The only difficult part about being here is that I don't have a kitchen! We've only been on the road for a week now but I already miss cooking! Good food is one of my favorite things in life. I love savoring a meal that I spent time to develop and create. As I suspected, it has definitely been more difficult eating fresh, healthy foods while living out of a hotel room. I enjoy eating at restaurants mostly for the experience, but when I'm cooking, I know exactly where my ingredients came from, and to me, it usually tastes great and makes me feel much better than when I eat out. I rarely eat meat because I try to focus my cooking around vegetables, but when I eat out, I'm always tempted for steak & potatoes or something heavy that ends up weighing me down. The food in restaurants here are generally very good quality with a big focus on local & organic ingredients (farm to table style), but I always eat too much!
As for baby research, I've started a new series on my blog that reviews pregnancy, parenting & childhood development books - so go check it out! When I peel my nose out of the books, I like to watch YouTube videos on parenting. While watching The Mom's View this week, I discovered Melissa, mother of five, from Cloud Mom. She has over 350 videos on her page, ranging from 2-5minutes. Melissa talks about almost everything you need to know when entering mommyhood, including how to change a diaper, how to get your baby to latch while breastfeeding, nursing and pumping supplies you'll need, and awkward post-delivery solutions to help mommy! It's a great resource (she definitely does her research) and I would definitely recommend checking out! Just make sure you check with your pediatrician to make sure what's right for you & your baby and to confirm that the standards you see/read from any source are current.
Another video I watched this week was a documentary called "The Business of Being Born". The film discusses how natural childbirth has become rare in the US and why that is, and also explains the role and importance of midwives being involved in the process. I'd like to do a post about birthing soon, as I am in the process of writing my birth plan and deciding what type of birth is right for me. I want to be flexible without being submissive because very much want to avoid a Cesarean!!
Week: 32 weeks along! I told my husband that we had 8 weeks to go, and I think it hit him this weekend - woah!
Gender: Boy!!
Total Weight Gain: Still sticking around 19lbs!
Exercise: Continuing yoga! I actually managed to keep up the routine from my hotel room! Because I'm going to be away from home for a few more weeks, its very important to me to remain strong so I can handle labor & delivery! It's my motivation.
Nutrition: This week has been simplified since I've been unable to cook. Lots of snacks in the form of bananas, organic apples, milk and organic (low sugar) peanut butter. One morning I opted for pancakes from room service instead of my usual yogurt and although they were delicious, I felt so sick afterwards! Too much sugar too early!
Food cravings/aversions: Spicy Thai food!! The BEST thing about being back here, for sure. I could eat it three times a week but I don't want to torture my husband! Also loving the chicken pesto sandwich (on a baguette!) from the local co-op. Yum!
Signs of Stretch Marks: No changes in the past few weeks. Still using Burt's Bees Belly Butter!
Maternity Clothes: I actually DO have an update here this week! I got a few cute tops (including the one I'm wearing in today's photo) from Motherhood Maternity! I felt less guilty buying short sleeved maternity shirts because I'm hoping they're be more versatile for my future pregnancies. ;)
Sleep: Even though the hotel bed is not that comfortable, I've actually been sleeping very well. I am SO glad I brought my pregnancy pillow though!
Feeling: Happy, strong and motivated. I don't know if its the fresh mountain air or all the research I've been doing on birthing this week, but I am feeling so excited not just to meet my little boy, but to experience labor. Is that weird? I never expected to feel this way!
Baby Movement: He only stops to sleep! I was jolted awake one morning this week by a hard kick in the rib! Ouch, baby! :)
Belly Button In or Out? In - barely!!
Wedding Rings On or Off? On
What I miss most this week: My kitchen. But being in Vermont is a pretty great trade off!
Best moment this week: Receiving the cutest poem from my sweetie this Valentine's Day! :)
Looking forward to: Seeing my sister-in-law and little niece this week!
Thanks for reading! I am so grateful for all the ladies that have been along this journey with me. I hope that my story is not only interesting but maybe even helpful! I certainly don't claim to know everything, but I love researching & sharing what I've discovered with all of you. I also really appreciate your comments! :)
xo kristen genevieve
You are so adorable pregnant! Enjoyed your post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Candice! :)
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