Week 29 Update!!

Apparently if you spray Bumble and Bumble finishing spray on wet hair in the morning it makes your hair look a lot darker in pictures. Vic was like "did you dye your hair?!?" Of course, that was after he giggled for a while at how huge my belly seems to have gotten over the last week!

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity clothes? Oh yea. 

Stretch marks? Nope, still none yet!

Best moment this week: Vic put together our chair for the baby’s room which was pretty exciting, minus the art work for the walls the room is pretty much done! Getting the Armada was pretty exciting, I’ve never bought a car before! I really can’t wait to see the car seat and my little boy in the back seat! 

Miss Anything? Wine, like always. Getting out of bed or out of a chair is starting to be a real production, so I’m starting to miss when that was not an issue!

Movement: All day! He’s a very rumbly baby in my belly.

Food cravings: Ice cream like a boss, and chocolate. My boss always has a bowl of mini chocolates at her desk and lately it’s been super hard to not stake out her office and steal the whole bowl while she’s out of the office.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Eating too much at one time, if I get anywhere near feeling full there’s a chance that food won’t stay down once he gets moving

Gender: He better still be a boy, he has a ton of clothes!

Labor Signs: Nope, but the normal round ligament pains are around more often. I tried getting out to my car today to relax for a bit and I had to stop a few times along the way to just take deep breaths and get through the cramps.

Symptoms: All the usuals, heartburn, RLP, but surprisingly I feel like I haven’t had any Braxton Hicks lately. This might be tmi, but I feel like no one warns women about feeling like they got kicked in the vag. Been rockin’ that symptom all day every day for a bit. I’m pretty sure the workouts might actually make it worse, but everyone I’ve asked about that feeling says its just all the fun stuff preparing for the big day or the same muscles just stretching from the weight of the baby. It blows. 

Belly Button in or out? Still technically in, but probably not for long.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. I’ve got pretty thin fingers, finding a ring my size is usually kinda rough. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Oh you know, just a bit of both, haha. I’ve always kind of had a short fuse, lately I feel like it just might be a bit shorter. The good news is, I haven’t like, lost my mind yet. I’m sure those around me might see it differently but I swear I’m actually really happy! I just can’t wait to see our little man. And of course I’m head over heels with the car. Vic and I are talking about maybe doing a little baby moon at this resort up by Williamsburg so that would be pretty fun :)

Looking forward to: My appointment on Thursday. I always like to go and just hear that everything is going right. I also can’t wait to get the pictures from John Gwolden’s Etsy shop that I ordered for the baby’s room. 

Pictures of the Baby's room

When we bought our house we had this little random room that the contractor had created by cutting the garage in half with a wall. This made for a very tiny garage, more of a storage space, and slightly awkward "bedroom" off of the laundry room. 

For the first year that we were in the house that room served as storage, a place for the dog crates, a place for Vic's desk and a pantry. Once we found out that I was pregnant in October we decided that since we'll most likely be out of this house, and this state, before the baby gets too old we could just put him in the little room and make our other spare bedroom the office. 

So, the big spare room is now the office and home of the treadmill and the baby has a perfect baby-sized room. I hate the baby rooms that are super cutesy and well..baby-ish. So, we're trying to stick to a woodland nursery theme without going to crazy with cartooney decorations. 

We got that super cute owl from Pier One, he was pretty beat up and on clearance but with a little help from a sharpie he fits in just fine! His chair is from Amazon, it glides instead of swings and is pretty decent looking. It'll most likely spend most of its life in the living room instead of his room, but for now it chills in that corner. I think its a Graco? The diaper bag is there on the floor, my mom got me that from Babies 'R Us. It was one of the few that was actually pretty close to looking like a normal purse that I would carry, I was so excited to find one that I liked that wasn't too expensive!

The stuffed owl is also from Pier One. We got the stuffed Bernese Mountain Dog while we were in Colorado for Christmas at a little boutique. The big floppy bear is from Target and super cuddly and soft. The little dog in the red shirt is Vic's from when he was a little boy, his name is Pupper Dog, too cute right? Obviously, these guys will be booted from the bed once the baby is here, but for now they are keeping it warm for him. 

A great family friend, the mother of Vic's best man and the baby's godfather, offered to get us a clock for the nursery because she thought that when Danny was a baby that it was an overlooked item in baby's rooms. We picked out this moose from the website she had found, isn't he great?

My grandmother from New Jersey had made blue blankets for the baby. That pillow on the chair is from Target, I love the colors in it. That's my super comfy chair from Sam's Club. Vic and I have seriously talked about getting rid of our old couch and getting three more of those chairs, they are so comfortable! 

Our furniture is from Target too, they have some pretty legit stuff for putting together a baby's room. It's all coming together so great, now I just can't wait to get the baby in there! I recently ordered a few pictures from Etsy, as soon as they are up in the room I'll post an updated picture ;)

Ready, set, go...to sleep

CARDIO

40 Min on Elliptical, Aerobic Setting

Average Heart Rate: 143 bpm

Calories Burned: 454

WEIGHTS: CHEST AND TRICEPS

Dumbbell Bench Press

12x17.5 lbs 12x17.5 lbs 14x17.5 lbs 

Incline Dumbbell Press 

10x17.5 lbs 12x17.5 lbs 12x17.5 lbs 

Standing Cable Tricep Extension 

15x40 lbs 12x50 lbs 12x60 lbs 12x60 lbs 

Standing Tricep Extension with Rope Overhead 

6x40 lbs 8x40 lbs 8x40 lbs

Oh Monday, we are so not friends. I'm so tired! I don't know what it was about today but my stress and ability to deal with silly issues with people was just on another level today. I didn't sleep too fabulously last night so I am thinking that may have had something to do with it. I did get to start the morning off with a workout, but I hate chest and triceps day so it wasn't the mood booster that normally comes from a leg workout. I was pretty stoked on getting some good work in with the dumbbells, my shoulders and chest are really unbalanced when it comes to strength, so balancing that is a main focus for a while. 

Work was poop, mostly just because its Monday and I hate Monday. So, let's move on to the fun stuff! Guess what I got this weekend that I was so excited about yesterday? A new car! Well, technically, it's used and only new to me, but I love it. 

I LOVE Armadas, always have. We were out running errands and happened to see it at the local Acura dealership for a crazy low price, which turned out to be under Blue book. We stopped by, took it on a test drive and I was in love. We even talked the guy into lowering the price even more for us. It might be the most comfortable car I've ever sat in. And, it has a DVD player and TV in the back for the baby! It couldn't be more perfect for being able to pack the stroller, the dogs and the baby up for a ride. I've been driving a 2000 4Runner that Vic's family very generously gave to us last year, and while it was definitely bigger than my Mustang that we sold, it still didn't feel adequate for our pups, the baby and the stroller. So currently we are a three car family for a little bit, which feels a little nuts since now we have two SUV's and a truck. The important thing is...I really, really, REALLY love the Armada and just could not be happier!

Tonight's dinner was another one from our meal planning subscription and I have to say, their stuff is pretty delish. I made sweet potatoes, black beans and kale with lime juice with a few chicken tenderloins on the side to satisfy Vic's need for real protein. That's the one downfall to some of their meals, we can't really function on vegetarian meals, so when they offer those I just add some meat to the recipe and we're good to go. 

Here's the gist, slice up a few sweet potatoes into wedges. I used four little ones. 

Cook the sweet potatoes in a hot skillet with olive oil. Toss 'em every now and then so they get coated evenly and cook on all sides. It took about ten minutes for them to soften up and brown. I cooked up a few chicken tenderloins with some Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning. Gotta love that stuff, it's so versatile and tasty. 

Once the potatoes are tender, add a can of black beans.

Throw in a hefty amount of kale. 

I covered the kale for a few minutes until it looked about right. Season your mixture up! The recipe called for a whole lime's worth of juice, which I used. Way too much lime, I'd serve it with wedges so people can add what they want. 

All together it was a pretty tasty meal, and so healthy! Vic approved it as a good body building meal :)

I did so good today with my workout and not eating too many carb-y snacks that I just might have earned a chocolate milk shake later! I've got a ninja blender with the individual cups for blending, so it makes perfect sized shakes for us. 

Oh, last thing for today! I got my grade back for my final in Criminal Law, a 92! That actually added up to a 92 overall in the course too, so the first grade I got back as a grad student was an A! I'm pretty proud :) I hope you had a good Monday!

First 2 Masters Classes: Lose, Me: Win!!!

As you may remember, last week I had to write that horrible research paper and I felt like a complete dummy by the time it was finished. Well, today I had to finish my final for my Criminal Law class and a final project for my Legal Research Methods class. The final for Criminal Law was four essay questions. Luckily, I was smart enough throughout the last week to work on each little essay bit by bit, so today I really just needed to work on typing them up and not sounding like a total moron while I did so. The project for the research class was three case briefs, a client letter and an office memo. I'm sure that all sounds like boring mumbo jumbo...and guess what? It is. But alas, it is done and turned in. While I'd like to say that now I just don't care and as long as I pass I'll be happy, I'd be lying. I haven't worked this hard in a college course since...well...ever. My undergrad was at UCSB and quite frankly I partied it up, the way that any good Gaucho would. I should also point out, that I'm 90% sure that either this weekend or last weekend was alumni weekend out there and I am sooo jealous of all  my friends that got to go back and partake in the festivities. I miss Isla Vista so much! 

I couldn't find a good picture that I had of the beaches there, weird I know. But here is a picture of some of my closest friends from college at my wedding!

I totally got off point, not that I really had one, haha. I feel pretty brain dead from the eight straight hours of school work tonight. 

So, besides my crazy day of homework, I did have a pretty big weekend! The hubby and I decided to go out for bagels yesterday morning, which led to some shopping at a consignment store down the street where we found some nifty stuff, I found a whole bunch of designer purses that were way cheaper than usual and we found some good gift ideas for Mother's Day. We also made one pretty big, surprising purchase, but I'll have more info for you guys on that one later this week ;) So suspenseful, right? It's pretty exciting! 

My Aunt and my Grandmother from New Jersey drove down yesterday and we all went out for some tasty dinner at Olive Garden. Of course, the baby boy in my belly is opposed to any flavorful food, so I got home and after about an hour I got sick from it all. Gotta love the random puking that comes from a baby rolling around in your belly. Luckily it doesn't seem to happen as often these days. Today, they came by to pick up a washer and dryer that we had in our garage that they were taking back to their house. It was quite the fiasco figuring out how we would lift it into the Avalanche, but of course Vic just put some straps on those heavy things and popped 'em right in the back of my Aunt's truck, easy peasy. 

There's our weekend in a nutshell! I hope you all had a good weekend and that your Monday starts the weekend off right. Monday's for us mean going back to clean eating and rough workouts, I love starting fresh every week! 

Here's a cute picture of my pretty girl Chelsea to get your week started off in a cute way...

Skinny macchiato's and belly bands

Happy Friday everyone!! Fridays are my treat day, so I get to wear normal, civilian clothes to work and sometimes I stop to get a drink from Starbucks on my way to work. Don't worry, I keep the rest of my caffeine intake down for the day ;)

Guess what? I can still rock my normal jeans with those awesome little belly bands, yesssss! All together, great Friday morning. I hope your weekend starts off great too!

Shoulder day=Almost as bad as Chest and Tri's

CARDIO

35 Minutes on Elliptical, 5k Setting

Average Heart Rate: 137 bpm

Calories Burned: 400

WEIGHTS: SHOULDERS

I love my new Reebok tops, so colorful!!

Front Delt Raise 

10x10 lbs  15x7.5 lbs  10x10 lbs

Side Delt Raise 

10x10 lbs 10x7.5 lbs 10x10 lbs

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

 10x12.5 lbs 10x10 lbs 10x10 lbs

I think taking Monday off really threw me off track for the week, I started explaining our plans for the rest of the week to my team and they had to remind me that tomorrow is Friday and that my week was pretty much done. Luckily, my team is the shit and they have been so amazing the last few weeks, some days I sit at my computer thinking "well crap, I don't even know what to do with myself right now!" Sometimes I get those days though where I have stuff to do, but there's just enough little stuff to get me to forget what and when I need to do it, whoops! The good news is, we've been super on top of our game lately and I'm so lucky to work with a group that can put up with me ;)

I gave myself the option of dipping out of today's workout if there was no parking...and of course there was perfect parking. So, shoulder workout it was. Somehow, I managed to forget about shoulder day for the last few weeks. It's been a bit since I've worked on them. That's kind of an issue because my right shoulder has an old injury to it and can slip out of place pretty easy and they're both a little f'd up from babying one and overdoing the other. So, today's workout was not my strongest but hey, you gotta start somewhere right?!

Tonight was night four of using our meal planning menu's from eMeals.com. So far we are very happy people! I've made chicken soup, flank steaks, pork chops and lamb patties this week-all first time events for me! Even better than trying new things, Vic loves all the food! I enjoyed tonight's salad more than the main dish, I used the amount of seasoning that they suggested but I think that the pork chop could have used a little more. Also, I'm totally guilty of erring on the side of over cooked when it comes to meat. Vic didn't complain about it tonight so I must not have ruined the chops but they made me nervous since I've never tried to cook them before. Some work friends suggested that they are best when grilled, next time we will definitely be trying that, probably a marinade too. 

On a random note, I don't know if this has to do with normal pregnancy symptoms or if it is purely from my lift yesterday, but I woke up with the WORST calf cramp last night. I'm talking leg as hard as a rock, can't get it to release from pointing my toes, holy hell kind of cramp. Lucky for me, Vic didn't even remember me hitting him awake to rub my leg for me. Definitely gonna be stretching like a boss for the next couple of days. I have a prenatal massage scheduled for tomorrow after work, which I'm really hoping I'm not too sore to enjoy. Wouldn't that suck? I'm sooooo looking forward to it. I've been trying to get into the massage appointments at my hair salon for months now and I finally was able to get an appointment that works with my schedule for tomorrow. 

TOMORROW IS THE WEEKEND! YAYYYY!

Week 28 Update + Hump Day

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total weight gain: 19 pounds

Maternity clothes? Sometimes, definitely the maternity tights. I found some super cute workout tops at Dick’s made by Reebok, as long as I buy a size up they fit just fine and make my bump look super cute. The bright colors are awesome too!

Stretch marks? Nope, I thought I saw one on my right side the other day, but thank goodness- it was just a scratch from playing with Chelsea

Sleep: Weird dreams are back and I keep waking up on my back, which now that he and my uterus and gigantic feels pretty crappy on my lower back. I think the insomnia might be kickin’ in too, so hopefully my workouts will keep helping me out with getting to sleep. 

Best moment this week: Feeling the crazy alien like movement that is so much more obvious the bigger he gets. Getting an email from an old friend from college that has seen my pictures on Instagram, we lost touch a while ago but it was so exciting to hear from her! Lauren if you’re reading this, I swear to email you back ASAP!

Miss Anything? Beer. And wine. And being able to get up from any position easily. Not understanding the true meaning of heartburn.

Movement: He’s very wiggly around lunchtime and in the morning when I get in the shower, the water beating on my belly is probably pretty loud. It’d be nice if he kept my wake up schedule when he’s on the outside too!

Food cravings: Nothing in particular, still loving ice cream. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not particularly. The guy next to me was shining his boots at work today and I thought I was going to have to throw his shoe polish across the room, watching/smelling the lady in the admin office eat Krab Salad kinda freaked me out. 

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: Negative! 

Symptoms: All the fun ones, heartburn, sciatica pain, huffing and puffing all day. It’s really not so bad though, I swear my workouts are getting stronger and I really do feel pretty great, the little symptoms just get a tad annoying sometimes.

Belly Button in or out? In, but just barely.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: This week, pretty happy all the time! Vic and I are staying home for dinners more, school is almost done and work has been eh. 

Looking forward to: Nothing in particular besides him getting here! 28 weeks got me thinking about the fact that it could be anywhere from 2 to 3 months and we’ll be parents. Hold the phone, that’s a little awesome/terrifying. 

Annnnd: I wanted to post a little bit of information for people out there that might think I'm a little crazy for my workouts. I've been pretty amazed by how people get so worked up. This week a girlfriend at work, who is also pregnant, got shamed in the hallway for bending down to sweep some dust into a dustpan. If a prego lady is staying active or cleaning or just being an all around lady-boss, chances are she knows what she's doing. There are plenty of times that I have to take a second to rest, sit down, catch my breath and so on. But more often than not I feel just as great as anyone else does and my goals for my health and the baby's health are extremely important to me. Also, my doctor is fully aware of my workouts and I make sure to research the movements I do and those I should not do. I appreciate the people who say something nicely and out of concern, but to the one's who are all judge-wudgy was a bear, shove it. Here's some info I found to be interesting...

Gotta love this website, CrossFitMom.com. Also, if you search for a crossfit journal article about crossfitting while pregnant, it is super interesting. I'd post it here but I don't want to get in trouble!

If anyone is interested in more I can send a little your way! Happy Wednesday everyone, it's almost the end of the week!!!

Wednesday, better known as crush my legs day!

CARDIO

20 Minutes on Elliptical, Rolling Hills 

Average Heart Rate: 147 bpm

Calories Burned: 235

WEIGHTS: LEG DAY (THE BEST DAY!)

Leg Press 

15x150 lbs  15x170 lbs  12x190 lbs  10x210 lbs  11x210 lbs  25x150 lbs 

Hack Squat 

10x110 lbs  10x180 lbs  11x180 lbs  10x200 lbs

Standing Calf Raises

 20x50 lbs  20x60 lbs  20x60 lbs  

Leg Extension 

12x90 lbs  12x90 lbs  11x110 lbs  10x120 lbs 

Leg Curl 

12x80 lbs 12x90 lbs 12x100 lbs 10x110 lbs

Tuesday's Workout 4/23

CARDIO

30 minutes on the Elliptical on Manual

Average Heart Rate: 137

Calories Burned: 342

WEIGHTS: Back and Biceps

Lat Pull Down 12x70 lbs  12x70 lbs  7x80 lbs  10x60 lbs 

Underhand Lat Pull 12x70 lbs  8x80 lbs  8x80 lbs  12x60 lbs 

Dumbbell Curl 10x17.5 lbs  10x17.5 lbs  10x17.5 lbs 

Single Arm Bent Over Row 10x25 lbs  12x25 lbs  12x25 lbs 

Bent Over Dumbbell Fly 12x17.5 lbs  10x17.5 lbs

Man, today's workout kicked my butt. By the time I left work, around 3 pm, I was so exhausted that I seriously considered not going to the gym today. On days like this I decide that if I drive by and there isn't a spot in the parking lot next to the gym then I get to go home, but today there were three spots so alas, I went to the gym. I cut my cardio down to half an hour, an episode of Don't be Tardy for the Party on Bravo came on right as I was leaving for the weight room and I almost got sucked in for extra cardio. A girl's gotta get her trashy tv on sometimes! But I stuck with my plan and headed for the weights like a good girl. 

Usually back and biceps is one of my favorite days, but man I am pretty worn out from my workout with Vic yesterday! I also was determined to push myself a little bit harder, so I knew that today was going to be a rough one. I think I got a pretty respectable lift in, it definitely felt that way while I was there!

Tonight's dinner was relish, I forgot to take a picture of it all together though :(

Flank steak seasoned with Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning served over spring mix and tomatoes tossed in Red Wine Vinegar. We had a zucchini, black bean and bulgur salad on the side, with a little bit of feta. That was my favorite part! I'm going to have a pretty tasty lunch tomorrow, I had enough for leftovers.

There was a whole extra thing of steak for Vic, he should be good for steak all day tomorrow! 

I am pooped. So ready for an early bed time, good thing tomorrow is Wednesday, which is so close to Thursday and practically Friday! I love count downs haha. Realistically, this weekend is just another one with a lot of work, gotta finish that final for Criminal Law and my project for Legal Research. Ugh, I'm even more tired thinking about it! 

A monday off with my man!

What a Monday! I feel like we got so much done, but then all day I was like holy crap, it's already 2pm? 7pm? Dinner at 8?? But it was definitely a nice way to spend my special Monday off work. I had requested today off to recover from my paper yesterday, I had kind of figured that it would take me longer to get that paper done. Hopefully it isn't a bad sign that I got it done faster than I thought. 

Vic's professor had cancelled his math class today and he didn't have much going on in his other classes today so he played hooky and hung out with his lady instead :) We slept in until 7:30ish, which is so much better than my normal 5:40! I made breakfast and checked up on some school stuff while Vic mowed the lawn real quick and then made a tasty little pre workout breakfast. Scrambling two eggs with a little bit of cheese on a light english muffin is a super yummy way to get in some carbs and protein for the morning, and way easy!

I was pretty excited to have Vic around for my chest and tricep workout because I suck at those workouts. It's hard for me to push myself on the bench when I'm all alone because I get nervous without a spotter. That and people generally look at me funny when I bench with my big old baby belly, so I never ask strangers for a spot. Usually chest/tri day is my short day, I get a few sets in and say screw this. Not today!

Vic kicked my ass, no other way around it. I've got the workout posted under the workouts label if you want to check it out. Today was a different style then I usually do and I'm terrified about how sore I'll be tomorrow. It felt nice to get a good strong lift in though! 

After that we ran some errands and headed home for a well deserved afternoon nap. After that we headed back out to pick up some dog food and groceries. We recently decided to switch back to the expensive stuff for the pups. Sam is allergic to grain and Chelsea is allergic is to chicken, or the other way around, I always forget. Either way, it makes it rough to feed them. We've had them eating the Costco Salmon and Sweet Potato stuff since September. Before that we were getting Nutri Source's salmon recipe but it was just so expensive so we had switched to the Kirkland stuff. Well, Chelsea basically stopped eating more than she had to for survival, or she would only eat if I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on it. We figure it's the crappy quality so we switched back to Nutri Source and she gobbled that stuff down! It keeps them both energized and we don't have to deal with Chels chewing on her leg or Sam having gross poop butt all over the backyard so I'm down with it. 

I signed us up for an eMeals subscription last week or so and tonight was the first attempt with their recipes. Vic totally pouted while we were grocery shopping, but I think I won him over after he had dinner tonight. He said it was the best ever! I made lamb patties with mustard and fresh parsley, shoved 'em into some whole wheat pita's and added some tomato and spring mix. 

Sorry the picture is kinda dark, gotta start rockin' the flash when I take pictures.

They didn't have pita's in the recipe so I made that substitution, I almost mixed up a greek yogurt sauce to go with them. I'll post it up under my recipe tab! They were pretty fab if I must say so myself. We chased 'em with some chocolate-peanut butter-banana milk shakes and called it a night, which means it was time for me to type this up and we watched the Voice. Hope you guys had a good Monday!! 

Monday's Workout

CARDIO

45 minutes on the Elliptical on Manual

Average Heart Rate: 142

Calories Burned: 457

WEIGHTS: CHEST AND TRI’S

Bench Press

13x45 lbs 12x65 lbs  5x85 lbs  5x85 lbs  5x85 lbs  11x65 lbs  13x45 lbs

Incline Dumbbell Press (poundage refers to dumbbell in each hand) 

10x15 lbs  4x20 lbs  8x20 lbs  10x20 lbs

Stupid Push-ups ( I really suck at these)

9

Incline Pushups

18 

Assisted Dips 

8x80 lbs  8x80 lbs  9x80 lbs 

Tricep Cable Extension 

10x35 lbs  6x42.5 lbs  8x42.5 lbs  8x42.5 lbs 

Research Paper: Win, My Brain: Lose

THE RESEARCH PAPER IS FINALLY DONE!!!

 I only put it off for seven whole weeks, so no biggie, haha. I finally sat down this morning with all the random sources and articles that I have been half-assedly pulling for the last couple of weeks and put it all together into a paper. Have you ever turned anything into turnitin.com? 

That shit is terrifying, totally made me feel the way this baby did when it saw whatever made it make that face! My paper came back as 22% similar to stuff on the internet. Once I went through all of it I saw that the stuff that caught the system was all stuff that I had done citations for, so technically I should totally be in the clear but that doesn't make it any less scary to see that bar light up as 22% similar. Man, scary. 

Yesterday came and went like nobody's business. One second the hubby and I were watching movies and it was early in the day and then we left to run some errands and all of a sudden it was like nine o'clock and we were at Tijuana Flats getting some delish tacos and quesadillas for dinner. If you like in the area of one you should totally go, their stuff is fresh and can be healthy but totally yummy. Find one here and hit up their super nifty weekday deals. They have a million hot sauces to try, which I love to do much to the sadness of my tummy and heartburn. 

So, we hit up Sam's Club last night to go get our super comfy leather chair that we are putting in the baby's room. As soon as it is out of it's box I'll put up a picture of it in the room, but right now it is on it's side just chillin.

Yes it's pretty manly, but hey, it's going in a little man's room so it totally fits. We're trying to stay away from stuff that screams baby so this fits the bill and it is OUTRAGEOUSLY comfy. I sat in it at the store for a good ten minutes before Vic kicked me out of it so he could sit in it. For the record, that wasn't the first time we had visited the chair and kept other customers from it. I hope it never leaves Sam's Club so that I can always go sit and rest in it. I'm so excited to cuddle with my little guy in it! 

On a random prego-emotional note, while sitting in my super comfy chair at Sam's Club I had a wonderful random tear fest over how confusing and overwhelming it can be to try and prepare for him to get here. Luckily I have the best husband ever, so he totally calmed me down from the neighboring leather recliner. Vic's philosophy on preparing for the baby is that no matter how prepared we are, we're never actually going to be prepared, so why not just get what we get and wait and see? As I'm sure you have gathered by now, I am not this easy going when it comes to stuff like this, but hey, that's why I married him, to calm me down. And so I can look at that cute butt every day ;) 

Well, it's a little after six and since I've been writing that stupid paper all day I haven't made any dinner preparations. When I have a long homework day Vic gets to take advantage of my lack of attention and catches up on man-time with his friend Danny and plays video games, so he didn't give dinner a consideration yet either, but I'm sure I'll get a "hey babe, what's for dinner" in the next ten minutes or so. I ran a request chit at work for tomorrow off so that I can start my online Final Exam for my Criminal Law class and maybe get a head start on my final assignment for my Legal Research class, so yay for an almost off work day! Another weekend down, another week closer to getting to cuddle the cute little guy in my belly!!!

It's Friday!!

It's finally the weekend!!! Today was a pretty good work day, we had a lot going on with different events for people transferring and such, so we got out of there pretty early, by noon! Norfolk has got a nasty case of pollen-itis right now though, so the second I got out to my car, all sorts of excited for the pretty afternoon and playing in the sun, I wound up with the worst puffy eyes and sneezing ever. I actually got a little worried on the freeway that I shouldn't be driving because they were watering so bad. By the time I got home I got my makeup off as fast as possible and climbed into bed with my two pups and cuddled up for a good nap. I love the way that they can tell when I need them because I don't feel well or I'm sad or anything like that. I'm so excited to see them with the baby, I really think they are going to do so well and be so protective of him. My Chelsea girl was super protective of me when she first came to live with us, she sat at my feet that night and guarded me from Vic and our other pup Sam. Of course, we had to nip that behavior in the butt pretty fast, but she still acts pretty protective over me most of the time. How cute is this face though?

 After Vic got home and woke me up from my nap we went to get a late lunch/early dinner at Macaroni Grill. They're salad sampler and goat cheese peppers are so yummy! We broke down and got the chocolate cake. Sweets have been my only noticeable craving for the pregnancy. It was all pretty delicious. After that we wandered over to Bed, Bath and Beyond for some things we needed around the house and then drove down to Babies 'R Us. I almost fell out of the car when Vic said he wanted to go there and that he liked looking at baby stuff too. I really wanted to get the Crane Humidifier (you can find it here ), I think it's just so cute and lately, between general pregnancy stuffiness and my allergies, it has potential to really help me out. I heard it is good for the baby's room too, so it'll just move in there when he gets there. Surprisingly, Vic was down for some clothes shopping for the little man too, so he got some cute summer rompers and a little baby v-neck t-shirt and shorts. Baby v-necks, how cute is that???

We got a cover for my Snoogle too, the greatest pillow ever! On the way home we rented This is 40 and Django Unchained, so I'm pretty set to ignore my paper that is due on Sunday for at least the next day, haha. I should probably get on that...oh well. 

Week 27 Update

So, I love the updates that I find on other girls' blogs, so I figured I'd start doing those too. They're such a great way to be able to look back on how each week of pregnancy was treating you! Sorry for the awesome gym clothes in the picture, but man is this belly stretching out my t shirts! 

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain: 18 pounds
Maternity clothes? Oh yea, loving the maternity leggings from Motherhood for every occasion, from workouts to dinner out!
Stretch marks? None yet, I swear by the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter
Sleep: Not so great lately, I feel like I’m not waking up as much to pee, but I have to swap what side I sleep on throughout the night because of hip pain.
Best moment this week: Vic felt him kick again! Sometimes I think I’m crazy because whenever I try to get him to feel the baby moving he can’t ever feel it. 
Miss Anything? I’d really love a beer with all this sunshine, and to be able to tie my boots in the morning without feeling like I’m going to pass out from the pressure that leaning over puts on my face, haha!
Movement: All the time! I’m keeping an eye out for kick counts after workouts now, my What to Expect App had suggested it so I figured what the heck. He gets moving about an hour after every workout.
Food cravings: Ice Cream and apples, from some reason I’m loving apples. I just went to the store to get more so I have them on hand all weekend. I read on Little Baby Garvin’s blog that she dipped hers in cream cheese frosting, tried it-totally delicious.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Chicken :(
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Negative, that would be a little scary. I think the Braxton Hicks are starting though, those aren’t so awesome.
Symptoms: Heartburn like a boss, but I got my prescription for heartburn that I take twice a day and that has changed my life. Spring allergies on top of general difficulty breathing makes like pretty interesting too. 
Belly Button in or out? It is soooo close to being out, but it’s holding on to being an innie for now.
Wedding rings on or off? On! I don’t think that will be a problem for a bit. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Ha, I’d like to say happy but I think my husband and coworkers would say moody. I kind of fly off the handle pretty easily, but this week has been pretty hellish at work.
Looking forward to: Not being pregnant anymore, is that horrible? I love it but man, I’m just at the start of the hip/rib/everywhere achyness and kind of concerned for how much bigger I’m going to get. 

Thursday's Workout, Legs Day!!!

CARDIO:

45 minutes on the Elliptical set to Rolling HIlls Program

Average Heart Rate: 137 bpm

Calories Burned: 514

WEIGHTS: LEGS DAY

Leg Press

 20x120 lbs  20x130 lbs  20x150 lbs 

Leg Curl 

12x70 lbs  13x80 lbs  10x85 lbs

Leg Extension 

13x90 lbs  11x95 lbs  7x100 lbs

Seated Calf Raises 

12x130 lbs  15x110 lbs  15x120 lbs 

Hack Squat 

10x110 lbs  11x110 lbs  12x110 lbs

I think that Thursday might be my favorite day of the week. It’s just so close to the weekend! Fridays are usually half days at work, so that gives me time to use the afternoon for running errands and other fun stuff that usually gets put off until a Saturday or Sunday morning. I’ve got to make a major grocery shopping trip this weekend, I’m out of all my fruits for the week and desperate for an apple. Lately, I’ve been super obsessed with cutting up different citrus fruits for my water bottle every morning. I even made sure to buy a super cute water bottle that was at least 32 ounces in the hopes that if I love my water bottle it will motivate me to get more water in. Guess what, it works!

I’m not one of those people that hates the taste of water or anything, that always kind of blows my mind when people say they hate drinking water. How can you hate the taste of something that has no taste? Yea, sometimes you get some funky water but I listened to a 15 minute debate at work the other day between two guys that were arguing about how they though Dasani water tasted like ass but Smart Water is apparently the bee’s knees. If I buy a water bottle from 7 Eleven or anything like that I usually get Smart Water or Fiji, but that’s strictly because I get sucked in by their pretty bottles, it’s not like I could do a blind tasting and pick the better one or anything. But, I digress. I’m obsessed with Cranberry juice, especially at summer time. Lately, I’ve been spiking my water bottle with about half a cup of Diet Cranberry juice just to make my water a little bit more exciting. Usually I would do this with the normal Cranberry juice, but I got tricked into buying the Diet stuff. It’s way too sweet for me to drink it straight, but it’s perfect watered down with either plain old water or Perrier. Considering I’m off the delicious cocktail wagon for at least another couple of months, a girls gotta get her kicks somehow right?

I have an awesome coffee cup that I got from Bed, Bath and Beyond that makes my morning every day too. I take my drink accessories very seriously. 

When you have to rock a digital camouflage uniform every day, you’ve really got to find creative ways to let your personality shine through. And, it’s nice to know that everyone I work with would be able to return my cups to me if I leave them around my command, which happens pretty frequently. Doctors may have tried to debunk the whole Pregnancy Brain thing, but dude, that shit’s for real. I feel like my  mind is going a million miles a minute in no real direction, so that usually results in my leaving paperwork and cups all over the building I work in.

Today is legs day at the gym, the best day by far. I’m a tad bit obsessed with squats and leg presses. It’s going to be a beautiful day today so I’d love to jog outside today but I don’t think that my allergies would allow it. I’ll post my workout later! Oh, and the sweet potato recipe I was going to try last night is going to have to happen tonight, I’ve got those steaks in the fridge that absolutely have to get cooked before they make me nervous and I have to toss them out. The hubby set up dinner plans for us last night with a family friend that was in town, so we had Indian instead of a meal at home. So delicious, but eating all that naan can’t be that good for you!

Wednesday's Workout: Back and Biceps

I mentioned before that I've been working with the Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer workouts that can be found on bodybuilding.com and here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html. However, on some days I kind of just take what I know and what the workout suggests and I create my own little routine. Today, the focus was back and biceps. I always start out with a bit of cardio to make sure I get a good sweat going. Today was a little bit rougher than usual, I think my tossing and turning from last night may have left my body a little unprepared for today's workout, but I did my best to push through and get a solid lift in. I cut my cardio down to half an hour so that I would still feel motivated to actually lift afterwards. Depending on how the day feels, I'll switch between going heavier for as many reps as I can, or doing lower weight so that I can get specific sets in. I was a little bit all over the place today, but in the end I felt like I did pretty good and I have a feeling my biceps will be pretty sore tomorrow! 

On a maternity workout clothes note...finding good clothes to work out in while you are in the later stages of pregnancy sucks. But, I found these awesome Kirkland tank tops at Costco this last week that are meant to be worn a little blousy or pulled down over the butt, so they work out as belly coverage pretty well! They're also super comfy and keep me from feeling too gross throughout the workout which is saying something, I'm usually the kind of person that gets pretty sweaty when I am at the gym.  

CARDIO:

30 Minutes on the Elliptical set to Rolling Hills Program

Average Heart Rate: 135 bpm

Calories Burned: 354

WEIGHTS: BACK AND BICEPS

Dumbbell Bicep Curl 

10x15 lbs 10x15 lbs 12x15 lbs 

Seated Row 

8x80 lbs  10x70 lbs 10x70 lbs 

Wide Lat Pulldown 

7x80 lbs 7x80 lbs 10x70 lbs

Cable Curl 

15x40 lbs 5x50 lbs 10x40 lbs 

Bent Over Single Arm Row 

15x17.5 lbs 12x20 lbs 12x20 lbs

Underhand Lat Pulldown 

8x80 lbs 11x70 lbs 10x70 lbs