A Meal Fit for a Baby, and other things this week

 My dear friends Jesse and Adam were the first to give us baby gifts-- these way too cute onesies, an option for girl, boy or either...which, incidentally, it's tough to find non-gendered outfits; it must be hard if you want to wait to find out the sex but still want to buy some baby stuff. Also it's challenging because I'm not sure I want such gendered clothes for my baby, especially if it's a girl. The girl clothes are so cute but I wasn't into pink or super girly-girl stuff so I have a hard time imagining buying something along those lines. Still, this pink number with the whales makes me hope we're having a girl just so we can dress her in it.


Tonight's dinner was a mixed greens and kale salad topped with grilled chicken, cucumber, carrots, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. It was awesome (seriously, it was photo worthy it was so good). Matt ate every bite, so it had to be delicious (or he was just starving, or both). Truly a meal fit for a baby... even one just the size of a lentil. So far (in the last 2wks) I've found that the belief that now that I'm pregnant I can eat anything is anything but true. Partially this is because I realize at this point my baby is only about 1/4 inch big and doesn't have much caloric needs so maybe I'll feel differently about it once I'm actually showing, or feel baby kicking, etc. Thus right now, I don't want to pack on a bunch of lazy weight because I have somewhat of an excuse (only to have to try to lose it later when I'm tired and have an infant).

But the other part is all these baby books/materials I'm reading that point out the importance of eating healthy for the development of my baby. According to babycenter.com: This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears -- an oversize head with dark spots where baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. Baby's emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and arms and legs by protruding buds. Baby's heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through the body. Intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to lungs has appeared. The pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of the brain, muscles, and bones... Baby is the size of a lentil. (Note the pink lentil on my finger in this picture... it's not something gross as Matt originally thought when he saw the pic. And in case you can't tell, baby's doubled in size since last week.)

Knowing that everything I eat and drink is directly contributing to this developing person adds this whole sense of responsibility (and guilt even when I'm trying to drink decaf coffee now), especially since the first trimester is the most critical for development. Well that just makes me feel awful eating 1/2 cup of ice cream. That's not going to help baby's eyes and brain develop!! And geez, I am drinking water like it's going out of style. But then... it's also been hot. So at least we're eating healthy, maybe even healthier now than when I knew I was pregnant. And incidentally we made this Key West Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa and "Cauliflower Rice" by my new fav food blogger- AMAZING! I'm serious, you have to try it. Do it. Thank me later.

In the past week, aside from baby blooming internally, outside our plants are exploding in the yard. Super exciting! Matt created a new garden bed too on the side of the fountain area where he's growing radishes, squash and tomatoes. We're looking forward to (hopefully soon!) enjoying the fruits of his labor.

So, in being cautious, which I'm not really sure how cautious to be, as I mentioned last week, I'm a little hesitant to run, especially as hot as it's been. My primary care physician said I'd probably be fine with whatever level of running I'm used to (which, sadly, isn't much) but I'm feeling a bit cautious of fatiguing myself or overheating. So far I've just been walking. This week, I think I'll drag myself to the gym though and at least do the elliptical and see if I can convince myself to EVER do weights (I hear light weights are good for pregnant women). But Matt's been running; can you spy him in this picture, running along the river?

Also this week, my dear friend Jen Lipscomb was in town for her brother's wedding so I got to hike around Smith Rock with her and her boyfriend, and enjoy some Deschutes Brewery for dinner! It's always wonderful to see her :)

And tomorrow I take my Certified Meeting Professional exam that I've been studying for since Feb. On my practice tests I'm scoring 78-83% so I've decided that's good enough to pass. I'm done studying. I feel like my brain is too full of too many mundane details to take more at this time (How many servers do you need for 100 60' tables? How do you calculate the break-even number of registrations needed for an event? What is the role of the Convention Visitors Bureau? Who needs to receive copies of the Event Specifications Guide? What are the steps in risk management planning? What is the purpose of a contract rider for an entertainer? How do you do introductions following proper etiquette? What is the main provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act? What are the different education formats?). I've been doing an online study course that had pre and post tests with structured reading assignments (over the three books I had to read), so that was helpful but it's just so much semi-useless information, at least for my current position. The only thing I've used in my actual job, which my client asked literally the morning after I'd just studied it, was how many people we could fit into a certain sized space with classroom style seating (assuming standard 18" wide x 6' tables). Still, if work will pay for it, I might as well take it. It hopefully will lead to something good... a raise, resume builder, more notoriety, ya know. It's only 150 questions but bleh, I'm looking forward to it being behind me. It was a nice distraction for the last few months, I guess.


I was hoping to not feel much pregnancy-related until after I took this test. Looks like I succeeded there. Aside from knowing I'm pregnant (and certain things being sore), I wouldn't know I'm pregnant. I've been a little tired but it's also been so much hotter the last two weeks than it had been. It's finally summer here!! And I've had a lot on my mind.

On YouTube, I watched the documentary "The Business of Being Born" and, although I was skeptical that it would have much of an effect on me, I must say it did. I don't think our insurance covers midwives or home birth (and I don't think I really want a home birth, nor does Matt) but it really made me feel more strongly about my desire to go for a natural birth. I want to experience it in all its pain and glory. At least I say that now, and I understand that will depend on more immediate medical factors ultimately. Things to consider...