Prenatal Yoga

I did my first prenatal yoga class today - so glad I went. It was definitely interesting to try out. Here are my observations:

1. it is a pre/post-natal, so there were some mothers with their babies in the class, which was interesting. The babies were so cute but it definitely makes it a bit more louder than normal.
2. We started out by telling our names, how far we were and what we were bringing into the labor room with us. I of course I had no clue except for my husband and champagne. I think I was in the midst of a lot of au natural moms because a lot of them were doing home births and having Shalams (not sure what that is or if I am even spelling it right) and I am sure they all looked at me like I was a bad mom for saying champagne. But oh well, I am who I am!
3. I liked this for the most part, but it got annoying when some of the people went on and on and on - I was like, say it in 30 seconds and move on people, I have yoga to do.
4. The class overall was great, I was so happy to get back to doing yoga - albeit it was a bit more tame than my usual 2/3 classes - but it was great for me and I felt great and knowing I was doing the moves properly while pregnant helped a lot.
5. There were a lot of women who were in their third trimester, including a few at 40 weeks. I was impressed and hoped that I could go that far with yoga in my pregnancy. Honestly, all of these women looked great too with big bellies and no body fat.
6. We told more stories in the middle of class while doing squats - this one was how we found out. I think everyone got a chuckle out of my story that I had been in New Orleans for Mardi Gras - drinking. The teacher said Tim and sounded like fun people (that or just lushes). Tim was in Cabo. Again, fun to tell stories but some ladies went on and one...seriously, they need to be taught how to condense their stories so everyone can talk.
7. I feel so much better now that I have tried it and I plan to go to the class twice a week. The teacher felt I could be doing yoga three times a week given the level of my practice, so that is my plan going forward. I just hope I relax a bit more and enjoy the story time instead of becoming my usual impatient self wanting to move instead of chat!

Food, food and more food

Well, now that I am feeling better, I am expanding my horizons on food! For your entertainment, here is what I am craving/enjoying and what I am not eating while pregnant!

Things I am loving right now (some I have not had in years)

Poptarts (in strawberry, blueberry and chocolate)
Klondike bars (what would you do for a klondike bar)
Ice Cream sandwiches (regular and mint)
Popsicles
Oreos
Anything baked or sweet - coffee cake, brownies, chocolate chip cookies
Bagels and cream cheese
Bananas
Tomatoes (and anything with tomato in it)
Popcorn
Apple sauce
Milk
Sour cream
PB&J (lots of peanut butter)
Any kind of dip - artichoke and spinach, cheese, allouette, anything, veggie
The Top Banana smoothie at my local deli
Pancakes
Chicken Parmesain
Bread of any kind
I crave Mexican, Italian and In and Out Burger (cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake)
and I am sure much more

Things I am not eating/drinking

Obviously alcoholic beverage - which while miss social drinking, my body cannot even fathom drinking any red wine - it smells and tasts disgusting. I still do crave mimosas, martinis and margaritas
Fish/Seafood - I ate a lot of this before but have not wanted to touch it since pregnant (including tuna)
Really anything dinner oriented - chicken, steak, veggies - I don't crave big dinners any more and all of this stuff does not really sound good to me
I still do not want to touch pickles, olives or anything like that (nothing new, but just thought I would note I don't crave any of this)

That is about it for now! More to come from the food diaries!

Strong heartbeat and the grocery!

Today, I had my monthly check-up with my OBGyn and all went well. Baby Duffy's heartbeat was easy to find and sounded very strong. I had my second blood test for genetic testing and the Doctor says all looks good.

After I stopped by the grocery to pick-up a few things, and for the first time in months, the smells did not bother me at all. It was just like before. Nothing made me sick and smelled like rotten everything!

Oh yeah, I am so happy!!!!

15 Weeks - Happy Times!

I met another milestone this week - I have hit 15 weeks and I am still feeling a thousand times better than I did a few weeks ago! What a relief!

I got back to LA last night and for the first time in months, opening my refrigerator did not make me want to pass out. Things are looking so much brighter these days! Everyone was right, it is a like a switch turned on or off for me! Thank God!

A few things to note: the baby is now weighing in at the size of an apple and is 4 inches long. I still do not feel anything but I do see my belly get a bit fuller. Last night on the plane home from St. Louis I had to unbutton my jeans for the first time. I felt like a crazy lady when they slid down as I sat in my chair and hoped no one was looking behind me. I guess it is finally time to go buy me a nice pair of maternity jeans from Pea in the Pod!

Next week, I will be 4 months. That sounds awesome to me!

My husband did a bunch of Spring cleaning around the house before I got home last night. What a wonderful guy!

Now, we are getting serious about nursery planning (and finally redecorating our living room so we have a rug the baby will be able to move around on). So many things to do.

Thankfully, I am feeling up to the challenge!

My Belly at 14 Weeks

So, here are some shots I took in Hawaii!

The first shot is happy girls after swimming with Dolphins, my new cure all for pregnancy.

And the second shot is me full frontal.

The last shot is my belly from the side - at 14 weeks!

I still think I look like I have been on a bender in Vegas for the weekend!

Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl, Boy or Girl?

That is the question of the day! What are we having, a boy or girl? Well, I won't officially know until my 20 week ultrasound (just a short 6 weeks away), but I am getting lots of predictions from peopel including my own gut instinct about it. While I will be happy with either, I just want a healthy baby I can dress up in sparkles (if it is a boy, I feel for him already).

Yesterday, my good friend Joanne tried to figure it out. She used an old energy trick she has used on many women (which ironically, she is accurate on all including one she did on my mother). Basically, she took her necklace(with a Catholic medal) and held it over my right wrist. The necklace went around one time then starting going up and down/vertical. Then went around a second time and went up and down/vertical again (and I think the second time she did it, it went horizatal instead of vertical). Apparently, vertical means a boy....so based on this activity, it could be a boy...hmm, we shall see! Let me know your guess!

Wow, I feel good!

I am not sure what happened, but I am whistling dixie right now thinking about how much better I am feeling the last few days. I all of a sudden feel normal, like I am back to my old self. I am pretty sure the nausea is gone and my energy is feeling much better. I want to believe this second trimester thing is for real...Woohoo!

And I am really getting excited about having a baby. I cannot wait for that day to come. Just looking at a recent picture of my most adorable nephew - Finn - makes me get very excited. And I bought a few more onesies and a fun blanket while in Hawaii. Will help out with the travel theme we are creating for the baby's room.

Officiallly into the Second Trimester!

Woohoo! It is official, I have made it to the second trimester. I am 14 weeks and the baby is as long as a lemon and weighs 1.5 ounces. Hopefully this means I will feel amazing for the next 3 months....hopefully!

I am starting to show...I have a little bump coming out for sure, but to anyone that did not know me, I would still just look like I put on some weight. But I can tell and it is pretty fun! I still hate getting ready for anything, and I feel like I could live in oversize outfits every day, but I know this is what will happen! I am eager to get bigger in the belly.

I have lots of travel coming up this week and next. I am praying for safe travels for myself and the baby. I hope I will feel good and the baby will continue to grow and play and have fun in the belly!

The Magical World of Dolphins

During our Hawaii weekend, my travel companion wanted to go swimming with the dolpins. I had never done this but we found a great little snorkel boat tour company who offered dolphin encounters and we decided to go. I had no clue what to expect!

The morning we were heading out a friend texted me to tell me that in Mexico they would not allow pregnant women to swim with the dolphins for fear that the dolpins would be more attrached to the pregnant person and could potentially cause harm to the baby. We asked our tour director if this was the policy in Hawaii and he said no. Apparently, the dolpins can detect the baby's heartbeat through sonar and therefore may be more attracted to a pregnant women but as we were swimming in the middle of the Ocean with wild dolphins and not the penned up dolpins at a hotel, they found nothing wrong with me going in. So I Did!

We had to cruise along the coast of Kona for about 15 minutes before spotting a pod of Spinner dolphins, but once we found them, we were all excited. The boat driver and director said this was a big pod and we were very lucky. We all donned our snorkeling gear (There were five of us total) and followed the two young boys who were our guides in the water. I as nervous...but tried to calm myself down as this would be better for the dolphins to swim normally with us. As we got out a bit away from the boat, we could see the dolphins swimming all around us. It was magical. They were all around, swimming in pairs or in groups. We were all in awe!

For a while we swam around, looking for them, seeing a group glide togeher below us and through us. And after a while we saw a group playing near the surface around a man paddle surfing with his dog. As we swam near them, we attracted a group of about 5 dolpins, with one special little guy in the lead, as their curiousity drew them closer to us. Immediately, they started circling us, the one special one seemed intrigued and intent on finding out more about us. He (or she) was literally in touching distance from our small group. We all swam around with him and the others surrounding us. They would play a bit and I was sure they were coming after my baby. But there was no danger, it was purely playful and curiousity and possibly protection of a mother and her baby. After about five minutes, our friend started swimming around with Jessica - side-by-side - before he decided to move on with his pod. We were all in wonder of the amazing wonder of nature and dolphins. As we made our way back to the boat, the driver said "Thank the pregnant lady" for the play time with the dolpins. And our guides told us they had never seen dolpins circle around for that long. While the dolphin never came up to me directly, I will always believe that they were hanging out partly because of little baby Duffy hanging out with us.

Afterwards, we found out that dolphins will circle around whales giving birth as a protective measure and they tend to be very protective of pregnant dolphins. What an amazing and beautiful and magical animal!

And one of the most memorable moments of my pregnancy to date!

Baby Duffy has already started his/her travel adventures and being one with nature!

This baby loves Hawaii!

I am in Hawaii right now for a long weekend planned with a few girlfriends. If you know me, you know I love this place - it is a sanctuary for me (the main picture of me on this blog was taken in Hawaii) - and my parents have a condo on the Big Island that is easy for me to get to from LA. So why not come here for a long weekend.

This was planned before I found out I was pregnant, but I decided it would be best to still come now and enjoy all of the soothing and calming effects of being in this spirtual and magical land. And you know what, I am so glad I did. I am feeling so good, that I think I want to stay here for the next 5.5 months until this baby comes. It was afterall in Hawaii where this baby came to be, so why not have it come in to the World here?

Ok, that is my dream anyway and unfortunately, I do have to go back to reality, but I will enjoy Kona while I am here.

The smells, the warmth and humidity, the fresh food (Everywhere), the swimming - all of it has made me feel amost back to normal in one day! I just feel so comforted here and taken care of - almost like the big warm hand of Pele is giving me a big hug!

More to come from Hawaii, but for now Aloha to you all!

13 Weeks - One More to Go!

Can it be true that I am just one week away from officially starting the second trimester? Will I experience the A HA Moment of finally feeling more energetic and no more nausea like everyone says I will? Gosh, I hope so, because Baby Duffy is happily bringing the sickness on until the last minute it seems!

I am at 13 weeks this week....the baby is about the size of a medium shrimp (not sure how that is bigger than a lime, but this is what the website is telling me) I am so happy to finally reach the second trimester (Ok, I have one more week but let me indulge please!) The first trimester has been pretty yucky for me. As you may recall, I was taking anti-nausea meds for 10 days, and after those 10 days were over, I thought I would ride it out and see how I feel on my own! Well, that medication must have really worked because my nausea has come back full force at night (yesterday, it started around 4 PM) and the exhaustion is all over the place! I could have slept all day today!

Oh, can the gods of pregnancy please bring me some relief next weekend (or sooner would be fine). I am so tired of feeling like Crap!!! Ugh!!!!

I just want to feel normal again and be able to make it through a full day without wanted to pass out by 5 PM!!!

Happy Monday!

Baby Duffy Revealed

Yesterday, we went to our first trimester ultrasound and it was amazing. Just amazing - we got to see the baby in full view, in different directions and positions and in 3D. This baby is extremely active, moving around and jumping up and down like a Mexican jumping bean. It was really funny to watch!

Per the Doctor and the measurements they took, the baby is looking very good and very healthy. A strong heartbeat and the activity is a sign of fetal health! We are happy and it was so fun! We even got a DVD, which is so fun to watch!

We did get a guestimate of what the sex might be, but we will keep it quiet until we know more. We have already scheduled are next ultrasound which will be at 20 weeks...so we have about 2 months before we find out for sure.

This was such an awesome experience, I can see why people love this stuff...To see a baby inside of you jumping all around, finally looking like a baby - kind of...it was crazy!

I cannot wait to see more!

A Diaper Bag After My Own Heart

I started shopping online for diaper bags as this was the easiest thing for me to start with - it is a bag and I have to carry it around a lot!

I found a great bag by StorkSak of London and of course it is metallic!

My husband surprised me with it today and I love it!

Pewter in color, over the shoulder, lots of pockets including an insulated bottle pocket, a cute smaller sak and so cute and comfy.

While I may have to get a bigger one for longer outings, this just makes it more exciting for our new little family member to make its way here!

My obsession with food and clothes!

Just a few notes to share:

I just polished off a whole bag of popped popcorn by myself - that is a new one!

Chocolate rules my life - I have broken in to two different boxes of chocolate from Paris (and I have been home for only 24 hours) One box was supposed to be for my brother - sorry Brian! Yesterday, I had a chocolate granola bar, a hot fudge sundae (on the plane), a chocolate candie, chocolate brownie and part of a chocolate shake!

I just got an order of Victoria Secret clothes I ordered that are all big and baggie and so comfortable (they have some amazing linen pants) and big sweatshirts that are inexpensive)!

Let's just say I am taking advantage of eating what I want - especially since I cannot drink - and finding every possible baggie clothes item I can out there!

Ahhhh - Baby Clothes!

Well, we made it back to LA safe and sound from Paris. I am happy to be home so I can lay down whenever I want!

The last day in Paris we went shopping for a variety of items including something for the Baby. While it took all day to find something we really liked, the minute we spotted the Bonpoint store we were hooked (we did find out there is a Bonpoint store in Beverly Hills), but we were in the Paris store so who cares!

At Bonpoint, I could have bought half the store...especially if I knew the sex. But we decided to stick with neutral items. Pictures of the clothes we bought are above - the Born in 2010 wording on the newborn outfit is in silver metallic (very Monica). We bought a three pack of Bebe onsies (bebe is french for baby) in different colors and a sweet little onesie for when the baby gets older.

Buying clothes for your unborn baby is really amazing - it makes it feel more real! I almost got a little teary eyed while imaging the baby wearing these! Ah, now this is the stuff I can have fun with!

We have reached 3 Months!

Woohoo! We have hit the three month mark and I am officially 12 weeks! The nausea seems to be going away (or could it be Paris?) and I am feeling pretty good (outside of the jet lag)!

Our baby is the size of a lime right now and we do our first genetic testing ultrasound this coming Wednesday. I am eager to get to this appointment.

Tomorrow, Tim and I are going to do some shopping where we hope to find something from Paris for the baby. I am not sure what yet, but we will see what jumps out at us!

We leave Paris Tuesday morning and head back to LA! I am looking forward to starting prenatal yoga and trying to walk off all of this amazing good I have been eating!

I am happy to finally be entering the much talked about second trimester! Will I feel great - I got to believe I will!

No Sleep in Paris!

It is about 3 AM in Paris and I am wide awake!!! For the first 24 hours I was here, all I did was sleep, now I cannot even try to sleep as my mind is racing!

A few key notes from Paris -

1. I feel extremely grateful I had this opportunity to come to this amazing city! Beautiful, fashionable and all about wine and food. While it was a great gift - my husband's friend and client invited a small group here for his birthday and anniversary, so we decided to come since I was feeling better and it seemed like a great opportunity, I have spent most of it trying to get over jet lag and fighting the urge to drink. To my social friends out there who have been pregnant or are - how the HELL do you do this (excuse my language?). Today, we had an amazing lunch at this amazing restaurant in Paris and there was wine all over (I mean bottles and bottles of red on every table all day long)! I actually had a glass of champagne they brought me sitting next to me the whole time. Then we walked around shopping with a great guy who is this amazing chef, and we stopped at a cafe and then the Ernest Hemingway Bar at the Ritz where the two boys had cocktails and I had hot chocolate and a faux cocktail. All day long all I wanted was to drink! Not like get wasted, but partake in the wonderful wine and pleasures of Paris! Seriously - I am so sorry if I sound like a big lush - but someone tell me how to do this??? Maybe this was too much of a tempation, at least when I am home I don't even think about drinking!

2. I can no longer wear high heels. I tried so hard yesterday to wear my 4 inch Jimmy Choos I got at the outlet store outside of Palm Springs last summer and it was a big disaster. After about 50 feet I was in pain and this was an outing where we were walking and taking a boat ride, in the rain...Not a good idea! I have realized, I can no longer do it. So, today, my very nice husband bought me a pair of Christian Louboutin's - my first pair - and in the most basic black, lowest heel they had in the store. I knew I had to find something comfortable and practical that I could wear for the duration of this pregnancy. But you know what they say about shoes, an amazing pair can make you feel amazing no matter what! So these will be my magic shoes for so long as I can wear them!

3. The hormones are a raging - I broke down tonight - while trying to sleep - an uncontrollable sobbing, feeling lonely and sad and scared. Just completely at a loss! I know there are people out there pregnant that I can talk to, but no matter what people say, you are still going through your own version of pregnancy, and for me it is still somewhat of a difficult process.

All of this being said, the food and dessert has been phenomenal in Paris and of course the shopping. Now, if I could just start feeling phenomenal inside and out, that would be great.

PLEASE NOTE: This blog is all about my honest take on pregnancy, so it will not always be wonderful and happy!

The Big C!

Well, I swear my baby must be uber smart or quite a scholar because my pregnancy has pretty much been textbook so far. I have had every symptom they say you are supposed to have and around the same time as they are supposed to happen. If you read this blog regularly you know I have had the pleasure of experiencing lots of nausea throughout my evenings over the last 6 weeks or so. Just as I started feeling better (could be the medication or just the fact that I am inching closer to the second trimester), I am hit with the next best thing after nausea - constipation.

As you know, this blog is meant to be an honest journal of my experiences, so here you go, yes, I am experiencing the joys of constipation. Super fun! It has been so great that I woke up at 3 AM this morning in serious pain! Oh joy, I get to jump on a plane for 12 hours today...this should be fun!

Thankfully, my Doctor recommended a few relief aids, one of which is pictured above!

The other is Colace!