Another week surprisingly gone! It’s been very busy with
school having started on Monday. I was so focused on planning, prepping and
perfecting meal plans and schedules that I didn’t realize the last week of
summer was already over. Thankfully, my busy planning has paid off. Everything
has been smooth sailing so far. Let’s pray it stays that way!
In terms of my pregnancy, this week has been full of changes
and exciting news. My body has once again been going through some major
physical and emotional changes, which I will discuss more below. Also, we finally
confirmed the sex of the baby yesterday at my 18 week cervical check up and I
cannot WAIT to share the fabulous news with you all!
So here’s this week’s update:
My Diet
Breakfast – The milkshake train has finally left the yummy
station. While I still enjoy a chocolate or banana almond butter one at least
once a week, my body has been craving for other things such as jackfruit, chia
puddings and kombucha.
Last week I picked up a 17 pound jackfruit baby to finally
kill my cravings that have been lingering for the past 2 weeks. After an hour
plus of prying the pod babies from the stringy hands of the mother, I enjoyed a
beautiful bowl of juicy, crunchy, sweet jackfruit. It was completely
satisfying; I was genuinely happy.
Jackfruit served as my breakfast for two days straight until
I learned that jackfruit, in large amounts, was not recommended for pregnant
women due to its laxative properties and high Vitamin A content, which combined
with a multi, could lead to overdose. So I decided to turn the jackfruit from
breakfast into a small treat and found other meals, such as chia pudding and
fruit, to serve as my breakfast.
Another thing I’ve been craving is kombucha. During the
first trimester, I could barely take the taste of the local kombucha I had been
purchasing on a weekly basis. My taste buds were extremely sensitive to the
tart flavor and so I had to quit my habit until my appetite and taste buds
returned to normal.
On Saturday, while visiting a local brewery with my husband,
I stopped by my local kombucha brewer, MTO Kombucha, for a taste of one of
their flavors on tap. I was a bit scared to taste it in fear that it would send
my taste buds into a fit, but thakfully I loved it! I purchased a growler of
Hops flavored booch to bring home, and I’ve been drinking an 8 ounce glass
every morning to boost my energy and get my morning started! I heart kombucha
and so does my tummy!
Oh, here's my favorite chia pudding recipe from this week...
Blueberry Muffin Chia Pudding
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1/2 Tbsp of maple syrup (or more to taste)
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened, shredded coconut
- Cacao nibs and/or almond slices, to top
- In a small jar, combine the chia seeds and almond milk and stir well. Allow to sit in teh fridge overnight.
- In the morning, or before eating, add the vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir well to combine.
- Top with blueberries, coconut, almond slices and whatever else you like!
- Enjoy!
Lunch – The kale salad kick has sort of left too. I’m still
addicted to tahini dressings and olives, but I’ve been adding them to fresh,
leafy salads and zucchini noodles as opposed to kale. Nothing has changed
though. Every meal is still loaded with creamy, lemony, garlicky, briney
goodness. J
Dinner – I haven’t been doing very well with dinner this
week. Every evening has been mostly me snacking on celery and nut butter,
fruit, rice or cabbage. Not very healthy I know…but it was one of those weeks.
Snacks – I’m still munching on Peeled Snacks trail mix with
chocolate and I have sort of an addiction to So Delicious ice cream, especially
the Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl! Soooo good! Other snacks include celery or apples
with nut butter, dates, veggies and hummus, and fruit!
My Exercise Routine
Still biking and walking! I’m planning a few yoga routines
this week to get some stretching in. The most difficult part has been finding a
time in my busy schedule to workout. I’m so busy from the time I wake up to the
time my daughter goes to bed that my usual workout time around 7pm or so is now
my “rest and get ready for bed” time. My body is just exhausted. However, I
have made a commitment to work out once every day no matter what. Short walks,
bike, yoga, whatever, I just need to get this body moving..even if it is for only 10 minutes!
My Pregnancy
The post everyone has been waiting for!
Let’s start with those crazy symptoms shall we? This week I
have noticed a serious change in my emotional state. While I am a pretty happy,
carefree person most of the day, I can become very emotional, clingy and extremely
needy in the afternoons. I cry…a lot… and I feel the need to have my husband’s
full attention from the time he gets home to the time I fall asleep.
I’m not
sure why I turn into this crazy, dramatic being come the evening times
but it’s causing a lot of stress on me and my husband. He’s confused because
all of sudden I’ve gone from independent to high maintenance and I’m confused
because I’m afraid I’m hitting some sort of depression mode. Thankfully, last
night I finally realized that I need to get a hold of my emotions and start
communicating, through words, how I feel and what I want. I can’t expect him to
understand something I don’t even understand. I’ve also decided to start adding meditation
back into my routine. Hopefully that’ll help me not only gain control of my
emotions, but also help me sleep better at night.
Besides the emo issues, everything has been going well. I do
have some common symptoms such as pregnancy insomnia, body aches and an
increased appetite with a decreasing size in my stomach. The last symptom is
the least fun as a foodie. My eyes and plate are always a lot larger than my stomach.
This week I also grew...a lot! I literally woke up with a
belly that was not only larger, but higher as well! This has resulted in more
movement that I can feel even when standing! I used to only be able to feel the
baby move when sitting, but now I feel it move all the time! Of course, the emo side
of me freaks out when baby moves a lot one day and not the next. One day when I
was on a paranoid high, I found this and decided to save it and keep it with me
at all times! A little reminder that everything is okay J
Now for the reveal! On Monday I visited the high-risk doctor
for my 18 week cervical check up AND to ask for confirmation on the sex of the
baby. After hearing everything was looking perfect and normal, the nurse moved
forward with confirming that our baby is……
 |
| Image From: https://www.freemanhealth.com/EGreeting/CardDetails.aspx/?id=14&sid=1&cardid=1 |
Yep! We are having another little princess! Clearly God
thinks we need more females to rule the world! I do not disagree J
As an announcement I decided to crop a portion of this
hilarious video of a baby reveal gone wrong. It has been a joke since the
beginning of our pregnancy that my husband’s reaction would be very similar to
this little boy’s since my husband wanted a boy super bad. While not exactly
the sex we were hoping for, both my husband and I are extremely thrilled and
truly blessed no matter what. We’re just happy to be having a baby! As for my
daughter, well, she screamed in glee!
After revealing the sex, my nurse tried her best to get some sort
of pretty profile pic of my daughter. Unfortunately, the little booger would
not cooperate. Instead she hid behind the placenta and gave us this…can you
spot the baby!??
Overall, it has been another successful week. While I’m
still working hard to adjust to the every day changes of pregnancy, all in all,
I’m happy and healthy. My baby is looking healthy and growing beautifully. I couldn’t
ask for anything else.
Now to search for a male puppy for my husband…he’s going to
need it to counter the rising estrogen levels in this home! Hehe!
See you next week!
Beth
