My Peanut Butter's Tachy

Welcome Baby Bennett!

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 15:20:00 +0000

I said in my 38 week update that it would probably be a couple more weeks. I was wrong.

I was in labor less than 24 hours later, at 38 weeks and 4 days.

At the beginning of last week we welcomed our baby boy and named him Bennett.

We are loving getting to know him and figuring out what it means to be parents.

Nothing could have prepared me for the spectrum of emotions, for how simultaneously wonderful and impossible this feels or for how much I love this tiny human.

I mean come on look at that face.

Today, June 30, is kind of a big day.

1. It would have been Bennett's due date, had he not decided to come on out 10 days ago.

2. It's the last day of residency. All my forms are turned in. My badge and pager have been surrendered, I've done all the evaluations, signed the forms and been given a completion certificate. I'm a fully trained pediatrician.

3. In almost exactly 4 weeks we'll be leaving New Mexico and moving back to my hometown in Oregon.

It's the beginning of a brand new chapter in my life: as a Mom, as a doctor. I just feel like me, but with new responsibilities and roles, and I'm trying to figure out what that looks like.

I'm putting the blog on a hiatus for a while. I'm not sure for how long, but as my life changes I'm not sure about my goals for this space and want to give myself a chance to decide how, and if, it will fit in.

Thank you so much to all of you who have read, supported, commented and been a part of this creative outlet for me.

So for a while: Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 38 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 19 Jun 2016 22:37:00 +0000

Term! This baby probably won't be here for 2 or so more weeks, but he could come any time now and that just seems crazy.

It was surprising to us all that I did weekly updates as long as I did, but I did skip last week - I had a really busy weekend with our residency graduation ceremony! Although I have some more work to do, the end of residency is feeling very real.

Bump: This week I'm wearing a Motherhood Maternity Dress.

1. How far along are you?

38 weeks

2. How big is baby?

Apparently a winter melon. Can we all just agree he's the size of a baby? Estimated weight on my app is 6.61 pounds, but really at this point the range could be anywhere from 6-9 pounds. I haven't had a size estimate since my 26 week anatomy ultrasound. At that point he was 80th percentile, but that doesn't necessarily mean much now.

3. Total weight gain/loss

I had a total gain of 21 pounds at my last update. My gain was slow for a couple weeks. Well, I always make up for it. At the next visit I had gained 4 (in a week apparently!) up to 25 pounds. Then the past couple weeks I've gained a pound each, so overall pretty healthy. I feel like I'm able to eat ok still, though I can't eat a lot of volume at once.

4. Purchases

No big purchases, but our big Target order arrived and everything is set up, washed and ready. He can arrive any time!

5. Sleep

Still some insomnia, but mostly sleeping fine. I hear about women who completely stop sleeping well at this stage and I'm definitely still getting my rest so I consider myself very blessed.

6. Symptoms

LOTS of Braxton-Hicks contractions. Swelling is also getting worse, especially since it's literally 80 degrees by 8 AM (and 100 by 12) this week and the heat really makes me puffy. I'm also just big - it's definitely a challenge to get up when I'm lying down.

7. Rings on or off?

Off. I'm still wearing my substitute ring that's a little bigger in place of my wedding band, though now with the increased swelling, I think it's time to take that one off too.

8. Belly button in or out?

Out. Definitely out. In the past couple weeks it definitely looks more like I expected it to in pregnancy. Like a classic outie that's been streeeetched.

9. Food cravings

Fruit all the time. Also we had a Father's Day/Baby shower BBQ hosted by John's work and look at this cake! Completely homemade by the wife of someone in his department.

10. Fitness

Luna and I walk regularly and I'm still going to yoga. Last week we walked down from our house to the Pride parade, about a mile each way, and it definitely felt like an effort, though some of that was probably the heat.

11. Feelings and Mood

I was feeling a little stressed this week with what I had accomplished for research, which is the rotation I'm technically on right now. As it turned out, I had a lot of pieces done, but they were separated enough I was feeling like I wasn't close to combining it into something helpful. Turns out I wasn't so far away and was able to submit a (albeit very rough) draft to my PI this week so we can work on our next steps. That really helped me feel a lot more calm. I haven't cried in a long time: I fear the moodiness has gone dormant and is going to come raging out at an inopportune time.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

Nothing stands out. I mean I'm super pregnant and it's pretty uncomfortable, so I could snark about that but I think I'm probably more comfortable than a lot of people at this stage, so I feel like I shouldn't.

13. Best moment this week

John's work had a BBQ for us on Friday (see the cake above) and it was really nice to get to spend some time with his coworkers. John labelled the bump with his little name tag: Future Structural Engineer. We'll let him pick his career path of course haha.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 38 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 00:38:00 +0000

It's a milestone this week in that we're close enough to term if he came right now (and were otherwise well) he could go to the regular nursery and not the NICU or transitional nursery, so that's pretty exciting. Other highlights this week include installing the car seat and making an online order that includes everything we'll need before he arrives. Hard to believe we're only 4 weeks from the due date.

Bump: This week I'm wearing an H&M shirt and some regular pre-pregnancy leggings. I just wear them under the bump and find them much more comfortable than the pregnancy kind with a panel since it's so hot outside.

1. How far along are you?

36 weeks

2. How big is baby?

The size of a papaya. Estimated weight on my app is 5.73 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

As of my 34 week appointment I had gained 21 pounds total. At my appointment this week I was the same weight as at 34 weeks, so it's still 21 pounds total, though only 1 pound in the past 4 weeks. I was having some more trouble with appetite and heartburn in the past couple weeks, but I bet I'll see a gain this week.

4. Purchases

We made rather a large purchase from Target and a couple things from Amazon in order to get everything we need for his arrival. There are several items we do eventually want, but have chosen not to buy now because we're going to be moving so quickly after delivery. These include a crib and a glider. We'll just be using a Pack and Play until we get to our new home. Most things are still being shipped, but I'm starting to feel pretty ready from a supply standpoint.

5. Sleep

I was awake a lot in the middle of the night this week. Oh well, it's still probably more sleep than I'll get once he's here.

6. Symptoms

I haven't had any really bad heartburn episodes, just smaller ones, since my last post. I'm starting to really feel the Braxton-Hicks contractions this week. I had noticed the occasional one in the past few weeks, but nothing very notable until recently.

7. Rings on or off?

Off. I'm still wearing my substitute ring that's a little bigger in place of my wedding band.

8. Belly button in or out?

Out.

9. Food cravings

It's either super sweet or super healthy. I made some cookies this week but also really enjoyed this salad:

Cabbage, romaine, carrot, peanuts, edamame, cilantro, dry crumbled ramen noodles and sesame ginger dressing.

10. Fitness

I don't think I'm going to be taking up any new activities at this point. I'm still doing yoga at home, and trying to do plenty of walking. It's in the 90s outside now during the day now though so I have to plan it in the morning or go to the gym, otherwise it's a little too hot.

11. Feelings and Mood

I'm doing well. With our big purchase this week and the car seat installed I feel like I'm getting ready and that's allowing me to just feel excited. I still want him to stay in there for at least a couple more weeks - for both our sakes - but it's starting to feel really close.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

I hope to write a separate post about this once I'm done with the pregnancy so I can give a complete update, but I've actually really enjoyed having a varied but limited wardrobe. A pregnancy capsule wardrobe if you will. If you look back through update posts, you've probably seen me in pretty much every pregnancy outfit I have. It's plenty of items and combinations, but actually only 25 items in my regular wardrobe, plus 4 more in activewear. I guess you could count a couple non-pregnancy dresses that I could wear in the second trimester if you wanted and bring the total up to 30, but they don't fit anymore. I've been toying with the idea of trying a capsule wardrobe once I'm back in regular clothes, and it's only convincing me more. It's just so easy to get dressed.

13. Best moment this week

John and I went on a date to Farina this week. It's a nice atmosphere, pizzas and pastas/wine bar kind of place. We hadn't been on a date just because in quite a while and it was really nice. We're also aware that our time for that kind of thing may be pretty limited very soon, so that made it even more special.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 36 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 35 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:44:00 +0000

I'm a little late on my post this week. Usually I write these over the weekend, and it's Wednesday, but the Memorial weekend just got away from me.

Bump: This is a Motherhood Maternity tank top with navy H&M maternity shorts. John thought the front-view photo this week was kind of funny because it's harder than usual to tell I'm pregnant in the black shirt when in fact I am very pregnant.

1. How far along are you?

35 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A pineapple. Estimated weight according to my app is 5.07 pounds. Apparently my uterus is now 1000 times it's normal size - pregnancy is super weird.

3. Total weight gain/loss

As of my 34 week appointment I had gained 21 pounds total. I'll have another update on that at the 36 week appointment.

4. Purchases

I bought this nursing bra over the weekend in black. I already had the blush colored one and it's the only one I can stand to wear regularly - anything with underwire or a non-elastic band is super uncomfortable - so it was time to get another one I could trade out for the one I've been constantly wearing. The sizing is kind of weird - I'm an XL but I'm not a very big person, and it doesn't match up with their size chart at all.

5. Sleep

Sleep was mostly better this week compared to last week. I was awake for shorter stretches in the middle of the night. It's still not a solid night's sleep, but I've pretty much accepted those days are over for the foreseeable future.

6. Symptoms

I had a couple really painful episodes of heartburn this week. That was new and really kind of awful - they each lasted 3 or 4 hours despite taking medicine. I couldn't lie down or get comfortable and sometimes threw up. At least they weren't consistent and most meals I had no problem. I should just be grateful I haven't been dealing with that throughout the whole time. I did have some decreased appetite as well. My baby is still really high and there's just a lot of compromising for space to breathe, eat and grow a baby at the same time.

7. Rings on or off?

Off. I'm still wearing a substitute ring that's a little bigger in place of my wedding band and it's very comfortable.

8. Belly button in or out?

We decided a couple weeks ago that it's out.

9. Food cravings

Comfort foods and healthy things. Here's one of our dinners from this week: tofu cauliflower lasagna and a kale salad. In the morning I've been mostly drinking smoothies.

10. Fitness

I didn't try anything new this week, but did some walking and yoga like usual.

11. Feelings and Mood

I was kind of chill this week I think. I'm not sure this category is fair - I should probably have John answer this question every week. My self-assessment may be inaccurate at this stage. Really though, we had some car trouble (ended up hanging out in a Smith's parking lot for over 2 hours and getting it towed) and I think I was pretty calm about it. Maybe that was the Oreos.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

I really can't think of anything for this category this week. No particular positives or negatives that stood out.

13. Best moment this week

We went to a couple parties over the weekend - a gender reveal party for another pregnant friend (hers is a boy too!) and a BBQ on Sunday that were both really fun. Nothing really to do with pregnancy, just getting out and being social.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 35 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 34 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 23 May 2016 14:02:00 +0000

Highlights this week include my 34 week appointment, a breakfast date and lots of studying. A big thanks to whoever linked one of last week's photos on Pinterest, what a compliment!

Bump: Today's dress is from Motherhood Maternity and is also one I bought very early on and have been wearing throughout particularly for work.

1. How far along are you?

34 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A butternut squash (which seems enormous?!). Estimated weight according to my app is 4.63 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

At the 32 week appointment I had gained 20 pounds total. As of my 34 week appointment this week I gained 1 more pound, so I'm now up 21 pounds total. Of course when you're dealing in that small a number it varies by time of day, water retention etc. I think the point is that my weight gain still seems to be healthy, and really that's all that matters.

4. Purchases

Again we didn't make any purchases this week. We're planning to order or shop for the rest of the essentials pretty soon. I think I have enough warm weather pregnancy clothes to make it through the next 6 weeks and I'm so far totally okay wearing the same outfits every week - I'd rather save money now for some more nursing compatible clothes I'll need in the future and other expenses we have coming up.

5. Sleep

Objectively sleep is a lot worse this week, but it doesn't bother me a lot since I have the flexibility in my schedule to rest when I need to during the day. I do realize how completely blessed I am to be spending these last few weeks with such a self-directed schedule. I fall asleep fairly easily, but I'm waking up a lot more and almost always staying awake between 1.5-3 hours in the middle of the night. About 3 times this week I woke up around 2:30 or 3 AM and just stayed awake and got up with John at 5.

6. Symptoms

I had a really painful neck strain this weekend but who knows if that was pregnancy related or would have happened anyway. My hands and feet do swell in the heat, so usually they'll be a little swollen after I walk Luna, but otherwise they're pretty normal. I'm also just bigger. I really noticed it this weekend when my neck was hurting - how much effort it takes me to sit or stand from lying down. I'm sure that's only going to get much worse.

7. Rings on or off?

Off. I'm still wearing a substitute ring that's a little bigger in place of my wedding band and it's very comfortable.

8. Belly button in or out?

We decided last week that it's out.

9. Food cravings

Most of what I'm craving is healthy, but I do feel like my cravings are getting more specific. Not weird foods, but I'll really want a particular meal at a particular time.

We went to Tia B's La Waffleria this weekend for a breakfast date. There's a build your own option as well but I chose the Bombay Coconut. It's vegan and gluten free. This place has been here a while and is super close to our house but for some reason we haven't tried it before.

I also got a soy London Fog

10. Fitness

I did a lot less exercise this week if I'm objective about it. I walk Luna regularly, and also still walked to campus 3 days last week, but even when I did yoga it was a little lighter and more stretching and breathing than really strengthening. I have goals for this week - obviously I'm not becoming any kind of athlete, but I'm more productive in studying and my other tasks if I exercise too so I have some plans.

11. Feelings and Mood

I was a little moodier this week. I'm still mostly happy but I definitely have a harder time bouncing back from a disappointment or a stress. Or more often a problem I've made up in my head.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

My baby's movements are big enough now they're easy to see from the outside when you look at my belly. That's been going on for a while but it seems more dramatic now. This week I took advantage of it to send a video to my sisters, which I'm sure they found completely creepy. You're welcome.

13. Best moment this week

I met John for lunch in the middle of the work day one day this past week. I had been having a hard day and it was really helpful. I think I was kind of down during the actual meal, I doubt it was a highlight of the week for John but it was really great for me because it turned my day around.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 34 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 33 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 16 May 2016 16:13:00 +0000

Highlights this week include a lot of days when I didn't really get dressed because I was studying at home.

Bump: This week I'm sporting a Stitch Fix dress again. I'm dressed up for our baby shower, which I'll write about another time.

1. How far along are you?

33 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A bunch of celery or cauliflower. Estimated weight according to my app is 4.19 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

I've gained 20 pounds total as of the 32 week appointment, with an 8 pound gain in the past 4 weeks. I'll have another update on this next week since I'm now to every-2-week appointments.

4. Purchases

We didn't make any purchases but we had a baby shower and received lots of gifts which was really wonderful. In the next few weeks we'll be buying the rest of the essentials to have before he arrives. I'm kind of looking forward to working on the "supplies" preparation because it feels like a very tangible way to help me feel ready.

5. Sleep

I had more middle-of-the-night insomnia this week. A few times when I woke up at night I couldn't go back to sleep for an hour or 2.

6. Symptoms

I'm feeling overall pretty good this week. I think a little more regular exercise has been helping avoid aches and pains. The most noticeable thing now is just how pronounced his movements are - I can feel him a lot more when I'm not paying attention than I used to. I'm also having that classic "nesting" feeling and find myself wanting to organize and get rid of things.

7. Rings on or off?

Off. I sorted through my jewelry the other day and found a kind of simple inexpensive ring that's bigger than my regular ones so I started wearing that instead.

8. Belly button in or out?

I'm going to call it out. It doesn't look like I expected it to, which may seem weird that I had a mental image of what by belly button would look like in pregnancy, but turns out I did. It's flipped out, but it's not uniformly flipped out. It's like flat with a hat.

9. Food cravings

It's still smoothies and vegetables. I also made this Summer Curried Corn Chowder this week that was really good.

10. Fitness

This week I've been walking a long loop around the golf course more regularly but I didn't go to the gym at all, and I'm still doing yoga for my strength training but often it's only 10 minutes a day. I'd like to do a bit more this week.

11. Feelings and Mood

I'm really doing pretty well and feeling mostly happy. Instead of moody or cranky, I'm finding that when I'm not feeling happy the negative emotion is anxiety. I'm worry about a lot of things and I think I get overwhelmed more easily.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

As I mentioned, we had a baby shower hosted by a friend from church this week. A bunch of our friends came and it was just really nice - we felt very supported.

13. Best moment this week

There were a lot of great moments this week that were small things - we're really just enjoying these last few weeks of our very quiet lives. I think the best moments this week were my long walks. They helped calm my mind, I always take Luna and she's always really happy to be walking and it makes me feel active and healthy.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 33 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 08 May 2016 22:52:00 +0000

Highlights this week include a big weight gain, Mother's Day and some mood swings.

Bump: This week I'm wearing a Motherhood Maternity sweatshirt I've had since pretty early on. It's surprisingly cool today considering the 80 degree temperatures of the past week.

1. How far along are you?

32 weeks

2. How big is baby?

An squash or Florida pomelo. Estimated weight according to my app is 3.75 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

Finally time for an update!

At my 32 week appointment last week I had gained 8 pounds since my previous one, or 20 pounds total. While the total weight gain is great, I was a little worried about that much gain in just 4 weeks, or 2 pounds a week. My weight gain pattern throughout this pregnancy has been a very small gain over 4 weeks, then a large gain at the following appointment over the next 4 weeks. Even though I knew this logically, it was maybe the first time in this whole pregnancy I'd really felt some negative body image.

I haven't really talked yet about why I don't weigh myself between appointments. Some pregnancy resources mention you should weigh yourself every 1-2 weeks to make sure weight gain is healthy. It's fairly optional though and I choose to only be monitored at my doctor's appointments. As many of you likely know I've been unhealthfully preoccupied with weight at some points in the past. This has been much improved in the past 3 years, but I knew pregnancy was a time when those feelings might come back, between weight gain and rapid changes in my body. For that reason, I knew my body confidence and health would likely be best served by eating intuitively and letting my doctor watch my weight.

I'm still extremely happy with this decision, and my doctor isn't worried about the recent gain. Some negativity lasted for about a day, and then I got over it. I think I was a little disappointed to find that the scale still could affect my mood like that, when I've been overall feeling beautiful and healthy.

I'm trying to be reasonably conscious of what I'm eating and just wait to see how it looks at the 34 week appointment. If I need to make larger changes at that point to keep the weight gain healthy I will.

4. Purchases

I had to look back at my transactions because I couldn't remember this week. I didn't personally make any specific baby purchases, but we did get some new things.

We got Luna groomed, which is a gift to ourselves because it way cuts down the dog hair in the house, but it's not technically a baby/pregnancy purchase I guess.

John bought me this outfit for our baby as a gift. It's so cute.

Available here from Amazon

5. Sleep

I'm experiencing a tiny bit more insomnia this week and more aches and pains. I'm definitely changing sleeping positions a lot more often because of that, but overall I'm getting enough rest.

6. Symptoms

I started swelling in the last half of this week occasionally in my hands and feet. I'm also still feeling the occasional reflux. It isn't really heartburn - it doesn't hurt - I can just feel the refluxing. Last night I fell asleep a little too soon after eating I think and woke up with that sensation about 3 hours later and had to sit up for a while. Pregnancy brain is also really strong this week. I'm mixing up words and at least twice I've taken my foot off the brake without putting my car in park and rolled into a curb while trying to stop. I've also noted the regular pregnancy clumsiness seems to have increased a bit. I broke a bowl this morning.

7. Rings on or off?

Off! Most of the time my hands are completely normal and the rings fit fine, but there were a couple instances when it seems like it might be hard to get them off, and I don't want to worry about that, so I took them off. It also makes it even easier to moisturize my itchy skin without worrying about getting lotions into my rings.

8. Belly button in or out?

Flat? It's still somewhere in between.

9. Food cravings

Smoothies and vegetables. It's hot enough now I'm mostly wanting cold things. And I usually crave something sweet every day.

10. Fitness

There were a couple days this week when I was planning to walk outside and the day crept up on me and got too hot, but mostly I've been doing a variety of gym, yoga and walking. I don't have specific goals for the coming week, I just want to keep being active every day.

11. Feelings and Mood

Mostly the week was fine, but I had a super moody day on Friday. I was just feeling really overwhelmed and really just let it be a not-very-productive day. Once John got home for the day I felt better, and I've felt fine since, ready to tackle the coming week.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

See my Mother's Day post for a couple quick highlights from my (sort-of?) first Mother's Day. I hadn't really thought the day applied to me, but there have been happy wishes and presents and it's been really nice.

13. Best moment this week

John's been reading to me and my belly this week and I've been enjoying that time. It's relaxing and our baby usually moves while he's talking.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 32 week update, see you soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 08 May 2016 21:26:00 +0000

My mother is the best. I mean I'm sure everyone thinks that, but I'm right.

If I can be a tiny percentage of the mother she is I'll be doing okay. I just wish I weren't so far away today, but fortunately the move is just about 3 months away.

Mom and I, August 2015, Sandia Mountains

Today's been a very nice day. Even though we're 2 months from the due date, I've been treated very kindly by those around me and received lots of Mother's Day wishes.

John made me breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes) and bought an outfit I had previously loved but not bought for our baby.

My own Mom sent me a Mother's Day present with lots of things I'll be needing soon plus some very cute clothes for our young man and I thought that was so great.

I guess I wasn't really expecting to feel like a mom yet this Mother's Day, but I do.

So Happy Mother's Day to my mom and all you moms or soon-to-be moms out there.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Stitch Fix Maternity Review #3

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 03 May 2016 12:00:00 +0000

I got another Stitch Fix this week and I'm very excited to share it with you.

You can read my first Stitch Fix post for an overview of how it works.

In short: I get 5 items chosen based on my personal style, I get to try them on with my current wardrobe, keep the ones I love and send back the others.

This time in my note to my stylist Natalie I asked for another maxi dress since I have an upcoming graduation and baby shower, that everything be compatible with breastfeeding, and to keep the palette "light and bright" for spring.

So here they are:

1. Dante Cut Out Metal Oval Layered Necklace from Bancroft

After my feedback on my last fix I thought the size of this was great, but I wanted a little more color or variety of pattern I guess - it just didn't feel like me.

Status: Returned

2. Carlita Knit Maxi Dress from Loveappella

[cute candid John - thanks]

This pattern was nice, but it was the exact same style/cut as the maxi dress I kept from my last fix. I imagine the selection of maternity maxi dresses at Stitch Fix is still a little limited, but I was hoping for something a little different.

Status: Returned

3. Andria Knit Maternity Dress from Loveappella

I don't really have anything this color in my wardrobe and I liked it, but the dress was too thin with visible underwear lines that I have tried to avoid showing in this photo. I also thought the cross-front was really awkward. Either the seams go directly across my chest, or I could pull both sides down a little but then it was way too much cleavage. Just did not work.

Status: Returned

4. Liam Lace Henley Maternity Top from Full Moon

This color is awesome, it still has a little room to grow, it's nursing compatible, it's super soft and I just love it. I'm actually wearing it as I type this.

Status: Kept!

5. Albany Ruffle Front Maternity Knit Top from Market & Spruce

This color was really pretty and I thought about keeping this, but it just felt a little tight. I probably have 10-15 more pounds to gain and several inches in my belly and I just wasn't sure it would last me to the end. It did really frame the belly though and I liked that.

Status: Returned

Cost:

Dante Cut Out Metal Oval Layered Necklace from Bancroft: $32

Carlita Knit Maxi Dress from Loveappella: $78

Andria Knit Maternity Dress from Loveappella: $68

Liam Lace Henley Maternity Top from Full Moon: $48

Albany Ruffle Front Maternity Knit Top from Market & Spruce: $48

Total Cost for items kept: $48 (minus $20 already paid for styling) = $28

Even though I only kept one item, I feel like my stylist really listened to my feedback and this fix felt very personalized. I've just found in looking at my complete wardrobe that I don't need a lot more until after I deliver. Although I did want another dress for either graduation or the baby shower, not having one I wanted in this fix actually led me to look again at what I have, and it's plenty.

I've decided not to ask for another fix until after I deliver, and then I'll see what I need. I feel like my postpartum body is just a big mystery at this point - I have no idea what my shape or size will be or how quickly I'll lose weight. With that in mind, I'm just planning to work with what I have and get some inexpensive basics in between if I need them.

Anyway, this was fun and I'm very glad Stitch Fix has maternity clothes!

If you want to try it, you can check out Stitch Fix here for more information. If you decide to sign up, using my referral code [which is the above link] helps me out with some site credit which of course I appreciate, but you don't need a referral code to sign up.

Which item is your favorite?

Bump status in these photos: 31 weeks.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Week in Review: Housewife and Studying

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 02 May 2016 17:59:00 +0000

I'm participating again this week in a weekly linkup over on Clean Eats, Fast Feets called Week in Review, so read on for the list of what I did this week.

It was a real mix of super productive and fun things - at the beginning we were traveling back from our Babymoon in Arizona to home and then I was still on vacation at home and had a lot of tasks to tackle but a lot of fun things to do as well. I never really get to be a housewife, so I gave it a shot this week.

Obviously you can't really read everything on this planner page from the photo, but it kept me organized and all the highlights are in the list below.

Week In Review

1. Drove back from Arizona to home in New Mexico.

2. Finished Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner (really liked it).

3. Cleaned out my makeup storage to keep only products I actually use/want.

4. Made a meal plan, bought groceries (and stuck to it!).

5. Listened to some new podcasts. I enjoyed Death, Sex and Money (okay that title's kind of serious, but it's good).

6. Cleaned out inboxes: unsubscribed to lots of newsletters/ads, deleted old emails.

7. Had the heaters switched off and the swamp cooler switched on for the summer - and then had a freezing cold windstorm this weekend and regretted my decision a little.

8. Cleaned out a dresser drawer (okay it was a junk drawer) and a chest of drawers in my closet. I filled up a full paper bag with trash and another for donations.

9. Took Luna to the park for some Vitamin D.

10. Cleaned out my work purse.

11. Did online modules on safety and harrassment for my department that we have to do every year. Why do I need to do these again 2 months before I graduate?

12. Sent a Mother's Day gift.

13. Cleaned the fish tank.

14. Made a Boards study plan and unearthed my MedStudy books (I hadn't used them to study in a while).

15. Submitted the required forms for my current rotation, which helped me define my goals for the month and how I want to spend my time most effectively so I learn something.

16. Took a long walk around the golf course with Luna.

17. Went to a yoga class.

18. Had friends over to watch Game of Thrones

19. Got a Stitch Fix (post coming soon)

Here are some photos from the week:

31 weeks pregnant!

A photo of my wonderful husband/photographer

Smoothie

Taco Salad

Veggie Tofu stirfry

The clean fish tank (his name is Egbert)

My old half marathon medals (I took a picture because I got rid of them in the cleaning process)

Luna at the park

Don't forget to head over to the linkup to read the other blogs that are participating.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 31 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 01 May 2016 01:58:00 +0000

Overall it's been a pretty good week, but I feel like time has slowed down a little. Maybe it's because I started the week coming back from vacation and had control over my own time, but I just feel like this week has stretched on - in a good way.

Bump: In this week's photo we have a preview of a shirt from an upcoming Stitch Fix post. Look out for that one to find out if I kept it or sent it back.

1. How far along are you?

31 weeks

2. How big is baby?

An asparagus or a head of romaine lettuce. Estimated weight according to my app is 3.3 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

As usual I'll have my next update on this at my next appointment - which will be on Tuesday. As of my 28 week appointment I had gained 12 pounds total.

4. Purchases

I got a Stitch Fix this week so I'll be writing a post later about what I decided to keep. We also finished registering since one of our friends is very kindly hosting a baby shower in a couple weeks.

It's nice because I feel a lot more organized about what we need and what we can wait to buy until we arrive in Oregon so we don't have to move it.

If you're curious what people who are planning a multi-day move across multiple states with a newborn are hoping to have, you're welcome to look at our registries:

Amazon

Target

(Please don't buy us anything - I'm just sharing this because I found it helpful to look at examples of registries when I was making my own.)

5. Sleep

I'm actually sleeping pretty well - insomnia is pretty rare at the moment. I think maybe it's because I'm getting more exercise. Or maybe it's just that I'm less stressed and feeling better organized.

6. Symptoms

I've just started getting the occasional pang of heartburn, but nothing that lasts and I haven't had to take medicine for it yet. I do just feel like there isn't much space left in my body, and sometimes my little one really likes to just stretch into my ribs.

7. Rings on or off?

They still fit great, but not sure how much longer that will last.

8. Belly button in or out?

Really not sure whether to say in or out - the top is out a little but the rest is kind of flat. It doesn't look like an outie but it's not really in anymore either.

9. Food cravings

My cravings are a mix of salads and sweet things. I've been keeping fruit popsicles in the freezer at all times and having salad at least one meal a day, but sometimes both lunch and dinner now that it's warm outside.

10. Fitness

I've made it more of a priority this week and did yoga and stretching at home, took longer walks and also made it to my yoga class this week. I can still work out pretty comfortably on the elliptical, but the gym just isn't my favorite when I could be outside.

11. Feelings and Mood

I cry really easily but not in a truly sad way, I just get easily emotional at TV shows, or thinking about sad things, or happy things, or really anything. I'm also fairly anxious but fortunately I have the time to be organized and not let that overwhelm me.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

Our baby's getting pretty strong now. This is really a positive, but his movements are much more pronounced now and sometimes hurt when he kicks me under the ribs or jabs me in the bladder. Even though it's sometimes a little uncomfortable, really it's wonderful - feeling my baby move is something I dreamed about for a long time before I was even pregnant.

13. Best moment this week

I think the best moment this week was when John got to feel him doing a bit of a dance - he had felt kicks and little movements before, but he hadn't caught him when he was just moving constantly so that was nice.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 31 week update, see you soon.

Friday Faves 4/29/16

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:18:00 +0000

Happy Friday!

It's almost May and this week our property management company sent out someone to turn off the heaters and turn on the swamp cooler for the season. It's still cool in the mornings but it does get warm later in the day. While I enjoy the arrival of summer, I think being in the last weeks of pregnancy while it's hot is going to be awful.

1. Things My Sisters Say: My sister Shannon went to a scientific work conference recently (she's completing her PhD through the Air Force) and sent us this text. Way to represent Shannon.

2. Music: Lean On Cover by Lennon & Maisy. I love a good cover and this one is really good. These two are sisters and also play sisters and sing on the TV show Nashville.

3. Snack or Meal: This is a veggie burger and salad from Zinburger from our trip to Arizona last weekend and it was awesome.

4. Lifestyle and Beauty: I wanted a bright color for spring, so this is the Formula X from Sephora in Legendary. I have "the system" with the base and top coats and usually it lasts about a week.

5. Recipe: Red Curry Noodle Rice Bowls from The Full Helping. John doesn't like curry, but now that I'm home during the days, I think I'll make this for lunch. Click on the link to see how awesome it looks.

Happy weekend!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Week in Review: Babymoon

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 04:02:00 +0000

I'm participating again this week in a weekly linkup over on Clean Eats, Fast Feets called Week in Review. It's basically a chance to share what's gone on in the week in list form. The author of that blog just had a baby, so head on over to check out the other blogs and congratulate her!

This week a number of exciting things happened, most particularly because we're on a Babymoon.

Week In Review

1. Got my DEA number! It's $731 to apply for a DEA number. Becoming a legit doctor is so expensive.

2. Worked my last clinical day of residency (2 months of self-directed rotations to go).

3. Wore UNM scrubs for maybe the last time? I mean I could wear them again, but I don't need to, and that's exciting.

4. Drove 6 hours to Scottsdale, Arizona for a resort vacation long weekend.

5. Ate at about 7 new restaurants while on vacation.

6. Relaxed by the pool and floated in the lazy river.

7. Wore a bikini while 30 weeks pregnant.

8. Went to the Desert Botanical Garden.

9. Walked around IKEA for some thoughts about furniture for when we move in a few months.

10. Was totally surprised to find a Warby Parker store at the shopping complex across from the resort and got my sunglasses adjusted. They've been falling off my face for months and I was nervous about entrusting them to just anyone to get fixed, but now they're perfect. The woman working there asked how long ago I had bought them because she'd never seen the style I had before. It's been discontinued. It has been close to 4 years I guess. They hold up really well.

11. Drank a Shirley Temple for the first time in years.

12. Got a pregnancy massage (my second of the pregnancy, hoping to budget for one more before we're done).

13. Watched cable TV in a hotel room, which always makes me feel like I'm on vacation.

14. Started Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner on my Kindle. It's pregnancy/new baby/relationship-focused and I'm about 25% into it and I'm really enjoying it.

Here are some photos from the week:

Coconut smoothie by the pool

View from our hotel room

On the drive from New Mexico to Phoenix

Desert Roots Kitchen

Warby Parker Store

Desert Botanical Garden

Overall I had a very nice vacation and am looking forward to tackling some serious studying and other productive things in the coming week.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 01:47:00 +0000

I really try to get up at least one non-pregnancy post each week, but this week I was unsuccessful. Fortunately it's mostly my friends and family reading this...so you don't mind back to back pregnancy posts right? It's going up a little late this week because I'm on vacation and have just really been enjoying that. We're on a babymoon of sorts, a long weekend at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Bump: This week's photo was taken at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and the dress is from this Stitch Fix.

1. How far along are you?

30 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A zucchini or a summer cantaloupe. Estimated weight according to my app is 2.89 pounds. Someone asked me this week if I had a basketball under there.

3. Total weight gain/loss

As usual I'll have my next update on this at my next appointment - which won't be until 32 weeks. As of my 28 week appointment I had gained 12 pounds total.

4. Purchases

I bought some shorts and a shirt from H&M in preparation for the trip to Arizona this weekend. I also bought my first nursing-style bra (which I've been wearing every day because it's also impossibly comfortable) and a tank top. That brings my short sleeve top count to 3, and my tank top count to 2 not including workout wear. I'm so far along now I'm trying not to buy more than I need, but the weather's turning hot so I'm needing different items than I did a few months ago.

5. Sleep

I wake up to pee of course, usually 2-4 times a night, and my dreams are kind of weird but I'm overall sleeping pretty well. I'm no longer sick with a cold so my sleep really improved this week compared to the previous couple.

6. Symptoms

I just feel super pregnant. I literally don't understand how I have 10 weeks worth of growth left. I feel like I'm stretched to the maximum already. Obviously baby and I both have a lot of growing still to do, I just find it hard to believe.

7. Rings on or off?

After finishing in NICU on Friday I put them back on. They're comfortable now, but I'm probably going to take them off at the first sign of difficulty getting them on and off, because I don't want them to get stuck. No telling when that will be though.

8. Belly button in or out?

The top part flipped a tiny bit a while ago but it hasn't really changed again yet. Still in.

9. Food cravings

We've been on our mini resort vacation to Arizona this weekend and I've been eating all kinds of foods both healthy and decadent. One of my favorites was this salad from True Food Kitchen with a coconut kale smoothie.

10. Fitness

Since I was feeling healthier this week I've been doing yoga and made it into the gym a couple times. I didn't go to my yoga class because we're out of town, but I'm planning to go this week.

11. Feelings and Mood

I was moody during the week last week, which I think was just related to how close I was to being done with work and wishing for the week to be over. Since then I've been very happy, but that's sort of circumstantial since I'm on vacation.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

My snarks this week are just things I miss. I really miss being able to lie on my stomach. It was one of my most comfortable positions pre-pregnancy and I'm really looking forward to it in a couple more months. I'm also at a resort with a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi and really look forward to being able to use those again.

13. Best moment this week

I have 2:

1. Leaving work on Friday - my very last full clinical day of residency. I'll still have lecture, continuity clinic and plenty of work to do with research and boards studying but I am done with hospital-based rotations and it's very exciting.

2. This one: poolside with my coconut smoothie

And that's it - thanks for reading my 30 week update, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 29 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 23:40:00 +0000

It still feels like there's a long time left, but I'm about 3/4 of the way there. We took a childbirth class through the hospital this weekend (which was not that useful except to reassure us that we know what we're supposed to know already) but it did make it seem very real.

Bump: In this week's photo I'm wearing a Motherhood Maternity dress. My mom actually got this one for me as a present when I was only 12 weeks along (Christmas) and it's worked great at every stage.

1. How far along are you?

29 weeks

2. How big is baby?

An acorn squash. Estimated weight according to my app is 2.5 pounds.

3. Total weight gain/loss

As usual I'll have my next update on this at my next appointment - which won't be until 32 weeks. As of my 28 week appointment last week I had gained 12 pounds total.

4. Purchases

I spent lots of money this week on completely non-pregnancy/baby related things. I submitted my DEA application which is $700+ and a few other necessary business-related things like that. We did a lot of research this week on some important baby products (carriers, car seat, stroller) but we haven't bought them yet.

5. Sleep

I was pretty much recovered from my cold by Friday (I got 2 colds lasting about a week each 4 days apart), so my sleep improved a ton as soon as I stopped coughing so much. It also helped that I moved back to my bed from the guest room. I just really have a lot of strange dreams, but I still wake up feeling rested.

6. Symptoms

I have strange dreams as I mentioned above. I've also started getting round ligament pain (a sharp pain in my sides) just occasionally when I walk. I'm itchier than before, which I'm just dealing with by moisturizing which helps. Also, my skin seems less dry but I'm thirstier than ever. I feel like I cannot drink enough water.

7. Rings on or off?

Still on (though again, not wearing them during the week because of the NICU.)

8. Belly button in or out?

It's starting to flip outward on the top, but still mostly in.

9. Food cravings

This week I was craving vegetables. For my favorite meal this week I made a seitan salad (recipe in Salad Samurai) and put it in a whole wheat pita. The dressing is a homemade cashew-based ranch and I put a lot of basil in it.

10. Fitness

As I mentioned above, I've only been feeling healthy for a couple days. I'm doing a little more yoga and squats and of course Luna and I go on walks. I'm hoping to ramp up the intensity a little this week if can just (please please) stay healthy.

11. Feelings and Mood

I cry easily but usually it passes quickly - sometimes it's just at a commercial or TV show or something stupid, and sometimes it'll be something happening that just seems to bring several days worth of worries all together. I don't think I'm moody or hard to be around in general though (at least I hope not - you'd have to ask John.) In general I'm just counting. the. days. down. I have 1 week left of regular residency rotation. I finish the year on research and reading months, so I'm just counting down until Friday. This Friday. I will still have my regular continuity clinic after that, but the rest of my time will be self-structured and I can't wait. Also we're going on our little Babymoon to Arizona once I finish this week, so I'm really looking forward to that.

12. Pregnancy Perks and Snarks

Up until this week, this section has just been Pregnancy Perks, but I've run out of positive ideas for the moment so I thought I'd share some negatives.

This week, I just want to share the most unflattering maternity outfit possible: unisex scrubs. I wear scrubs for the NICU because we go to operating room and delivery rooms for deliveries, and they are not that flattering to start with but I feel like it's even worse now. You would also think they would be comfortable at least, but the pants are not elastic and are not designed to accommodate a bump. I tie them underneath but it's a constant battle between too tight and tight enough that they don't fall down.

I only have a week left of the rotation though, and then I can be back in clothes I like.

13. Best moment this week

The best moment of my week wasn't really my moment but it was still the best. John has been studying for a while for the Professional Engineering exam and this week he finally got to get it over with. He was pretty excited about having it done and this weekend felt like a celebration.

And that's it - thanks for reading my 29 week update, see you soon.

Friday Faves 4/15/16

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday!

It's tax day, not one of my favorites (we've owed the past couple years) but here are some favorites.

1. Things My Sisters Say: A couple weeks ago I got some precious pet photos from my sisters via the magic of the cell phone, so here's a little roundup of the family pets.

Dobby [Shannon]

Lucy [Emma]

Penny [Nicola]

Luna [me]

This is an older picture - Chaucer [Mom and Dad]

2. Music: This song is from 2011 but that doesn't mean I can't love it today. The Head and the Heart: Lost in My Mind

3. Snack or Meal: Sometimes you're just in the mood for a classic veggie burger. This one has lettuce, tomato, pickle, avocado and vegenaise on a whole wheat bun.

Look how happy John looks...actually that might be the beer.

4. Lifestyle and Beauty: I'm so sad it took me all the way until pregnancy to try using this. Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil. This is how I've finally fixed the dry skin on my face. I didn't like the scent of the "face oil" - kind of rose/floral. The regular one is still great for the face though and hasn't caused any breakouts - it's just enough to moisturize my crazy dry New Mexico dwelling skin. It rubs in easily, smells like chocolate and is super inexpensive so I can slather it everywhere including my ever-expanding stomach.

5. Recipe: Chocolate Covered Katie Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookie Cheesecake. Mint, cheesecake, cookies? Another window into my pregnancy cravings.

[Photo property of Chocolate Covered Katie]

Happy weekend!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Embarrassing Residency and Med School Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 13:45:00 +0000

Today I'm going to share a couple personal embarrassing residency and medical school moments, because we'd all like to think we don't make mistakes - but I know I do. Here are some times I wanted to sink through the floor. Details have of course been changed in order to protect patient privacy.

1. As a 3rd year medical student I was presenting a patient on the inpatient rotation who had recently had an Echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart). The report included that the patient had "levocardia." Without thinking about it, in reporting the results I said, "The Echo was normal except that the patient has levocardia."

Levocardia means the heart is on the left. That's where it's supposed to be.

2. I was performing a lumbar puncture as an intern. This was not my first time - I was probably capable of performing the procedure by myself but it was early in the year and wasn't nearly as experienced as I would eventually become. My attending, who did not know me well and had not supervised me in this procedure before, chose to talk through each and every step of the procedure as I did it even though the parents had chosen to stay in the room. It definitely led to an an atmosphere that maybe I didn't know what I was doing. So what did I do? I proceeded to accidentally stab myself with a needle in the process of drawing up the lidocaine (fortunately a clean needle). I was bleeding a little, had to ask for a new bottle of lidocaine, new needle, new gloves etc. The parents pulled the attending out of the room and I'm sure basically said, "I don't want that shaky first-timer doing a lumbar puncture on my kid." It was an awesome moment. I still did the lumbar puncture, and it went fine, but goodness I'm on their side with that one. Did not exactly inspire confidence.

3. Often when a kid is hospitalized, multiple family members are involved in the care and sometimes one will relieve another at the bedside so they can take care of some things. This is great, and we love to see kids with lots of family support. Sometimes though, the switch happens ninja-smooth. More than once I've left a room just briefly and not paid close attention upon returning. The aunt often looks a lot like the Mom and I've definitely tried to pick up a conversation I was having earlier and taken way too long to realize I'm talking to someone else.

4. On my pediatric rotation in the 3rd year of medical school, I was a constant basket case. I mean, I did well on the rotation, but my stress levels were off the charts. I would overreact to not knowing answers to questions, and I cried frequently. It was only my second rotation and I just put a lot of pressure on myself because it was what I wanted to do.

My attending sent me into the room to examine a kid with an "interesting physical exam." She had clearly done this plenty of times before because the family was super chill about it. He had some interesting skin findings but otherwise seemed normal. I didn't know what he had, but after spending a while asking questions I couldn't justify staying in the room any longer and stepped out with a mounting sense of irrational panic. My attending asked me what I thought and I just stammered. I could have at least come up with a guess, but at that point I had a hard time making guesses I wasn't sure about and also with saying I didn't know (this did improve). Inexplicably, I felt myself starting to cry. That would be embarrassing enough, but then my nose started to bleed - a lot. Like staining the carpet of the clinic. In a way I was relieved because that was a distraction from the fact that I was crying. We got that all under control and I was informed the little boy had neurofibromatosis. That diagnosis now always sticks in my mind and I have no idea if the blood came out of the carpet.

5. Put Your Clothes On
Also on my 3rd year pediatric rotation, sign out was at 0600 and I was always on time, sometimes running into the residents on my way into the hospital. I once ran into a couple of the seniors on my way in, said hello, and proceeded to walk a little in front of them to the sign out room - which was a long way from the entrance (multiple hallways, multiple floors). When we finally arrived, one of them informed me that my skirt wasn't zipped. And it wasn't. I had done the hook at the top so I hadn't noticed a feeling that it was loose, but my entire lower back and the top of my buttocks were exposed the entire time I had been walking through the hospital. My shirt was long that day, but I honestly have no idea what they saw. At least she told me before I'd gone through more of my day like that.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that still make me cringe when I think about them. I'll write another post if I think of another collection.

I hope you all get some joy from my moments of shame.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Happy Birthday Emma!

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 11:00:00 +0000

My sister Emma has a birthday today!

You're brilliant and sweet and very funny and I love you.

She lives far too far away and I'm constantly angling for her to move closer, especially now that I'm headed back to Oregon. You could meet me there!

Fall 2012 when I went to visit her at college.

I love you, happy birthday!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 23:10:00 +0000

Third trimester!

I'm working in the NICU right now and it's kind of crazy to look around and see babies that are only as developed as my baby in the isolettes all around me. In a way it's a relief, because most of them born this far along do pretty well, but it's a long difficult NICU course and I find myself walking around holding my belly praying he stays in there until he's due.

Bump: In this week's photo I'm wearing a Stitch Fix dress. (Last Stitch Fix review here.)

1. How far along are you?

28 weeks

2. How big is baby?

An eggplant or a coconut. It's been the same 1.5-2.5 pound range for several weeks on my apps. I'm sure he's getting bigger and as usual, now coconut sounds really good.

[Source]

3. Total weight gain/loss

I had my 28 week appointment last week and had gained 3 pounds in the past 4 weeks. That's a total gain of 12 pounds. Just for fun, here's some photos side by side comparing those 4 weeks:

I talked last week about how I thought it would be a lot more gain than that because my belly feels huge (I mean, not end-of-pregnancy huge, but much bigger than 24 weeks.) I guess realistically though, maybe it is only 3 pounds. I've been sick lately and doing less exercise, so I don't really feel like I've been doing everything I wanted to in order to keep weight gain healthy, but my body seems to know what it's doing for the moment.

4. Purchases

Nothing this week! We haven't made any baby purchases yet but we are starting to get some hand-me-downs and gifts, so that's nice since we have nothing for a baby. Plenty more on all of that probably in a month or 2 as we start actually doing some baby shopping.

These were passed on from my friend Betsy who just had a gorgeous girl - her baby was too big for them from the start [they're newborn size but kind of tiny] so we'll see if they fit our little one. Otherwise I'll pass them on to my next pregnant friend.

5. Sleep

I recovered from my last cold and was doing pretty well with sleep (for a whole 5 days!), and then caught another illness starting on Thursday, so I'm back in the guest bed as of last night. I'm hoping once I get over this one I'll be well for a while, especially since I won't really be interacting with lots of kids with colds anymore...until October? Is that right? I'm pretty sure that's right.

6. Symptoms

Again, I have another cold. The cough/sore throat/congestion is overshadowing any classic pregnancy symptoms, but I still consider them pregnancy symptoms related to my lowered immune reserves. I don't usually catch things back to back like that. I'm not saying it's totally my baby's fault, but it's kind of my baby's fault. As usual as long as he's healthy I'll take whatever symptoms come along. I say that now but the infamous aches and pains of the later third trimester haven't started yet.

7. Rings on or off?

The rings were off this week but they still fit. I don't wear them in the NICU as that's the policy to protect the babies from any germs they might carry. They're back on for the weekend though.

8. Belly button in or out?

Still in.

9. Food cravings

My doctor confirmed that my hematocrit was fine and my gestational diabetes screen was negative, so there's no new restrictions or changes to my diet. This week I've been craving popsicles and smoothies. Most mornings I've been making some blend of frozen banana, soy milk, protein powder and other fruit. Planning a dedicated smoothie post soon.

10. Fitness

I did a couple mornings of gentle yoga this week, but it was a low exercise week again, and I skipped my yoga class this weekend because I think I might be contagious, and I thought all the coughing would probably be disruptive. Earlier in the week I was barely recovered from my first cold, and the transition to my new rotation meant being at work an hour earlier, so I had a hard time making it a priority over my sleep in the morning. I still walked Luna every day, but that was it.

11. Feelings and Mood

Mostly I'm feeling pretty good. I'm trying to make the most of my time in the NICU and pick up procedures where I can, but there's a fair amount of down time in between deliveries and admits. (I'm on a resuscitation rotation, not regular NICU, so I don't have patients I'm rounding on or primarily responsible for day to day.) I've been getting a lot of studying done which always makes me feel a little more positive. I'd feel better without this cold but hopefully it clears fast.

12. Pregnancy Perks

Sometimes people give me chairs. I'm talking particularly about work. Frequently if there's more than one parent or family member and other kids in the exam room for a visit, someone is sitting on the physician stool - there are usually 2 patient chairs in the room, plus the exam table. Lots of people kind of realize the stool is a nice place for me to sit, and I think in pregnancy people seem to reshuffle to actually give me the stool more.

It's not a big deal for me to stand for the visit, but the stool is nice for a few reasons:

1. I can examine a kid more easily on the parent's lap, and for the younger ones that's often nicer because then they're less scared about it.

2. Studies indicate greater patient satisfaction and a perception that I've spent longer on the visit if I sit down: read about it here. I always sit if I can, even if I don't really feel like I need to.

3. The stool makes it easier to keep my body language open when I'm jotting things down on the chart, because I'm not leaning over the counter.

I don't mind all the family being seated - I like people to be comfortable and I know sometimes it's a long wait. I only feel like it's kind of silly when there are enough chairs and someone chooses to take up the other patient chair with a bag or something, forcing the other parent to sit on my chair and me to stand. There's an easy solution to that. Your bag does not need a chair.

...maybe I am moody this week.

Anyway, chairs. They're nice.

13. Best moment this week

We started a registry! As I mentioned above we haven't made any baby purchases yet but I have a very sweet friend from church who offered to host a baby shower for me, so we've started to put a few things on a registry. If we get a few smaller things from the shower that will be nice, and we'll put our bigger items on there as well so we can use the completion discount afterward. We picked Amazon and Target. We did the Target one in-store and it was kind of fun walking around with the scanner gun - haven't had an occasion to do that since our wedding.

And that's 28 weeks - and the start of the third trimester.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Week in Review: Very Average Week

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:28:00 +0000

I'm participating again this week in a weekly linkup over on Clean Eats, Fast Feets called Week in Review. It's basically a chance to share what's gone on in the week in list form.

Week In Review

1. Made a coconut custard pie (and spent a long time looking for agar - found it in the seaweed section)

2. Took a walk on the Bosque River Trail

3. Took a walk around BuyBuy Baby for some ideas - and didn't buy anything

4. Went to church (it had been a long time) and baby kicked me through the whole service

5. Checked in on my medical license process - hopefully I'm going to have an Oregon medical license pretty soon!

6. Made a lasagna (and it was even better as leftovers)

7. Made pot pies (and the crust turned out terrible - I think one of my ingredients was too old)

8. Worked 6/7 days, about 50 hours

9. Slept in the guest bed because I was coughing and blowing my nose constantly - but pretty much recovered by Friday

10. Watched The Big Short - really liked it

11. Did my gestational diabetes test - negative!

Here's a couple photos from the week:

From the river walk: bump status 27 weeks

Queen of the couch

Good filling, unfortunately not good crust

Don't forget to head over to Clean Eats, Fast Feets to check out the other blogs that are participating.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 27 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 15:03:00 +0000

I don't have gestational diabetes! I mean I'm pretty sure I don't. More about that down in the food cravings section.

Bump: In these photos I'm wearing a Toad & Co. dress from REI. Not maternity and looking super cute with the hiking boots.

1. How far along are you?

27 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A rutabaga or a bunch of bananas. These food comparisons are useless to me but suffice it to say he's growing.

3. Total weight gain/loss

I'll find out on Tuesday. I was up 9 pounds total at 24 weeks and I feel like I've gained another 10 - the belly feels huge in comparison to 4 weeks ago - so we'll see.

4. Purchases

I didn't really buy anything this week, but we did reserve a hotel/resort spot for a weekend in April - we're going to leave town, go somewhere warm and I'm going to hang out in a swimming pool. I've been wanting to swim for ages but it's just not convenient here so we're going to use some of our Starwood American Express points and take a little babymoon to a place with a pool. A nice pool. And a lazy river.

5. Sleep

I stayed sick all week, so last night was the first night I made it back into the same bed with my husband. I slept in the guest bed for a few nights so the coughing/nose-blowing/tossing and turning wouldn't keep him up. I think it's easier for me to sleep alone when I'm sick too, so it was good for both of us. Most nights I think I got plenty of sleep overall, just woke up a lot.

6. Symptoms

I'm mostly recovered from my cold though still feel like I have allergies. I'm a little more tired but that might be sickness-related. I also feel like the pregnancy brain is getting worse - I lose words and forget what I was talking about. It's not been bad with patients at all, but I notice it especially at home.

7. Rings on or off?

Still on.

8. Belly button in or out?

Still in.

9. Food cravings/aversion

Still everything sweet - I'd like to cut down a little bit, I think some days it's a little excessive. Maybe when I see that 10 pound weight gain I'm nervous about on Tuesday that will help motivate me.

The good news this week though is that I did my gestational diabetes screening and the number came back super normal at 82. I haven't actually heard it from my doctor yet since the appointment isn't until Tuesday, but I think it's safe to say I don't have gestational diabetes. Maybe I went a little crazy this week celebrating - definitely need to set some sugar intake goals.

I also had my hematocrit checked at the same time since we had stopped my iron-containing prenatal vitamin that I was having a hard time tolerating. (I'm still taking one without iron.) That came out normal too - at 40.

So I was very excited about both of those results.

10. Fitness

I don't think I worked out at all this week. I walk Luna every day, sometimes twice if I get home in time to go with John in the afternoon, and I walk to and from work, but I didn't do any dedicated exercise like I had been doing - I just felt too sick most of the week.

11. Feelings and Mood

I am so ready to be done with clinical rotations. I have 3 weeks of work left where I actually have to show up somewhere specific every day. Then I have vacation, and then self-directed rotations for the final 8 weeks, and I just wish the days would pass faster. I'll be busy during those self-directed times, but it'll be a different pace and I'm just counting down until it starts. I think my mood was fine this week considering I was sick - really I was busy working and didn't have time to have an attitude, but I think it did creep in every once in a while.

12. Pregnancy Perks

Never have my super frequent snacks been so encouraged. I ate fairly often even before pregnancy but now the snacking is almost constant and I don't get any judgment for it, so that's nice.

13. Best moment this week

The best moment this week isn't really pregnancy related, but it was walking out of work on Saturday. That's because Saturday was the last weekend day of work for my residency. Over a year ago when I put in schedule requests for this year I was hoping to be having a baby around this time, so my schedule was very front-loaded and I've now reached the point in the year when I don't have any weekend crosscover. Of course I'm not done working weekends forever - I'll still have call in my new job - but I do have a break for a while.

And that's 27 weeks.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Pregnancy Update: 26 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 18:38:00 +0000

Happy Easter! I don't really have a post prepared specifically for the occasion, we're just headed to a potluck at a friend's house. So here's a pregnancy update instead, hope that's ok.

26 weeks already! Just a couple left until the third trimester.

Bump: I'm wearing a Stitch Fix dress that felt Easter appropriate. The cardigan is from Target.

1. How far along are you?

26 weeks

2. How big is baby?

A head of lettuce. He's supposed to range anywhere from 1.5-2.5 pounds still. I had a followup anatomy ultrasound this week and he's 80th percentile and estimated at 2 pounds 6 oz (though of course that's not super accurate). Still, I'm growing a good size little man.

3. Total weight gain/loss

No updates yet - coming up at 28 weeks.

4. Purchases

This week I got Stitch Fix #2: that post is here.

5. Sleep

I woke up Friday with a sore throat/cough thing that I'm sure I caught from one of those darling kids I see in the urgent care that coughed in my face. That's been messing with my sleep a bit. Last night John left to sleep in the other bed because I was coughing so much.

6. Symptoms

As I said, the cold/cough this week is pretty rough. I've been moving my humidifier around and trying to just sit in the cloud, drinking lots of tea and taking the occasional Tylenol. Pregnancy-wise I'm honestly doing fine and I'm just grateful for that because this virus is no fun.

7. Rings on or off?

Still on.

8. Belly button in or out?

Stretching out more every day, but still in.

9. Food cravings/aversion

I am just eating fruit and sweet things all the time. Literally at least 6 servings of fruit a day and usually a dessert. Of course I'm also trying to get plenty of protein, eat vegetables etc. and I'm doing my gestational diabetes test next week but in the mean time there is fruit everywhere.

Fresh pineapple!

10. Fitness

This week I had wanted to make it to the gym at least twice and do the online hour-long yoga workout I had bookmarked. I was doing ok until the cold hit and I did get in the yoga and one trip to the gym. I skipped my yoga class yesterday because I just wasn't up for it, and I didn't want to expose all those other pregnant women to what I have. I'm hoping this improves fast - this is day 3 so far and I tell patients all the time that it can last 3 weeks, I'm just hoping this one doesn't.

11. Feelings and Mood

It was a busy week at work and I felt drained but I guess I had less time to be moody. Overall I felt okay - I just feel like I'm burning out really quickly and counting down the days. There's only 3 months until the end of residency, and only about 4 weeks until I have research and reading blocks that are a little more self-directed. I just feel like I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life and these last few months are passing so slowly.

12. Pregnancy Perks

In my whole pregnancy my local Smith's (Kroger, Fred Meyer equivalent) is the only store I've been to that has a pregnant lady parking spot, but I just started using it and it really is kind of nice.

13. Best moment this week

As I mentioned above I had a follow up anatomy ultrasound. There isn't anything wrong - he was just too squirmy to get a good view of the arches of the heart at the last one. So this week we got to spend almost an hour and a half looking at him on the ultrasound and even got to see part of his face on the 3D ultrasound. He looks like a human! He's even kind of cute. We also had a funny moment with the ultrasound tech when she first started because she hadn't looked at how far along I was and thought we were doing a first trimester screening. She set the ultrasound probe on my belly and it practically bounced off she was so startled by the size of my baby. There's definitely a big difference between 12 and 26 weeks. It reminded me how far we've already come.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Friday Faves 3/25/16

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday! Time for some favorites.

1. Things My Sisters Say: 100% accurate.

2. Music: I heard this song today at the gym and loved it. Big Gigantic feat Angela McCluskey: The Little Things.

3. Snack or Meal: We made a pasta primavera for dinner last week and this was my leftover lunch portion. The recipe is from Appetite for Reduction.

4. Lifestyle and Beauty: I bought a sports bra at Victoria's Secret last week and they were having a special on their body care line - 4 for free with the purchase of a sports bra, 1 of each of their "system." I chose the scent Shea and got a scrub wash, cream body wash, lotion and body oil.

I'm not going to claim this does any dermatological magic - I haven't been using it long enough - but my skin feels awesome and smells even better.

5. Recipe: I'm bookmarking this one for next week - Cuban Black Bean and Cilantro Lime Rice Bowls with Baked Plantains from The Full Helping (formerly Choosing Raw).

[Photo is hers]

Happy weekend!

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Stitch Fix Maternity Review #2

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 11:00:00 +0000

My next Stitch Fix arrived this weekend and I'm very excited to share it with you.

You can read my first Stitch Fix post for an overview of how it works.

In short: I get 5 items chosen based on my personal style, I get to try them on with my current wardrobe, keep the ones I love and send back the others.

I asked for a "light or bright spring dress" in this fix, and I had given some feedback about my first one, but didn't ask for anything else very specific.

My stylist was Natalie and I thought she did a great job.

So here we go:

1. Alma Beaded Pre-Layered Necklace from Bay to Baubles

I was really excited to get a necklace with my fix - I wouldn't say jewelry is really a priority for me but I'm looking to build that part of my wardrobe a little. I forgot to get a really good closeup, but you can see it here in the photo with all the items, and I'm wearing it in most of the other photos (just not the ones with the jacket).

It has 2 strands and a pretty built-in layered look, but I just didn't think the gold was quite right with my tones - it was a little yellow. I'm sure if it had looked awesome on me I would have considered it, but I'm also not really looking for more delicate necklaces as that's most of what I already have.

Status: Returned

2. Anjuli Dark Wash Denim Jacket from Just USA

This is a perfectly nice denim jacket, I just don't have a use for one. It doesn't feel like me - I don't like the feeling of the collar around my neck and it's stiffer fabric than I like to wear on my top half. I also didn't like the fading and pre-distressed areas - they just looked a little odd and made it a little too casual.

I'm wearing it here with a Prana dress from REI I bought about a year ago. It's not maternity but still fits the bump well.

Status: Returned

3. Gabre Maternity Dress from Eight Sixty

I didn't know exactly what I wanted when I asked for a "bright or light spring dress" but this was it! This is the perfect color, the fabric feels thick and super soft and I could wear it to multiple occasions including work.

Status: Keep!

4. Medford Shortsleeve Maternity Knit Top from Loveappella Maternity

I'm wearing this with my dark Motherhood Maternity jeans. The fabric and fit of this shirt were great. If I hadn't liked other pieces in this fix so much, or had unlimited funds, I probably would've kept it. It's simple enough and similar to other things I already own though so I decided to send it back.

Status: Returned

5. Carlita Jersey Maternity Maxi Dress from Loveappella

I don't own any maxi dresses. Most of the time when I've tried them in the past I've thought they looked terrible, and I had a hard time finding one that fit my frame - I'm 5'4" so not super short but they were always too long.

This one though, is perfect. It has a nice nursing-compatible cross-front neckline, it's super soft, and I don't even have to wear heels to keep it off the ground. I love the pattern and it's not like anything I already have, so I was really excited to keep this one.

Status: Keep!

Cost:

Alma Beaded Pre-Layered Necklace from Bay to Baubles: $28

Anjuli Dark Wash Denim Jacket from Just USA: $58

Gabre Maternity Dress from Eight Sixty: $88

Medford Shortsleeve Maternity Knit Top from Loveappella Maternity: $48

Carlita Jersey Maternity Maxi Dress from Loveappella: $78

Total cost for items kept: $166 (minus $20 already paid for styling) = $146

I'm so happy with the dresses that were picked for me in this fix I requested Natalie style my next fix as well. I'm not sure yet which specific types of items I'm going to ask for - as the weather changes to be warmer I'm waiting to see what I still need.

Which item is your favorite?

Bump status in these photos: 25 weeks.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

Week in Review: Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 12:42:00 +0000

I'm participating this week in a weekly linkup over on Clean Eats, Fast Feets called Week in Review (the blog's author is pregnant too!) It's basically a chance to share a list of accomplishments or activities from the week.

Since I was on vacation until this morning, I accomplished a lot this week, both fun and productive.

First of all, here's where I kept track of it all in my Journal J Planner.

There were 2 categories - things that were more productive or that I really needed to get done, and things that were just for fun.

For the sake of this list though, I'm just going to mix the categories together and there's no particular order, so here it is:

Week in Review

1. Bought groceries (x2 - and make a meal plan for dinners)

2. Laundry (including whites, with bleach)

3. Caught up on work paperwork

4. Mailed contract and other documents to my future place of employment

5. Uploaded the following items for licensing to the Oregon Medical Board

- Photo

- Birth certificate

- Marriage certificate

- USMLE transcript request

- Med school diploma

- Medical school verification (request sent to my school)

- NPDB

- MPA/DEA open-book exams

6. Made juice

7. Caught up on almost all my TV shows

8. Paint nails

9. Got a massage

10. Got a haircut

11. Wrote 6 blog posts

12. Cleaned out the fridge

13. Cleaned desk

14. Replaced the ink in the printer

15. Cleaned up my Google Drive

16. Finished latest Integrative Medicine module

17. Wished my sister a Happy Birthday (and bought a present)

18. Cleaned fish tank

19. Worked on research project

20. Visited a friend in the hospital after the birth of her baby

21. Shopped for a sports bra

22. Took Luna around the golf course and to the park.

23. Walked to Nob Hill with John

24. Watched the Bachelor finale

25. Went to Bible Study

26. Exercise: Gym x3, yoga class, yoga/body weight exercises at home x3

So for a staycation, I tried to keep myself busy.

Here are some photos from the week:

Luna

The not-quite-tree in front of our house is blooming!

Vegan Homemade Pad Thai: lunch I made on Tuesday

From our Nob Hill walk.

Golf Course

Now it's time to return to work and while I wouldn't mind a little more time, at least I can look back on the week and know I made the most of it.

Don't forget to head over to Clean Eats, Fast Feets to check out the other blogs that are participating.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.