One Healthy Apple

9 and 10 Month Letter to Levi

2013-04-23T12:10:00.003-07:00

Dear Levi,

Mama is a slacker and couldn't get her act together, but here is your 9 and 10 month letter. You, my friend, are an awesome little guy. I've been around a lot of babies and kids and you just top the list.

We took you on vacation with grandma Elena and grandpa Stan in March and you were such a good little boy! You loved splashing in the pool, eating the local food (lots of yogurt, fruit, bread and cheese), and made lots of friends with the restaurant staff my yelling 'mamaaaa' with your little baby Spanish accent.

You even started crawling for the first time in the big king size bed we shared on the trip! You are moving more and more now and started pulling yourself up last week and love to stand and bang on the coffee table with papa, or look out at us from your baby jail. You do baby situps whenever we try to change your diaper and you are a man on a mission. You want to go, go, go and don't sit still very much these days.

You love your toys- you have a stuffed monkey and you love your puppy. Their tails are your favorite part and you usually give them a hug as soon as you see them and them proceed to bite their nose and tails for good measure. You also love taking baths, walks, and seeing all your friends and big cousin at Baba and Deda's house.

You and your papa are great friends! Papa loves walking with you in the carrier and reads to you in Russian all the time. He also hangs out with you while I hit the gym and you boys have your man time without me being in the way.

Food has now become one of your favorite things. I keep trying to expand your menu with more greens and fruits and you seem to take after your big brother Chino and love carbs and cheese. Some of your favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, banana, waffles, pancakes, grandma's chicken soup and cottage cheese, applesauce, pears, cucumbers. You will try almost anything, but will often spit it out as soon as it hits your lips. It's a good thing you have your brother Chino to help clean up. I am still providing your milk for you, and while it's a struggle, we are still going strong with nursing and I'm pumping as much as I can.

You are wearing some 9 month and mostly 12 month clothing. At your 9 month appointment, you weighed 22 lb 10 oz (80th percentile) and were 28.25 in tall (50%). Your head circumference is in the 70th percentile (18.5 in). You are now sporting almost 5 teeth, 3 of which started sprouting once you turned 10 months and have been working their way through your gums for a couple of weeks now.

2 month and 10 month comparison

My favorite thing about you is your smile! We joke around and say that you have a little elephant or dolphin smile because it is so wide and genuine. You will giggle more often now and it is the cutest sound, next to your babbling. You are quite vocal and say 'mama, baba, dada, papa' and other babbling sounds. You are a very happy baby and I get stopped while we are out in public with you so people can look at you and tell me how cute you are :)

You are getting so close to your first birthday, my sweet little bear! I just can't believe it! You are my little sidekick when I am home and I love spending time with you. Sometimes I can't believe you are all mine (OK, I share you with your papa) and that we have this beautiful little family. I cherish every moment with you and nothing makes me happier than seeing you grow and discover things, even though I get a little sad that you are getting so big.

I love you more than I can describe in words and then some more on top of that.

Love,

Mama

Baby's First Vacation

2013-04-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do! Here are a few snapshots from our first vacation with Levi. He was a perfect little angel and mama and papa got to go dancing one night. Win-win.

More to come!

Perfect Weekend

2013-02-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

Weekends used to include fancy dinners, nights out with friends, long workouts, and adventures. We still have them with our little man along for the ride.

This long weekend we saw a movie, went out to two dinners, had some playdates, and enjoyed the sunshine. Nothing can beat that!

A Letter to Levi- 8 Months

2013-02-08T16:59:00.002-08:00

Dear Levi,

You are now 8 months old! You are such a cool little man! You are killing us with your beautiful smile adorned with two bottom teeth and dimples. Your hair is getting longer and you even have some super messy hairdos these days. I still can't believe I have a blonde haired, blue eyed baby.

You are wearing 9 month and 12 month clothing and weighed 21.5 lbs about 3 weeks ago. You are also about Chino's height these days- however tall that may be :) Everywhere we go people say you are a big kid, and you are! I love that you are such a big boy.

You gave us a big scare last month when you got really sick for the first time. You have such a wonderful attitude and you tried your best to still play and smile although you weren't feeling well.

You are learning more and more tricks. You know who we are and started reaching your arms out for us to pick you up- it melts our hearts. You also learned how to clap and break into spontaneous applause throughout the day- while playing, on a walk, or even while having your diaper changed. And why not? Life is pretty amazing, right? You love playing with your toys and get excited when you see your favorites.

You are getting to be so strong! You sit like a champ, roll over whenever you have a chance, and can pull yourself to standing with barely any support from us but our fingers for you to hold. Crawling isn't really your thing yet, but you have plenty of time for that.

Just like mama, you are a fan of food. We had a rough start with purees at first and you much preferred finger foods, but we found a few purees that you enjoy and you are now eating two of them at daycare with Baba Tania. You sometimes cry when they are gone. You are still drinking milk at school and at home and have had formula supplemented 3 times in the last 8 months with the rest being mama's milk. Your favorite foods are yogurt, the different kinds of fancy puffs, any fruit you can get your hands on, french toast or pancakes, and your sweet potato and cranberry butternut squash purees. You also steal any food that mama or papa are eating, but that's a given. You are very good at feeding yourself and will sit in the high chair in the evenings eating your snack while we eat. Your brother Chino loves that you eat now because he hangs out by the high chair waiting for his snacks to drop!

You babble, squeal, and spit all the time. You blow raspberries and say 'mama', 'baba', 'dada', and a few other sounds. You sing yourself to sleep and seem to really enjoy music. You love going to daycare and seeing your friends and especially love seeing your baba and deda every day.

You are such a sweet, happy little boy! You have really bonded with your papa over the last month and you boys really enjoy each other's company. He reads you books, picks you up and swings you really high, and practices wrestling with you. It makes me so happy to see you play together!

You're my little sweetie pie and we have so much fun together, or at least I like to think we do. I make you laugh (more than anyone else. neener neener neener) and you have the sweetest laugh I have ever heard! You grab my face and snuggle against me when you are falling asleep and I wish I could bottle that up and take it with me everywhere I go. I refuse to believe you are growing up, but you are and you get better each day.

On your 8 month birthday I did this comparison- crazy, right? You are so much cuter on the outside, although equally heavy. And mama sure had more time to do her hair before you got here but it's worth every moment spent with you.

Happy 8 months, my sweet boy!

Love,
Mama

A Recipe

2013-01-13T14:33:00.001-08:00

As with everything else, I am surprised by our little guy's eating preferences and tastes. We did not start solids until 6 months and by then he had only really had a taste or two of banana and sweet potato. He was pretty enthusiastic with eating from the spoon and seemed to like puréed foods.

Fast forward to a few weeks later and we have a picky little bear on our hands. It seems that he is way too cool for baby mush now that he grew 1.5 new teeth. He tries to steal our food and goes to town mashing things up with his teeth and gums.

Since he seemed to like my homemade waffles, I tried out a veggie version.

Zucchini Waffles:
5-6 grated zucchinis
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or baking mix
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

- mix all ingredients and make in waffle maker.
-also works in pancake form
-feed to dog, husband, and picky babe

A Whole Year

2013-01-07T11:04:00.001-08:00

I must be getting sentimental in my old age. All I could think about was January 7 in my head all this weekend. This will forever be my favorite date. First, it is our sweet nephew's birthday (love you, Benny)! Second, this day is when we met our lovely boy last year.

As we counted fingers, toes, and vital organs my heart just about popped out of my chest. 10 healthy fingers and toes, a beautiful heart with all chambers, a cute button nose, and a perfectly shaped head made up our sweet healthy baby. The tech asked us if we wanted to know the sex and we found out our Levi was a boy! I was overwhelmed and so excited and I knew he would be a boy from very early on.

A year later I still marvel at that beautiful little boy and am grateful for each of his fingers, toes, and the beat of his heart when I hold him. What a difference a year makes.

6 Months!

2013-01-02T11:49:00.002-08:00

So, it's almost time for a 7 month update, but here is Levi's 6 month stats and update:

Stats:

Levi was 19.75 lbs and 26.5 inches tall at his 6 month appointment. He is still holding strong at 90th percentile for weight and around 75th percentile for height. He has reached all his 6 month milestones and mama and papa are just so proud and thankful for our healthy boy.

Favorite Things to Do:

Levi is such a happy little boy! He loves playing peek-a-boo, jumping in his jumperoo, grabbing our faces, playing with all his grandparents, and squealing. He has a delightful high pitched squeal!

Highlights:

Levi rolled over on December 1 and did it again a few days after! He gets the most excited look on his face when it happens! Levi also celebrated his first holiday season with us!

Eating and Sleeping:

Levi started solids after his 6 month appointment! He is a fan of real food more than baby mush. We keep trying, but so far he has hated carrot puree and yelled at me when I gave him oatmeal. Levi prefers my bread, small pieces of boiled baked potato, veggie soup, and even rice. He is still drinking lots of milk and lets me know when he is hungry!

I have been doing some more research on feeding the little man and found these sites very interesting (family members- feel free to read these):

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/here/solidsmonths6-8_800.pdf

http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-food-revolution-new-rules-for-feeding-your-baby_10320504.bc

Nicknames:

Little bear, Levchik, dino baby

Every month I say it is my favorite month. It's because life gets better and better with our sweet little boy by our side.

Little Baby on a Horse

2012-11-24T23:34:00.001-08:00

Oh yes. This just happened.

5 Months- A Letter to Levi

2012-11-22T11:41:00.002-08:00

Dear Little Man,

You are already 5 months old! You are doing so much at 5 months and you have become your own little person. You have the best smile and giggles and you light up the room wherever you go...(OK, so you only go visit your very biased family or the grocery store, but still).

You are not quite eating big kid food yet, but over the last couple of weeks you tried banana, sweet potato, and squash and you loved all of them. We are going to officially start food at 6 months. You are still drinking mama's milk like it's going out of style and you are growing so big! You still eat every 2 hours during the day and have made it so far without any formula supplements.

You are wearing 6-9 month clothes, although you should probably be wearing 9-12 month clothes. You have a very strong body and big thighs like mama and daddy had when they were little (and one of us has now post-baby). You probably weigh over 20 lbs now, but we won't know for sure until you are weighed at your next appointment. You wear size 3 diapers and your shoes are 6-12 months.

Daycare is one of your favorite places to go. Your Baba and Deda take such good care of you and you love your little friends. You love sitting outside and watching all the big kids play. The other day you saw the leaves flying and you were trying to catch them with your tongue, silly boy. You are starting to get a little bit of separation anxiety and are drawn to your parents if we go somewhere with unfamiliar people.

Sleeping is going well. You like to party until 10 or 11 at night and then fall asleep until your tummy wakes you up to eat any time between 2:00 and 3:30 and then eat every 2-3 hours again until the morning. You like to sleep in and Papa wake you up for daycare at 7:30. You give a sweet little smile to start the day and I'm pretty sure it melts Papa's heart.

You love your playmat, Sophie, and anything you can put in your mouth. Mama and Papa just set up your jumperoo and high chair and those are the jam right now too. You also just discovered your big brother Chino and you love watching him and even petted him for the first time the other day.

Baby Bear- we love you so very much! You are a happy, happy boy and have brought so much joy to our lives. We can't imagine life without your smiles, dinosaur shrieks, and blowout poops.

Love,
Mama

Four Months

2012-10-07T21:27:00.001-07:00

We had our 4 month appointment a week early and little man is growing and growing! Life is crazy as usual and we are still working on getting the hang of things! Here is our 4 month update:

Stats: Levi is 17 lb 1 oz (80%) , 24.75 inchess tall (50%), and his head is also in the 50th percentile. What can I say, my son is built like a Greek god. He is wearing 6-9 month clothing and 9 month clothing and has the chunkiest thighs ever.

Favorite Things to Do: Levi is a happy little guy and loves smiling at us. He thinks mama and papa are pretty funny and smiles any time we smile back at him. He has a grunt of a laugh when we pretend to scare him by saying 'boo' and will sometimes chuckle. He is still a big fan of his skip hop playmat and loves his girlfriend Sophia the Giraffe. He still loves taking walks with us and loves looking around at the world. Now that he is at daycare with grandma Tania, he loves looking around and playing with the older kids.

Highlights: Levi started daycare at Grandma's house (my mom). He is adjusting beautifully and seems to love it there. Mama is getting used to being away from Levi and I may or may not have had a meltdown. For now, I need to be working and I'm glad he has a safe place to stay all day.

Eating and Sleeping: Levi has made big strides in the eating and sleeping department. He takes a bottle at daycare with no problem. This was my greatest worry and fear going into daycare and I'm so glad he eats like a champ. I now have the great joy of pumping at work, which I hate with a passion, but I'm determined to continue to breastfeed for as long as I can. Levi also moved to his bed about 2 weeks before he turned 4 months and has done well. I am a little jumpy with the baby monitor, but he does a great job. I will not mess with the sleeping gods, but sleep has been going fairly well for us.

Nicknames: Boo boo, honey, Levchik, Mishka

Our sweet, sweet boy- we love you so much! Every month I say 'this is my favorite age' and I think it's because you make life better and better. Thank you for making me stop and enjoy each moment with you and for providing laughs every single day.

Hey Baby Hey!

2012-09-18T23:40:00.001-07:00

I am seriously lacking in posts. I totally blew Levi's 3 month post, but I am back with some pictures ;) I really need to get back to real blogging but for now here is some biased cuteness ;)

A day in the life

2012-08-21T22:20:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe I only have a few more weeks of maternity leave left. I would almost rather rip my fingernails out one by one than leave my sweet Levi. Too dramatic? Thought so. I am going to treasure these days we had together.

One Month

2012-07-14T15:30:00.002-07:00

One of the parenting cliches I always heard besides 'sleep now, you'll never sleep again' is how fast time goes by. The first month was a blur, but absolutely amazing. I still can't believe I'm somebody's mom, but I'm loving it. We have learned so much about being parents and while I have had my cranky, sleep deprived moments, I am loving every bit of this little guy.

Of course I'm late, but that's nothing new!

Levi is one month!

Stats:
He had his appointment and he is a chunker- 11 lb 5 oz and 21 3/4 inches tall. This puts him at the 65th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height.

Favorite Things to Do:
Going on walks with the family, being carried in the Ergo, snuggling with mama and papa, kicking his legs like crazy, and eating!

Highlights:
Levi had his bris ceremony and it was a very important day for him and us. I cried the whole time but I'm glad we were able to do this for our little man.

His grandma came to stay with us for a week and we all got to bond together.

Levi's other grandparents came over to visit and play with him.

Levi met his great grandpa and grandpa in Russia via Skype.

We started our mama and baby group and he's been out on several play dates so far.

Eating and Sleeping:
Levi is a champion eater and is on breast milk exclusively. I was so worried about not being able to feed him, but I can, and he's packing on the pounds. In his first month, Levi was waking up to eat every 2 hours or less but in week 5 gave us a couple of nights of 4 and even 5 hours! We are going to start transitioning to the crib soon and that should be interesting.

Nicknames:
The Dictator, Buddha, and a word in Russian that means little chubby man ;)

Little man, we love you so much! even though you party all night, mama's hair looks crazy, and a shower is a luxury, you make life so sweet.

Levi's Birth Story- Part 2

2012-06-24T10:31:00.003-07:00

If you missed Part 1- go check it out here. When I left off, I had just been check at 8:00 PM and was ready to push. The doctor came in and decided that I would labor him down for another hour and then begin pushing.

At this time, a new nurse was in and she was generally nothing to write home about- mostly impersonal but got the job done. At 9:00 PM, I started pushing with the help of the nurse and another nurse who we had requested. My husband and I had discussed the experience we wanted, and it was important for us to have hubby right along me rather than up front and in the action. The nurse who came in also worked as a doula and she had such a calming presence. At this point my contractions were coming very spaced out and I was getting a lot of breaks in between pushing. Each push I would get coached by both nurses and this went on for an hour until 10:00 PM without much progress. I know I was trying really hard but the little guy was not having it.

They gave me some oxygen to breathe into in between contractions since the baby's heart rate kept speeding up and we decided to let me rest again and then try again an hour later at 11:00 PM. At 11:00 PM I did some more pushing for 35 minutes with the nurses again and the doctor showed up. It took her about 2 minutes to realize that the little guy had somehow turned sunny side up...not the way he was supposed to be facing for an easy delivery. I had been feeling mostly back labor and later realized this was the cause.

We were given the option to either rest some more and see if I could push him out- which was highly unlikely given his position and the distress that labor was starting to cause. The other option was to use a vacuum to assist in the delivery. While I thought I would be a wreck, we asked to speak alone to make a decision and calmly reviewed the options together- we wanted a safe baby and we did not want a c-section. The next safest thing was to proceed with the vacuum.

Once we made our decision, it seemed like an army of people flooded the room, including the pediatrician and NICU staff. The vacuum delivery involved some risks to the little guy and they wanted to be prepared. The doctor also suited up in a ridiculous amount of tarps, gloves, booties, and goggles...yep, googles.

At this point, things started to become a blur, but I knew we had to get the baby out right away. I asked how many contractions I got to get this thing done and the doctor told me they give up to 4 contractions before the give up. My contractions were still running about 10 minutes apart at this time, so the anticipation for the first one was crazy. My epidural had been turned down so that I could feel the urge to push and I started feeling everything- and everything is no joke.

Once they had everything set up, we waited for my first contraction. The doctor told me I would do 90% of the work and she would assist with the other 10%. Between the pain and the fear, I completely zoned out and once I had the first contraction, I pushed like hell. The first contraction got the head out! I was starting to feel a little more optimistic, but also about to pass out because now I had to wait the 5 minutes until I could push again. I had more oxygen and was trying to remain calm and save my energy.

On the next contraction, I was instructed to once again push with everything I had. I had no recollection of the actual pushing or what was going on around me, but I tried again, and as I was leaning forward, I saw this tiny little baby in the hands of the doctor, already whimpering and starting to cry. I later asked my husband what happened and he told me I growled like a lion and got the baby out. I still maintain I was a lady through the process, but I honestly couldn't remember those moments.

The baby was instantly brought over to the warmer to get checked and had great apgar scored of 8 and 9. Hubby ran over to take pictures and I looked over to the side as our perfectly healthy little baby was squirming and kicking, just like he kicked me. His vacuum delivery gave him a little horn, but he was otherwise unharmed.

We got to hold him fairly quickly and it was a completely surreal feeling. We just stared at him and couldn't believe he was ours.

And that's how we became a family ;)

Adjusting to Life

2012-06-22T09:56:00.001-07:00

Thank you guys for all the kind words! Hubby and I have been working together to take care of Levi and Chino and we really started enjoying ourselves. I'll be sad when he has to go back to work next week since I won't get to hang with my best friend every day.

For now, I wanted to share a glimpse of life these days:

Mama and my two boys ;)

I cooked for a lunch guest on Thursday:

Happy to be back in my kitchen:

I'll be back with the rest of the birth story and my new fitness goals soon!

Levi's Birth Story- Part 1

2012-06-18T12:19:00.002-07:00

Even before I was pregnant, I liked reading about birth stories. I thought it was pretty interesting to hear how little people came into this world and because each birth is so different, it was good to get a wide perspective of how things can go and the various factors that play into each birth. If you are one of my (male) family members or are generally squeamish, you can skip this post. I don't go into too many details, but I do give measurements, so you have been warned in advance.

As I mentioned earlier, I was at 41 weeks and Levi was quite comfy in his waterbed. I felt freaking fantastic until the day I delivered. I must have made a deal with the pregnancy gods because I honestly had very little discomfort, almost no swelling, and was walking at least 2-3 miles daily up until the day I delivered. I know this sounds smug, but I had heard how uncomfortable pregnancy was and I was thankful to have had such an amazing experience. I better not tempt fate and do this again ;)

Despite my comfort, my doctors decided that I needed to be induced because it looked like he would stay in his home until it was time for college graduation, and I begrudgingly agreed. I did not have a set birth plan- I just wanted a healthy baby and a healthy mama. However, I had really hoped to go into labor on my own and try to keep interventions to a minimum- well that wasn't in my plans. I was honestly upset for a couple of days, but we weighed the risks and benefits, and on Sunday, June 3 we went to the hospital at 7:30 AM to begin the induction.

When we got to the hospital, we met with my doctor and discussed the options and plan for the day. I have to say that my doctor was amazing. She was one of the rotating doctors in my practice and I really liked her straight forward and professional attitude. Earlier in the week we talked about breaking my water first since I had progressed quite a bit, but when I got to the hospital, the doctor did an initial exam and I was only at 2.5 cm and 65% effaced.

Our first nurse was a cranky pants and tried to play messenger with the doctor, but we asked to speak to her personally and I was glad we did. Breaking my water this early would bring a risk of infection and start me on the clock, so we opted for the pitocin. I got my first of many IV bags first and then the pit drip started at 10:00 AM. The hubby and I pretty much hung out and watched TV and played on our phones for the first few hours. I could see that I was contracting and starting to feel them, but it was not much more intense than menstrual cramps. I got up after an hour or so and started bouncing on my yoga ball, walking around the room (dragging my IV pole), and trying to get moving to help things along.

I got checked again at 4:00 PM and was at 3 cm and 100% effaced and the doctor decided it was time to break my water. OMG- this was so nasty. I had no idea how much 'water' there would be and this was probably the least comfortable part of labor. I had a new nurse, who was really attentive and awesome. She kept checking on me and readjusting my monitor since I was moving all around the room and the little guy's heartbeat would fade from the doppler. At this point, things were starting to get uncomfortable, but breaking the water was what really got the action started.

I found that sitting on my ball, leaning against a chair with my head on the back of it applying pressure to my forehead, or swaying my hips was most helpful. I wasn't ready for the epidural yet and was breathing through the contractions. My husband was the only person in the room as we had agreed upon, and he was with me every step of the way trying to find more comfortable positions. As is always the case, I was a bit stubborn and had a hard time listening, but I was in my own world, breathing through the contractions. Each time the nurse would come in, she would turn up the pitocin to continue to advance things. My contractions were coming right on top of each other for a while and they had to come in and turn down the pitocin a couple of times but kept going.

At about 6:00 or so, my mom came in to see me. I'm generally a calm person, but for whatever reason, having different people in the room put me on edge. I had a really hard time breathing and concentrating and I had to try and bring myself back into my zone. I'm not sure if it was the pitocin, or how fast I was progressing, but the pain was starting to get intense. In addition, I was having predominately back labor, something that I was not prepared for. I stayed drug-free(ya know, minus the pitocin and IV) until 7:00 and then when my husband came back into the room, I decided I was ready for the epidural. We had talked about doing an epi IF I was doing pitocin and I had no idea how much longer this would last. I had heard of how people got too exhausted to even push and I knew I needed some energy to get through the evening, especially if I was only at 3 cm at this point.

The anesthesiologist who came in looked about 17 years old, but I swear he had a halo over his head and did a great job with the epidural. I was told to tell him to stop when I was contracting, but I was concentrating so hard that I just breathed through the contractions and didn't flinch. The epidural was not at all painful, just a small sting from the initial local anesthetic. I had full movement in my right leg and a little less in my left leg. I got the epi at 7:00 and was feeling extreme pressure in my lower back and well...behind- I felt like the back labor stuff was not going to go away. When the doctor came in to check me at 8:00 I was 100% complete and ready to push!

To be continued...

Happy Father's Day

2012-06-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

Happy First Father's Day to my amazing husband.

He has become the diapering and swaddling champion over a short period of time.

He makes sure our older son is well taken care of.

He is someone to look up to.

Happy Father's day and dirty thirty to my amazing hubby!

He's Here!

2012-06-12T18:49:00.001-07:00

The last time I posted, I was hanging out at home watching paint dry- also known as waiting for our little boy to get here. I was already past 41 weeks and it was time to get him out- I was growing a toddler after all!

I'll go into more details in another post, but on Monday, June 4 at 12:24 PM we welcomed baby Levi Solomon into our hearts. He was 7b lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. After all the waiting and worrying, the little feet that kicked me all that time and the hiccups that kept me entertained at work came with this little face.

We are all getting adjusted to our new lives together and learning as we go along. I have already learned what an amazing husband, caretaker, and most of all father, my husband can be and we are completely in love with our little man.

I'll be back later with our story, but for now this is what life looks like. We aren't getting much sleep and it's hard, but this is better than any dream.

Have You Had the Baby Yet?

2012-05-28T12:24:00.003-07:00

Welp, I'm officially overdue. According to the calculators that say baby cooks for 40 weeks (and no more or no less), I've surpassed my cooking time by two days. I'm still feeling pretty fantastic, but if you ask the surrounding world, something has gone terribly awfully wrong. It's awfully inconvenient that my body has not ejected the human in a timely fashion (and the long weekend is ending).

I find it fascinating that everyone except for me is highly concerned about my state, especially women who have already had their own children and know that labor can be um...unpredictable. I'm just an overachiever and have decided to be pregnant a bit longer. Whatever it is, I'm enjoying my last few days with an inside baby. There are a lot of perks if you ask me!

1. You get this awesome basketball that you wear under all your clothes:

You get to go play on the playground and spend time with your favorite people.

You get to use the extra calories excuse to eat dessert.

You get to spend extra time with your first born.

And you get to eat a delicious breakfast with both hands while feeling your little baby kick you.

Not a bad deal if you ask me! But baby, you're welcome to come out when you're ready. We're good people here- your dad and big brother will entertain you and I'll make you some cookies if you're good (and when you get your teeth).

Pregnancy Must-Haves

2012-05-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

Hey hey! I'm still here and still happily pregnant at 39 weeks, 3 days. Our little boy is still cooking and I am on my second day off of work. I'm feeling great for the most part and trying to adjust to my new non-schedule. I've either been in school or working full time ever since I was 15 and not having a structure is nuts, but I'm sure I'll adjust as I get much busier in the next few weeks.

As I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy, I wanted to share my must-have list and the family photos we had taken at 37 weeks.

1. Exercise. I have definitely slowed down towards the end, but yoga, walking, doing the elliptical, riding the bike, and light weight training have been absolutely amazing for my energy levels and health throughout my pregnancy. I knew weight gain would be a big part of the pregnancy, but I wanted to keep moving so that I felt better and even when I felt bad, I never felt any worse after a walk.

2. My personal trainer. Now that I'm not feeling the gym so much, my main source of stress relief is walking with my Chino. People know my obsession with him has no bounds, but this cute little face has lifted my spirits most days and he makes sure that I get out for at least 35-40 minutes every day. These days he's keeping me company while I'm out on funemployment.

3. Good food. I ate well during pregnancy. I hated chocolate until the first 15ish weeks and then I started having some chocolate treats and other treats. The rest of my food remained pretty much the same as before pregnancy. Of note, I was hungry between 20 and 30 weeks- "eating like a teenage boy" hungry. I am still not sure of the validity of pregnancy cravings. I definitely had a love affair with Trader Joe's popsicles and watermelon and loved water, but I'm not sure the difference between a craving and a preference. I also ate some red meat in an attempt to get my iron levels back up as I am borderline anemic and have to say I enjoyed it.

4. A few extra pillows. I did not have one of those pregnancy sleeping contraptions. I just used a few extra pillows to prop myself up and get comfortable. I don't know how you fit 2 people and a big worm in your bed. I may be one of the lucky people, but I'm still sleeping like a rock.

5. Other mommy/pregnant friends. I belong to a facebook moms group and it's been so nice to speak to people who are also pregnant. I also have a friend who just recently had a baby and I appreciate all the real advice. There is a lot of crap that people don't tell you about and it's great to have a perspective from someone with real experience.

6. A supportive husband. From dealing with my occasionally neurotic personality, to being there with me for the important medical appointments, I can't think of anyone else I would rather have with me on this journey. I'm pretty low maintenance, but the husband has stepped up his game to make sure I'm well taken care of. He is so protective and already a great father. And he tells my round self that I'm beautiful on a daily basis- something anyone, let alone a very pregnant woman is lucky to hear.

7. A supportive family. Our parents and my brother and sister-in-law (and favorite nephew) have been great throughout this experience. They have offered any help we needed, spent countless hours helping during our remodel, and have been our biggest support system. Most importantly, they have given us our space without trying to choke us- very important!

8. A sense of humor and a positive attitude. Did you know that pregnancy is a "beautiful experience"? It's also ridiculously awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright nasty. You get to see your body change in months, sometimes weeks, and people say a lot of stupid sh*t to you. They ask inappropriate questions, tell you you'll never sleep again, and ask about your weight gain- breaking a cardinal rule of talking to any woman ever. Keeping a sense of humor and maintaining a positive attitude have probably helped me maintain some relationships and kept me going. If anything, I have tried to fake it or kill people with kindness so that I don't say anything offensive.

We've reached all the milestones and are as ready as we can be. Now I'm patiently waiting for the baby to show up. If he's anything like his mama, he's going to be late, but hopefully he's a little more efficient like his father!

Full Term and More

2012-05-09T20:41:00.005-07:00

Between being absent for three weeks growing a human and not doing much of food blogging, I have a lot to catch up on. Things are finally winding down around the house and at work, and this whole having a baby deal is starting to get real. I think for now I'll abandon the weekly updates since things are pretty stable these days.

First, let's catch up on the last 3 weeks of bumpage:

35 weeks:

36 weeks:

37 weeks:

My 37 week picture is from a set of family/maternity pictures we had taken this past weekend and while I was on the fence about maternity pictures, I'm so glad we have been able to capture these moments. I have loved growing my little boy and I'm so happy to have these memories.

I'll be back with more pictures from our shoot as well as my pregnancy essentials in the next couple of posts, but I wanted to stop by and say hello! Baby is still cooking and I'm still doing great. What's new with you?

34 Weeks

2012-04-19T16:27:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday I hit 34 weeks of pregnant lady status. This is the big leagues- getting close and definitely through a big part of my third trimester. Overall, I'm still feeling really well and in great spirits.

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I'm definitely up a couple of weight classes from my starting weight, but it is what it is. The belly feels heavy!

Maternity clothes? Mixing and matching everything I have. It's the survival of the stretchiest in my closet for now, but I refuse to get anything else for the last 6ish weeks.

Stretch marks? None yet.

Sleep: Still sleeping well.

Best moment this week: I had a great week overall with no complaints. We had a nice night out with friends and it was really good to be social and enjoy great company and a great meal. Each night that I get to spend at home with my favorite boys is great. I also finally picked out a couple of things for the baby that are my style. I am incredibly thankful for all the clothing we have received, but 99% of it was blue and (shocker) I am not too into blue.

This week's comment of the week:

An older couple walking their dogs asked me if I had a baby under my sweater...then proceeded to tell us how euphoric the experience will be and how wonderful childbirth is. This was a welcome change to some of the crazy shiznit people usually say, even if their comments are not intentional.

My advice for any idea/thought you have or if you ever want to say something to a pregnant lady: "You look beautiful." Simple and does the trick.
Miss Anything? Meh- not really.

Movement: Constant movement. I can see when he's poking me and he's always rolling around in there. The movements are now all bigger sweeping movements rather than the little jabs I used to get.

Food cravings: I'm so thirsty now, so lots of water, the occasional peach iced tea, and milk. Other than that I have been eating all the basics. The baby has been having a lot of roasted asparagus, but it's mostly because I like it and because we discovered Chino LOVES asparagus, so it's a snack the whole family can eat!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling good!

Sex: BOY!

Symptoms: I'm feeling great. I have a lot of energy these days and the body aches have not been anything to complain about. I seem to be a human oven and get a little warmer these days. I can also feel the weight of the belly towards the end of the day.

Happy or Moody most of the time: I'm feeling generally happy. Life is good.

Exercise: I went back to prenatal yoga and it was really good for me both physically and mentally. I also made it to the gym a couple of times in week 34 and have spent lots of time walking with my favorite personal trainer- you would want to take this face on a walk too!

33 Weeks

2012-04-11T16:23:00.001-07:00

Well it's been another couple of weeks and I'm still here and definitely more pregnant by the day. I've kindly been reminded that I'm slacking on updates, so here we go for 33 weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks

And for kicks here I am at 32 weeks:

Total weight gain/loss: Up around 25 big ones as of my last appointment. I think I'll have no problem hitting my target gain of 30 lbs and since I'm an overachiever, I may even surpass it. I'm surprisingly calm about the weight even at this point. I'll figure things out once the bebe is out.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and still wearing some of my regular tops. Maxi dresses are my best friend and I can't wait for the weather to be nicer so I can wear more dresses. I am pretty much done shopping for maternity clothes- I have 3 pairs of pants and 2 maternity tops- the rest have been longer tops and lots of layering from my current wardrobe.
Stretch marks? None yet.
Sleep: Sleep is still great. I'm up to 3 pillows now but can still fall asleep and stay asleep easily. Knock on wood.
Best moment this week: I had time off of work and we had a staycation. This time last year we went to Mendocino for our first vacation with Chino and this year we accompanied hubby on a business trip to CA's Central Valley. It was so nice to spend time as a family of 3 (and my squirmy little companion).

We also celebrated Passover and baby liked all the singing and grape juice and danced the whole time. I'm excited to celebrate more holidays with the little guy when he's in the outside world.

This week's comment of the week:
I think that since I passed the awkward stage of looking like I ate too many cookies to being obviously pregnant, people have been nothing but nice to me. Doors get opened, I get treated really well, and people tell me I look good with a basketball belly, so I'm taking it!

Miss Anything? I'm getting ready to claim back my old body and have more clothing items to wear, but I would honestly not trade this for anything in the world. The baby needs to keep cooking.
Movement: I have an active little babysaurus in there. He has his feet up by my ribs and loves rolling and stretching. We hang out on the couch or in the car and hubby gets to feel some of the shenanigans. Baby is hanging out upside down as of right now and I hope he stays that way.
Food cravings: Most of the time I eat just like normal, but I have been loving peach iced tea, cereal, all fruit, veggies, and cold drinks. I had a few days where I was more thirsty than hungry and a few hungry days here and there. I think I have seriously impressed my husband with the sheer volume of food I can take down but it's mostly healthy :) Of course the warmer weather has brought me a couple of frozen yogurt runs.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling good!

Sex: BOY!

Symptoms: I'm feeling great. I am thankful to not have any of the icky symptoms (yet) and anything I have is really minor. I have tons of energy and feel best when I'm moving around rather than sitting. I can tell I am heavier, especially in the belly region and randomly get winded. I'm also pretty clumsy lately- not sure if I can blame that on pregnancy though.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and starting to get a little anxious. We have most of the items we need and will be taking care of the outstanding things in the next few weeks. I think I have been in slight denial of the HUMAN that will join us soon but I think we can tackle anything. I have been working on the baby's room (i.e. organizing) and baby has quite the wardrobe already.

I also put up a wall decal so that we can have some more color in the room.

Looking forward to: We are spending the next 6ish weeks working on the house and getting things finished. I am going to try to enjoy this time as a family of 3. We have lots to look forward to, but I'm not wishing the time away.
Exercise: Lots of walks/hikes, a few gym sessions, and yoga. I'm counting anything as exercise these days and going to keep it up as long as I can.

Showered With Love

2012-03-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had our baby shower. I've been to many baby showers in my day and it was a surreal feeling to be having my own shower. I can't think of a nicer tradition- family and friends gathering around the baby mama to support her in taking a huge leap. I can't believe how many people came out to support us and prepare us for our little man. The hosts were my mom, hubby's mom, and my sister-in-law and every single thing about it was perfect.

The details were beautiful- my SIL put up baby pictures of us and even baby pictures of what Chino could have looked like (heart melts).

The food was ridiculous- so many dishes to choose from and enough to feed a full army. The highlight was the dessert table- it was about as big as the dessert table at our wedding.

I'm omitting the pictures of our guests to protect the innocent, but we did capture some family pictures.

And then it was time to open presents. I'm the slowest present opener ever. It's a good thing our master of ceremonies was able to assist.

So many cute things!

My aunt in Florida sent a whole package of handmade blankets, booties and hats for the little man- they were so beautiful and I needed a whole crew to help open everything.

As the night wound down and the ladies left, we had an after party and things got a little silly. We took a picture of our family of three.

And a classic belly shot with our good friends.

And some more family photos.

With 31 weeks down and a house full of baby stuff, we are starting to get ready for our new adventure. Time has flown by and each day we get closer to meeting our new little man.

I hope he likes hugs, lots of loud conversation, and lots of love because if our shower experience is any indication of what his life will be like, he'll be one loved little guy!

29 Weeks

2012-03-12T22:17:00.002-07:00

Here we go with yet another week of this thing. The funny thing is I used to think how long it would take to get to the third trimester and now I'm here and it's flying again. I've decided 30 weeks is a good time to freak out- but for now 29 weeks is working for me.

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I went in again on Friday and I'm up 20 big ones. I must be carrying a toddler in there or something. I can definitely feel the weight in my heavy belly now and my cheekbones are on vacation.

Maternity clothes? Yes, and yes. This weekend hubby and I took a trip to Target so I could get some longer tanks for working out. I'm starting to look like Homer Simpson in some of my workout tops. I also need to figure out what I'm wearing to my shower in 2ish weeks...the goal is something that makes the bump look cute without making the rest of me look quite as robust.

Stretch marks? I got a new vitamin E oil from Trader Joe's...still hoping I won't get them.

Sleep: Sleep is still great. I occasionally wake up on my back but I'm still sleeping through the night and only wake up early in the morning to freak out about work, but usually fall back asleep.

Best moment this week: In health news, I'm still feeling really well since my cold went away and heard that I passed my gestational diabetes test (woo hoo!). We also made more progress on our house and the baby's room has hardwood floors all done now. Oh, and we are getting some stuff from our registry delivered to the house...I get all giddy and open the packages :)

This week's comment of the week:

Someone asked me what I was having at the coffee shop. I think it's now safe to say that I'm obviously pregnant.

Miss Anything? Nope. But I do want sushi and lox when I'm done being pregnant. Make notes, family.

Movement: Lots of movement and he's getting closer to my ribs. He also squirms around when I'm laying on my side and I usually have to turn because I think I'm squishing him.

Food cravings: Welp, I was eating a popsicle tonight when hubby took my picture and those have been my go to dessert (and ya know, chocolate). I also killed this mediterranean plate for lunch last week without even blinking. I've been eating roasted asparagus like it was going out of style last week as well. I guess it's a good combination of healthy with a few treats...and eating like a lumberjack.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling good!

Sex: BOY!

Symptoms: My lower back has felt tender again over the last few days. I was doing a lot this weekend and it could be related, but I'm trying to keep it stretched out with cat cow pose. I also got my blood work back and I'm slightly anemic, so I get to start taking an iron supplement. Besides feeling heavier, I'm still happy with how well I have been feeling.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and busy. I joke that because I'm carrying a human I get enough work for two people at the job...I'm the only one who finds this amusing and it doesn't work to lessen the workload.

Looking forward to: My baby shower (in 2 weeks, eek!), maternity leave, and meeting my sweet boy.

Exercise: Walks daily, 2 gym workouts including full body weights circuits and cardio, and one yoga practice. I'm aiming to get more in this week and still really enjoying movement.

Oh- and in case you were wondering about sympathy cravings, I let Chino try my all fruit popsicle. He approves....and don't worry, I rinsed off the puppy drool before I had the popsicle.