Monday, December 19, 2011

Observations at Week 33

I run out of breath while singing in the shower.

My wedding ring doesn't fit.


Some of my pants don't fit.

I'm almost 15% into my baby blanket.
Jonah's Blanket
I'm this big now.

Week 33

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The Nursery

I finally got to work on the nursery! It still needs curtains and a few other things, but here we are so far:



And the belly is still growing.

31 Weeks
32 Weeks
By the way, I'm used to men saying stupid things to pregnant women, but what woman says to another, "You must be due soon!"

No. 2 more months. Thanks.

By the way, I did take those bikini pictures, but they will probably not ever see the light of day. Maybe week 39 ;)

Monday, December 5, 2011

The Baby Shower

Saturday was Jonah's baby shower. My awesome wife did a fantastic job putting it together with the help of my MIL.
I do.
I really love and appreciate everyone who came. It was a bunch of derby girls and my MIL! What a combo! Jonah is going to have such awesome people in his life!

A Giraffe Play Mat
For his safari theme
A hooded monkey blanket!
Zebra in Training (Roller Derby Reference)
There was a ton of delicious vegan food. We are still eating the cupcakes. I am surprised I didn't explode after everything I ate. We also decorated onesies and burp clothes. Everyone seemed to really love that.

The wife, hard at work.
No one decorates a onesie like a derby girl!


For Mitch, a Tardis onesie
So thank you again to everyone who helped make it a special day for us! This weekend, Mitch might put together the crib so I can start nesting :)

Friday, December 2, 2011

The Circumcision Blog...

I've been pretty neutral on circumcision. I have to admit, circumcised seems... nicer... for the ladies. However, we decided before we were ever pregnant that the one of us with the penis could make the penis decision. So, there will be no penis chopping for Jonah. If you're interested, this blog has a lot of good information: The Circumcision Decision. If we had considered it, watching the video mentioned in the blog almost certainly would have set me straight.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Thursdays are for Me

Today is Thursday. That means I have two special pregnancy activities.

First, I have a bi-weekly prenatal massage from Christine Gordon. I'm not quite as desperate today as I am when I've been working a lot, but it still helps everything stay comfortable. At first, I didn't see the value, but when I actually started to get uncomfortable, I decided it was worth it.

Then tonight, I have prenatal yoga at Thank You Mama with Amy Faulkner. The first time I went, I realized it's a real workout. I've done prenatal yoga DVDs, but this class is a challenge. A good challenge. And the price is really reasonable. She has packages for 6 classes for $60 and you can choose from Thursday evening or Sunday morning.

Anyway, Thursday is a good day.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Third Tri!

As the semester comes to an end, I can finally start to think about Jonah. To catch you up, here's a little visual timeline:

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18 Weeks
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24 Weeks
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28 Weeks
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29 Weeks
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30 Weeks
And here we are! I've also had some time to pick my knitting back up. I abandoned the blanket I originally started for this one: http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss_babe_in_woods_blanket.html

Here's where I am so far, about 5% done:

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Jonah's Blanket
I had my 28 week labs today. They couldn't get my vein to cooperate, so they had to take out of my hand :(

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Yuck :(
But, they let me pick a present off the tree:

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Everything looked good at the check up. Butt up, head down, good heartbeat :)

I'm super excited for the baby shower this weekend. I have the best wife in the world for putting it together for me :)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Amen!

My husband has a thing for Natalie Portman. Yes, former vegan, Natalie Portman. It's one thing to crush on someone who never had a soul, but to fantasize about someone who sold hers just seems wrong to me.

In case you weren't aware, NP was a vegan until her devastating pregnancy cravings drew her back to eggs (mostly because she wanted cookies it seems) and eventually even to flesh. Here is an awesome blogger's response:

Monday, September 19, 2011

B-12

When you're pregnant, you have to be twice as diligent about getting all your vitamins and nutrients. A good friend of ours had some serious medical issues arise due to a B-12 deficiency, and he posted this article on Facebook today:


My pre-natals have B12 in them, but I also take an occasional B-12 supplement by Country Life. They're good to have around if you ever need a little boost.

Thanks for the reminder, Jim!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Baby's First Pictures

Profile
Profile
The Goods!
We are so excited to share that it's a boy! I wanted a boy first, so it looks like it all worked out. He was eager to share!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Bologna Breath

Pregnancy does weird things to us.  For me, it has made my nose turn against me and my husband.  His breath always smells like bologna.  He brushes his teeth, uses mouthwash, and nothing helps.  He even had a dental cleaning less than a month ago.  Bologna.  I'm pretty positive he isn't secretly gorging himself on the stuff like his own little pregnancy craving.  In fact, he doesn't even eat vegan lunch meats (and we only ever have "turkey" in the house).  Nonetheless, I have to hold my breath to keep from gagging on the bologna aroma he now exudes.  Pregnancy.

By the way, I just Googled Bologna Breath.  I'm pretty sure it's not that either.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Vegan Pregnancy

I started blogging because I had a lot of trouble finding any blogs on vegan pregnancy.  So, let's talk about it!

First of all, it's not as though my pregnancy is that much different than any other.  But I did notice that nutrients I don't typically worry about for myself are a little harder to come by at the levels I need now.

Let's take protein.  In pregnancy, you need 60-70g of it every day.  There are a lot of options, but they do usually have less protein than a typical serving of "meat."  Beans, nuts, and tofu are all good, but you need more than you may want to eat.  Most vegan meats come just short of what you would reasonably want as well.  We discovered, however, that the Field Roast products are actually full of protein.  Sausages, frankfurters, roasts, etc. all have more than 20g per serving which is great for a vegan source.

How about calcium?  Well, first of all, I hated milk long before I was vegan, so I never would have been drinking that stuff.  Luckily, almost all dairy substitutes are fortified (just like cow's milk).  I used to drink a lot of Silk, but I found out a couple years ago that they are owned by a dairy company.  So what would be the point of that?  Plus, there is some concern over the effects of soy on baby girls.

I switched to Almond Breeze (follow the link, they usually have coupons), and I love it.  I used to love the Vanilla, but the baby doesn't.  I drink Chocolate now, and it only has 3g of fat and 45% of your daily calcium needs.  So Delicious Coconut Yogurt is also fantastic.  It tastes great, and it has 25% of your daily calcium needs!

Luna Bars are another great snack.  They come in a variety of flavors, and they're power-packed.  For example, the Lemon Zest has 9g of protein, 35% of your calcium, 30% of your iron, Vitamin D, B Vitamins, and Folate (plus a lot more).  Steer clear of the protein bars, though, because they are unfortunately not vegan.

My husband has also been increasing our fruit intake by about a billion with delicious smoothies in the morning.  We use bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in different rotations.  The secret to adding nutrients and flavor?  Vanilla Hemp Milk.  It has great for you things like calcium and B12, but it also has Omegas!  Not to mention, it adds that tang a good smoothie needs (trust me, he tried it with almond milk one day, and I took one sip).

Then, of course, there are the vitamins.  If you're trying to get pregnant you should start taking pre-natals long before there's a baby.  We special-ordered mine from Whole Foods, but you can probably get a vegan version at many natural food stores.

So, that's what I've discovered in my first trimester of vegan pregnancy.  I'm sure I'll learn more over the next six months.  Most importantly, educate yourself because your OB probably does not know much about the topic.  If you know what you're talking about, they'll likely be more confident that veganism is ok for your baby.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Proof!

It's been hard to really absorb the fact that I'm pregnant.  I don't feel movie or TV pregnant.  I'm not puking all the time (or at all), I don't have super-human smell, and I don't crave anything too abnormal.  I'm still pretty tired.  I still don't want vanilla almond milk or cheese pizza.  I just feel different, but not necessarily pregnant.

Monday, though, I finally got some proof.  I had my first appointment with the midwife.  There was a lot of talking, going over information, answering questions.  Unfortunately, we couldn't convince her that we were unsure enough of the dating to require an early ultrasound.  I'll only get one at 18-20 weeks.  She did break out the doppler, though.

And there it was.  A speedy little heartbeat.  Mitch's face turned red as he tried to hold in his own emotions.  I held in my tears, but it was awesome.  There really is something in there.

That evening we interviewed a doula as well.  She seemed really nice and knowledgeable, and somehow she can out talk Mitch.  I was so tired I was having trouble focusing, but I didn't see any reason why she won't work.  And the other two I was interested in both bowed out before a single interview due to their own life situations.  Seems like we've found our doula.

We got to do a little shopping this week as well.  We'd wandered around the mall maternity store, but everything is so expensive!  I found a great little resale shop called Stellie Bellies, and they even have a coupon on their website for $5 off $20 or more.  The prices and quality are wonderful for a consignment shop.  I tried on some tops and picked out two that I'll be able to wear to substitute teach.  I have to cover my tattoos, so I am a little limited.  We bought a couple books too, but they're more third trimester reading.

Now, I feel like I'm back to a waiting game.  Waiting to be able to move.  Waiting for school to start.  Waiting for my next appointment.  I'm really looking forward to August.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Touring the Birthing Center

Yesterday Mitch and I toured the birth center we hope to use, Breath of Life.  I'm really hoping for a natural birth, and that's what they're all about.  I want to minimize interventions (hopefully to zero).  The place is so nice.  They have three rooms, all with garden access, big showers, birthing pools, and more.  I'm really interested in the possibility of a water birth since everything I've read says it is a natural pain and tension reliever.  As long as everything stays low-risk we can birth there, but if anything became high-risk I would be transferred elsewhere.  I like that we have control and a say in what goes on both during labor and to the baby.  There's no nursery, and I could go home as early as four hours after the birth.  It sounds fabulous.

We scheduled our first pre-natal appointment.  It will be July 11th.  It will just be checking me out mostly, but I hope we might get to hear the baby's heartbeat.  As far as I can tell, we won't get an ultrasound until 18-20 weeks which will be sometime in September!  It seems so far away.