Hey all,

Have not had too much time to write this week but wanted to give a quick update before heading off to Burning Man for the next 9 days! There are some breath taking photos of the event here. So grateful that Marcelo's family will be staying at our place the whole time to take care of the kitties!

I am nervous about the trip and excited too! We are going to be roughing it in the desert and it gets very hot during the day and cold at night. Lol, what am I thinking? I'm sure it'l be fine! Can't believe tomorrow is the day we leave and it's almost here!

I had another pre natal appointment this week! Very cool, got to see Lulu wiggling around in there. She's in the middle of my belly now all snug and cozy. It is just so awe-inspiring to think there is a little human growing inside of me. I still can't get over the miracle of it all!

Turns out I lost 7 lbs since my first weigh in a few months ago. The Dr. thought the scale or reading might have been wrong but if it is right, it's probably b/c my pallet has been so different! And I just don't think I've been able to eat as much food since I've been preggo! But honestly I am not too concerned. I am still eating well. And yes, regarding the donuts I posted last time, I only ended up eating just the half of the rainbow sprinkle one and they have both been sitting in tupperware on my counter since.

I swear, eating during pregnancy is bizarre! One minute I will be craving something so strongly and a few bites later I am so over it, in fact I don't even want to see it again! I have to tell you though, 3 times this past week I have had the most delicious, succulent, heavenly eating experiences! Unlike any other eating experience I have ever had! I was craving Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) and it was one of the only things my body wanted (foods that I normally love repulse me!). So I made a special solo trip after work and communing and nourishing myself with that hot bowl of soup will go down in the books as one of the most pleasurable experiences I have ever had. Lol, I cannot even explain how delicious it tasted. Wow, so I am definitely more picky, but when I do eat what I crave, it is beyond satisfaction! So weird!

So yes things are good. So very incredibly grateful to have good health insurance and a wonderful loving supportive partner in Marcelo. Blessings! I have been feeling OK, excited, but yes fatigue, mild nausea, super strange pallet, and some head aches. I just feel preggo! I learned that taste buds actually do change during pregnancy!

OK, well love you all and will be out of touch until September 4th! Love, Hope and family :-)

busy busy busy

So many of you know we have been preparing to go to a huge art/music festival next week. It's called Burning Man and it's in the desert of Nevada. It seems like for the past week I have been eating, sleeping, and breathing Burning Man, lol. We are SO excited. I don't think I really had any idea about how much gear (pimitive conditions, the only service is porta potties, bring yr own water, haul out your own trash, 100 degrees durin the day, 40 at night). Weve had to get a lot of stuff and of course weve had so much fun decorating our bikes, making (sewing) costumes, etc. We leave Sunday and return 9 days later! Marcelo and I have not been on a trip that long ever before! Sooo cool! We've also done research and Lulu should be fine as long as I stay hydrated and cool.

I had a total moment of knowing I was pregnant today. I was going through some stuff in the bathroom today as I was packing and came across an old bag of honey lemon cough drops and they just sounded like the absolute best thing I could think of. I totally ate one and enjoyed that cough drop lile never before, lol. Seriously I was laughing at myself as the cravings I'm having are so atypical of me. I also bought a most delicious rainbow sprinkle donut today and some reeses pieces. I have been craving those too! However, I did do 90 min of yoga today, had a healthy lunch and only ate half of the donut. It's all about balance!

Speaking of yoga, I can definitely tell my body is changing and modified many of the poses to be less intense than usual. Tomorrow is my monthly prenatal check up! Excited!

Although I am excited with all my heart and soul for Burning Man, I am additionally excited to come back, pack up all the gear that has taken over our entire living/dining rooms, and really focus on applying for home loans and getting ready ready ready for baby! I feel so blessed that we are going on this trip though, it's the perfect window of opportunity that we may not have again for a while! These are special times!

Blessings

Walked into work on Thursday to find this beautiful boquet of roses, rose soaps, and the sweetest card addressed to "Beautiful Mama." These are from my very special angel friend, Diana, who I am also blessed to have as  colleague. So sweet! I think I cried.

Reminds me of a Rumi quote I read recently: "Do not grieve, for everything you lose comes round in another form."

It has been wonderful at work. Since I made my announcement to our department on Wednesday, I have been hearing excitement and general baby talk all throughout the office. My co workers are so great...and so happy for me.

This weekend has been nice, costume making for Burning Man (a big art festival in the Nevada desert we leave for in a week!) I am excited to be inspired again. Today were going to the beach and I'm excited to get my belly and Lulu into the ocean for the first time. :-)

I have felt pretty good this week. I managed to work out 5 times including walking, yoga, swimming, and spin class. I feel so great after and love that I have had the time and energy for that. Part of the benefit of being a health educator is that I also motivate myself towards good habits in the process!

The very minor symptoms I have had are fatigue, headaches, and the tiniest bit of nausea. It really hasn't been bad though. And I swear when I put my hand on my belly last night, I could feel Lulu moving around! It is such a joy and blessing being pregnant.

First Day.....

...wearing a maternity shirt to work! How exciting! My belly is growing big but my joy and excitement are growing even biggger!

Sharing the news at work

Today was also a neat day b/c I FINALLY got to share my news with my co workers! You can't imagine how hard it's been living with this exciting, life changing secret and not speaking a word about it to anyone for the past 2 months!

Most things I've read recommend waiting until the end of the first trimester to share the news b/c you are out of the woods so to speak in terms of risk level. I wanted to play it safe, especially since Ive only been in my current position for 6 months. So I told my boss first on Monday and she was super nice and supportive about it! Whew, and yay! She was really excited and wanted to know how I have been feeling, etc.

So today I got to announce it to the majority of our department over a nice lunch meeting. It was a perfect case scenario as everyone was seated and enjoying some delicious and healthy food. I told everyone I had an announcement to make and asked for a drumroll on the table...hehe...then I stood up and turned around and asked if anyone noticed anything different about me. Once I patted my belly they knew "you're pregnant!!" It was a very joyous moment and everyone clapped and cheered. I expressed my joy and shared fun details and passed around pics of marcelo and I and Lulu's ultrasound pics. It was really sweet. Many asked questions and offered congratulations. It is SO great to be able to talk about it now!

I should also add that I work in a department of about 30 people, 29 of which are women and the majority of which are health educators. Most are RN's and Dieticians. The wonderful woman, Cindy, who sits next to me is a certified Limaze instructor and also teaches prepared child birth, baby care basics, breastfeeding, and healthy pregnancy classes! She is so sweet and we talked and laughed and she said I can ask her anything I want to. Pretty cool! It's kind of amazing having all these mother hens around that know a hec of a lot more than I do about this stuff!

I should also add that there is a special angel at my work who I am also very connected with. We spent a long time talking too :-)

Overall it was a very humbling day. Besides that, connecting with my clients was very meaningful.

I must be showing!

Heheheheeeee! At the end of a class I was teaching tonight, a lady was talking with me after and she said "oh, by the way, congratulations." I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I said "thanks, do you mean about teaching the class?" And she said "no," paused, and glanced down at my belly. I was so confused and immediately thought one of my co-workers must have told her and I said, smiling, "how do you know?" She replied "I can tell. I did take a risk by mentioning it, but it's the shape that gives it away." I just started beaming. I have a baby belly!! This is a very special day and I will remember her b/c she is the first person to notice! so yes...I must be showing! What do you think?

What we've been up to!

Ha, I am thinking about my Uncle Tim and what a great story teller he is. He has this thing where he refers to the two eras of his life as "B.K," and "A.K." Meaning, "Before Kids," and "After Kids." So I can only imagine how much our lives are going to change when the babe comes!

I feel ready though! I am 34 and Marcelo is 42. We are so blessed to have had ample time to create a really solid foundation for the babe! To be quite honest, when my Mom died 6 years ago, I was so devastated and truly heart broken that for several years I was not in a place emotionally or spiritually where I could bring a child into the world. I have put a lot of time and genuine effort into my healing process, and still do, but have finally reached a point where it is OK and I can move on with my life. And of course I know my Mom would want me to and would be so very happy for us!

So yes, I am grateful to be a part of several weekly healing activities. I am an active member of an amazing grief support group where I have an awesome community, I see a great therapist, and meditate, journal, and exercise regularly. I also put a good amount of time and effort into healthy eating and cooking.

It is quite a gift that, in addition to my formal studies, much of what I have learned on my own healing journey, and many of the lifestyle practices that I am passionate about have translated into a wonderful job. I work as a Health Educator at a major medical center teaching classes that have to do with mental health, mind/body connection, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle practices. It's kind of an amazing thing! I am so grateful that I got my Master's in Social Work, went through with licensure and now have a great part-time job that I love, that pays well, and provides great benefits! Yep, Marcelo, myself, and the baby are all fully covered under my health insurance plan. We have super low co-payments and no monthly premium. We are so lucky and have been getting great care so far!

After graduating with his Master's in Non-Profit Administration from Harvard, Marcelo accepted a job as Administrative Director for an environmental non-profit and has been working in that position since 2011. I must say, he is a very dedicated worker. In addition to that, he is the Vice President of the Board for a local non-profit that provides medical and dental services to 70,000 low income folks per year. He really enjoys this work. He also does pro-bono financial consulting for another non profit that provides scholarships for under-served youth.

In addition to that he continues to run his car business on the side in which he buys cars and trucks, fixes them up and then sells them, also something he really enjoys. In fact, he just bought a 15 passenger van for our trip to burning man in a couple of weeks! So awesome! We are going with 2 of my girlfriends.

So yes, we have both been busy and up to good stuff! I truly feel ready for a baby and that's a blessing in itself. I have built an awesome career, had ample time to pursue my own hobbies (dance, yoga, vintage, etc), and we are both in a great place physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially!

Blessings indeed. Lulu, Mom and Dad await you!

And one of Marcelo being silly!

Month 3!

So I am officially 12 weeks and 5 days today! Which is awesome b/c the rate of miscarriage drops by 98% in the second trimester! Now Lulu is about the size of a peach and is forming teeth and vocal cords! How exciting! I've only begun to show the tiniest little bit!

I do feel pregnant! I have mild nausea pretty often and get tired pretty quickly. I still do not have my taste for salads back, but made some delicious Gazpacho which was full of veggies and good stuff! Yum!

We're having.......an alien?!

Lol, second ultra sound!

I hope I wasn't somehow abducted by aliens and implanted with an alien baby! I have heard stories about that happening to people, lol. Awwwwww, I guess that's what they look like at that stage. Hehe. 

It was actually a learning experience, the ultrasound, this whole time we've thought Lulu was right in the middle of my belly, right below my belly button and that's where we talk to it and rub it. Turns out, Lulu is stationed completely off to the side, like just above my left hip bone! The ultrasound technician had the little scanner thingy over that area and we were both cracking up, like "oooooh!" yeah, we knew that, lol. Bet it won't be the last surprise on this journey! 

Overall,  the second ultra sound went well, everything is coming along as planned. We have a third scheduled for October 1st. We can find out the sex then if we want to. We probably will! I still think Lulu's a boy!

gifts....already?!!

We are blessed to have such loving people around us!

When I announced to my grief support group that I was preggers, a good friend went down to the gift store directly after the group and bought me the little bear and bear frame and gave me such a warm congrats! The Goodnight Moon book is from my Auntie Marilyn. I teared up when I received it in the mail. I remember my Mom reading this to myself and my brother when we were babes. I called my Aunt to thank her and she said that my Mom had sent her a copy when she was pregnant with my cousin many years ago and that my Aunt figured she would pay it forward. So bittersweet are some moments in life!

The Burt's Bees onsies are also from my Aunt Marilyn and they are so cute! One has little bees all over it. It is so hard to believe there will be a warm chunky body to fill them soon! Tiny clothes...what a trip, makes it so real!

And the cards are from my Uncle Bert and cousins Erika and Cathy. The first little things.....how special and exciting!!

bye bye skinny jeans....

Well, tonight it happened. See, I have been trying to wear all my cute skinny jeans while I still can. Tonight when I was coming home after a fun evening out, while I was in the car I had to undo my belt and jeans b/c they were tight! This is a big deal! I also noticed this morning, the elastic waist band on my yoga pants felt tight and I didn't know if I should try to pull it up high onto my waist or do the below the belly thing. Lol, I AM STARTING TO SHOW! And this is very exciting b/c it means that Lulu is really growing and making himself at home in there!

I will post a 3 month pic hopefully this weekend. It isn't too big but enough to where my clothes feel tight. Isn't it like some kind of pregnancy milestone when you come home with your pants unbuttoned?

Today was great though. I am getting some of my energy back which is SO awesome. I was really down and out for months 2 and 3. I spent a lot of time just resting in bed and sleeping extra hours b/c I was so exhausted all the time. This morning I woke up and felt good, went to yoga and had a really good and energetic class.

This pic was taken after my class today and as you can see I am still quite limber! I am hoping and do think this will come in handy with the birthing process, although I must say, this is the last time I will be doing such deep stretching, in order to protect Lulu. I have also been practicing working more with the breath, the pelvic floor and the perineum muscle (root chakra) as I know that will be useful. I actually just started learning about exercising those areas in my training to teach pre-natal yoga, right before I found out I was pregnant! At work I am training with the yoga teacher to be her substitute! Although I haven't felt up for it over the past two months, I do hope to resume. Lately I can do my regular work hours and that has been it for me.

Today in yoga class was great I feel so refreshed and feel so grateful to be so connected to my body in the deep way that the practice allows. It really is a wonderful thing. I try to go easy (although you can't tell here!) I avoid doing any hand stands or anything that has a fall risk. I texted Marcelo after I took this pic saying I need to slow down for the next 6 months, b/c I think Lulu was sore after this! I was just so excited about it and it felt good to stretch.

I spent the afternoon cooking, another of my favorite pastimes. I made salad ingredients and a lemon tahini dressing. So delicious and so healthy and nutritious. I don't have the taste for salad like I used to before I got preggers, but I will make myself eat it for the health benefits, lol!

Marcelo

So I asked Marcelo if he would like to make an entry in this blog and he was really tired from working so he asked me if I would just write that "just let them know that I am so excited to play with the baby every single day!"

Hehe, he is such a great guy and I am elated thinking about what an amazing Dad he is going to be.

Here he is with his cousin's baby 2 weeks ago at a wedding. For those of you that know Marcelo, you know he has a very calm nature and radiates a peaceful energy. I am not joking when I say that in my 6 1/2 years of knowing him, animals and babies alike have been drawn to him. Lol, we joke around about this but it's true. He is so mellow, kind, loving, gentle, and fun...he is gonna be a dynamite Daddy!

Tummy time

Here I am at 2 months. Not even showing yet. I am just about at 3 months now and starting to show in the tiniest way, more pics coming soon!

And Marcelo wanted his pic taken too, with his baby..lol.

Our first glimpse!

We had our first check up and ultra sound on July 25th. We couldn't believe how much Lulu was dancing up a storm! I got all teary, how can this little creature be living inside of me! Surreal! And of course, he was dancing!

That also leads me to a running bet Marcelo and I have going. I have a hunch that Lulu is gonna be a boy and Marcelo is pretty certain she's a girl. The loser will have to change 100 diapers on the night shift! Yeah!

Keep in mind Lulu is only about 2 inches long in this pic! Heehee

It must have been time....

b/c it only took Marcelo and I one time to get preggers! I apologize if that is TMI (too much information) for you, lol, but I think it is really cool! I am 34 years old so one never knows. I like to think it's b/c I take such good care of myself and also that the pregnancy is a gift from beyond and it is truly meant to be for us to bring a child into the world right now. Very exciting and I feel truly blessed every day. I also have this deep seated feeling that everything is going to be alright.

So about 30 days after our attempt I was in the restroom doing a pregnancy test. When the test came out positive, I could not believe my eyes! A complete wave of excitement and absolute joy washed over me like I have never felt before! My dream was coming true and at that moment I new my life was forever going in a new and exciting direction. Human life....wow! And it was all already beginning inside of me. I honestly can't think of anything more amazing.

Just a moment later, Marcelo appeared in the bathroom door, his hair all over as he had literally just woken up. "Did you call me?" he said. "No," I said, "why?"

"I had a dream that you were pregnant" he said. ""Whaaaaat?!" Turns out he had been sleeping when I took the test. I had not made any audible noise when I got the results but I had this flood of powerful emotion that he had somehow picked up on in his sleep! It was so mind blowing, these two things happening in one moment! I said "yes, oh my god, I just took a test and it's positive!" "I know," he said, and we gave each other the biggest embrace of our lives. Was this really happening? I told him to pinch me b/c I truly thought I may have been dreaming!

Also, I should add here, that after the night we conceived, he told me that he had a strong feeling that I was pregnant. I was skeptical. How could it be after our first and only attempt ever trying? Well, he was right.

So we first found out about the pregnancy on Father's Day, June 16th. And as another coincidence, the baby is due to arrive on the anniversary of the day my Father passed away; Feb 18th (2014). Kind of crazy, I feel like my parents are always with me. I actually really struggled at the beginning of the pregnancy, I was really sad, b/c of course, I want them here now more then ever. But alas, that is not possible, but I know they would be so happy and excited! Onward we go....

Bun in the Oven!

Ha! I just love saying that! Marcelo and I have a bun in the oven! It's going to be a cute, soft, warm chunky bun of love when it comes out in 6 months! As a matter of fact, I am just about 12 weeks now and little "Lulu," as we're calling the babe, is about 2 and 1/2 inches now! I am just barely starting to show but boy do I feel different!

As I've heard is par for the course in the 1st trimester, I have been EXHAUSTED on most days, lol. I guess making a baby is hard work and takes a lot of energy! Many days I feel so tired that all I want to do is lay in bed, and that is exactly what I do :-) I have been a very avid exerciser for the past 15 years. As a matter of fact I completed my first triathlon (sprint distance) this past March. Most people that know me know that exercising regularly and eating clean healthy earthy foods is very important to me and are two things I gladly choose to dedicate a lot of my time to.

See normally, the above would be a perfect, delicious, meal of healthy whole foods that I made, that I would prep and take daily to work. Now, however, my pallet seems to have totally changed. I no longer enjoy avocado (what?!!!) or steamed kale, or really even beans for that matter, all of which were regular foods for me. In fact, Marcelo and I just took a trip to 7-11 during the writing of this blog because I was craving Reese's Pieces! They didn't have them :-(, so we ended up getting 3 mini doughnuts and when we were leaving he said, "great, one for each of us!" I said, "well what about the third one?" And he said, "that on'es for Lulu." !!! Turns out, Lulu loves mini doughnuts!