Tag Archives: Pregnant

Plateau No More

Posted on November 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

Caddy-for-Hire

In case you don’t recall, I’ve been trying to lose the 70+ pounds I gained during pregnancy.  After birth, around 30 pounds dropped rather quickly and I’m assuming it was all water since I was bloated and swollen like a dead whale ready to burst.  Anyway, after that it was a bit of a struggle to lose the weight with no time to exercise and my cravings for comfort food.

Fortunately, my mom has been helping out and I’ve been able to fit in some workouts here and there.  Also, I’ve been reevaluating the way I eat, and have started to eat more vegetables and less bread and rice.  Just so you know, there is no way in hell am I going to cut out the foods that I love, but I can at least slow down on the whole eating thing.  So, after about a two month plateau at 167 lbs, I’ve finally started to lose more weight.

Currently I’m at 160 pounds, and just have 15 more to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight and 25 pounds to reach my goal weight.  It makes me happy to see the weight disappear.  I figured that it took me 9 months to pack it on, so it’ll take me 9 months to shed the weight off.  Right now I’m on month 5, so just 4 more months to go!  However, the holidays are quickly approaching and everyone knows how much I enjoy my holiday grub.

Stay tuned to find out how I handle the ubiquitous holiday weight gain.

FRE

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Posted in Food, Life, Losing Weight

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Hobbit Feet

Posted on August 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sami helping My Linh setup for the baby shower.

A few months ago my cousin, My Linh, asked me what Victor and I loved and we replied the following:  Hobbits, camping, Fringe, travel, Top Gear (NOT the American version!), food, and Sami.  From that list, we decided that a Hobbit themed garden party would make a spectacular baby shower, and it absolutely did.  The following are some pictures my mom took at my baby shower that was held at the end of May, followed by a video I made with the professional photos My Linh’s friend, Kelly Eubanks, took.  If you are in love with the flower like I am, thank my talented cousin for designing them, and contact her if you have an upcoming event to plan!

UPDATE:  Note that the video originally featured a Bob Marley song, but since YouTube now monitors videos with copyright infringement, the music has been muted.  Maybe I need to steal my music for now on.  Anyway, I will try and replace the track soon, but until then turn on some music and watch the video!

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Posted in Life, Pregnancy

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Mamarama

Posted on August 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

For Mother’s Day, my mom and I decided to treat ourselves to a last minute mini vacation in Ojai.

We opted to stay at the Ojai Valley Inn to relax and take in some new scenery.

This was the first time my mom visited the Inn, whereas I’ve been here many times with my best friend, Cher.  Her mom is the Spa Concierge at the resort, and we’ve spent many days lounging around the spa and indulging in tasty alcoholic beverages by the pool.

Anyhoo, my mom really enjoyed our stay and hopes to go back again for a longer visit.  There is so much to do and see while you’re in Ojai that one day was just not enough to take it all in.  Hopefully I can convince the family to stay at the Inn for Christmas.  It’s always been my dream to get away for the holidays to relax and NOT cook a thing!

 

 

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Posted in North America, Travel

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Our First Family Portrait

Posted on August 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

In May when I was 8 months pregnant, Victor, Sami and I had a wonderful maternity photo shoot with my friend Amy Albertson.  I honestly wish I had half the talent that she has in her little pinky (I actually bought a beginners DSLR because I was so inspired by her work) and I absolutely love how she always makes me look beautiful (especially when I wasn’t really feeling it at the time).

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the shoot.

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Posted in Life, Pregnancy

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Ch-ch-ch-changes

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 3 Comments

These past 12 months have been quite an adventure for me, full of life-altering and unexpected changes:

I quit my job as a middle school history teacher.

I married my partner of 11 years.

I went back to grad school with the goal of getting a job in the nonprofit sector. My hope is to either work for a children’s museum or a history museum.

I got knocked up (this was the unexpected part).

I recently gave birth to an adorable little baby boy (more on him in a future post).

And, yes, it happened all in that order.

So, in honor of change, please vote for Gull Wings Children’s Museum to receive a huge chunk of change (a $50K grant) from the Pepsi Refresh Project.  You can vote up to three times a day by registering with Pepsi Refresh, connecting to facebook, and texting in your vote.

Thanks!

FRE

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Posted in Life, Random

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The Procrastination List

Posted on June 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

Things I should be doing before the baby comes:

  • Finishing the DVDs for my former history students who will be promoting next week.
  • Mailing the AVID DVDs to my former AVID students before they get out of school at the end of this week.
  • Trading in textbooks to Amazon to get store credit.
  • Organizing the baby room.
  • Writing a birth plan for the hospital staff.
  • Packing my bag for the hospital.
  • Buying cloth diaper covers.
  • Calling the diaper service to set up an account.
  • Taking a breast feeding class so I know what the hell I’m supposed to do.
  • Buying the rest of the stuff we need for the baby.
  • Calling Giggle (not Giggles!) to find out why our crib mattress & rocker haven’t been shipped yet.
  • Buying frames for pictures I want to put up in the baby room.
  • Finishing up the baby journal entries that I’m behind on.
  • Uploading pictures and writing blogs for future dates since I probably won’t have time or feel like writing and posting things once the baby comes.

I’m sure there’s more that I’m missing, but that’s all I can think of at the moment.  Let’s hope that I actually accomplish most if not all of these tasks in the next two weeks, especially now that I’ve made my list public and will be held accountable by my friends and family.

FRE

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Posted in Life, Random

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Week 38

Posted on June 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

Just 2 weeks to go!

For the past few weeks my days have become very unproductive.  I have definitely slowed down and am surprised that I even have the energy to cook, let alone take a shower.

Here’s a look at a typical day in my current condition:

8:00 am  - Wake up

8:30-10:30 am – Drink tea, eat breakfast, stare at the computer screen

10:30-11:30 am – Walk Sami

11:30am-12:30pm – Cook & eat lunch

12:30-2:30pm – Stare at the computer screen

2:30-4:30pm – Take a nap

4:30-6:30pm – Cook, eat, clean

6:30-7:00pm – Walk Sami

7:00pm-12:00am – Lay in bed watching TV until I get tired

12:00-8:00am – Attempt to get a good night’s sleep even though I seem to wake up every hour to either relieve myself or find a more comfortable sleeping position.

I really don’t know how any of my friends did it, but I’m so freakin’ glad I’m not working or going to school at the moment!

FRE

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Posted in Life, Pregnancy

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Week 37

Posted on June 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Just 3 weeks to go.

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Week 36

Posted on May 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

4 weeks to go!

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Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup

Posted on May 19, 2011 | 1 Comment

Here is recipe number two that I made last week in order to clear out my overloaded fridge.  Sorry, I’m not much into writing lately.  I’ve been feeling a bit pooped, and not too sure why.  Perhaps it’s because I’m 35 weeks pregnant, have swollen feet, and need at least a two hour nap daily.  But hey, I should be glad that I’m not working or going to school at the time being.  If I were, I’m sure I wouldn’t be the most pleasant of people to be around.

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

Extra virgin olive oil

1 package of sweet Italian sausage

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 quarts of chicken broth

4 red potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, stemmed and sliced into shreds

salt and pepper

In a large Dutch oven, brown sausage in olive oil over medium heat.  Remove and let rest.  Slice sausage into bite-sized pieces when cooled.  Set aside for later.

Add the russet potatoes, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the remaining oil.  Sauté for 3-5 minutes, and then add one quart of chicken broth.  Cook until potatoes are very tender.

Once potatoes are tender, use an immersion blender to puree soup.  Then add the red potatoes and remaining broth to the blended soup.  Bring to a boil.

When soup comes to boil, add sausage and kale.  Reduce heat and let simmer until red potatoes and kale are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Enjoy!

FRE

 

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Posted in Cooking & Eating at Home, Food

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