It's not all about babies...

I blog about other things too :)

Late last year, I was asked to write a blog for BizeeBee, a yoga studio software company, about how different people in the yoga community use Twitter.  It was featured on their "Hive Blog".  It was a really fun experience to get my thoughts out there, and good practice for this blog!  Here is the link in case you are interested:

http://bizeebee.com/blog/2010/12/yoginis-reaching-out-through-twitter/

A few months ago, wearing my Social Media Director hat at Impact Washington, I blogged about how manufacturers can take advantage of using social media to promote the work they do.

http://madeinwashington.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/social-media-as-a-valuable-tool-for-the-manufacturing-community/

And then finally, I was asked to do a follow up blog for BizeeBee about yoga studios and how they can utilize Facebook.  It was published today, which is my reason for this post now :)

http://bizeebee.com/blog/2011/06/5-ways-for-yoga-studios-to-use-facebook/

Brothers

I couldn't resist.

"This kid is making spooning a tad difficult".

Babymoon Planning!

Greg and I have been going back and forth trying to decide where we should take our last mini (as in 2 days) vacation before the baby arrives.  We know that we want to stay close to home (just in case) and obviously flying is out of the question at this point (at least for me it is), so our options are somewhat limited. 

Yesterday, Groupon posted this amazing deal for a ride on the Victoria Clipper!  It was a sign!  Victoria is a very special place for us - it was where Greg proposed!  I cannot believe that was almost 5 years ago...!  We purchased our tickets for the clipper and now just need to go about making hotel/bed and breakfast reservations. 

And now for a trip down memory lane...

Our first self-portrait post-engagement = attractive

So excited about my new ring :)

28 Week Appointment and Glucose Screening Test

I distinctly remember Maureen taking/posting this exact same picture last year (so I did too). 

I looked it up and it looks like we chose the same flavor :)

This morning I had my glucose screening test, a test to check for gestational diabetes (or to see if I am at risk for developing it).  I honestly have not been too concerned about it, and I guess I'm still not.  I drank my sugary drink, waited 1 hour, had my blood draw and I was on my way.  I'm told they will call me back soon if the results require me to go in for the 3 hour test.

This appointment was a little longer in general.  My doctor went over a few "early labor" signs to look out for in between appointments, which now will be every 2 weeks (instead of every 4 weeks like they have been).  She also went over signs of high blood pressure for me to be aware of.

I honestly cannot believe that I'm this close to the end.  I have appointments on my calendar all the way up to 36 weeks now.  STAY IN THERE BEN!  I'm not quite ready...

*UPDATE* I heard back from the doctor and I'm in the clear - no gestational diabetes!  Yay!  Apparently my iron is a little low though, so I need to start taking an iron supplement. 

28 Weeks - 3rd Trimester!

How far along: 28 weeks
Weight gain: 19 pounds!  (Much happier with gaining 3 pounds in a month vs. the NINE I gained last month).
How big is baby: 2 and 1/4 pounds and 14.8 inches long.  That is kind of nuts to think about.  Babies are often born at 19, 20, 21 inches long....!  Woah.
Maternity clothes:  I love maternity jeans.  I'm holding myself back from buying another pair as I know I will not need them much longer, but man - they are comfortable.  It will be fun to have a larger selection of pants to choose from in a few months!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: When my mind is not preoccupied with other things, sleep is still really good.  I'm surprised at how comfortable I still feel and how I have been able to adjust to sleeping on my side.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to be able to sleep on my stomach again, but I kind of thought it would prevent me from sleeping well throughout my whole pregnancy.
Best moment this week: Ben has been super active this week, so watching him roll around in my belly has been a highlight of the week for sure!  I also felt super proud of myself for how well I was able to keep up in my hot power yoga class on Tuesday night.  Joy, who is a particularly awesome/challenging/motivating instructor, was teaching.  I knew it would be tough, and it definitely was, but I felt great during and afterwards :)
Movement: Yes!  I can now feel him moving on both sides of my belly at the same time!  I also think I specifically felt his hand the other day, which was a change from not being able to tell what part of him was poking me.
Food Cravings: Ever since I had a (virgin) pineapple mojito last weekend, I'm craving that.  Luckily, I'm married to a man with stellar bartending skills - so he has been able to make them for me at home!  I also have been drawn to brie/salami/pretzel snacks.  And of course, fruit.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: Outtttt.
What I miss: Wine/beer
What I'm looking forward to: Over the next 5 days I am teaching yoga classes on 4 of them.  I decided to ramp up my teaching schedule this week.  Greg is also working a lot of nights this week, so I figured I would join him. (Don't worry - I'm not overdoing it).  So, I guess I'm looking forward to lots of yoga!  Also looking forward to the 4th of July 3 day weekend!

Pregnancy Observation

When visiting my parents yesterday, their neighbor Steve was outside working in the garage.  From where he stood, a good 50 feet from where we were, he said to me...

"Hello!  I see you have an outtie there, don't you?"

O
M
G

Time to start wearing a second layer at all times!

Yoga - July Teaching Schedule

(Hi waist - I miss you.)

It's possible that July may be my last month of teaching yoga before I have this baby.  I'm hopeful that I can continue (with maybe 1 class a week) through August, but I am also very aware that it might be the LAST thing on my mind in the last weeks of my pregnancy.  I'm hesitant to stop all together, as teaching yoga seems to directly correlate with a positive mindset for me, but I also think I might want to spend the time focusing on my own practice towards the end.

So, if you would like to attend one of my classes, here is my schedule for the month of July!  (You can find my June schedule here).

July 7 (Thursday) - Hot Hatha Yoga at Hot Yoga of Mill Creek - 6:30 pm (90 minutes)

July 9 (Saturday) - Power/Vinyasa at Bindi Yoga - 10 am (75 minutes)

July 11 (Monday) - Hot Power/Vinyasa at HYMC - 5pm (60 minutes)

July 16 (Saturday) - Power/Vinyasa at Bindi Yoga - 10 am (75 minutes)

July 28 (Thursday) - Hot Hatha Yoga at HYMC - 6:30 pm (90 minutes)

Father's Day

To celebrate Father's Day, Greg and I went over to my parent's house for dinner - Chinese food!  Since I didn't take any pictures, I thought I would upload one of my favorite photos of my dad and me.  So here we are, doing what we both enjoy very much :)

For my dad's gift, we bought him a Fandango gift card so the four of us can go see the final installment of Harry Potter when it comes out next month.  My mom also was very thoughtful and bought Greg a little gift too! 

When Greg is in charge of Ben, you most likely find him wearing this :)

Project Knobs

I'm really excited about how this project turned out.  When I was putting my list together of things we needed for the nursery, I surprised myself by deciding that instead of buying a new dresser and changing table, that it would be okay for us to renovate the old (ugly) dresser that we had in the spare bedroom.

We (Greg) started by painting the dresser that used to be a ugly, medium wood color (no before pics, blog FAIL), to this dark, chocolate/espresso color. 

Next, we needed to do something about the knobs.  Previously, there had been long, brass handles on each drawer.  Rachel came up with the great idea of finding colorful knobs to put on each drawer.  So, the search began.  I was unable to find anything I liked at The Home Depot, so Rachel volunteered to help me make some :) 

Thus, the beginning of Project Knobs.

We picked out paint, purchased some round wooden knobs, and got started!

And the *almost final result:

* I need to borrow a drill to make the 3 holes on the top middle drawer big enough to screw the knobs in, but I will do that soon - and they will be blue :)

Tauts Post Pregnancy Wrap

I wanted to talk about my tauts wrap on this blog because I'm curious if any one out there who reads this has used one before!?

I have been a Brooke Burke fan for a few years now.  I find her to be pretty inspirational in the diet/fitness sense, and have enjoyed reading her blog to learn how she juggles being a mother of 4, a business woman and a partner.  One of her products that she sells and swears by is her Tauts Post-Pregnancy Wrap. 

One of the first things I ordered once I found out we were expecting was a Tauts Wrap.  I had read about it awhile ago and it had stuck with me as a cool thing to try after having a baby, especially considering how she looks after having 4 children!  According to the website:

It is believed that a belly wrap reduces the size of the swollen uterus, reduces water retention in the belly, and helps you lose inches fast, all while supporting that unwanted baggy baby skin! Tauts should be worn as much as you can, 40 days immediately following delivery.

I asked my friend Hilary, who is a labor and deliver nurse, and she agreed that these post-pregnancy wraps are highly recommended by her and her man, who happens to be an OBGYN.  I had almost forgotten about my purchase until I found it in the drawer a few days ago, and now the time is fast approaching of when I will be able to put it to use.  I also purchased (as part of a package deal) an "exercise wrap" that you wear around your mid section to promote, for lack of a better term, extra belly-sweat. 

I promise, I'm not totally vain, but I do have great intentions and desire to get back in shape after this baby :)  If I'm not at home with little Ben, you can assume I will be working it at the hot yoga studio (or binging on wine somewhere).

Anyway, if you have any experience with this thing, leave me a comment.  And I will be sure to report back my experience with it later this year!

27 Weeks!

I have completed 27 weeks of this pregnancy, and to some, this means that I am now starting my 3rd Trimester!  Other believe it starts at 28 weeks - and since I have a doctor's appointment next Friday along with my glucose screening test, I'm going to consider NEXT Friday the official beginning of the end.

How far along: 27 weeks
Weight gain: No idea.  I'm not regularly stepping on the scale at home, so we will find out together next Friday!  (Scared).
How big is baby: Almost 2 pounds and 14.5 inches long.
Maternity clothes: Yes.  This week I was wearing a non-maternity top and looked down to realize that it was just BARELY covering me.  After washing it I hung it in the far back of my closet, where I'm assuming several other shirts (and skinny jeans) will be shoved until later this year ;)
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Sleep has not been the best this week.  I'm lucky to be able to go to sleep early most of the time and log a few hours before I find myself having to get up often throughout the night.  I am still feeling really good for the most part, so as long as I am able to get enough rest, I can handle the sleep interruptions throughout the night.
Best moment this week: I feel like we have gotten a lot accomplished this week, so that has been great.  Greg got rid of some stuff that had been taking up storage space, we took a trip to Ikea to pick up a few nursery items, I've been very productive (and a little overwhelmed) at work trying to get things squared away for when I'm on maternity leave, and I have been teaching a lot of yoga! 
Movement: All the time :)
Food Cravings: Berries are still a fav, but I have also had a hankering for candy and cookies this week.  Trying (unsuccessfully) to resist them completely, but things are still under control ;)
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: Out.
What I miss: Wine/beer
What I'm looking forward to: I don't know if I have ever gone this long (spoiled) without going on some sort of vacation or mini getaway.  For me, part of the excitement of taking a trip is the planning and anticipation of it!  Since it's important for me to save up my vacation for my maternity leave, and important for both of us to save our money for diapers and other baby nonsense, we are planning to spend just one weekend....somewhere...in early August.  I am honestly looking forward to deciding on a location and then spending the next several weeks having it to look forward to.

Starting to Feel Pregnant...

So.  Pregnancy.  I am going to begin this by saying that I am NOT complaining.  I have heard stories of women who have thrown up Every. Single. Day. of their pregnancies and of those who have suffered from all kinds of symptoms and side effects that I *luckily* have not experienced at this point. 

However...

I thought I should be honest and describe what seems to have developed over the past week!

Heartburn: Up until the last week, I'm not sure if I have ever in my life experienced heartburn.  I noticed it first last Wednesday after a particularly grueling yoga class (one in which I had to drop down into Child's Pose for approximately 25% of the class in order to "take it easy", which is what I plan to continue to do so as to not "cook" Ben).  That night I went home, had a 6" Subway sandwich and a glass of lemonade, and went to bed a couple hours later.  I remember noticing an irritating sensation in my throat/chest as I laid down to go to sleep, and every few hours as I woke up, there it was again.  I've experienced it at least once a day since then, some days/nights worse than others.

Changing Sleep Patterns/Sleep "Interruptions": I thought I was going to enjoy blissful sleep up until the day of Ben's arrival, and for the record, I'm still hoping that this is an off week.  Here is a play-by-play of last night:

8pm (Not even kidding): Doze off to sleep

11pm: Up to pee

12am - 1am: Up to pee...and also thirsty.  Go downstairs for cold water, make my move on Words w/ Friends, see what has been happening on Facebook since I went to bed, check email.

4am: Wake up, need to pee, REALLY don't want to get up again - battle this until 4:30am

4:30am: Up to pee

7am: Wake up for the day

I think the key will be to NOT allow myself to even glance at my iPhone in the middle of the night.  I'm lucky that most nights I am able to get to sleep SUPER early and log some extra hours to make up for the seemingly constant bathroom trips.

Side Aches/Belly Pains: 9 times out of 10, if I am on a walk that is longer than 20 minutes, I will experience some pains in my side or belly that require me to stop and take a breather.  Yoga does not seem to cause these pains, but any type of walking or elliptical workout will.

Tailbone Ache: Sitting for too long (longer than 2 hours) without getting up causes my tailbone to become extremely sore.  I usually only experience this at work, so I'm starting to get up and walk around the building whenever necessary.  So far that seems to be working.

With 3 months (and 2 days) left, I am pretty happily surprised overall with how great I have felt during this pregnancy.  I'm hoping that my "issues" remain limited to what is above as they are all easily manageable for me.

26 Weeks!

How far along: 26 weeks
Weight gain: Unsure.  16-18 maybe?
How big is baby: 1 and 2/3 pounds, and 14 inches long!
Maternity clothes: Oh yeah.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Sleep is still great.  A few nights ago I experienced heart burn for the first time.  I'm not sure if I overdid it in yoga that day, or if it was what I ate (Subway?) but I didn't sleep as well that night as I usually do.  I'm also finding myself ready for bed earlier and earlier each night.  This week might just have been unusual.  I'm planning to add in some extra rest over the weekend.
Best moment this week: My friend Charisse was in town on Tuesday night, so we were able to meet up and celebrate her birthday at one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle, Barolo. 
Movement: SO MUCH.  It will startle me sometimes.  I feel like he is doing "the worm" up against my stomach :)  I am wondering what it will feel like when he is triple the size he is now.  I think I'm growing a strong little kid.
Food Cravings: My number one craving is still fruit/juice, but last night I sent Greg out to pick up some fried chicken, LOL.  Noms.
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: Out.
What I miss: Wine/beer
What I'm looking forward to: This weekend we are planning to take a trip to Ikea to pick up a few items we still need for the nursery.  I'm also teaching 2 yoga classes on Saturday.  Other than that, I plan to get some rest and do some cooking this weekend.

Dinner at Becca's

This past Sunday, Becca had a few ladies over for a DELICIOUS dinner party!  I had been looking forward to it for weeks, as I always enjoy hanging out at her place and catching up with everyone.  Over a Mediterranean inspired meal cooked by Becca, we sat around the table and one by one discussed what each of us have been up to since the last time we got together. 

I am always so appreciative to be included in these events, as I only attended UW and was in the sorority for 1 year!  I'm so happy to have reconnected and maintained friendships (along with making some new ones) with the girls over the past few years :)

Pictures stolen from Maureen:

After dinner we browsed through some wedding magazines looking for inspiration for Rachel's upcoming nuptials, and then called it a night.

Before we left, Becca brought out a little gift for Ben - a Sleep Sheep! :)

I'm told that you can put this little guy next to the baby when they are sleeping and the sounds, (similar to my heartbeat, or the rain, etc.) can help soothe them to sleep.  Becca mentioned that she has heard you can start "playing" them next to your belly in the third trimester to help them recognize the sounds once they are out of the womb.  Trippy...

Cha Cha Cha Changes...

I did this to my own breakfast this morning.

25 Weeks!

How far along: 25 weeks
Weight gain: Jeeze, hopefully I'm still hovering around 16 lbs.
How big is baby: 13.5 inches and a pound and a half!
Maternity clothes: Loving them.  I am still able to wear some non-maternity clothing (due to today's fashion trends).
Stretch marks: None yet!
Sleep: I love sleep!  We have a birthday party tomorrow night (SWEET PETE!) that will require us to be STARTING our night at the time when I am usually gearing up for bed - so I am thinking a nap is in order tomorrow ;)
Best moment this week: I really enjoyed putting the tree up in the nursery.  Things are really starting to come together in there!  I have made my final, incredibly long, to do list of all the things that need to be completed before the big day.  (Lists make me feel on top of things and a little less crazy).
Movement: Ben is still moving around all the time.  I still feel him mostly at night before bed, but when I'm still and sitting in my office I feel him every hour or so. 
Food Cravings: In an attempt to avoid gaining another 9 pounds this month, I'm no longer allowing myself to have bagels and muffins whenever the mood strikes.  Switching it over to bagel thins.  I still think I could live mostly on fruit, fruit juice, fruit popsicles, etc.  I'm planning to hit up a produce stand this weekend to stock up on fruit again!
Labor Signs: No
Belly button in or out: Yeah, it's out.  And while I might try to hide it in my regular clothes, it's quite obvious when I'm in my yoga gear.
What I miss: Nothing this week.
What I'm looking forward to: A fun weekend ahead!  The sun gods are finally shining down on Seattle this weekend with a forecast of 70+ degree weather and sunshine!  On Saturday I will be teaching yoga in the morning and then having lunch with Crystal and her little baby girl Natalie, while Greg is out getting his golf on.  Saturday night is Peter's 30th birthday party!  Sunday evening a group of the Chi O gals are joining up for dinner at Becca's house.  Good times are waiting to be had!