Taking Advantage

 I do believe late Spring is one of my favorite times of year! Particularly here in California, where the fresh produce is plenty and some of my all-time favorites make an appearance, namely: apricots, nectarines and strawberries! The possibilities for healthy snacking and cooking are endless and I try to take full advantage of the delicious fare.

This week I am especially enjoying a combo of my favorite Greek yogurt, topped with sliced apricots and a drizzle of agave nectar. It is a lovely combination that keeps me feeling nourished for hours (which is pretty rare these days!). You would be crazy not to give it a try!

Happy snacking!

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A Crippled Weekend

Well, this weekend was somewhat of a bust. Unfortunately, Friday afternoon I severely tweaked my low back and spent the majority of my weekend laid up on my couch, completely helpless. Most movement was painful, so I had to rely on Chris for everything. By the way, not so fun for a type-A person like myself.

Though it wasn't a complete loss, as I had plenty of time to look into birthing classes, prenatal yoga studios in my area, update our Amazon baby registry and catch up on all my cooking magazines that have been piling up. I suppose sometimes, a forced break is exactly what you need to catch up on those kind of things.

Thankfully, by Sunday evening I was feeling good enough to get out of the house for a wedding. It was a beautiful event at the Citizen Hotel downtown and I am so glad I didn't miss it!

Hoping your weekend was a bit more eventful than mine. Happy Monday!

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How I Almost Had a Panic Attack

Last night was fairly eventful here at our casa. Picture this:

I woke up at 1:30 last night to a horrible dream. Since I am an extremely vivid dreamer, I was totally shaken up. It also occurred to me that I had to pee (nothing new these days). But my sciatic was absolutely horrendous. So bad in fact, I debated not getting up for the bathroom because I wasn't sure I could even get out of bed without serious pain. I simultaneously realized that Chris was not in bed yet (really weird) and that we forgot to close the garage door last night.

Forcing myself to roll out of bed so I could have Chris close the garage, I hear the dogs begin to bark. And immediately following, a few loud knocks on our garage door. Can we say heart jumping out of chest? I hobbled over to the landing to check if Chris had fallen asleep on the couch, only to find he is nowhere in sight. And then I hear the knock again. Panicked, I shuffle to the front bedroom so I can look out the window, wanting to see if there is a car or something out there. Nothing. At this point the dogs barking is louder and more aggressive (obviously they were scared, too). Of course horrible things are now going through my head. When suddenly I hear Chris shout loudly, "Who the hell is there?". In a tone I might add, even surprised me since he never yells, though it certainly would have startled an intruder.

Turns out it was our neighbor coming to let us know we had left our garage door open. Chris immediately thanked him and apologized profusely for yelling at him. Thankfully, he was completely understanding.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure I almost had a heart attack.

Apparently, Chris had just turned the lights out downstairs and was coming up to bed when the dogs started barking. He thought he was hearing things with the first knock, but the second one totally threw him off guard (remember it was 1:30 am), which is why his reaction was so forceful.

A very strange night indeed.

{BabyBump} Week 13

This week our sweet pea is the size of a peach and already has tiny fingerprints. It's amazing to think that those same little fingers we will spend so much time kissing in a few months now have their own unique set of prints!

The most exciting thing I experienced this week was a little belly emerging! Enough that it can actually be seen through certain clothes. The sudden "pop" might be due to my uterus tilting forward, as it was previously retroverted (the culprit for my sciatic pain). But that's just my guess. Either way, I'm just happy that baby's growth is finally becoming present in my appearance! I think it makes this whole journey that much more real for me.

On a few random notes:

• My hormones are still raging like those of a teenage boy, with me getting irrationally angry at bad drivers and crying for no reason at all.
• I was the happiest girl when last week, one of my clients brought me a batch of my favorite peanut butter and jam cookies!
• For the first time yesterday, I had to break out my belly band because my favorite pair of jeans wouldn't button comfortably. I may have gotten unexpectedly excited about that.
• A sweet lady I work with just gave me a bunch of her maternity clothes! I am so excited, especially since most of it is really cute and flowy and doesn't look at all "maternity", which I wish to avoid like the plague. Of course, I don't need them quite yet, but it did inspire me to dig through my closet in search of more comfortable things to wear while I'm in this awkward, transitional stage. Amazing what you can find buried in your own closet!
• My husband informed me last night that he thinks this baby is a girl because I've been quite "sassy" lately...

Hope you have an amazing weekend!

A Steamy Alternative

I have to admit, recently quitting caffeine cold turkey was WAY easier than I expected! Even though doctors will say a cup of coffee a day is fine while you're pregnant, it suddenly seemed less appealing to me (very strange!). Plus, I found a delicious alternative to satisfy the occasional craving for something warm and yummy. Allow me to introduce you to my new "regular", a non-fat hazelnut steamer. It's basically a latte sans the espresso and I am a big fan! In fact, even after baby, I may still be drinking these if I need an afternoon fix, simply because too much caffeine after the morning hours gets me all jittery. Perfect solution!

Have you ever had a steamer? I know of several marathoners who drink them for the extra calcium boost.

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One Month and Counting!

 

 Wow, with the last few months flying right by, we are now only one month away from our Seattle trip! In addition to celebrating our 3rd anniversary, this trip is also what we are affectionately calling our "babymoon".  Needless to say, we are getting so excited about enjoying our last romantic getaway together before baby comes in the fall. Because I'm certain that once we're back, we'll be busy preparing for our little one's arrival! 

With just a few weeks left to plan, we've just about got all reservations in place, we've settled on a few day trips and our list of restaurants and bakeries to try is a plenty (and of course, additional suggestions are always welcome!)! I am now on the hunt for good portable recipes to pack for the road, because I am not about to chow down on fast food the whole way there! I'm thinking yummy wraps, salads, granola-ish bars and such since we will have a cooler. Healthy recommendations would be gratefully welcome!

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Totally Worth It

Happy Monday, loves! Trusting your weekend was full of fun and adventurous things. Ours consisted of a fabulous couples massage, lunching with my husband, followed by an entire afternoon of lounging in my cozzies (while hubby did yard work), catching up on our Hulu queue and a lovely dinner get together with some dear friends! While I didn't exactly get everything on my to-do list checked off, I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time, so I'm thinking it was worth it! I hope you, too had a pampered weekend!

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