Promises, promises

Yup. Dropped off the face of the Earth. Let me explain.

This. This has been a rough pregnancy.

Don’t be alarmed, the baby is fine. It has been rough on me. And I was sick, every day. Several times a day. And some times it was all I could do just to get through it… and I just couldn’t write about it. I didn’t think anyone really wanted to hear about it. My grand blogging plans, down the rabbit hole.

But now, at 28 going on 29 weeks pregnant, I am FINALLY feeling better. I am tired, I am slow, my feet are swollen, but I am finally FINALLY not revisiting my meals several times a day.

So my apologies for my absence, but I didn’t think you wanted to hear about it. I have several posts in drafts that I can finally laugh at because all they say is errg, arrg, sick. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So baby boy is good. We might actually have a name for him, but are not sure we are ready to reveal it in public yet. I have generous friends who have been gifting me with their leftover clothing and gear (anyone have a breast pump? Yes? No?).

I’m guessing there won’t be a baby shower.. noone has offered and I have no family close by. Do I need one? Unsure, but I never pass up a party where I’m the center of attention.

The house? Not ready. Not even close. I’m not sure we can get everything done that needs to be done, Alex’s room needs to be moved around and prepared for two, our room needs to be moved around so we can prep for newborn night feedings and sleepings. At some point the baby will come and it will be fine whether I have everything done or now. Trying not to stress about it.

But no more promises. I like to write. I like to write here. I’ve been doing it for almost 10 years in this place, under different names and platforms. So I won’t stop, I just won’t make promises.

And the sex of the baby is…

A BOY

Alex was with us when we found out and he also correctly predicted what the baby would be! Very exciting.

Now the hardest part of all… What are we going to name this kid????

I bet you have been wondering…

or have you been wandering?

I can’t believe it has been a month since I posted. The truth is, I have been so sick this pregnancy that I just didn’t want to post the “Hi! I’m vomiting every day!” posts. It just didn’t seem like something you would want to read.

So let me catch you up..

I have been very sick. I never had this with Alex, so it was new to me. And although I can only take Tylenol for pain, I’ve been prescribed chemotherapy medication for the sickness. Weird, but ok, it really does work. Problem is, I hate taking it. So I stop and I get sick.. it has really just been like THAT.

But hey.. I said I wouldn’t really write about “the sick”, so lets move on.

Last night Alex cracked his head open in the shower. Slipped and fell head first into the bottom of the tub. Split his head open just over his eye and it was gushing blood. Yup.. off to the ER.

What? You want me to go back to talking about “the sick”?

Anyway.. it was traumatic.. for all of us. He is fine. Five stitches, home with momma the next day and we are moving on. Stitches come out on Monday.

But the BIG news? The news you are all waiting for? THAT comes this Friday (we hope) with our level II anatomy scan. We hope to find out, and reveal the flavor of baby we are having.

I promise.. I will let you know.

With that said.. lets get the guesses going. Am I having a Boy? A Girl? I’m taking bets people!

An active pregnancy actually means you need to get off your ass

We are closing in on the last weeks of the first trimester. I will be happy to see the nausea and sickness go away (oh please, oh please, oh please). and my mind turns to other issues.

There are a couple things I want to avoid. Forced bed rest. Early delivery. Other health problems such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.

Seems simple, right? Maybe for someone younger and thinner.

I recently told someone on twitter that I was going to fight like hell to remain active and healthy. She told me I had a great attitude.

I have a confession to make. I haven’t done a thing about it.

Every day, I am exhausted and vomiting and fighting just to make it through the work day. The thought of being active at this time makes me want to shove a stick in my eye.

But I know it is important. And I promise I WILL DO IT. I think the getting started is the hard part. You know.. the getting my ass out of this chair part. Yeah, that. It needs to happen soon.

I think that adding 30 minutes of exercise a day in to my life would be extremely beneficial. And while caving to the cravings is one of the pregnancy bonuses, I’m going to have to watch it (bye bye Crunchberries) better. Although my obsession with Cara cara oranges is a good craving to have!

I need you guys though. I need your help. Your encouragement. Your ideas to keep me from getting bored on a treadmill. I need your favorite healthy snacks. I need you to sneak me some words on twitter. On Facebook. In my email.

I have always caved on the exercise thing. The food thing has always been hard. It is too important not to watch what I am eating and to get up off my ass now.

Did pregnancy change your attitudes about food and exercise? Tell me your stories.

First look: Maternity wear for plus-sized gals

1st pregnancy

Since Stefania already mentioned it in the comments of this post, I thought I’d dive right in.

When I was pregnant with Alex, there was not a lot to choose from. It was a struggle to find maternity wear, especially maternity wear that was work appropriate. There has been one significant new player to the game since then and an expansion of choices at the others so things are looking up for us.

Lets start with the new kid on the block. Old Navy has been a tried and true friend to our family for a long time. I was pleased as punch not only to see they carry plus-size maternity wear, but that their regularly sized maternity wear goes up to a size I can wear and expanded my choices. Their clothing is priced well and is comfortable. The clothing runs big but they have a generous return policy. As it is with all of their plus-sized clothing, purchasing and returns are all done online. So if you really need to try something on, this will not be for you.

The surprise for me? Motherhood Maternity. I was able to go to their store. They has a small supply of plus-size items in the store, but I found that when I tried them on, they were very big. I am not barely plus-sized either, I am firmly in the plus camp. The saleswoman suggested trying on an XL in their regular sizes and lo and behold.. it fit! The selection was great and I was able to try everything on. The quality of the clothing was strong and I was able to purchase some great additions to my wardrobe (including a yummy sweater that can certainly be worn postpartum).  When I went to the store last weekend, they were having a great sale. I was able to pick up 2 very full bags of items for just about $100. Some of these things were clearance summer items, but I will still be pregnant then! I highly recommend their merchandise.

Another choice out there is JC Penney. I think it depends on what store you go to, but although many of their plus-size items are marked as “Also in stores” they were NOT in my local store. In fact, there were NO larger sizes in stock and the associate I asked said “We dont carry anything like that here” and walked away. Rather rude. They have a decent online selection, so I would stick to that. I cant vouch for their quality and would buy from either of the above retail stores first.

Next up is Sears. Yes, I was surprised by this too but I was able to pick up some well prices, well made pieces in their store. This was another place where it was worth it to go in and try on some clothes. I discovered I can fit in to pants that I otherwise would not have purchased online.

Have not tried Kohl’s to see what they carry in-store but even online seems limited. Sizes go to XL and I’m not sure I know what that means yet. Is it an XL I can wear? Hard to tell.

And finally, call ahead to some consignment shops. I know that a couple of my local shops carry some pieces, but speak to them, perhaps they can help you keep an eye out for specific pieces you need for your wardrobe.

I have not tried the maternity spanx.. but I’m told they’re a dream! Will keep a look out for these for myself!

My advice on maternity wear in general is to get several key pieces and keep rotating them through. Some leggings and skirts/dresses go a long way as well as a good pair of black pants and a good pair of jeans.

Are there others that you are using out there? Who else is plus-size friendly for the expecting mom?