15 Weeks

*Is it just me, or is my belly looking kind of pointy here?

How far along: 15 weeks
Weight gain: I have an appointment on Friday morning, so I will know officially how much I have gained then.  I would guess I'm still up 2 pounds or so.
How big is baby: The baby is the size of an apple, and about 4.5 to 5 inches long.
Maternity clothes: I'm still in mostly non-maternity clothes.  In my previous post, I talked about the awesome finds I found at Forever 21 last week.  Also, my mom and I are going to be doing some maternity clothes shopping this weekend to pick up some items that are likely to come in handy in the next few weeks!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Awesome
Best moment this week: I had a great week.  I think my favorite moments were teaching yoga on Saturday morning and then attending an amazing, 2.5 hour yoga class with one of my favorite teachers, Catherine Munro.  I did my first inversion (going upside down into a headstand) since becoming pregnant.  She shed some light on how I can safely continue to practice yoga while pregnant, and made me realize that I actually do not have too change much at all. 
Movement: No
Food Cravings: I'm really into the various salads from the QFC deli this week: Perfect Protein Salad, Fava & Garbanzo Bean Salad, Pesto Pasta and Pea Salad, etc.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Nothing at the moment.  Life is good! 

Pregnancy Fashion

When I first realized I would be in my 3rd trimester during the "hot" Seattle summer months, I have to admit - I was less than thrilled.  First, I immediately "called it" that Greg would have to give in and buy an air conditioning unit for our bedroom.  Then, I started to think about the fact that I would have to enjoy virgin cocktails on our beautiful summer days.  Thumbs down.  My world was ending.  In addition to this, I assumed finding something comfortable to wear that would keep me looking somewhat pulled-together, (and not a swollen/sweaty mess) would be a bit of a challenge.

HOWEVER - my friend Rachel introduced me to the Dear Baby Blog - written by a gal my age, living in North Carolina.  She is currently pregnant with her second baby and has the most adorable fashion sense.  She posts her daily work attire on her blog and I have shamelessly decided to copy her style.

I made a trip to Forever 21 over the weekend, (or as my hilarious coworker Linda calls it, "Forever 42"), and scored a few cheap items that I plan to incorporate into my spring/summer wardrobe!  The items consisted mostly of long skirts (no more than $10 each) that I can wear up and over my growing bump and cheap colorful tank tops (for $3 a piece).

Below is a preview - (ignore my less than excited face - clearly I do not posses the ability to pose in a mirror, take my own picture and smile at the same time). 

I have a ways to go to perfect my new "pregnancy" look, but at least I have something to look forward to in the warmer months ;)

Brunch!

Last weekend, a few of the Chi-O gals got together at Azul's to catch up over brunch!  The food was delicious and it was fun to hear about what everyone has been up to lately!  Hope to do it again soon, ladies!

(I'm stealing these pictures from Becca's blog - thanks Becca)! 

Brenna, Becca and Amanda

Me, Becca and Brenna

Maureen, Maeve, Rachel and Me

Cute Baby Maeve - 2 months old now!

14 Weeks!

How far along: 14 weeks
Weight gain: According to my home scale, I'm up 2 lbs.
How big is baby: The baby is the size of a lemon, about 4 inches long.
Maternity clothes: I do have a couple maternity shirts that I'm incorporating into my rotation, but they are not a necessity quite yet...and the BellaBand is helpful for some of my tighter, less forgiving, pants.  As you can see from the picture above, I definitely am showing now (seemingly overnight!) but most of my clothes hide it!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Still great
Best moment this week: I was able to spend time with so many of my fantastic friends this week, which was awesome.  I also made time for yoga 5 out of 7 days - feeling good!
Movement: No
Food Cravings: Coffee is starting to sound good again, so I have been enjoying (mostly) decaf in the mornings lately.  I do allow some caffeine here and there, but only if I am really needing it.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Wine, beer, mimosas, margaritas, pear martinis....you get the idea.  I also miss shopping for clothes.  Nordstroms at the Alderwood Mall just did a big remodel and they now carry a lot more clothes - all of them adorable.  Instead of buying clothes that won't fit me in a few months, I bought a lip gloss and got a haircut/color.  :)

Friday Night In

On Friday after work, Greg and I had plans to just sit at home and watch some March Madness.  I signed on to my gmail account, to see that Rachel was still hard at work at Tippr, so we decided to see if Rachel and Peter had plans to watch the UW game.  Less than an hour later, there is Peter at the door - arms full of pizza and beer :) 

Rachel and Peter live about a block away from us, so it's always nice that we can make these impromptu plans and have them work out so well.  We had a great time watching the Huskies win with you two!  XOXO.

I Heart Food.

Something interesting happened this week.  The stars (and my social calendar) aligned, and I had the pleasure of having one amazing dinner after another, every single night this week!  While I try to make plans to go out or make a nice dinner at least a couple evenings out of the week, it seems that lately my energy to do either has been lacking.  I will end up with a frozen pizza, a randomly tossed together salad, a PB&J, or a box of macaroni and cheese and just call it a day.

I had to share my fantastic week o' dinners, as I'm pretty sure this will not quite be happening on the regular post-baby. 

Monday, 3/14: Around lunch time, I had the glorious idea (yes, I'm taking credit for it) to have breakfast for dinner!  I realize this is not totally a unique idea for some, but it's not something that Greg and I have done in our 6+ years together, so I'm feeling pretty excited about it.  Greg (as the main chef in our household) made us scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, hash browns and biscuits - and as we were eating, we kept exclaiming, "this is soooooo good".  We agreed that this is something we will be incorporating into our regular rotation!

Tuesday, 3/15: Met up with my dear friend Mark (one of my yoga buddies) for a meal at the Bonefish Grill.  We laughed as we were ordering, because it was clear that I was probably hungrier than I have been in the past when we have eaten together.  "Do you want to add a salad" - "yes".  "Shall I bring bread" - "YES".  I had tilapia, broccoli and a chickpea salad for my main meal.  I absolutely love this restaurant.  While the food was great, the company was even better!  All throughout our yoga training last year, Mark and I (with our friends Susan and Michelle) spent 200 hours together in addition to our carpooling every morning and evening before class.  I sure miss all of that quality time with them.  Mark is about to embark on a Ashtanga Yoga journey across the US for at least the next six months, (jealous) so we got to catch up and discuss his upcoming travels!

Wednesday, 3/16: After work, I drove up to my friend Stephanie's house where I was treated to another home cooked meal!  She made shrimp, crab and mushroom fettuccine, a garden salad and bread sticks.  It was so delicious!  Steph and I have been friends since middle school and I absolutely cherish our time spent together.  We hung out all evening, talking about pregnancy, raising kids, work, working out, family, etc.  There is nothing like a girls' night in!  Thanks again, Steph!

Thursday, 3/17:  Ah, St. Patty's Day.  You know, the day designed for drinking beer?  Greg was happy to have a designated driver for the evening, (and for many more evenings to come it seems).  Last year we went to our friends Dan, Jeannette and Laryd's for my first ever experience with Corned Beef and Cabbage - and after that, we knew we wanted to get ourselves on the invite list for every future St. Patty's Day dinner!  Jeannette is an AMAZING cook.  Greg and I always gobble up everything she makes when we are treated to dinner at their house.  Greg even ate cabbage!  We had a fun time - them drinking "Black and Tans" - and enjoying a great meal with even greater friends :)

Friday, 3/18 - tonight: To round out the week of great meals - the All American Breakfast (for dinner), Seafood, Italian-Seafood, and Irish Fare, Greg and I are going to grab some Mexican food tonight!  Our local spot, El Parasio has some halibut chipotle tacos that are to die for.  We get them every time. 

It's a really good thing that I have stepped up my yoga practice this week, and that I have both yoga and zumba lined up for the weekend. :)

Oh, and PS - I have brunch plans tomorrow - holla!

What Has Been Keeping Me (Semi)-Sane - YOGA.

Oh yoga.  How I love thee.  For anyone who knows me, you know that yoga is my favorite hobby and quite a passion of mine.  Up until about a month ago, I had been teaching 2 classes a week at Hot Yoga of Mill Creek, a studio I have been teaching at for about two and a half years. 

Unfortunately, due to the utter exhaustion I was feeling during my first trimester, (and continue to experience at a lesser degree now), plus the way the heat in the studio was making me feel (dizzy/nauseous), I just had to take myself off the schedule for awhile until it made sense to go back.  Working full time was just about all I wanted to commit myself to at the time. 

Being away from my students and that environment was more difficult for me to adjust to than I had originally thought!  While I appreciated the extra downtime and sleep it allowed, something very important in my life was missing!  A few weeks ago, I started teaching again at Bindi Yoga, a studio that my great friends Susan and Michelle opened up.  I am only teaching one class a week (Saturdays at 10 am - come see me!) and the class is in a studio with much less heat - and let me tell you , it feels GREAT to be back!

Although I am only 13.5 weeks into my pregnancy, I can already tell the benefits I am and will receive from yoga will be huge.  When I take the time to do my own practice - whether asana (physical postures) or just sitting to meditate for a few minutes - the difference in my mood and how I feel physically is drastically different!  Additionally, I have not yet experienced ANY of the aches and pains that some of my friends have told me they experienced in the first/second trimester.  Perhaps I'm lucky - but I honestly think that my history of yoga before and during pregnancy is playing a huge role in how I'm feeling.

So if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or if you are not interested in pregnancy whatsoever - I encourage all of you to try to make some amount of time for some deep breaths and some downward dogs.

Namaste!

More on the Nursery

Another thing I have known that I wanted was a tree decal to stick on one of the walls.  In the spare room we have one full wall almost covered with windows and another that is wall-to-wall closets, so I will have to take advantage of the 2 walls I have left and make the most of them!

I found this one on Etsy and loved it immediately.  I love how they incorporate the shelves (from Target) into the branches and I love the little birds as well!  I think I would have the option to change up the bird color - hopefully to match some of the other things I have chosen/will choose for the room.

In front of it I would probably place something similar to what is pictured above - either a little storage cubby, a toy chest or a bookshelf.

That thing I said about giving up desserts for awhile...

...well, maybe it will start AFTER I have these. 

Note to self - make sure Greg knows about my plans so he doesn't tempt me with my favorites :)

13 Weeks!

How far along: 13 weeks - I am officially in my second trimester!
Weight gain: I would guess I'm still up about 1 lb
How big is baby: The baby is the size of a medium shrimp (according to Baby Center) and is about 3 inches long
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I am now using a rubber band instead of buttoning a few pairs of my tighter jeans
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Still great
Best moment this week: I got to see the baby TWICE - once for my ultrasound to determine how far along I was last Monday and a second time for the NT (Nuchal Translucency) ultrasound last Friday.  I'm also about 90% sure we are having a boy based on what I saw on the second ultrasound....although we can all come back and laugh at this post in 5-7 weeks if we find out I was TOTALLY wrong ;)
Movement: Nope
Food Cravings: Nothing in particular this week.  I'm consciously going to make an effort to stop eating sweets for awhile.  At the start I wasn't interested in ice cream or chocolate whatsoever, but lately they have been creeping back into my diet.  I figure the more of that stuff I indulge in now, the harder it will be to get rid of later!
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Having a fun vacation lined up to look forward to...although I guess I can look forward to having 3 months off work at the end of the year :)  I wouldn't exactly call that a "vacation" though!

Trip to the Seattle Aquarium

On Sunday, we met our friends the Christensens (Dan, Jeannette and Laryd) and the Wheelers (Bryan, Karla, Austin and Zach) for a morning at the Seattle Aquarium.  It had been a few years since Greg and I have been down there, and we had not seen it since they had remodeled.  It was the perfect day to be indoors (rainy and miserable outside) and lots of fun to enjoy the aquarium with 3 kids who were psyched to be there! :)

Below are some of the pictures that Karla captured of the day - thanks for sharing Karla!

After the aquarium we had lunch at Red Robin :) 

Bedding - Purchased!

Yeah, this probably doesn't deserve its own post, but it's getting one, okay? :)  Last night our date night consisted of driving to The Land of Nod down in the U-District, me wandering around the store (while Greg followed behind me checking price tags of things I said I liked), and purchasing the bedding for the crib!  Yay!

I know it's early, but I figure with all of the other things we will need to purchase for the baby, we might as well space it out along the way!  Here are a few more pictures of what the bedding will look like in the crib if anyone is interested... I want a dark wood crib like the ones pictured below.  I'm waiting on my book, "Best Baby Products" by Consumer Reports to arrive so I can find a crib that is safe.

We ended this exciting night with crepes at The Crepe Cafe, which I HIGHLY recommend everyone try.  I had the most amazing mushroom with garlic cream sauce crepe.  Make reservations for this place - it's super small and always busy!

Gathering Inspiration for the Nursery...

Decorating has never really been my favorite thing to do.  I love the idea of it, but when it comes down to actually picking out and choosing what colors or items to purchase, I tend to get overwhelmed and quit.  Within a week of finding out I was pregnant, I had already mentally assigned the task at hand to my (very patient, excellent-at-surfing-the-Internet-and-finding-amazing-stuff) friend Rachel, and to my mom.  I figure having them "in charge" and as my go-to style consultants, I could chill out a little and enjoy the process.  Luckily, they agreed to my plan!

Fast-forward to the current day - I have already picked out and purchased three pictures from Etsy that I plan to have matted and framed.  Rachel had found the first picture below (Yoga Bird) months ago and I fell in love with it.  Looking through the entire collection I found so many more prints that were equally adorable!  I had a hard time narrowing down to just three to purchase.  (I might get two more, but I'm waiting on that for the moment).  Below are the pictures:

Cute, right? :)  I'm thinking white frames with maybe an off white or eggshell matting.

I also have found the bedding and a mobile that I am in love with.  I feel that it is all gender-neutral, so I'm contemplating going ahead and just purchasing it now.  I never really envisioned myself having an "all blue" or "all pink" room anyway :)

Both the bedding and the mobile are from The Land of Nod which has some of the cutest stuff I have ever seen.  (I honestly can't believe that I'm as excited about all of this stuff as I am...what is happening to me?)

I've lined up 2 weekends in April for clearing out the room, (putting the spare bed in storage, selling an old dresser and desk), removing the giant wall to wall mirror in the bedroom (hello, 70's) and having Greg get his paint on.  That will allow me to spend the summer leisurely gathering up the rest of what is needed for the room with the big/time-consuming tasks out of the way.

12 Week Ultrasound

I am still in awe of what Greg and I saw last night - it was unreal.  The ultrasound was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.  I kept saying "WEIRD...." and Greg just sat there with his jaw dropped most of the time! 

Neither of us were quite sure what to expect from this appointment.  I don't think either of us expected to see something that actually looked like a BABY!  But that is exactly what we saw! 

Baby Ingle was jumping up and down nonstop when we caught our first glimpse.  (I later realized it was probably from the glass of orange juice I had before leaving the house).  A bit later he/she started dancing around a bit (Greg's genes) and finally settled down enough (kicked back with it's leg's crossed - cute) to get some pictures and measurements. 

According to the ultrasound tech she thinks I was approximately 12 weeks and 3 days yesterday, which is about 3-4 days further along than what my doctor and I originally calculated.  I will probably just stick with the 9/20 due date though unless I am told otherwise.  We all know babies rarely stick to the day they are due!

Below are the pictures we got to take home with us:

Baby's profile

Cute little foot!

Baby's face

Face picture #2

12 Weeks

I'm happy to say that I have reached the 12-week mark, which as many of you know is often considered the milestone where the chance of miscarriage goes down drastically.  Phew!

How far along: 12 weeks
Weight gain: Up 1 lb.  Pants are already starting to fit differently than they did pre-pregnancy.  I might just update this section each time I go in for an appointment (every 4 weeks) due to the fact that I don't have a good scale at home to capture my weight gain.  At my appointment last week, my doctor kindly reminded me that pregnancy is not a "free for all" in terms of what I eat, haha.  She confirmed what I had already heard - that I should eat approximately 300 calories more than I normally was - which is the equivalent of 1/2 of a sandwich and a glass of milk.
How big is baby: The baby is the size of a lime and is just over 2 inches long.  (Fun fact: apparently this week the baby starts to resemble a human, in that the eyes have moved from the side of the head to the front. WEIRD.)
Maternity clothes: Not wearing any yet, but this weekend I purchased a pair of maternity leggings (FML) and a couple "regular", but flowy and loose in the mid-section tops.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Normal, minus having to get up to pee 2-3 times a night.
Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat was the most reassuring feeling ever!  I also had a great time teaching yoga over the weekend - so good to be back doing something I love.
Movement: No
Food Cravings: Since being sick last week, soup has crept to the top of my cravings list.  I had not had chicken noodle soup for years and now I could eat it every day.  I also have been into orange juice this week.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Wine
What I'm looking forward to: My ultrasound tonight!

2nd Prenatal Appointment

This morning I had my 2nd, and very thorough I might add, prenatal appointment with my doctor.  It was the first time I actually was able to see MY doctor, so I was excited to be able to ask her all of the questions I had been wanting to ask.  Unfortunately, due to my flu earlier this week, I had to reschedule my appointment from Tuesday to this morning at a time when Greg was unable to join me - but he will be there for the ultrasound next Monday night, which is where most of the excitement happens anyway :)

After an hour and a half of questions about our medical histories, explaining all of my future appointments and when they would happen, going over what is safe during pregnancy and what is not, running through my options of genetic screening, etc., I had a full exam and then was FINALLY able to hear the baby's heartbeat!  We heard it almost the instant she put the fetal doppler (yes, I had to Google to find that term) to my skin.  160 bpm!  It was amazing to hear that, and for some reason I couldn't stop myself from laughing as she was trying to count the bpm.

I also was given a bag full of "gifts" - a breastfeeding kit, a pregnancy journal, info about the hospital I will be delivering at, check lists, and a few other things that I got too overwhelmed to look at too closely.  (Will report back).

It feels as if things are officially happening now!  Like I can officially be excited that this is happening, without as much worry as I had before.

Well, these days are over...

For the first time I can officially say that I no longer can comfortably sleep face/stomach down :(  I have noticed that it has become increasingly less comfortable, but as of last night/this morning I know it to be true.

I am SUCH a stomach sleeper too.  It is my go-to position when I need to catch my zzz's.  This is going to be a bit of an adjustment, one that I knew would eventually happen, and have been dreading since before becoming pregnant.  (This girl likes her sleep)!

And what's weird...is that I honestly (please someone tell me if I am wrong here) still do not have anything noticeable happening in the abdominal area.  I thought that this wouldn't become an issue until I started growing a baby bump.  It's odd, but it just feels like there is more pressure on my stomach when lying this way - and then of course I start wondering if I am squishing my 1.5 - 2" long baby, so I'm forced to adjust.

It's all worth it.

11 Weeks!

How far along: 11 weeks.  (These pictures seem so ridiculous at this point, but I realize things will be more "exciting" soon).
Weight gain: Well...I would have stayed with last week's guess of 1-2 pounds, but this week I have spent 3 days with the stomach flu - and I'm guessing that at this point I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  Also, my doctor's appointment has been rescheduled for this Friday (March 4th) - so I should have an accurate weigh in by then.  (Maybe I should invest in a reliable scale?)
How big is baby: The baby is the size of a fig (?) and is just over 1.5 inches long.
Maternity clothes: Not yet.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Still great!
Best moment this week: I got a manicure, pedicure and a massage last Friday - that was pretty great :)  I finished the night with a great dinner with my friend Rachel - who always cheers me up and makes me happy!
Movement: No
Food Cravings: Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately), due to the aforementioned stomach flu (which I originally thought was food-poisoning), I no longer am craving sandwiches.  This week I have been into soup and saltines :/
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
What I miss: Feeling "normal".
What I'm looking forward to: After taking the last month off from teaching hot yoga, I will be teaching a weekly Saturday morning "regular yoga" class (10 am at Bindi Yoga) starting this weekend!  I have totally missed my job as a yoga teacher - maybe this will help me to feel normal again :)