg. It looks spendy at first (€18 for 100kg of margarita) but in reality it's dirt cheap! We got a plate full of different types of pizza for under €6. To put it in perspective, 100kg is equivalent to about 220lbs.. can you even imagine ordering that much pizza? It is fun to try all the different kinds and man it was delicious.

3. Breakfast in Italy is nothing like breakfast in the US. They have rolls and pastries, cold cuts, juice and, of course, caffe and cappuccino. At the hotels they have watery scrambled eggs, cold cereal, granola and yogurt, but I have a feeling these things are just to appease tourists. By the end of our time in Italy, Blake was dying for some bacon, sausage or decent eggs (of course this didn't get any better in Israel - no bacon there!). 

4. Traffic. is. crazy. The lines are just suggestions, if there even are lines. In Rome and Florence, the traffic lights were generally followed, but in Naples - forget about it. Naples traffic is a free for all, pedestrians beware. In Rome, you could fairly safely cross the street when the light was red or when the crosswalk sign was green, but you'd better keep an eye out still. Crosswalks are also just suggestions, and as long as you are bold enough, you can cross anywhere. Just be prepared to wait for cars and not the other way around, and don't be surprised when cars don't stop but simply go around you. 

5. Horns are a disease. Drivers lay on the horn for any and all reasons. You waited 0.0005 seconds before going at that green light? Honk x3. You tried to turn but couldn't and are now blocking part of the road behind you? Honk x10. You are slowing down for a red light too soon? Honk x2. You are in front of a hotel? Honk x5. We thought this was bad in Rome.. but it turns out its even worse in Israel. 

6. Decaf beverages are called deca, even though the word in Italian is decaffeinato, so you'd think that 'decaf cappuccino' would still get the message across. Nope. They look at you like you have two heads. Then when you say, cappuccino decaffeinato, they say, "oh, si, si, si. Cappuccino deca." 

7. It isn't just, "si" for yes, it's, "si, si, si". Not in every context of course, but most of the time you get several in a row. 

8. Exact change is not only preferred but requested at every transaction. If you don't give some form of change, they'll ask you for it, and accept nothing short of emptying out your pockets as proof when you say you don't have it. Try to use a large bill and you might get turned away as a customer. Even major businesses, like the Vatican Museum for example, wouldn't accept an €100 when the change would have been under €20. Weird and annoying. 

9. Airport runaround. When we flew from Rome to Israel we were laughing at their system the entire time. First of all, you do the usual take a train to get to your terminal, wait in line, security, wait in line etc. Once it's time to board, you go down some escalators and walk outside to get on a bus. Yes, a bus. Then that bus takes you all around the entire airport (or so it seems) and way the heck out onto the tarmac, practically on the runway, where the plane is. We just couldn't stop laughing about how silly it was to cart us out to the terminal, and then cart us around the airport to the plane.. when the plane could have easily come to the terminal, or the terminal could have easily been one building, since the planes don't even come up to it! Then we get all situated in the airplane, and wait for about an hour until we're cleared to taxi out onto the runway (not even the one we were sitting next to). The flight was typical and uneventful after that, until we landed. Then the majority of the passengers started clapping when we touched down.. we weren't sure why. It hadn't been a rocky flight or anything. Blake and I wonder if we missed the announcement that this was the pilot's first flight or something. It was all a little strange!