19 Weeks

*Although I hate this picture and it was really taken at 20 weeks, I was pretty proud of my mango drawing and have had this post drafted for a week, so I’m posting anyway. Hopefully, hating pictures won’t be the recurring theme for the next 4.5 months.

How far along? 19 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight gain? 9ish lbs.

Exercise? Body by Trimester, lots of Elliptical during the recent rainy days we’ve had and some outdoor walking, silly weather permitting.

Maternity clothes? Some maternity shirts and the Bella Band is super handy when I choose jeans over leggings. Definitely getting close to needing maternity bottoms, but I need it to warm up! Everything that I bought in the US and brought back with me is warm weather attire.

*Updated at 20 weeks because Luke told me I can’t be all rainbows and butterflies in my posts and then in tears when I go to get dressed. Getting dressed is currently my least favorite part of the day. Pants with the bella band are fine but get super uncomfortable as the day goes on. Full maternity pants are just weird. I wore a pair of capris on Saturday and felt weird and dorky all day. Until this silly Madrid weather warms up enough for dresses and the shorts that I bought, my favorite days are when I can stay in leggings and a sports bra all day long.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? I had a couple of nights where I woke up super early in the morning and had problems falling back asleep, but it was nothing 30 minutes of reading couldn’t solve. Other than that, I’ve had some of the best sleep of my life this week. I think the baby had a growth spurt on Tuesday night, and it totally wiped me out. I slept like, well, a baby!

Best moment this week? Last Friday we put up the crib and started hanging things in our little baby room. It makes everything feel so real! We’re so excited and can’t wait for baby! Luke and I both peek in the room at least once a day just to have a little look. Funniest moment this week, though? Having my belly serenaded in a bar by a bunch of tipsy 28-30 year old males. It was so funny, so of course I couldn’t help laughing. As they were literally on their knees singing to my belly, they could see my tummy move every time I laughed. They then declared, “Se mueve, se mueve.” It moved! It moved! Referring to the baby of course!

Miss anything? Oh, to have a glass of vino with dinner.

Movement? There’s been a few times I’ve thought I might have felt something, but I’m just not sure! The doctor (my real one and doctor Google) assure me that this is totally normal! Some people don’t feel baby until 22 weeks or so, especially with the first one when you’re not quite sure what to expect.

*Updated at 20 weeks: It’s not constant but when I’m sitting still in the mornings or lying down at night, I’m pretty sure that I’ve felt our baby move! I’m still hesitant to say that I’m absolutely, positively sure that’s what it is, but shouldn’t be long now.

Food cravings? Sweet potatoes! Just pop them in the microwave for about 10 minutes, top with a little bit of EVOO and salt, and they’re soooo good! Although one day last week, I ended up topping one with some black beans, corn and peas that were left over from a salad. I felt like the typical preggo with weirdo cravings, but it was pretty tasty. Also, pineapple and kiwi!

Updated at 20 weeks: Greek yogurt with honey!

Anything make you queasy or sick? The smell of urine as you walk by certain spots in the city, but that’s just gross regardless of whether or not you have a baby in your tummy.

Other symptoms? My sense of smell is overactive these days, which isn’t good for the smell described above or the influx of BO that is sure to fill the busy subways and sidewalks as the weather warms. I’ve also been super dizzy today, followed by a headache, but after lots of water and a good lunch, I’m feeling better!

Have you started to show yet? More and more. It won’t be long before it’s obvious to everyone no matter what I’m wearing!

Updated at 20 weeks: My stomach totally popped out at the end of last week. I walked into class on Friday, which I go to every day, and all the girls commented on how much I was all of a sudden showing! One girl even asked if I had 2 in there. (I was hoping to not understand when people said annoying things like that, but unfortunately, I’ve learned too much.) She’s a sweet girl, though, just trying to be funny I’m sure, so no offense taken.

Gender prediction? Back to feeling like a baby boy this week.

Happy or moody? Happy but also easily teary eyed. Luke made the baby a Spotify play list that we listen to pretty frequently these days. “Gracie Girl” by Ben Folds gets me every time.

Looking forward to? June 5! Not only is it my big seester’s birthday, but we have the 20 week ultrasound, where we should get to see baby for a good hour, followed by the last part of my final exam in Spanish class. Then we’re headed off to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands that evening for a little baby moon! Big, exciting day, and I can’t wait!

Malaga

One of the greatest things that Spain does is mid-week holidays. When you have a holiday on Wednesday and Thursday, it makes it super easy to grab a day of vacation that Friday for an extra-long weekend.

During the last long weekend, or “puente” as the Spanish say, Luke and I rented a car and drove south to Malaga. Though this had the potential for an extra-long weekend as described above, we actually had to be back in Madrid Friday night, so that Luke could work on Saturday. No complaining here, though. The three days that we had were so nice, and because even those were iffy until the night before we left town, we appreciated it even that much more.

To make the most of our time, we drove down late Tuesday night so that we would wake up ready to go on Wednesday, and I’m so glad we did. Wednesday was the best weather day that we had! We started off with our favorite Spanish breakfast of toast and tomato (pan con tomate) before heading out to the beach. We took our time with the drive, enjoying the coastal views and small towns along the way. We eventually stopped at a beautiful natural beach with minimal people and zero tourism. It was a great spot to soak up a couple of hours of glorious Spanish sun.

Despite loving the sun, we eventually could no longer ignore our growling stomachs. We drove into the nearby town of Nerja for a fabulous (and cheap!) lunch. For just 8 euros each, we both started with a perfectly seasoned paella that was bursting with seafood, followed by a pork and egg dish for Luke and white fish for me. Drinks and homemade rice pudding were included as well! We walked off our full bellies around The Balcony of Europe in Nerja, enjoying the beautiful views of the Mediterranean, and of course, pointing out all the sweet babies.

After resting and showering, we met up with several friends from Madrid (who were staying with friends/family in Malaga) for a light dinner of pulpo, boquerones con limon, ensalada de tomate and berenjena frita con miel.

The next morning, Luke and I walked through the botanical gardens, which were quite impressive given they were right in the city center, hiked up to the top of the old castle and explored a bit more of the new city center before heading back to the beach with our friends. Although the beach we visited on Thursday didn’t even warrant a picture, it was still a good day of frisbee, Scrabble and reading on the beach.

Luckily, Nico’s choice for lunch more than made up for the not picture worthy beach. We went to a place called El Tintero and sat underneath their huge covered patio. It was crowded in a good, energetic, fun environment way. The waiters walk around holding their plates of various seafoods, salads, etc calling out what they have. If you see something you want, you get their attention and they bring it right over. Each plate cost the same (6 euros) so at the end, they just count up the number of plates you have on your table. The food was great, and the experience was even better! (We recently read that this restaurant is opening a location in Madrid! We hope it’s open in time to show some of our upcoming visitors!)

Although we had tentative plans to meet back up with our friends that night, I had a back ache and was exhausted. So we opted for a more tranquil night of pizza and rest. (Shout out to my amazing hubby who is so supportive and doesn’t even let it show if he was upset about missing Bar El Pimpi.)

On our way back to Madrid, we stopped for a couple of hours in Granada. We basically just wondered around, stopped for a snack here and there, and did lots of people watching. There was a festival (La Fiesta de Las Cruces) taking place so there were lots of people dressed in traditional Spanish dress, dancers galore, and, by the time we left, plenty who appeared to have consumed one too many adult beverages.

Although we didn’t get the full long weekend, we had plenty of time, and once again, it was so nice to escape the city for a bit. And the rest of the weekend didn’t end up being half bad either. We were able to meet for lunch on Saturday before Luke called it an early evening and then enjoy Sunday morning and early afternoon together before he headed to the office. All in all, a fantastic mid-week break and a good weekend.

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight gain? 7-8 lbs.

Exercise? Swimming, Body Pump, Body by Trimester, and lots of walks in the beautiful Spring weather we’ve been having!

Maternity clothes? Definitely choosing leggings, stretchy skirts and dresses over buttons and zippers most days. Also, just discovered how great the Bella Band is! I’m not quite ready to give in to full blown maternity pants (there’s plenty of time for that!), but I have been loving the Old Navy maternity tanks that I bought. The ruching looks much more flattering over my tummy these days.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Really good with lots of vivid dreams (usually involving a baby.)

Best moment this week? Getting my very first Mother’s Day gift from my sweet husband! (He couldn’t wait until Sunday!) and Buying a crib! Someone posted a gently used crib on a FB group called “Madrid – Buy, Swap, Sell” and I saw it just in time to snatch it up. Now that we’ve got it in the room along with our vintage bear poster and a few other things we’ve bought, it’s all coming together! Since we shouldn’t be here for too long after baby, a fully furnished nursery isn’t really a necessity, but it sure is fun. Hopefully, we’ll be able to use everything when we’re back in Texas too.

Miss anything? Nope. Not a thing!

Movement? Not yet, but I think about it a lot.

Food cravings? Rice Krispy Treats. These will NOT be made again during pregnancy. I can’t leave them alone!

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nope! Feeling really good.

Other symptoms? Pretty consistent lower back pain by the end of the day. I kinda expected this since I’ve always had a finicky back, but hopefully it doesn’t get much worse as the bump grows!

Have you started to show yet? The tummy is slowly but surely rounding out.

Gender prediction? Girl

Happy or moody? Happy, happy!

Looking forward to? Feeling baby move and the next doctor’s appointment on May 20! More tiny purchases, and my parents visiting on June 25!

15 Weeks

Well, I was only going to do updates every 2 weeks since there’s not a ton of change from week to week at this point. Then Luke had to work all weekend, and it’s a cold, rainy, lazy Sunday. After laundry, reading, baking, and one too many wedding reality shows,  I got bored and decided I might as well blog. Here goes!

How far along? 15 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight gain? Up about 5 lbs. (This question is probably going away soon. It makes me want to lie.)

Exercise? This week I made it back to the gym for several group classes and didn’t realize how much I’d been missing it until I was there. Yoga and Spin this week, but next week I’m going to try to add Body Pump back into my life. And as always, there were lots of walks and the Body by Trimester videos.

Maternity clothes? Nope, but I’ve been using the pony tail holder trick on my “skinny” jeans in the rare event that I choose jeans over leggings.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Good other than sore hips from sleeping on my side all night. I have a feeling this isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Best moment this week? Staring at the sonogram picture that’s on our refrigerator and saying, “Hi, Baby!” in a goofy voice every time I’m near the fridge.

Miss anything? My husband. He’s been working too much. Hopefully, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And my family because they’re just too far away. But absolutely nothing pregnancy related. I feel good.

Movement? Not yet, but we’re getting closer. I can’t wait!

Food cravings? No cravings this week. With Luke working a lot and the weather turning colder again, I’ve had veggie lentil soup for about every meal. Although it’s pretty tasty, I wouldn’t call it a craving.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Nothing! Feeling really good and full of energy.

Other symptoms? Seriously nothing. I feel really good, energized and basically normal.

Have you started to show yet? The tummy is slowly but surely rounding out.

Gender prediction? Since I really have no idea, I think I’ll just alternate between boy and girl each week to keep it even. So…boy.

Happy or moody? Weepy this week (silly hormones) but still really happy.

Looking forward to? Feeling baby move and another sonogram on May 20!

Manzanares el Real

After a perfectly lazy, pizza-on-the-couch, early-by-Spanish-standards Friday night, Luke and I woke up last Saturday morning feeling refreshed and ready to take advantage of the beautiful Spring day.  After some quick internet research, we grabbed Starbucks to go (decaf. for me) and jumped on a bus headed West to Manzanares el Real.

The bus ride alone was worth the trip. Not that it was the most beautiful scenery, but it is so refreshing to get out of the concrete jungle every once in a while. We relished in the views of green grass, tall trees and even snow-capped mountains.  Before long, though, we reached our destination, made a quick stop at the tourist info. booth and headed off to start a hike.

There was a beautiful, roaring (literally audible roaring) river that we got to walk along before starting our hike.  And then we climbed up, up, up for an hour or so.  It was pretty rocky terrain that required some big, tall steps and maneuvering over rocks.  We decided that we I probably couldn’t make it to the very tip-top, so after reaching what would be our summit, we headed back down.

The way down was definitely faster but much more slippery. I started worrying about breaking an ankle or something and not being able to have any pain meds, etc. Then sure enough, about half way down, my ankle twisted and fell between two rocks. When I first fell and hollered out to Luke, I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to put weight on it because it hurt pretty badly.  Once I got up, though, and the shock of falling subsided, it was okay. I made it down on my own and in one piece, and though it was tight for the rest of the day, it’s just fine now.  (However, we’ll probably be sticking to hikes with smoother terrain until Baby M joins us.)

With tired legs and sun-kissed shoulders, we enjoyed a nice long lunch at Casa Julian before heading down to the river for a while.  Luke explored (and even fully dunked himself in the frigid water) while I found the sunniest spot possible and read for a bit. After the river, we had a drink at a little riverside café before bar hopping on our way back to the bus stop. (Water for me, please.)

We’ve talked about getting out of the city to do some hiking so many times, and I’m so glad we finally did it. It was the breath of fresh Spring air that we both had been wanting so badly.

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight loss/gain? Up about 3 lbs.

Exercise? Well, it’s back to no running again since the new doctor isn’t a fan either. Oh well! The weather has been beautiful outside so I’ve been getting out for lots of walks, and I started the 2nd trimester videos on my DVD. Much harder than the first! I guess they figure you should be done being sick and have your energy back by now.

Maternity clothes? Still no, but I’m thankful that I’ve held on to several pairs of pants that were too big last Spring/Summer because they’re more comfortable now.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Sleeping good other than multiple trips to el baño during the night. Although this week, I had a major fall out of bed. I was dreaming that I was on the other side of the bed, so when I went to swing my legs out of the bed on that side, Luke was there. Instead of realizing that I was on my side of the bed and getting out normally, I thought I had to scoot over to the other side of the bed. I scooted right into the air and landed with a hard thump. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Best moment this week? Talking and dreaming about baby!

Miss anything? We went to watch some friends sing at an Open Mic night on Thursday at an Irish pub. All the Franziskaner (wheat beer) looked really good.

Movement? Little baby was a dancing machine on the last sonogram we saw, but I can’t feel anything yet. Still a few weeks away from what I’ve read.

Food cravings? With the heat this week, ice cream has been looking really good, but I cured the craving with frozen Greek yogurt one night after dinner. When I stopped in a McDonald’s to use the restroom yesterday, it smelled surprisingly good, but luckily I resisted.

Anything make you queasy or sick? Not this week. I’ve been feeling pretty good and normal.

Other symptoms? I’ve still had a couple of super tired, can’t keep my eyes open days, but far less than in the first trimester.

Have you started to show yet? I’ve been analyzing a tummy pic we took when we first found out versus one from this week, and I think there’s a slight difference. Luke says maybe, but still no one else would guess that I was pregnant.

Gender prediction? This week (and last) I had a dream that we had a little girl. Last night, she had a head full of dark hair. I don’t care about the gender, but I want some hair!

Happy or moody? Happy, happy. It’s amazing how much difference the weather can make. Spring has finally arrived!

Looking forward to? Having a bump! This awkward chubby phase is getting old and hard to dress!

12 Weeks

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 139:13

How far along? 12 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight loss/gain? Up about 2 lbs.

Exercise? I’ve been sticking to incline walking, the elliptical and my Body by Trimester videos ever since our first doctor said he wasn’t comfortable with running. However, Saturday I went out for a walk and had to jog to cross the street. It felt really good, so I kept going (with caution of course) for about 25 minutes. I don’t really see myself running once there’s a bump to risk falling on, but I might add it in occasionally for now while I have some energy back and am not really showing yet.

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I stocked up on some basics while I was in the US.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Sleeping good other than multiple trips to el baño during the night.

Best moment this week? We had the important 12 week sonogram, which they called an “ecograph” over here. Although we opted out of hearing our perceived risk for down’s syndrome, the doctor said that everything looks good and is developing normally. We’ve got a strong, healthy heart, 2 arms and 2 legs!

Miss anything? Although I don’t miss the taste of it and the smell kind of gags me right now, I did miss being able to share in the bottles of wine that were consumed while we had friends in town last week.

Movement? Little baby was a dancing machine on the last sonogram we saw, but I can’t feel anything yet. Still a few weeks away from what I’ve read.

Food cravings? Lots of fruit (though this isn’t really strange for me), Greek yogurt with honey and cereal. Pizza is really good too.  Although I was never really sick during the very beginning, nothing ever really sounded good unless it included bread, but I’m starting to get my taste for veggies and flavorful items back. (Thank goodness because I’ve got brussel sprouts roasting in the oven as I type!)

Anything make you queasy or sick? If I go too long without eating, my empty tummy let’s me know it. I need to get in a habit of smaller, more frequent meals.

Other symptoms? Though not as consistent as in earlier weeks, I’m still getting more frequent than normal headaches.

Have you started to show yet? Not really. It just kind of looks like I stopped going to the gym and went on a beer drinking binge. It’s awesome. (My perfect husband tells me I’m crazy for saying that. He’s too good.)

Gender prediction? If I was forced to choose, I’d say boy. I don’t really have any reasoning other than that’s the first picture that pops in my mind when I think about our little person.

Happy or moody? Mostly happy, though I have cried multiple times this week for silly reasons. Luckily, the tears pass quickly.

Looking forward to? Being officially in the 2nd trimester and making some tiny purchases!

All possibilities considered, I’ve had a pretty easy first trimester and am ready to keep moving forward! We’re super excited and so thankful to have heard good news after the in-depth screening on Wednesday. We also changed doctors this week due to misunderstanding our insurance policy. Through the recommendation of a friend, though, I was pretty quickly able to seek out someone else, and then really liked her at our first visit. It’s nice to have a woman, and I think I can understand her English better than the other guy anyway. We’re thankful for that as well.

This is certainly going to be different than having a baby in the US since I don’t really know how everything works over here. Lucky for me, I have a super laid-back, reassuring husband who has rubbed off on me over the years making me more relaxed as well. We’re going to try to be as go with the flow as we can about little details and differences between Spain and the US along the way. Any “birth plan” that I would ever come up with, no matter what country I was in, would end with a safe delivery and healthy baby no matter how we got there.