Baby Diamond– Weeks 20 through 24

 

Happy Sunday friends! This gorgeous albeit cold weather calls for some time spent outside, but I wanted to drop by to provide you guys with an update on my pregnancy. It is hard to believe that we are now in Week 25 of pregnancy. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were sharing the news with our friends and family. These days, we are quickly realizing that we have a lot we want to get accomplished in a short amount of time before Baby Girl Diamond greets us. How far in advance did you have your nursery completed and your hospital bag packed? Tomorrow I start the week with the feared glucose test, which checks for gestational diabetes. The test includes chugging a bottle of orange substance drink that contains 50 grams of glucose and then having my blood taken exactly 60 minutes after I finish drinking it. Talk about a fun morning, right?

Weeks 20 through 24 flew by, due in part to a busy schedule which included a visit from my parents and a work trip to Las Vegas. In just two short weeks I will begin the third trimester!

xtend barre

Baby Size:  According to my Pregnancy + app, she has grown during this period from a grapefruit, when she weighed just 8.57 ounces to a eggplant by week 24 when she weighs around 1.4 pounds.  She also doubled in length during this month period and is now at least 12 inches!  This growth spurt must explain why my belly popped so significantly during week 22.  The above photo was taken yesterday, during a workout with my friend Elizabeth who is expecting her second child just a month before Baby Diamond arrives.

Weight Gained: I don’t have a scale at home but based on how I’m feeling, I am guessing that I’ve gained a total of fifteen pounds. I have started to feel clumsy and akward, not aware of my size when I’m trying to do things like navigate my way down a narrow airplane aisle or maneuver my way in and out of bed. It’s hard to believe that I’m only going to get bigger from here! Luckily, most of my weight gain seems to be in my chest, hips and stomach as my arms, legs and face look very similar to how they looked pre-pregnancy. In fact, yesterday during a barre workout, I caught myself thinking that my legs and arms look a bit leaner than they did a few months ago. 

orangetheory

Workouts: Over the past month, I have averaged six workouts per week even when I traveled to Las Vegas. I find that an hour of movement each day helps me sleep better, feel better and have more energy.  When I’m not traveling, my average week of workouts includes two Orangetheory Park Slope workouts, 1-2 Pilates classes at A-Line Pilates in Carroll Gardens, 1-2 Barre classes at XTend Barre in Brooklyn Heights, 1-2 workouts at the Dodge YMCA and one walk or jog outside with a friend.  My goal for the next month is to incorporate more swimming as I felt incredible in the pool during each of my two swim workouts this month.  I have a few questions to ask my doctor tomorrow, during my appointment, regarding some sensation I’m having during certain workout movements and running. Until I better understand this sensation, I’m sticking with incline walking instead of jogging or running. If you want more details, you can read the post I shared last week which details my favorite maternity workouts and workout gear.

Cravings: Most of my cravings have subsided and I am definitely over the Greek and Italian food craving that raged during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy but the fruit craving is still going strong. Since week 21, I find that I am hungry more often and have an insatiable thirst. I’m sure some of this thirst is due to the cold, dry air as well as the flights I’ve taken recently. These days I never leave home without a full bottle of water and at least a few snacks such as dried mango, cheese sticks, apple and a bar. I am also craving fresh, home cooked meals when not traveling so Bo and I have been spending more time in the kitchen together experimenting with recipes from some of our favorite cookbooks.  I have also started to crave certain foods which I’ve restricted during most of pregnancy, such as soft cooked eggs. I enjoyed poached or over easy eggs twice in the past two weeks, when dining at a restaurant who served organic, pasturized eggs. My doctor has assured me that having these on occasion from trusted sources is fine, especially as I near the third trimester.  The other cravings that I’ve enjoyed giving into these past few weeks, in small amounts, are ice cream and cheese. I can’t wait to visit Cowgirl Creamery when we’re in California this week!

Food Aversions: Unfortunately, I still have no desire to eat pork.  While I typically love pork tenderloin and pork chops, each time Bo suggests cooking these for dinner I immediately request something different. Last night during a double date with friends, I also had no desire to try the duck appetizer which was shared by the table.

Symptoms: It amazes me how much my stomach grew last month! I went from barely showing to popping in a huge way.  The two main symptoms I felt this past month were some aches and pains, especially my feet and legs, after a long day of standing or walking as well as a constant appetite. The other symptom or change that arrived this month was feeling her kick! It started as slight flutters during week 20 and now we have a soccer star, especially during mornings and evenings. It’s so fun to share these moments of movement with Bo.

Sleep: Oh man there were some rough spots during week 21-23 as I could not get comfortable in bed. Finally, last week I figured out how to use my Snoogle in a way that supports my body but also feels comfortable. Since this discovery, I’ve slept much better. I wish I could sleep later, especially on the weekends, but find it hard to sleep past 7 AM.

seraphine zadie maternity dress

Wearing: I am so thankful that I finally visited Seraphine Maternity in SoHo during week 22 of pregnancy. Since I’d popped it was great to find a few quality dresses and tops that I can wear throughout my pregnancy. I walked away with three dresses, two tops, one sweater and a pair of maternity tights for less than you’d expect as many were included in their sale!  These are my favorite items I bought during the mini shopping spree:

The quality of the material and the cut of the clothing is so flattering that I’ve felt incredible wearing each piece these past two weeks. 

Other Random Thoughts: I experienced some anxiety this week over a few sensitive subjects – giving into cravings and our registry. In regards to the cravings, I’ve had a number of conversations with different friends, doctors and family members regarding things to avoid during pregnancy and which ones are truth or just hype. As you all know, I’ve had a very healthy pregnancy to date and avoided all recommended items for the first 23 weeks including lunch meat, sushi, undercooked meats, unpasturized cheeses and juices and alcohol. After enjoying a delicious poached organic egg at Little Owl yesterday, I had feelings of anxiety and guilt. It’s hard to explain the feelings, but I’ve been talking about them with Bo and my friends since then.  In regards to our registry and nursery, it’s been quite the week. We are so thankful to have showers coming up in Brooklyn and Savannah over the next six weeks, but trying to ensure our registry is in shape is not an easy task. It turns out that many items change out seasonally or upgrade annually, so over 25 things that we put on our registry in January, have now been discontinued at BuyBuy Baby.  I am working my way through all the great recommendations that friends and family members have provided and will DEFINITELY do a more detailed post on our registry.  In addition, our nursery is feeling a little too pink and gray for my liking at this point, so we are trying to incorporate pops of green and yellow into the design through blackout curtains, prints, and the crib sheet and skirt.

Your Turn: Any questions? Any tips as I enter the third trimester?

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Friday Favorites–March 3rd, 2017

 

las vegas

What a week! As always, Las Vegas drained all my energy even though I wasn’t drinking or partying. I still feel like I burnt the candle at both ends as I was up at 4:45 each morning to workout with my friend Amy and then was up until 11 most nights. The highlights of the trip include connecting with my colleagues who I see rarely as we live across the country, dancing to my favorite high school songs during Backstreet Boys opening night show in Las Vegas and last but not least, it was quite fun to show the bump to so many friends. This weekend is going to be busy as tomorrow I’m spending the day showering my friend who is pregnant with her second child and then Sunday Bo and I have some baby errands we need to run and other items to check off our list before we head to San Francisco on Wednesday for our Babymoon! If you have any recommendations for hikes, restaurants, cafes or places to explore in San Francisco, Marin County area, Carmel or Carmel Valley please leave them in the comments!

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

 

  • As someone who was plus size when I started my fitness journey, I’m so glad that Nike finally launched an extended sizes department which finally includes sizes beyond XL. There are currently 43 items in the collection ranging from their classic Tempo shorts to the Power Tights I love and fun graphic tanks. I’m happy to see that the collection is priced in line with regular Nike gear and includes fun prints versus just black, gray and other plain colors.
  • I’ve been listening to Ed Sheeran’s new album Divide on Spotify this morning since I read that the entire album dropped yesterday.  Am I the only one who finds myself putting the album on repeat? It’s no surprise that my favorite tracks are How Would You Feel and Castle on the Hill.
  • I’ve recently tried a few new dry shampoos and am in love with Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo. The lightweight, natural formula adds volume and absorbs excess oil when I either don’t have time or don’t want to wash my hair. While in Las Vegas, it allowed me to go three days before washing my hair which is impressive when you consider I worked out AND was surrounded by smoke whenever I walked through the casino.
  • I asked you guys to recommend your favorite snack bars and man did you deliver! I fell in love with RX Bars and GoMacro Bars while I was in Las Vegas, enjoying one each afternoon with an herbal tea. My favorite flavors were the GoMacro Organic Protein Purity and the blueberry,  blueberry and coconut chocolate RxBars
  • As part of my more natural skin care routine, I found myself using these natural face wipes each night before cleansing with Beauty Counter’s Charcoal Cleansing Bar . The Pacifica Purify Coconut Cleansing Wipes did a great job removing my makeup, including the mascara which has been my biggest gripe with other natural face wipes.  I was surprised to find that the cleansing bar is gentle enough to thoroughly clean my skin while still leaving it feeling smooth and moist due to the gentle formulation.
  • Did you enter the NYC Marathon lottery? Even though I decided not to enter the NYC Marathon lottery due to the fact I’ll be just five months post-natal, I’m so excited for my friends who found out they are running! I can’t wait to give high fives again in Brooklyn and join them for a few runs towards the end of their training. I have a feeling their Summer training will be the inspiration I need to get back out there when my body is ready.
  • I’ve shared my love of Grace’s book recommendations before as they never dissapoint and over the past year, I think over half of the books I read were due to her recommendation. This month she launched a Reading List section on her blog that includes recaps as well as links to each of the books. As soon as I finish Bringing Up Bebe I’m going to dive into The Last Letter from Your Lover.
  • Since I love behind the scenes tours and reading tips and tricks from experts, this article from a former Whole Foods employee was right up my alley. Due to the crowds and prices at the Whole Foods Brooklyn location, I don’t frequent Whole Foods that often but I’ll definitely use a few of these the next time we’re there especially the free fruit slicing!
  • This incline walking workout has been a favorite of mine lately when I’m at the YMCA or in a hotel gym. I love that Julie’s walking workouts have me dripping in sweat while still being manageable to do at this point in pregnancy.

incline-walking-workout_thumb

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!

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Five Things from The Weekend – February 27th

Greetings from the friendly skies! I am currently en route to Las Vegas for my company’s annual sales meeting. While the week will be extremely busy and filled with long days, I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and mentors and enjoying some fun in Vegas. Tonight we’re going to Beatles Love by Cirque du Soleil and Wednesday night we are going to see Backstreet Boys. Needless to say, I think I’ll need to jam out to some old school Backstreet Boys during this week’s hotel workouts.

orangetheory park slope blogger workout

This weekend was a fun-filled weekend with lots of friend time.

  1. The weekend started with a tough Xtend Barre workout with Heather and Melissa. I’ve said it before but Xtend Barre is unlike any barre class I’ve taken before. Within five minutes of starting the beads of sweat are beginning to pool and my arms are burning. Taking the class with friends made the time fly by quickly as we gave each other glances during the tough parts and enjoyed some quick dance parties during the transitions as Friday’s playlist was a fun one.
  2. After the workout Heather and I ended up enjoying fun evening together which included a dinner and dessert date in Brooklyn. It was fun to spend time together outside of workout gear or Orangetheory while enjoying pizza and cocktails (mocktails for me) at Boutros and oreo cheesecake at Mia’scheesecake
  3. Saturday morning I met some of my favorite ladies (Evann, Kayla, Theodora, Meaghan, Ashley, and Heather) at the Park Slope Orangetheory for a workout and brunch date. We powered through a strength workout which was one of the harder ones I’ve done – 30 minutes on the treadmill with LOTS of hills and then 30 minutes of strength. It was a blast working out with these ladies as we were dancing in between sets and on the treadmill, giving each other high fives and just smiling the entire workout.  After the workout we headed to Bergen Bagels for delicious bagel sandwiches and some much-needed catch up time while enjoying the sunshine and gorgeous weather. bergen bagels
  4. After enjoying a nap I headed to the Upper West Side to celebrate Zoe’s 30th birthday. Zoe and I met in London through Charlie a few years ago and it has been so fun to have she and her boyfriend in New York City. While I don’t make it up to the Upper West Side that often, it was a fun afternoon of nachos, laughter and having the opportunity to celebrate the birthday girl while meeting some of her friends.
  5. Yesterday Bo and I spent the day deep cleaning our apartment and working on a few projects before hosting some of our Geneva friends for a dinner. There was lots to celebrate including an engagement and a birthday. Even though it had been a while since we’d all spent an evening together, as one of them lives in Boston, the laughter and conversation flowed for hours.

Hope you had a great weekend!  I’ll do my best to share my Las Vegas adventures and how I strive for moderation and a healthy balance while traveling via Snapchat (@healthyhappier) and Insta Stories!

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