Things are coming together in the little room… Full reveal with links will be up once we’ve got it completed!
Pregnancy Update — March
I’m officially in the third trimester now, which is both exciting and terrifying. I have gone into severe nesting mode, where I feel this constant need to get everything in our house in order and finish any and all outstanding projects (which would be way easier if I could do half of them — most are on KC’s to-do list because of my pregnancy restrictions). I’ve started feeling a little anxious and panicky about the fact that we are getting close to meeting our daughter, but I’m trying to just take things one day at a time and focus on the fact that even though it totally doesn’t feel like it, we’re ready and everything will be totally fine.
weeks: 28 1/2
baby’s size: eggplant
i’m feeling: physically ok, but i’m definitely getting tired and more uncomfortable at the end of the day. it’s sort of weird for your body to feel so physically exhausted after what would normally be just any other day. i’m also super hormonal — something in the last week and a half has really made me feel everything much more intensely, so i find myself getting annoyed by anything and everything at the drop of a hat (not very fun).
food love: eggs, fruit, lemonade
food hate: for some reason chicken has been grossing me out lately, even when I hide it in a big salad or work it into a pasta. something about the smell of cooked chicken is just really off-putting right now.
3 pros for march: 1. one of my showers is this month and i’m so excited to see everyone! 2. winding up things at work and preparing for maternity leave. 3. the nursery is almost fully prepped (and ready for a tiny lady’s arrival!)
3 cons for march: 1. everyone seems to have opinions and/or advice that they like to foist upon me at every given opportunity. i could kind of do without that these days. 2. turning over and getting out of bed/getting up off the couch is a less than thrilling (and far from graceful) endeavor right now. 3. wishing i could control my emotional response to things a bit more these days — everything seems to get under my skin.
currently living in: my maternity jeans (i actually don’t love these — they’re still too big and slide down a lot, but they’re more comfy than my regular jeans which have started to dig into my belly too much) and old navy maternity maxi dresses (i bought this one early on in my pregnancy, and it’s so comfy and flattering).
looking forward to: feeling a little more “prepared” and “ready” for this little girl’s arrival (that does happen, right?)
dreaming about: maternity leave. i’ve gotten steadily more tired these past few weeks and feel this intense urge to just be at home most days. i’m looking forward to having a couple weeks off before le bébé joins us to relax and prepare.
Things Not To Say To A Pregnant Woman
For some reason, pregnancy seems to give people this idea that they can give you advice, ask personal questions, or just generally pass along unnecessary and unhelpful little comments. Here are a few I’ve heard personally, and a few things that were said to friends of mine during pregnancy:
- “Wow, you have a long way to go.” (Recently said to me after I told someone I was almost 7 months along. I’m not sure how long she thinks pregnancy is, but it came across as “Jeez, from the looks of it, I thought you were 100 months pregnant.” Thanks.)
- “That baby must be coming soon!” or “You must be due any day now!” (Unless you actually know that the person is due any day, this just gets interpreted as, “Hey, you look huge!”)
- “You’re so big!” (Um… thanks?)
- “You’re so small/you’re barely even showing, are you sure you’re pregnant?” (Yep, pretty sure.)
- “What’s your birth plan?” (My plan is for the baby to come out.)
- When finding out you’re planning on a natural birth: “Oh… Good luck with that.” (…Thanks?)
- “Are you sure it’s not a [opposite gender of what you just said you’re having]?” (Well, more sure than your “intuition” based entirely on how I’m carrying.)
- “You look really tired.” (Thanks. You sound really mean.)
- “What’s the name you picked? Why aren’t you telling people? Can you just tell me?” (Nope.)
- “You’re not going to be one of those lame people who never does anything after their kid is born, right?” (Not sure yet, but probably. See you never.)
Let’s all take a minute to remember that pregnancy, while amazing, isn’t easy. Your life isn’t what it used to be, you’re carrying around a lot of extra weight (my hips, and joints in general, currently HATE me), and your hormones are like, “Hey, remember when you were 13? Remember when you had reaaaallly bad PMS? Let’s combine those two things and multiply it by 100!” Remember that the person you’re talking to is still a person, and they know they’ve gained weight, they know pregnancy can be tiring, and if they say they know the gender — trust them.
Here are a few things you can say to a pregnant person that might just make their day:
- “How are you feeling?”
- “You look great!”
- “You’re totally glowing.”
- “Here, why don’t you sit down.”
- “I brought you this ice cream.” (Mostly this one.)
Friday Penny Post
Um yeah, I wasn’t about to fold those towels or anything…
Little Letters
Dear KC: Thanks for painting the shelf for Baby D’s nursery last weekend. It looks amazing and you’re the best.
Dear Baby: Your room is slowly but surely coming together! Who knew that 6 feet by 12 feet could hold so much adorableness?
Dear Heartburn: Uggggghhhhhh so terrible and all the time. (Fun fact: a banana gave me heartburn the other day. Yeah, a BANANA.)
Dear Crazy Dreams: I’ve heard that having weird dreams about having a baby are normal when you’re pregnant, but what was the deal with that “plane crash into the ocean full of sharks” dream? Maybe I’m feeling a little out of control of my life these days? (And yeah, I did bitch out the pilot after we crashed. Obviously my personality doesn’t change much even when I’m asleep.)
Dear Glucose Test: I’ll most likely have to take you tomorrow. Booooooooo.
Dear Scale: You’re reaching numbers I’ve never seen before (even during my chubby community college days). So weird.
Dear Beer: You smell amazing but still taste disgusting. Apparently my body knows what its doing.
Dear Maternity Leave: I can’t believe you’re only 10 weeks away. Holy moly.
Dear Weird Cravings: So far you haven’t been too weird, but that whole desperate need for a turkey and cheese panini at 9:30am on Sunday morning was a little out of the norm.
Dear Weekend: I hope you’re full of rest and delicious food. Get here soon.
Love, Chelsea
My Favorite Protein-Packed Smoothie Recipe
Since I’ve been pregnant I’ve been craving fruit in pretty much any form, including in smoothies. One of my favorite smoothies is from Jamba Juice — the Protein Berry Workout smoothie. The ingredients are pretty minimal, so I decided I should try to recreate the smoothie at home. It ended up being surprisingly easy (and delicious!) so I figured I’d share the recipe with you all.
Copycat Protein Berry Workout Smoothie
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 small or 1/2 large ripe banana
- 1 cup ice
- 1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
- optional: 1 tbsp agave nectar (I just eyeball this and add one big squeeze)
- optional: 1 serving protein powder of your choice (I’d use this)
- Blend together. (It’s a smoothie, not rocket science.)
I like this smoothie because it’s not overly sweet and it’s packed with protein. Even if you omit the protein powder, you’re still getting 9g of protein from the soy milk (the protein powder I linked to would add an additional 5g). Plus the whole thing is under 300 calories (including the agave and protein powder), which makes it a great breakfast or snack on the go.
Whip one up and try it out for yourself!
Friday Penny Post
Finding comfy space on my lap is getting a little tough these days. (And PS: Look at her little paw hanging into the cup-holder. I love her.)
Little Letters
Dear KC and Penny: It’s so nice to be home with you two after being in New York for a whole week. But boooo to coming home to you having the flu! (KC, not Penny.)
Dear Flu: Having you around is the opposite of fun, especially while being pregnant, since I have to wear gloves and a mask around to make sure I don’t get sick from my own house.
Dear KC: Should have gotten that flu shot like I was bugging you to. Grrr…
Dear Flying While Pregnant: You are the worst. Those seats are so terrible and uncomfortable, and the 2-hour sitting-on-the-plane delay on the way to and from New York was just plain mean. My upper back is still mad about it.
Dear Aisle Seat: You were the best and most necessary part of both flights. I might as well have just reserved my flight seat as “lavatory 2.”
Dear Baby: So fun how you like to hang out on my bladder all day long. So. Fun.
Dear Whole Foods: I don’t understand how I spent the same amount of money on half a bag of groceries at your store as I spent on two overflowing bags of groceries at Trader Joe’s. I guess there’s a reason people call you “Whole Paycheck.”
Dear Whole Foods Sandwich Makers: Are you literally butchering the pig yourself to get that bacon or something? I thought I was gonna go into labor waiting for that BLT.
Dear Bellybutton: Every week I look to see if you’re still there. So far so good.
Dear Valentine’s Day: So far my big plans for your arrival are teaching Bar Method and watching a movie in bed. Sounds like it’s gonna be a good one this year.
Love, Chelsea
Second Trimester Favorites
It’s kind of crazy that I’m in the final weeks of the second trimester already. I’m having a little trouble comprehending that I’ll be in the third trimester at the end of the month. Third trimester sounds so… like, “this is happening.” Like, you’re gonna have that baby soon. This is partially because the third trimester is the shortest of all three (I wasn’t aware of this before getting pregnant, so if you already know the trimester breakdown, just bear with me for a sec.) Your first trimester lasts from 1-14 weeks, the second from 14-28 weeks, and the third from 28-40 weeks (or whenever you deliver). This means that the third trimester is a mere 12 weeks long, assuming you get to a full 40 weeks at the end (which, many people don’t). So if you go into labor early? It’s even shorter.
I mean, math.
Anyway, enough about how I’m kind of freaking out, let’s talk about what’s been working for the second trimester!
Sleeping: The Bump Nest pregnancy pillow has been such a lifesaver throughout this pregnancy. Like I’ve said before, I’m normally a stomach sleeper, so learning to sleep on my side has been quite an adjustment. The Bump Nest pillow is amazing because it’s super soft and fluffy, but way more supportive than a regular pillow would be. My pillow started to sag right at the top of the hook, so I started using a regular pillow up there to support my head (which is actually a lot more comfortable for me anyway). If you’re pregnant and you’re still trying to figure out how to sleep comfortably — I totally recommend this pillow (but troubleshoot a little with adding a couple extra pillows — that’s how I like to use it!)
Clothing: I’m still totally obsessed with the Ingrid and Isabel Bellaband, which I wear with my regular pre-pregnancy jeans. I did buy some J Brand maternity jeans, which I like OK, but they’re a little too big on the top still and so tend to scoot down throughout the day (nothing like having to yank your pants up all day long). However, they were great last week when I was in New York and wearing fleece tights under my clothes, because they’re super stretchy. As for tops, Gap has been such a lifesaver, as a lot of their tops are long enough to go over my bump still, without me having to buy maternity-specific shirts only. (A note on this, I do have some maternity tops from Pea in the Pod, which I absolutely love; but it’s nice to buy some stuff that should work both during and for some time after pregnancy, since it’s not pregnancy-specific.) My favorites of the moment are these fluid long-sleeve pocket tees and the quilted-panel fluid tees.
Workout Wear: I had this idea that I wouldn’t need to buy new workout wear for pregnancy because Lululemon stuff is so stretchy. Um, FALSE. First, Lulu stuff is really stretchy, but there are a few issues — 1. The pants tend to be really tight right along the lower belly, which is suuuuper uncomfortable during pregnancy, so those are out; and 2. the tops “fit,” but I’ve become so, um, voluptuous that it was getting a little bit, like, PG-13 (I like to keep my workout wear PG at the very most.) So anyway, these high-waist Beyond Yoga leggings have been amazing for pregnancy. They’re not actually maternity pants, but they’re super soft and stretchy without the intense compression of Lulu leggings, so they’ve been perfect for teaching and taking class. As for tops, the Gap Fit line has been where it’s at. I bought the breathe tank and long sleeve and the motion tank and long sleeve tops. These tops are not only affordable (hiiii, Lulu, I love you, but I’m not gonna spend $500 on a pregnancy-specific workout wardrobe), they’re super comfy, stretchy, and flattering. And, again, because they’re not “maternity,” they’ll work post-baby too.
Skin and Beauty: I’ve still been loving (and using religiously) the Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. It’s nice and thick and moisturizing without feeling super greasy (and no stretch marks! …Yet.) My skin has been pretty dry since becoming pregnant, so I’ve been using Tarte’s Maracuja Oil on my face at night. I like that it’s a natural product (good for pregnancy!) and that it moisturizes without me feeling like I’ve just rubbed Vaseline all over my face. And in the event that my face decides to be a total a-hole and be dry and break out, the Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick has been my go-to.
Well, that’s probably a good enough list for now. Let me know if you have any specific questions on any of the stuff I’ve listed or any other things I’m using — happy to share!
Pregnancy Update — February
I’m getting to the point in my pregnancy where I’m feeling both nervous and excited about the fact that my due date is inching closer. I’ve still got a ways to go, but all the prep for my maternity leave has started, I’ve pre-registered at the hospital, and we’ve been moving forward with getting the nursery ready, so things are feeling very real over here. I find that I’m anxious and excited to meet our little girl while also feeling completely terrified and unprepared at the same time. I guess it’s a good thing I’ve still got a couple weeks and another trimester to go to get myself ready for her arrival!
weeks: 25 1/2
baby’s size: head of cauliflower (the other option here was rutabaga, but i don’t really even know what that is…)
i’m feeling: pretty good, but a little tired. i definitely can feel myself starting to slow down. regular tasks are getting a little tougher and take me a little longer these days.
food love: citrus! i am eating oranges by the bag these days — at least 2 at a time!
food hate: meat by itself for the most part isn’t sounding good still. i’m definitely working on adding more meat into my diet so i can get the recommended amount of protein each day, but i generally have to work it into a salad, sandwich or some other meal in order for it to sound good.
3 pros for february: 1. i’m officially approaching the end of the second trimester (3rd trimester starts at the end of the month). i can’t believe how fast time is going! 2. this little lady is moving up a storm these days. she seems to have trouble relaxing just like her mama. 3. finally looking pregnant enough that people are actually giving up their seats for me on BART on a semi-regular basis. (which, by the way, women are wayyy better about offering up the seats reserved for seniors/disabled people/pregnant women than men are. and the younger men especially — forget it. i don’t know if they’re intentionally clueless or just assholes, but either way it makes me a little crazy — get it together, guys!)
3 cons for february: 1. turning over and getting out of bed are both getting more difficult by the day. 2. getting my shoes on and off is turning into a 3-stooges-type comedy routine. there’s just no being graceful about it at this point. 3. this belly is growing so much that it feels really tight and stretchy a lot of the time. not comfy.
currently living in: my regular gap jeans or BR jeans+ bellaband still, though I suspect the lifespan on these jeans is nearing the end as my belly is just getting bigger and bigger. i got a couple maternity tops at pea in the pod, which i love (the polka-dot one in the picture above is one of them). they’re a nice thick material and have plenty of room to grow, so i’ll definitely be wearing those for awhile.
looking forward to: finishing up the nursery. we’ve gotten the crib and dresser set up and are just finishing up with some of the decorative accents. i’ll have a whole post about the room (including links) once it’s finished!
dreaming about: relaxing. the past month has been pretty busy with work and trying to get everything in order at the house (not to mention prepping for maternity leave and doing all the crazy legwork of finding a pediatrician, pre-registering at the hospital, etc.), so i’m hoping that these next few weeks will be a little calmer with a few less tasks on the to-do list.
