Week 15.5: Orange Baby

week 15.5baby is the size of an orange!


Two weeks ago I told Edu that I had hopes of being able to start training again once the first trimester pregnancy symptoms were long out of sight and I got my strength back. That same Saturday I ran 6 miles, twice my regular once-a-week-jog distance. My hip ached, my legs yelled at me shortly after mile 4, and I felt every muscle scream for 3 straight days. Well, sort of. Nonetheless, I felt amazing and was so proud of my pregnant self pushing to do something I hadn't been motivated to do for months.

love bug and baby mama

The following weekend, I didn't have any goals in mind but to simply run. No distance planned, no time to beat, no rules. And it's a good thing all of that was decided, because I felt like poo that morning and fatigue quickly brought my run to a slow jog that was very close to turning into a walk. After about 35 minutes, I successfully finished a three mile distance and was happy and pain-free. Just ready for bed.

Yesterday I had my 16-week-or-so appt with my midwife and we chatted about nutrition (plant based advocate, yay!!), exercise, life, love and the fact that my due date is prroooobably more like the END of September this year, NOT the beginning like I (and me mum) had made myself believe. Thus, baby is just 15 weeks and 5 days old today (not 17.5) and this new energy, joy, motivation and happiness is thanks to being officially in my second trimester, and even more officially rocking phase 1 of a baby bump. Yahooo!! I am so thankful to be at this place in ye ol' pregnancy journey, THIS is what being pregnant should feel like - FUN! All I want to do is sing and dance, praise my glorious and giving God and share my feelings with the world!

Green Lake in all of its rainy glory!

Okay, okay, breathe. Midwife Melanie told me that running is great for baby and mommy, as long as I'm feeling good, and weight training is wonderful, and you CAN lie on your back. She talked about abs moves during pregnancy, how we shouldn't focus at all on our 6 pack, because 150 crunches a day is only going to separate our mid-ab muscles which is hard to reverse post-baby and that I should instead research some moves that focus on the trans-vertical muscles that go across the tummy like a thick, low belt. I nodded, and dreamed of future workouts. We also discussed nutrition. She loved my 2 day food-log and very much encouraged a plant-based diet for mommy and wee-baby and reminded me of the importance of Omega-3s and their link to the baby's brain development. Melanie told me to continue to rock the coconut oil, walnuts and flaxseed, and gave me a few handouts on other sources of these amazing fats.

Edu running and drinking Gatorade - training for The Boston Marathon requires fuel-on-the-go!

T'was wonderful, and I left the building with a huge smile on my face, running back to the truck and watching my dress flow over my tummy, revealing a glorious bump that, to me, looks like the size of a basketball. Or like I swallowed one. Or something. And todaaaay, the last day of March 2012, I ran 6 miles with that so-called basketball I recently swallowed, and felt fantastic! This time around, the hip didn't yell at me, my legs aren't complaining (yet) and I sang my favorite worship songs almost the whole time (sometimes out loud, won't lie). I couldn't wipe the grin off my face, nobody could, and I enjoyed basking in the presence of my Savior, my God, for the full 59 minutes.

wittle baby bump, GROW!

To God be the glory for this amazing week, the great run, the food I was able to eat for the first time in months, the smile and joy my husband now carries since he seems to have gotten his wife back after the dark, walking-on-thin-ice days of my first trimester. Oh Lord, 'tis so sweet to trust in You, to feel Your peace, Your love, Your presence.

Le sigh. Welcome to the end of week 15 (again? Didn't I already do this?) of pregnancy, ma' dear. Here's to eating kale salads on a regular basis again, to running, to yoga, to weight training, to blogging, to pregnant belly photoshoots, to 5K races in the near future, to smoothies again? Okay, that's shooting for the stars, but hey, this IS the second trimester, ANYTHING is possible! Even music videos with my baby bump!

Peace.

Sad, Inhale-Everything, Side of Pregnancy

This is the being honest hour. Let's open up, shall we?

I really thought this was more of a "first trimester I can't eat anything everything sounds gross so I'm going to graze on everything in sight that looks decent" type of thing:

[2 bowls raisin bran with h2o, a few pita chips, a few pita crackers, box of raisins, 3 Trader Joe's caramel popcorn, 2 stale blue tortilla chips, 3 animal crackers, 2 chocolate acai berries, one kidz cliff bar].

Sick as a dog. This is what happens when you're babysitting, you're 15 weeks pregnant, and struggling with mood swings, the lack of abs you can see on your stomach, as well as lack of real baby bump, and this is all you can find in the kitchen at the time. And I feel a migraine coming on, as well as the urge to do some obsessive calculating....

Cal: 600+
Sugar: 85g+

ohhh so THAT is how you hurt your body. this is why we don't have those type of easy-to-snack foods, crackers, chips, or protein bars. too much temptation! On the plus side: I just consumed over 13 grams of protein. You're welcome, wee-baby growing inside my tummy that may have had less-than-awesome days, during the first months of pregnancy, when I forgot protein in my meal since I can't eat pinto beans anymore because of how sick they make me feel inside and I don't feel like eating soy at every meal because I know how easy it is to become a soy-aholic.

I feel a migraine greeting me gently....

If only I could have THIS on hand every time I felt like eating everything in someone-else's pantry!!

end.

The Pregnant Exercise Journey

Running up 77 stairs and walking down them 5 times is a full-body, calf-burning, baby-bouncing, heart-rate-raising, happy-pregnant-woman workout. And it hurts for three full days afterwards, which, to me, is plenty worth it.

So, I haven't exactly returned to full-time exercise enthusiast Nicole quite yet. And I could easily be very bummed about this (secretly, I am) since exercise used to be as routine (and necessary) to me as eating. Here's the thing, though: I figure, if I'm sleepy in the morn', I ought to just sleep. If I feel strangely, oddly, happily awake at that 5:00 am alarm, then I ought to hop out of bed and get my yoga on in the living room. Thus far, perky 5:00 am me has been missing in action, but I am determined to return to me old ways (eventually) because I dang well miss my workouts like craaaazy. I know baby will benefit from a good sweat session, as will mommy, and that if I jump back on the sweat-wagon now, it'll be much easier to continue working out post-baby's arrival. So I gots no good excuse to let exercise leave my prenatal life! Anyhow. I must've been in a rambling mood. The end.

Pregnant Mom LOVES Sandwiches!

Homemade hummus (garbanzo, olive oil, dash o' salt, cayenne, chili powder, red pepper flakes), baked n' crunchy whole wheat baguette with flax and seeds gallore, cucumber, red bell pepper, tomato, mashed avocado, pickles and a serrano chili on the side for heat. It was the most glorious sandwich I've ever gazed at, a beautiful sight, and baby loved it. I guess I found out a great way to get my raw veggies back into my meals: hide them between two thick slices of bread, add avocado and hummus, and consume at rapid speeds. Happy tummy, happy mommy, happy developing baby. T'was a great Sunday. And there's leftover hummus. Score!!

eat: sandwiches!

all the goods for an incredible sandwich day: raw vegetables galore, since I'm addicted to them again, just-made garlic-free hummus for baby and mommy's protein, mozzarrella for hubby, canned green chilis 'cause we like to burn our insides with delicious spices, and watermelon for dessert!

Dear Whole Foods: Thank you for giant loaves of french bread containing whole grains, seeds, and happiness.

hubby's beast of a turkey sandwich!

pregnant mama's open-faced double sammie - yes, open faced means you get TWO SANDWICHES on ONE PLATE! It's genius and makes my favorite meal last twice as long. Who needs a sandwich lid, anyhow?

Pregnancy Surprise: Feeling Baby

I think I felt baby move. I felt a funny flutter, the kind all women who have experienced pregnancy tell me I will be feeling soon. Week 14.5, I felt sweet baby inside of me. They say most gals, during their first pregnancy, will confuse baby's movements with gas bubbles in their bellies. But this plant-eater knows the feeling of "just gas" pretty ding dang darn well, and that was no flatulence my friends. T'was the living, growing, beautiful blessing in my tummy. Ahh, sweet joy. In other rad news: I ate raw broccoli and raw cauliflower in a sandwich today! That never even happened before I was pregnant, so it felt like a big deal. And it was! And it tasted delicioso. My only issue now, however, is the real gas-like bubbles I'll be feeling inside tomorrow. Shoot son!

Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead!
I Peter 1:6 

My favorite pinto bean dish replaced with sprouted lentils/beans from Costco! Recipe from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. See: Gimme Chimmis! Absolutely amazing flavor, especially with a few sprouted corn tortillas & avocado!

Oh, Pregnancy: My First Raw Carrots

Something of a miracle happened yesterday. After months of struggling to even think about raw vegetables, I felt something inside of me that I just couldn't ignore. You got it, folks, I was tempted to eat a raw baby carrot from a store-bought veggie tray. This is a big deal for me. You see, for the past 4 years or so, I've brought a handful of two of baby carrots to work every day. Their sweet taste, crunchy texture and power to sooth hunger 'till lunch or dinner, was divine to me. Once I got pregnant, my taste buds started to change in hard-to-comprehend ways. For example, if it was a vegetable, and it was raw, I would turn away in disgust and nausea, holding my mouth and my gut while I ran for some french bread to cleanse my pallet. Soon enough, I decided that I should simply accept the fact that baby wanted their veggies steamed or stir fried, and raw vegetables were no longer a part of my life. I still had a hankering for raw fruit, a big hankering, in fact, but veggies were a no-go unless they had sear marks on them (or even burnt edges, I confess).

Anyhow. Let's just go back to the magic: I ate a raw carrot. No, I ate about 15 raw carrots. Praise God from whom all blessings (big and small) flow. Yay!!

Also a miracle: eating greens again!! Kale Waldorf Salad: see wholefoods.com for recipe!

Leave the Beans at HOME!

You know all that hype about how much my insides didn't love lunch the other day? Well, I brought it again! Except this time, I made the wise decision of leaving the beans at home. I think (hope) the cheezy macaroni is much friendlier today than it was yesterday. I did, however, grab some hemp seeds to go with todays's meal - all for the sake of mommy's and baby's protein needs. We'll see how it all goes (and stays) down!

In other news, my mumsy and I have made an executive decision about this pregnancy. Although the MD's, MA's and RN's of the clinic I used to go to told me I am measuring about 14 weeks and 2 days today, we have a different theory. We're basing this baby's (gestational) age on the simple math and facts of: on your calendar, mark the first day of your last menstrual period. Go back exactly 3 months, and add 1 week. THIS is your due day. Nicole Carrillo, welcome to your 16th week of pregnancy. Congratulations, by God's bountiful grace, you have made it this far. Now start to rock that baby bump, no matter how blubbery it seems to be! *side note: we did eventually go back to the ultrasound age...I guess I just wanted to get my hopes up!!*

the quinoa/veg/peanut sauce dish I talked about on the last post: this is the restaurant's version!

Cooking for the week - see the butternut squash mac x4 ont he right! and sprouting garbanzos, fried rice for hubby, quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oats and 2 loaves of bread (one of which I burnt...teehee)

Week 14: Lemon Baby

Week 14
baby is the size of a lemon!

baby bump attempt!

I want to be joyous. I want to cradle my growing tummy and whisper to my growing baby that God has given me the blessing of carrying. I want to dance and sing and smile all day. I want to go for a jog, lift some weights and get my yoga on often. I want to feed this sweet baby the good stuff in abundance and not get a tummy ache shortly after.

But I'm still grumpy, I can't cradle anything except a few extra pounds on my mid-section that are not only unattractive, but rolly and squishy. The only thing I can talk to is my lack of abs, which quickly disappeared after week 7 or so, when I was too scared to continue my normal workout routine and quit doing crunches and planks (side note: those exercises are completely fine throughout pregnancy, as long as the back is supported by pillows once mommy's tummy starts to grow). I don't sing much anymore, and I only dream of dancing - like The Fitnessista who Zumba-ed through all three trimesters. I can imagine the mix of extreme fun, loving thy body and getting a good cardio workout in, would easily boost my mood and make baby grin. Le sigh. And I am more able to feed baby the good stuff as time goes on, but those gut aches always creep up after it sits in me for a few minutos. Oh week 20, let me see that belly and put on a genuine smile!

End.

4 hours later...
Baby dislikes butternut squash macaroni with steamed kale, chunky squash bits and a side of pinto beans. That took me like 3 hours to finish. Oh baby, please enjoy it, for mommy did not.

30 minutes later....
Baby did not enjoy lunch. Burping up pinto beans wasn't joyous, neither was regretting the fact that I had two more servings of butternut squash mac in the fridge, waiting for me to eat. Oh, poo. There was a day, when I was 8 days pregnant and in Mexico visiting sweet family, where I almost dreamed of eating a warm bowl of pinto beans on a daily basis. The love I had for them was too profound to be put into words. Oh, to feel the way I used to, to feel normal and NOT on the verge of gagging whilst I take part in a bowl of beans.

Quinoa Flaxseed pizza crust and roasted veg with tomato and italian seasoning

Inspired by a meal served at a restaurant in Seattle called Chaco Canyon Cafe - incredible! Quinoa, steamed veg and a homemade thai peanut sauce with sesame seeds :)

Week 13: Peach Baby

Week 13
baby is the size of a peach!


struggling to feel normal, to feel happy. Evening nausea hits like clockwork. It’s icky and makes me sad. Baby, I want to meet you, I want to be joyous, I want to feel baby inside of me – all I feel is sleepy. Midwife has me taking Vitamin D supplement along with prenatal. I’m trying kale or green powder each day. I miss vegetables. Baby is the size of a peach. 3 1/2 inches long! Can suck its thumb, can get mad at mommy for eating junk food, can produce urine thanks to their kidneys, they can make mommy feel sick each night, making mommy and daddy unable to even embrace after 7:00pm. Tummy touching? Off-limits at night. Le poo...

I accidentally bought tempeh bacon instead of jus' tempeh. and the creepy part? tasted like bacon! CRAZY!

tortilla pizza with cabbage and kale "chips"

lentil burgers on sprouted bun with roasted veg and my pickle fix.

TLC and A Baby Story

I've been falling quite hard for re-runs of A Baby Story on TLC. Not only do I cry my wee eyes out every time the baby appears, but I also immediately grab my tummy and cry out to God, "please protect this baby!!" Every time. I've seen 10 episodes in the past 2 days and I just can't get enough. There have been 4 C-sections, 2 births with midwives, 1 waterbirth, and 6 epidurals. There has been 1 body builder mom, who not only completed a full workout the day of her scheduled C-section, but returned to the gym after being home for just two days! She said she did it with all her three pregnancies successfully, only she was then diagnosed with kidney stones and had to lie in bed for a few (a million) days, and her poor hubs was left to be a super-dad of three boys from ages 0-7 or so. Anyhow, it really just made me feel like a mondo lazy mom-to-be and with that came a heavy dose of feeling-sorry-for-myself mixed with motivation to get back to (light) weight lifting or at least some 20 minute AM workouts. But alas, I was sleepy this morning. So I did 35 lunges on each side, mixed with 30 squats while brushing my teeth, 25 modified push ups before I got ready for work and as I type this I am walking up and down the stairs at work. It ain't no Body Rock (see bodyrock.tv) but it'll do for now. I'm so ready for the second trimester. I'm so ready for a baby bump. I'm so ready to fall back in MAD love with massaged kale salads, pinto bean dishes, and baby carrots. I'm so ready. Oh goodness me, I need to cast my cares to Jesus. the end.

lentil meatloaf bringing my tummy joy.

brown rice pancakes with Super Green Powder for my amino acids that kale isn't giving me since I can't stomach it!

I ate about 19 of these and felt really sick afterwards! Who knew my tummy couldn't hold 5 pounds of pancakes?

 

Pregnancy + the Common COld

Almost 13 weeks pregnant and being brutally attacked by the common cold. An upper respiratory virus of source. Bacteria eating away at my sinus. A slight headache, lingering and threatening to ruin my day (my week). A smaller supply of patience inside of me, the fuse's length decreases with each day. I am not myself, I am a big ol' grump. Anything you do or say will be held against you, for I have become a pro at holding a grudge. I dive into God's Word and it always lifts my spirits. For about 3 minutes. And then I see something outside that turns me off and I forget. I forget all the good. I focus on the negative. I am pregnant, battling a cold, and meaner every day. This morning's breakfast is making me feel queasy. This is not an ideal way to live, my friends.

this made me SO sick! but it was so promising... avocado sauce with spaghetti (like a creamy, avocado-y, delight?) from Oh She Glows' blog, and me attempting to get my greens in with frozen broccoli + peas straight  from the microwave. Nasty with a capitol N! sigh..

Cry Like a Baby

Pregnancy makes you sensitive, cry, yell, and act out. In other words: it makes you completely crazy, which in turn scares all of your co-workers, friends and family. You will cry like you've lost your first pet, who was part of the family for 10+ years. Your tears will flow dramatically, your breathing will be out of control, you might not be able to breath much at all. The little things throughout the day, that try to bring you down, WILL bring you down. You will feel often defeated, and your only option then will be to cry some more. Crying will feel good. It will be out of your control. Just go with it. Remember, though, that a day of crying is followed by a rough night of sleep, extreme fatigue and a migraine. This crying hangover might last 1-3 days. Welcome to (almost) your second trimester.

brown rice pancakes (cooked brown rice & brown rice flour) with frozen strawberries, almond butter, nanner!

I have an addiction to lentil burgers n' fries, jus' sayin.

A MINI BUUUMP! Jump up and down, this is so exciting!!

Week 12: Plum Baby!

12 weeks and some days. 
ze baby is the size o' a plum!

My head hurts, it's snowing, I ate a pita pizza last night with mozzarella on it, I slept an hour less than I usually do, my gut is growing, my baby is growing, I did prenatal yoga yesterday morning before work, I made tempeh and kale enchiladas, today is leftover pizza day (without cheese, thank you). Last night I had dinner with two lovely friends, we talked pregnancy and cloth diapers, midwifery and hospitals, food aversions and second pregnancies. One of them is 20 weeks pregnant, her baby kicked, let her eat part of a meatball sub, and enjoyed ice water with lemon. My baby didn't do much of anything that I could actually feel, and probably got confused as to why whole-food vegan mumsy was eating cheese and white flour, I told baby that it tasted good and there weren't too many options at the restaurant. Baby accepted this fact. I love talking to gals about babies and birth. It fills my heart with glee and joy. I'm too tired and headach-y and sleep deprived to walk up and down the stairs for exercise this morning. I just want to drink a lot of ice water with a straw and sit in my bed with a book, although I'd probably just fall asleep immediately, and then be quickly awaken by the intense urge to pee, since my uterus is still so low, constantly placing pressure on my bladder. Oh, the joys of pregnancy. Sleep. It's all I can think of. And maybe cake. Sans dairy.

recipe for hubby from Runner's World magazine! Homemade sweet n' sour sauce from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, with veggies, cashews and pineapple atop brown rice! I couldn't get myself to taste it, but Edu looved it.

Garbanzo pancakes with chocolate blueberry frosting! Banana, unsweetened dark cocoa powder, frozen blueberries, almond butter. whip that baby up and top on...anything. including pizza.

pizza with all the vegetables in the world, with a size of seitan strips and roasted carrots.

my new best friend in the food world: raw super chips! These taste like banana crisps, I'm super lovin' on them and so is hubby. yay!

 

Anti-Sugar Baby

This baby has made something very clear: it hates sugar. If I eat it, I will almost instantly be punished. On comes a headache, that converts into a migraine, that causes nausea. My taste buds go wild, my brain cells are high, I want more. I eat more. I feel worse. And worse. Maybe if I eat a little more, I will feel better. It looks so good, I can smell it from here. Just one more bite. But don't let anyone see you do it, you're supposed to be setting a healthy example. You don't care about the treats, sweets or breads, you care about your health. You care about your baby's health. You go home, you feel sick. The headache worsens, you crawl in bed and pray for it to go away. Dizziness overcomes you, your stomach turns, you cradle your knees. My baby hates sugar.

eat!

Edu brought me home some meat-free Mexican pozole from work! It was amazing to eat raw radishes, or raw anything for that matter, for the first time in this pregnancy. Deliiicious!

I tackled some tempeh-kale enchiladas (and burnt the Mexi rice...oops..) to get some greens into my baby! It worked wonders :)

End.