7 months
11 MarMonthly pregnancy update – March / seven months
I’m a few weeks late in posting my seven month update. Remember when I said I would be posting more regularly because I am not working for many months while pregnant? Yeah, I’m not quite sure what happened to that plan either. I wish I could say it was due to the fact that I am incredibly busy…but no…my days are mellow. I’ve just had a hard time motivating. My energy level is low so I’ve been allowing myself to just “be”. Letting my to-do list become a list of suggestions rather than a list of musts. This can be hard for a doer like me! Pregnancy has definitely taught me how to slow down. It’s actually forced me to. I’m surrendering.
I’m writing this post from a hotel bed in San Francisco with a latte in hand (yes, I have one cup of regular coffee a day…my OB said it was ok!). I tagged along with Brian on a work trip for a few days. He will be in meetings non-stop but I figured it would be fun to poke around the city by myself for a few days. Although, it’s rainy and windy outside right now making bed and room service sound pretty appealing too. At 7 1/2 months pregnant I also kind of hate to sleep alone right now. This coming from a girl who used to love having the house to herself for a few days. But pregnancy has changed that. It’s not like I am worried I am going to go into labor or anything- I just feel more settled when Brian’s around.
The last month has been filled with growth- yes, I am referring to my belly. Well, let’s be honest…my growth everywhere. I seem to have become very pregnant in the last few weeks. I don’t understand how I can possibly have 10 more weeks of growing to do?!!? Is he a giant or something?? This belly is getting crazy. In the last week alone many strangers have asked when I am due and when I say May they are shocked. I mean where do you go from there, right? It makes for a very awkward encounter.
I’m feeling…HUGE- this belly is getting heavy. Lots of movement- he’s a strong little guy who likes work out all day!
food loves…it would still be fruit but my doc has made me cut back. I have slightly elevated amniotic fluid which is sometimes caused by an excess of sugar and carbs. I’ve also become anemic so my doc has told me to up my protein intake. Which has been hard because meat and fish haven’t been at the top of my list of cravings.
daydreaming about…him. I think about him all the time. I just can’t wait to hold him and peer into his eyes for the first time. I literally get teary when I think about it.
can’t wait to…become a family of four (yes, Frank counts)
least favorite parts of pregnancy this month…the lack of sleep. People keep saying…get your sleep now before the baby arrives and I want to scream…I’m trying!! It’s just impossible to get comfortable at night.
favorite parts of pregnancy this month…feeling him move is still my favorite part of pregnancy. Sometimes I’ll forget I’m pregnant (although, that’s getting harder to do these days) and BAM he will sucker punch me and I am immediately reminded I am not alone. It’s just so damn magical to have a little human growing inside you! Yes, even when it hurts a bit.
I already love you so much little one.
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“Everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and I sit here in the middle of it all and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be.” – Carrie Fisher
life according to my iPhone lately
1 DecLife according to my iPhone lately…well, the last two months.
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currently…
19 Octlooking forward to…
Carving a scary pumpkin with Brian, dressing Frank in his taco costume and parading him around town on Halloween, eating copious amounts of candy on Halloween, celebrating our wedding anniversary on November 9th (we’re turning two!), celebrating thanksgiving with our families (we are joining them all together for the first time), the holidays in general, getting a christmas tree (every year we name our tree Bert and this year it will be Bert IV), a quiet December with more time for creative projects, finishing some projects around the house, my upcoming trip to Kansas City to visit my step father Irv and to Atlanta to visit my girlfriend Chantal and her sweet family.
reading…
Oy. I got so many books going right now. My goal to read all these (& these) books by the end of the year has turned me into a reading machine (it has also set me up for failure. I still have so many to read!). I plan on putting together a book review post at some point. “At some point”- famous last words. Anyway, I read and LOVED “Everything I Never Told You”- I devoured it in three days. Then I moved onto “Luckiest Girl Alive” for one of my book clubs- still haven’t finished it. Can’t seem to get into it. What am I missing here? I think I still plan on finishing it. Maybe? It’s sits next to my bed waiting for me to pick it back up. In the meantime I’ve moved onto “Big Magic” and so far I am loving it. It’s all about living an inspired and creative life and I’m down for that.
watching…
So much tv- it’s embarrassing. I wish there weren’t so many shows that we liked. On Sundays we watch “Homeland” & “The Walking Dead”…on Monday we (or maybe I should say I) watch the new sitcom “Life In Pieces” (have you seen it? I’m not one to laugh out loud when watching television but this show gets me every single time. The first episode literally had me crying)…on Tuesdays I got nothing (I usually catch up on my reading that night)…on Wednesdays we watch “American Horror Story”…on Thursdays we (ok, I force Brian to watch with me. It’s what marriage is all about, right?) watch “Grey’s Anatomy” (yes, some people still do. I can’t give up now, I’ve been watching it for twelve years at this point), “Scandal” & “How To Get Away With Murder”. Oh and then you have netflix…I am obsessed with “The Affair’ right now. We are six episodes into the first season and love it. Oh and lastly, we watched “Amy Schumer: live at the Apollo” on HBO last night. HAAAA. I love that women. So many inappropriate jokes but so funny.
you know what I’m not watching…
“The Leftovers”- I keep trying to watch it but I don’t think I’m smart enough. But really…is anyone smart enough? What is this show even about?? It frustrates me to no end.
practicing…
mindfulness in all things I do…from making the bed…to taking Frank on his morning walks…to spending time with the people I love.
loving…
My girlfriends. This is a constant feeling for me, but lately I’ve just been so in awe of the females in my life. Each relationship adds so much joy to my life and I can feel their support at all times. The tiny hints of fall in the air in Los Angeles, movie dates with my mom and brother (it takes me back to childhood. we have some good laughs), evening walks with Frank and Brian, flannel shirts, avocados, pictures of my fiends babies (so many cute kids!), going to bed at ten (ok, 9:30) every night (I like my sleep) and my husband…I’m always loving my husband.
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What are you guys currently up to?
my little taco…
12 Oct
Big news- I’ve purchased Franks Halloween costume. I wasn’t even thinking about his costume yet but then I saw it hanging on a rack at Petco and I knew it was the one. I was praying it would fit his funny little cinderblock body. Luckily, it fit perfectly. I’m not sure Frank enjoys it but I certainly do….and that’s all that matters, right? He’s smart enough to know that if he complies with my wishes there’s really tasty treats in his future.
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weekend
20 JulThe summer seems to be flying by at an incredible speed. It’s July 20th already? Le sigh. There are a million things I still want to accomplish this summer- a mix of work projects (I swear, I used to write on a regular basis!), personal goals (I’ve actually been doing pretty good at accomplishing these) & house projects (the list is long my friends. Top of my list is painting the walls grey and hanging art). Not to mention I would really like to make it to the beach a few more times before summer comes to a close. Although, I guess when you live in LA summer never really comes to a firm close, does it?
This weekend I…
Had the night to myself on Friday night. Brian was out for the evening with a few friends drinking beer and playing cards. Initially, I had plans to meet a few girlfriends for dinner but when those plans got pushed until next weekend I opted to stay in. I am a fan of staying in by myself. I’m a fan of doing a lot of things by myself actually. I can be such a loner! It had been a long week and I was feeling void of energy. Nothing sounded better than cozying up on the couch with Frank. So I stopped at the market on the way home from work to pick up the essentials for my party of one…a fresh bouquet of white peonies, sushi, pellegrino, trashy magazines & haagen dazs vanilla frozen yogurt. The makings of a perfect evening in my mind.
Saturday morning I had plans to meet my girlfriend Crystal for a morning hike but some very strange weather rolled into LA this weekend and it derailed that plan. I awoke Saturday morning to rain. It was such a foreign sound this time of year…well, and in general in LA lately that with all the bedroom curtains drawn I couldn’t figure out what it was at first. I was convinced it was Frank’s tiny toenails tapping on the hard wood floor until I got up to investigate and was shocked by the storm outside. The air was thick and muggy. Again, so strange. It ended up being a storm that lasted most of the day and brought with it heavy downpour, thunder and lightning. It was crazy! After abandoning the morning hike, I met some family that was in town from Kansas City (they thought our reaction to the rain was pretty funny. I had to explain that we don’t get weather around these parts often) for lunch at M Street (where I bought the massive bacon chocolate chip cookie pictured below) and then stopped for a manicure and pedicure. When I got home around four the rain was coming down really hard so Brian and I decided it was the perfect excuse to binge watch the last season of “Homeland” which we had yet to see. We literally watched the whole damn season on Saturday afternoon until the early morning hours of Sunday. Breaking only to pick up Greek take-out food for dinner. What a phenomenal season! Fucking intense. Hands down one of the best shows on television in my opinion.
On Sunday I spent the day working on a few projects- I finally redid my media kit (with my brilliant husbands help of course. Thanks, Bri!) I can’t tell you how long this has been on my to do list. An embarrassingly long time. But now it’s done and I can finally start working on putting together our fall road trip from LA to Seattle. We originally planned on taking the road trip this past spring but life got in the way so it had to be pushed to October. Which I actually think will be a pretty epic time to make the drive up the coast. Getting very excited about this trip. We wrapped up the weekend with a movie- we saw “Trainwreck” with my mom and brother. I laughed my ass off for two hours straight. That Amy Schumer is a comic genius. Not to mention she wrote the screenplay as well. I have a new crush.
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happy list
13 Jul(image found via pinterest)
things that made me happy this weekend…
The Girl On The Train. I literally did not put it down all weekend. I even woke up at 3am on Sunday morning and found myself strapping on a camping headlamp to continue reading it quietly in the dark as Brian slept next to me. To say I was obsessed is an understatement.
Dinner at Lukshon with my in-laws to celebrate my birthday. Hands down the best meal I have had in ages. Every dish was filled with such an intoxicating mix of flavors. I’m still dreaming about the lobster roll “banh mi”
That Frank didn’t drown in a koi pond this weekend. We were visiting our old neighbor at his new pad and enjoying some time in his garden when I heard a loud splash. It sounded like a bowling ball had rolled into the water. I immediately knew it was Frankie. I ran over to the pond just in time to see Frank pop up from under the water with his eyes as big as saucers. Poor little guy looked terrified. Luckily Brian was nearby and quickly yanked him out. PHEW. I’m not sure Frank will ever explore bodies of water again.
Masters Of Sex. Such a smart & sexy show.
A Sunday night pasta dinner made with love by my husband. He was so excited to use the cherry tomatoes from his garden in a recipe.
A cheerful bouquet of orange tulips my girlfriend Taline sent me for my birthday.
Long summer days & sunsets at 8pm
The project 30 Q&A that I will be posting tomorrow. It’s such a great read
Allowing myself to take it slow
This incredibly inspiring TED talk by our friend Adi Jaffe. It’s a very interesting fifteen minutes if you have the time! FUCK SHAME!
july 4th weekend
6 JulJuly 4th weekend did not disappoint this year. I spent most of it at the beach and eating tasty food- both favorite pastimes of mine. I started the weekend off right by taking Frankie for a three-mile walk Friday morning. We start every day with a long walk actually- it’s our thing. I’ve become rather attached to the routine of it. It throws my whole day off if I can’t make it work for some reason! We explore different streets, houses and alleys each day. Frank is a pup who appreciates a new tree to pee on and I am more than happy to comply. After our walk I met a girlfriend for a juice date at Kreation. I opted not to get a healthy green juice and instead ordered a chailicious smoothie. It was to die for- like sipping dessert through a straw. Then I met my mom and my brother for lunch at Back On The Beach to celebrate my birthday a few days early with them. The food isn’t mind-blowing but the restaurant overlooks the ocean and your table is literally on the sand so it makes up for it. After lunch my mom and I headed down to the water for a few hours (we couldn’t convince Nik to join us though). It was a cloudy afternoon so instead of sunbathing and swimming like we had planned we spent most of the time lying on a blanket fully clothed chatting. When I got home Brian made us dinner on the grill- cilantro lime chicken, zucchini and sweet potatoes.

back on the beach

Nik looking dapper in my moms hat and my sunglasses

we worked hard to get this selfie

I know I’m biased but he’s the cutest griller I ever did see
On Saturday, after sleeping in and drinking copious amounts of coffee in bed, we packed up the car and headed to the beach to meet some friends. It was packed with happy people as far as the eye could see celebrating the holiday. Luckily, the sun was actually out this time and I proceeded to spend the next few hours working on my tan, reading magazines and swimming in the sea. I haven’t swam in the ocean since we were in Bali for our honeymoon over a year ago. I almost forgot how invigorating the salty water can be. After the beach we debated going to a party with our friends but decided a quiet night at home was more our speed. We are getting old, huh?!? So we (Brian) grilled yet again and had a picnic on our coffee table so we could watch a movie (we watched The Judge – meh) while eating dinner. Around 9pm (with ten minutes left to spare in the movie of course) the loud pops began so we grabbed Frank (who was totally freaked out by the commotion) and headed up to the roof to take in the firework show across the city.

clearly, not impressed with July 4th

July 4th at Santa Monica beach

lunch at the beach

our picnic dinner
On Sunday we spent most of the day doing things around the house. There is nothing that brings me more joy than organizing my home. I know…I really am getting old. In the evening we hosted my Dad and Pamela for dinner to celebrate Pamela’s birthday. That’s another thing that brings me great joy…hosting dinner parties. Especially to celebrate ones I love. Brian and I made salmon, corn on the cob (with cilantro lime butter- with a pinch of lemon zest) and potato salad. I also baked a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries on top for dessert.
the end.
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”
Omar Khayyam
goodbye, sedona
9 JunOh, Sedona…I’m not ready to leave you today. You definitely delivered on this trip. I fell in love with you and my husband each a little more this weekend…I didn’t think either was possible. It was just a really good five days away. The kind of days where you find yourself filled with so much joy that you wish you could stop time and absorb the feeling a little bit more. Instead, you have to file the moments away in your heart and hope you don’t forget them.
For all the times I have been to Sedona I have never done a travelogue for it, so instead of throwing a few highlights down right now I plan on doing a proper post for it in the next few days. I’ve decided Sedona deserves it.
Now I must go so I can help Brian pack up the car to make the 7+ hour road trip back to LA (podcast time- anybody have any favorites that we should listen to?)…and home to Frank! Man, I missed that little love muffin these last few days. I must have texted the dog sitter…oh, I don’t know…a 1,000 times in five days. She must think I’m insane.
Until next Sedona!