Our Babymoon in Lanzarote

Although we're hoping to fit in another quick trip at the very first of August, in early June we planned a trip to Lanzarote, one of a group of Spanish islands called The Canaries, and deemed it our Babymoon. Whether or not we get to travel again just the two of us before baby, this was definitely our last trip without a big baby belly.

Lanzarote, though owned by Spain, is just 125 km off the coast of Africa, and is a volcanic island. Luke visited this island back in 2005ish for a frisbee tournament, and after hearing all of his stories, I've always wanted to go.

We stayed at the Melia Salinas in Costa Teguise and were pretty impressed with the hotel. We opted out of the all inclusive option but enjoyed the fresh, huge breakfast buffet every morning. Our room was also large (huge by European standards) and included a nice balcony with sea views.

Our first day in Lanzarote, we took full advantage of our beautiful hotel. We played a set of post breakfast tennis games and then lounged at the pool all afternoon, breaking just long enough for lunch. It was super windy, but luckily, still warm enough to enjoy the time by the pool. (I'll spare you the pics of the pregnant girl in a bikini. :)) After a well deserved nap, we met up with Luke's old friend from Lanzarote, Diego, and his girlfriend for dinner.

We spent our second day exploring the island. First, we visited one of the island's wineries for a quick tour of their museum and vineyard. Because of the windy, dry climate in Lanzarote, the grape vines are planted in deep pits and then surrounded by stones in order to protect them from the wind and to harvest rainfall. The bright green vines planted in the black volcanic ash definitely makes for a unique looking vineyard.

After the vineyard, we visited Timanfaya National Park, which was all about the volcanoes of the island and my favorite part of our day. We took a tour bus through the park to view several different volcanoes. As we looked out the windows during the drive, it seemed like you were on a different planet! (In fact, Luke tells me that several movies that are set on different planets have been filmed in Lanzarote for this very reason.) It is such a unique landscape. After the tour, the guides perform several different "spectacles" in order to show how hot it is within the earth on this part of the island. First, they toss hay down into a hole, and it catches fire. Next, they pour a bucket full of water down another hole, and it shoots out like a geyser. Finally, they have a large, natural grill where they cook all kinds of chicken to serve in the park's restaurant. All were pretty cool!

After our time in the national park, we had lunch and checked out the green lake in El Golfo before making quick stops at Los Hervideros, Mirador del Rio and Jameos del Agua. I think Luke's favorite of the day was the Jameos del Agua. (Is that right, Luke?) Don't quote me on this, but I think the Jameos are basically lava tunnels and caves that were formed when the volcanoes erupted thousands of years ago. The ponds within the Jameos are filled with tiny blind, albino crabs. The crabs are blind and albino because before the eruption, they were never exposed to sunlight. This is the only place in the world where these crabs exist. Cesar Manrique, an architect and artist from Lanzarote who has left a prominent mark all over the island, artistically developed a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, dance floor, etc around the Jameos for the visitors' viewing pleasure. :)

Near the end of our day, Luke started not feeling well, and by the time we made it back to the hotel, his tummy was really upset. We're not sure if maybe he'd just met his max of seafood for the week or what, but he ended up getting sick that night. We took it easy in the hotel room, and let him sleep it off and rest up for the next day.

On our third day, we took a short ferry across to Fuerteventura, another of the Canary Islands, where we rented two beach chairs and soaked up some more sun on a beach called Corralejo. Luke's tummy was better, but he was still feeling a little tired and not 100%, which actually worked out pretty well for a lazy beach day. He usually gets kind of antsy, but this day, he curled up and slept under our little umbrella until he felt good enough to come out of the shade to read for a bit and enjoy the "views".

With our last few hours in Lanzarote, we enjoyed another hotel breakfast, where I once again succumbed to the temptation of the chocolate napolitanas (don't worry, I had something of nutritional value first), and then got in a final few hours at the pool before heading to the airport.

It was a fabulous baby moon! And though are days of traveling before baby are numbered, we're both so excited to meet this little baby and look forward to family vacations of the future!

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks

Due date? October 15, 2013

Weight gain? 14 lbs. A full pound or more is now directly due to baby. The rest, I don’t know, but I’m right on track for a total healthy weight gain.

Exercise? Body by Trimester videos, walking, Elliptical, Circuit strength workouts

Maternity clothes? A mix of maternity and non-maternity tops, dresses and leggings. I’ve upgraded to maternity shorts full-time, though.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? So so good with zero complaints!

Best moment this week? I’m stealing moments from last week: 1) Seeing our little baby on another sonogram last week and hearing that everything looks normal and healthy. 2) Four days of vacation on a sunny island with my hubby. I’ll post on that soon.

Miss anything? Nothing in particular this week.

Movement? I'm definitely feeling the baby now, but it’s still pretty light, gentle movements. No big, rib bruising kicks yet.

Food cravings? Fruit. And last week on vacation, I gave in to a little chocolate napolitana to dip in my coffee almost every morning after breakfast. Usually at a buffet, the little pastry things look much better than they taste, but this one was an exception. Soft, flakey pastry with the perfect amount of chocolate that melted perfectly when dipped in coffee. Hopefully, 4 days won’t ruin me in the whole scheme of 9 (but really 10) months. :)

Anything make you queasy or sick? Car rides.

Other symptoms? Occasional lower back pain, but it’s better than it was a couple of weeks ago. Also, last week during the sonogram, we learned that I have marginal placenta previa. Apparently, this is really common on an early second trimester sonogram, and there’s still plenty of time for it to move. So we’re praying, that’s what happens. We’ll do another sonogram late in the second trimester to check.

Have you started to show yet? Yes! Luke tells me it’s still not obvious looking straight on, but I’m certainly beginning to feel like it is 100% obvious, 100% of the time (especially in a swimsuit last week.)

Gender prediction? At our 21 week sonogram last week, the baby’s heartbeat was a healthy 135. According to the old wives’ tale, a heartbeat less than 140 indicates a boy. We all know there’s not much scientific proof for these little tests, though, so we shall see.

Happy or moody? Super happy! Summer is here!

Looking forward to? My parents and sister visiting in just 2 short weeks!

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.