Pilates-Inspired Lower Body Workout

This week has felt so strange to me. I've had my head buried in a book (The Girl on the Train--a total page turner and one I'd recommend), so maybe that has contributed to feeling a little out of sorts. Yesterday I drove about 15 minutes south on the 405 before I realized I was heading away from home. (Just when you think you know a place after living there for 12 years, huh?) Pretty embarrassing, but if you read this blog you know I'm most certainly anything but perfect.

Today is Wednesday, according to my calendar, but it feels like Tuesday. Last week I had the same problem. Luckily Terry has been around a lot this week (still on jury duty), so he's helping his poor, hopeless wife.

Today we all carpooled down to the South Bay; I dropped Terry at the courthouse and then Marshall and I headed to his new class at My Gym (his first time in the 14 month and up class). I like that there are fewer people, and I think observing and meeting some slightly older kids will be great for M. We had fun today anyway, so I'm looking forward to those adventures.

Car picnic!

Terry gets a long lunch break for jury duty, but usually it's during Marshall's nap, so we can't come down to visit. But today Marshall crashed in the car (I assumed he would, since his class ended at 11ish and he has been going down at 10:45 lately), so I picked up Ter and we grabbed Chipotle while Marshall snoozed. Once he was back to court, M and I hit up the park, a notary (finally getting Marshall's birth certificate), and the grocery store for a few essentials. We stopped at The Container Store (for fun?), and Marshall played with this drawer longer than he's ever played with any toy in our house.

Finally, we all went to Islands for dinner, which I'll share more about tomorrow, but there's a sneak peak on Instagram. It was a bit of a long day for Marshall, since his nap in the car wasn't nearly as good as one at home AND we were out past bedtime, but he did great!

Once we made it home, Terry whisked Marshall off to his bath and I got ready for another at-home strength workout. I have been loving some quality time with my weights (or bodyweight, as you'll see below) lately! 

It's been a while since I've posted a full workout, mostly because I'm just doing whatever feels good in the moment when I work out. But I wrote down Monday night's workout before I did it and it turned out to be a doozy, so I thought you might like to try it at home.

Here's the deal:

- It's a no-equipment workout (stopwatch and yoga mat optional).
- It's super low impact, so it's perfect if you're recovering from an injury, not feeling up to intense cardio/weights, or taking it semi-easy after a tough workout lately.
- I did it while watching TV, so that's an option. :-) Seriously, though, it's excellent if your situation is like mine: no gym membership, not always easy to get out of the house for a workout, and sometimes choosing to work out after dinner with a full belly.

Enjoy!

(By the way, this workout is longer than my usual 20-30 minute ones, but you have the option of cutting it in half by not repeating each section. I just recommend the longer one because it really got my booty burning!)

Pilates-Inspired Lower Body Workout

 

*For the Fire Hydrant and Donkey Kicks, complete the full exercises for 30 seconds and then complete pulses for 30 seconds.


Images for exercises:

Clams

Extended Side Leg Lifts

Inner Thigh Leg Lifts

Side Leg Circles

Calf Raises

Plie Squat Pulses

Fire Hydrant

Donkey Kicks

Happy Thursday (right?) to you!

Sources for images:
Clam
Side leg raises
Inner thigh lifts
Side leg circles
Calf raises
Plie squat pulses
Fire hydrant
Donkey kicks

Quick Indoor Workouts

Okay, I mentioned yesterday how difficult I find it to get motivated during these dark, rainy days. And I live in LA, where I'm pretty sure it hasn't dipped below 59 degrees since last winter. So I imagine that wherever you are is a little colder than here, and I have no excuse for blaming the elements for my lack of motivation to work out.

And yet, I do blame the elements. So my workout options dwindle during this time of the year, but I just got back to feeling strong and have a good thing going with regular exercise. I want to keep it going, but I need realistic workouts that I can do at home with minimal time and minimal equipment.

That's what I'm here to share today: workouts that can be done anywhere, with little or no equipment, in 20 minutes or less. No excuses!

Upper Body Supersets (Dumbbells only!)
Complete each set twice, then do 15 pushups before moving on to the next set. Use medium weights.

EMOM Workouts (No equipment needed!)
(Every Minute, On the Minute) These workouts have quickly become a favorite around here, because they're quick and easy to customize. Here are some ideas:

Full Body EMOM:
EMOM 15--Complete 5 Burpees every minute for 15 minutes (Works up a good sweat, full body workout, and super quick!)

EMOM 20--Complete 5 push ups + 10 squats every minute for 20 minutes (Hits major muscle groups in the upper and lower body, and definitely challenging.)

Upper Body EMOM:
EMOM 10 (x2)--I posted two upper body EMOM workouts a while back. These ones alternate even and odd minutes to add variety to the workout.

Lower Body EMOM:
EMOM 20--10 squats + 5 squat jumps every minute on the minute for 20 minutes. Great for toning and getting that heart rate up.

EMOM 15--5 plie squats + 10 walking lunges + 5 calf raises every minute on the minute for 15 minutes. Challenges the entire lower body.



45/15 Cardio/Core (No equipment needed!)
Complete each exercise for 45 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds before moving on to the next.

Mountain Climbers
Squat + Backward Lunge (alternating legs)
Reverse Crunch
Plank Jacks
Walking Lunges (alternating legs)
Bicycle Crunches
Speed Skaters
Plie Squats
Supermans
Air Squats
Glute Bridges
Reverse Plank

Repeat as many times as you would like. :-)


More great workouts for your winter enjoyment:
Stability Ball Core Workout
12-Minute Workout
January Indoor Workout
Winter Core Circuit

You can also follow me on Pinterest to find lots more workouts I like!

San Diego and Eight Random Things

Oops! Sorry about that radio silence. Some weeks just get a little hectic. Last week, Terry and I took a short trip to San Diego. He had to work down there for three days, so I decided Marshall and I should tag along. We didn't spend much time with Terry, but it was a nice change of scenery for me and actually cooler than our apartment, so there you go. A quick little recap of our trip:

I discovered that Ross (and likely Marshalls and TJ Maxx) sells Dr. Seuss books. We're adding to our collection! I also loved Go, Dog. Go! when I was a kid, so we grabbed one of those. 

They also sell Carter's clothes, which seem to fit Marshall the best. We stocked up on a few 12 month outfits (which will fit him any day now).

So true.

I also did a little shopping for myself. Once I packed away all my maternity clothes several weeks ago, I realized my closet was looking pretty sad. Problem solved. (The slippers are to walk around the house, since I'm not supposed to walk around barefoot and it's too hot to wear my other slippers.)

I found a three-level Target. This was a new experience.

Marshall and I took a few walks. One morning, after we dropped Terry at work, we looped the area around our hotel and stumbled across this lovely view. San Diego really is nice!

On that same walk, I stopped in at a cafe for my first-ever sit-down meal with just me and Marshall. I had a not-especially-delicious Belgian waffle with one piece of bacon and one egg. 

Another day I trekked about a half hour south of our hotel to try Tiki Port, which came highly recommended by Gina, one of my favorite bloggers. Gina recently moved to SD, and we tried to meet up, but it didn't work out. The acai bowl at Tiki Port, however, was awesome! Obviously I got the only one that had chocolate chips. 

The trip was pretty decent, considering Terry had to work so much, but we were also glad to be back home for this weekend. We spent almost the entire day cleaning house and running errands yesterday, and then Jenn and Justin came over to watch the UCLA game. We played Texas, and it wasn't pretty, but we won. And Jerry Neuheisel got to be the hero of the game!

And now, here are a few random things that I'm squeezing into this post because I was such a loser about blogging last week:

1. Today Terry and I decided to wake up and actually get up when Marshall woke us at 7. Sometimes on weekends one of us will get up with the baby and the other will grab another hour or two of sleep, but today we opted for exercise. We chowed down on toast with almond butter and honey and shared an apple before heading to the Strand. We parked in the middle, walked to one end, ran the whole damn thing (okay, I stopped for a walking break about halfway, but Terry ran the whole damn thing!), then walked back to the car. It was difficult and refreshing and fun to be out with all the early birds on a gorgeous morning. Plus, we logged four and a half miles, and it's nice to know I can survive that far.

2. Right now I'm home alone. This is my first time alone in our apartment for longer than 30 minutes since Marshall was born. Terry needed some quality time with the baby and I needed some time to myself, so here we are. I can't wait for them to get back. :-)

3. I'm finding more and more ways to process my C-section. I joined the ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) Facebook group and am hoping to connect with a local chapter. The Facebook group alone has been tremendously helpful. It's comforting to know other people have gone through something similar to what we did. I've talked to a lot of friends and friends of friends who have experienced a C-section, and that helps too. I'll be sure to provide an update as I make more progress.

4. Last weekend we attended our last wedding of the summer--and Marshall got to come along! It was a day wedding (starting at 3 pm), so it worked out well. Marshall seemed to get a little overwhelmed by all the people, but he did great. And he got to wear a bow tie like his daddy.

The wedding took place in Cayucos at a private home. The ceremony took place overlooking the ocean--absolutely perfect!

5. Terry and I are participating in a couples' Fantasy Football league. I have no business being part of anything related to any professional sports, but I took my brother's advice and created a pretty decent team. I will let you know if I dominate, but I already forgot to swap out players last week, so things don't look great.

6. We've been slacking big time around here as far as healthy meals and planning ahead for groceries. Today we created our meal plan for the week to get things going on a healthier note:

• Sunday: bruschetta and salad 
• Monday: our favorite stir-fry pasta dish (so easy and quick!)
• Tuesday: kielbasa and potatoes on the grill
• Wednesday: grilled veggie kababs with goat cheese and pita
• Thursday: pizza with goat cheese, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, etc.
• Friday: something with shrimp 

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches, and breakfasts will be oatmeal or eggs (or toast with almond butter and honey, because that was amazing this morning). 

7. A while ago, we went to UCLA as a family, and I never bothered to upload the photos. 

8. Can you believe it's already the middle of September? This year is really zooming along, huh? The holidays are right around the corner. I can't imagine how different things will be this year with an infant! But the great news about September is TV shows are coming back! I'm most excited for The Mindy Project, New Girl, and Parks & Rec, but I'm sure there are a few more I've completely forgotten. 

What TV shows are you most excited to watch?

What's your favorite Facebook page to follow? I love George Takei's posts! 

Do you prefer almond butter or peanut butter? I'm a peanut butter girl all the way, but almond butter always tastes better than I think it will. You'd think I'd learn.

Have a great week! I promise I'll be back before next week this time. :-) 

Creative Solutions for Working Out at Home

Yesterday was a bit of a whirlwind, and today is a marathon day (5 am wake up call, and I'll be on campus until 8:30 pm!), so I'm squeezing in a short post while I can.

I've mentioned it before, but I think I've reached a stage of not sleeping as well throughout the night. Even when I'm exhausted, I wake up a couple of times to go to the bathroom, and sometimes it takes me a while to fall asleep again. Terry and I have switched sides of the bed so I have easier access to the bathroom, which is helpful. Those extra ten steps really do make a difference.

Yesterday (around 4 in the morning) I also experienced my first pregnancy leg cramp. I've had a charlie horse or two in the past, but somehow this one felt more intense. Luckily, Terry used to be a swimmer and is what I would consider an expert in treating leg cramps. I woke him up (rather frantically--the poor guy), and he massaged the muscles until they relaxed. It was nice practice for labor; apparently I will panic, and Terry will calm me down and know exactly what to do.

Despite the less than stellar nights of sleep and a sore calf muscle, yesterday morning started on a wonderful note: At our doctor's appointment, we learned that baby has flipped! He or she is now head down, which is the appropriate position for birth. We still have several more weeks, but it's nice to have one fewer thing to worry about.

With that news in my pocket, I enjoyed the rest of my day of errands and chores. I had a big list to tackle, but I'm also trying to remind myself that when things don't get done "on time" it's not the end of the world. Rest and keeping stress to a minimum are far more of a priority.

This week is what I would consider our first routine week in our new place. Terry isn't traveling for work; we're both going to work regularly; we're cooking dinners each night; and we're finally getting back to our workouts. On Monday we did some upper body action in our new gym, which, unfortunately, is even smaller and more crowded (equipment-wise) than our old complex's gym. We're trying to think of some creative solutions.

Of course, cardio is pretty simple: we love running, hiking, and walking. Right now I'm officially down to just walking, but Terry and I have talked about finding a 10K that we can train for together to get me back in shape after baby arrives. We're thinking maybe November or December; I think a few months will be enough time to work back up to six miles.

While the area where we live now isn't fantastic for our usual evening walks (too much traffic immediately outside of our complex), we are a very short car ride away from some awesome trails and beautiful hikes, so we'll take advantage of those before and with baby.

For strength and/or variety workouts, we have a few options. I love bodyweight training, as you know, so sticking to the basics like squats, burpees, push ups, lunges, etc., will be an automatic part of our routine. But we can also add in more comprehensive at-home options, like yoga videos and boot camp-style videos.

We're also strongly considering purchasing a nice set of adjustable dumbbells like these that we can use at home.

I have always loved at-home workouts, so it'll be an easy adjustment for me, and Terry says he's totally willing to try it out. I expect that the next few months (for me) and baby's arrival (for both of us) will throw us off track quite a bit in terms of our "usual" workouts, but I'm excited about the changes. We've done a good job keeping up our walking and pregnancy-friendly exercises, so I'm sure postpartum exercises will be another adventure we enjoy just as much. Hopefully we can combine all those options to stay fit while we transition into parenthood!

Any tips for staying healthy as a new parent? Do you prefer gym or home workouts?

Italian Burgers

Thanks so much for the encouraging and helpful responses on Monday's budget post! I'm feeling super motivated to be creative with our budget right now, but we'll see how long that lasts.

Yesterday slipped away from me a bit once the evening rolled around. I spent the afternoon tidying up and washing the previous day's dishes (oops), and then I did a little prenatal yoga while Terry jogged around the nearby park. When he got back, we took a lovely, long walk through our neighborhood (and passed right by Matthew Broderick! There was eye contact. It was cool)--but didn't get home until almost 8 pm! That time change totally threw me off, I guess, because I thought it was much earlier when we left for our walk. Sunshine at 6:30 pm is so deceiving.

Anyway, thank goodness we had some delicious and easy leftovers for dinner, so it was on the table in about 12 minutes (and devoured about three minutes after that). Here's what we made on Monday:

- Ground beef (~20 ounces, because the package was from Costco) mixed with 1 sweet Italian sausage (casing removed), 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and some salt and pepper
- I mixed up the meat and spices, created 6 (!) patties, and grilled them on our indoor grill pan (we didn't think the smoky flavor of the BBQ would work with these flavors)
- To assemble: I topped the burgers with mozzarella cheese (on Monday we had leftover Burrata...yummmm), heated up some store-bought marinara sauce to slather all over, and used whole wheat toast as buns

I have a few thoughts about these "Italian burgers" that I think I should share with you: 1) They are incredibly tender, and the flavors are like a meatball sub; 2) I'm SO glad we used a little extra meat to make 6 patties instead of 4, because now we scored three meals instead of just two; and 3) While I recognize and appreciate the need for variety in our diets, I wish I could eat one of these every day for the next month.

To sum up: I was a fan.

So after those spectacular burgers, cleaning up, and our pregnancy exercises, I was beat! We staggered off to bed for another 5 am wake up call today.

And that's where we'll pick up this WIAW. The major "event" going on around our house this week is our new emphasis on a mindful budget, but we still stocked up with some awesome foods for the week. Here's what we had today:

Breakfast: 

1 fried egg (oh, yeah, I dropped a carton of eggs on yesterday and broke several, so we already only had two left this morning) + one piece of whole wheat toast with smashed avocado and cottage cheese and a sprinkling of pepper

My parents actually introduced me to this toast-avocado-cottage cheese combo, and I LOVE it. It's high in protein and hits three food groups, which is unusual for me for breakfast!

Snacks eaten throughout the morning:

Banana with sunflower seeds and two Mandarin oranges and more sunflower seeds

Lunch:

Terry found this recipe for tuna salad with white beans (we used Great Northern instead of cannellini), and I added it to a giant handful of mixed greens. Unfortunately, I forgot the lemon wedge AND the dressing that are supposed to go with the salad, but it still worked, and I added cucumbers (not pictured above). (By the way, this salad took me about 5 minutes to make yesterday morning! SO easy!)

Dinner:

Leftover burgers (described above). I used one piece of toast and made an open-faced sandwich, and we had some greens on the side mixed with oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper (the eggplant pictured was devoured Monday night with no leftovers). I'm just so sad those burgers are gone now.

Dessert:

Food Babe's almond butter brownies (I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the batter this time to give them more of a brownie color, and I actually love the flavor even more, so I recommend it!) with a glass of milk


And here's a new triceps and chest workout for your Wednesday enjoyment. I made it for Terry and completed a very toned-down pregnancy version (below) myself. As always, be sure to warm up properly before you get started! This one would be perfect to add on to a Tabata workout or other short, intense cardio.

Notes:

• The idea here is to complete each superset twice (the cable triceps pulldowns, cable chest press, and plank knee-to-elbows are the first superset, so do that twice through), then complete an exercise (dips or push ups, respectively) to fatigue (and only once). Then you're done!
• It's short, so aim for moderately heavy weights to challenge yourself. The last few reps should feel difficult, but save your energy and good form for those fatigue sets.

My pregnancy version:

• Completed three sets of each superset
• No skullcrushers for me (since I can't lay flat on my back), so I did overhead tricep press instead
• Omitted the core exercises
• Skipped the fatigue sets

Be sure to check out the other WIAWs!

I'm hoping to get some extra sleep tonight since this time change has been killer. So with that, I'm off to bed!

Kale Salad for Kale Haters

I feel like it's a sin in the healthy living blogger world to admit that I don't like kale. But I need to just come out with it: I never got on the kale bandwagon. Kale chips are only okay, and only when smothered in an accompanying dipping sauce. Wilted kale looks and tastes too much like seaweed for me to be convinced that it did not, in fact, come from the ocean. And kale salads just haven't hit the spot for me.

Was I doomed to hate kale forever? It was THE healthy food to eat the last few years, and I felt so left out. I remember an episode of Modern Family where Mitch comes home from the farmer's market with the shocking news that "kale is the new spinach." I was so sad. Spinach is one of the only leafy greens I genuinely enjoy eating, and now it was out?

But my relationship with kale took a turn recently and may even end happily. I read a chapter in Bringing Up Bebe that discussed a food critic who set out on a mission to find a way to like all the foods he hated. He tried them all sorts of ways and eventually found that he was able to enjoy them. For me, it turns out that I was eating kale all wrong. Roasting it, wilting it--no need. A simple salad was the way to kale for this girl. 

All you need: A lemon or two, some olive oil, a pinch or two of salt, a package of kale, and Parmesan cheese.

First, zest one lemon into a small bowl. 

Then juice that lemon. You can juice two lemons if you want (I did, because I'm crazy like that).

Whisk in your olive oil. For two lemons, I used about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. You can adjust to your preference, but I'd say approximately equal parts is ideal.

Next, prep your kale. I got the pre-washed, ready-to-use organic kale in a package from Trader Joe's. I hate washing and drying lettuce (what a strange thing to hate), but I won't dictate your kale buying. You'll notice I separate the stems. I'm trying to like kale, but let's not go too far here.

Throw the kale in a bowl, sprinkle a pinch or two of salt into the bowl, and pour in the amount of dressing you desire. I only ended up using about 3/4 of my dressing.

Next up, massage the dressing into the kale. I know, it sounds weird. But kale is weird. So you can just toss the salad, and I'm sure it'll be fine, but it seems to help the kale soften a bit if you get in there with your hands.

Finally, plate up the amount of kale you plan to eat and grate on some Parmesan. Or a lot of Parmesan.

I served mine with whole wheat toast and burrata.

Honestly, I'm still convinced I'll never love kale in all its forms. But this salad tastes awesome and could easily accompany almost any meal. Try it with cereal. Why not? And you can be creative with additions, too:

• toasted pine nuts
• minced garlic
• tomatoes
• cucumbers

The point is this: If you, like me, can't understand the whole kale craze, maybe this salad will convince you that this green vegetable isn't the worst thing you've ever felt compelled to eat for health reasons. And if you already liked kale, well, congratulations, but I still think you should try this salad. 

What food trends are you against? 

I also don't totally understand flavored peanut butter. Why on earth would you ruin such a glorious food? 

Second Trimester Update: Weeks 14-18

I work at the store tonight from 3 pm to 11:30 because we're getting crazy with some inventory madness. I have no idea what it will entail, but I'm very excited. Er, maybe I'm just excited for it to be over, because getting home at midnight sounds pretty horrible!

But anyway, I thought I'd provide a pregnancy update. I'm not doing the weekly thing, but a lot changes over the course of a month or so, and since my last update was in early December, I figured I can keep track of the major changes here.  

First up, the belly progress:

And the belly from the front:

I'm trying to stay consistent with my outfit, although I now realize that tank top isn't going to fit for much longer!

I get a lot of mixed reactions to my belly, depending on the person and the clothes I'm wearing. Most people claim I don't "look pregnant" yet or say I don't have a bump. But a select few say that my belly is obvious, which I appreciate. I'm loving the growing belly, so I guess it doesn't matter what other people see (or apparently don't see).

Food, Cravings, and Aversions
I've been struggling to get enough vegetables on a daily basis. It seems I'm only willing to eat them in a sandwich or at a restaurant. Given that we haven't been eating out much (yay!), I'm making a much more solid effort this week to increase my greens.

Veggie kebabs are on the menu this week.

I still don't have crazy cravings, but I've been all about cereal lately. I can go through a box in two days (!), and I am trying to prevent myself from buying more than a box at a time.

And no aversions! I just generally don't want to eat large quantities of meat on its own.

As for my appetite, I'm hungry all the time, but I get full super fast, so I've learned to eat small meals and lots of snacks. I'm also doing better on drinking more water! Aaaand I go to the bathroom every five minutes.

Workouts
Mostly, I'm just trying to stay active. Unfortunately, my lower back has been killing me, so running
feels rough. Walking feels fantastic, though, so that's happening a LOT. Luckily Terry and I have always been walking buddies, so we have awesome routes mapped out around our neighborhood.

I'm also still keeping up my strength training. The doctor wants me to limit my weights to 5 or 10 pounds, but I have plenty of exercises that challenge me at that level. I'm also avoiding abs in general, and I'm skipping anything that requires lying on my belly or back.

And I'm dabbling in some prenatal yoga, but I still haven't found anything I like. To be fair, I haven't yet purchased anything (I want to make sure I'll like it first), but all the videos I've tried are a lot more focused on breathing, relaxing, and stretching. While I certainly appreciate the importance of those exercises during pregnancy and labor, I still want a challenge! So I'm finding ways to modify my regular yoga routines to work for the next few months.

And I'm trying out some recommended prenatal exercises, like pelvic tilts (hopefully those will help my lower back, too) and cat/cow stretches. Plus TONS of stretching to try to alleviate the hip discomfort.

General Comfort
I mentioned the back pain, which is pretty constant this week, but I have a few other issues:

• Hip tightness
• Round ligament pain all the time--when I stand, sit too quickly, bend forward, roll over, or run downhill
• Breast pain in cold temperatures--basically I experience extreme pain if I get even a little bit too cold, so I've learned to bundle up! (apparently this is relatively common)

I'm also wearing maternity clothes almost exclusively. I think I've found a few cute outfits that work for me, and I'm grateful to my mom and a few Christmas gifts for rounding out my wardrobe. Maternity clothes are SO comfortable, and I'm already plotting how I can justify wearing them beyond pregnancy. Thoughts?

Emotional Temperature

Generally, I'm doing pretty well. I have experienced a few bouts of anxiety and some moments of apprehension about the future (where are we going to live? when are we going to move?), but I'm mostly happy and relaxed. Terry definitely helps me relax, talk through any stress, and focus on what's important.

Prenatal Reading

I bought Terry a few going-to-be-a-dad books for Christmas, and my brother and Ashley bought him one, too. We're also reading Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman, and we love it. I'm reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, and Ashley bought me The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy and Happiest Baby on the Block, my next two books! And, somewhat unrelated to pregnancy, I'm reading Jessica Alba's The Honest Life. I can't say enough about how much I love her philosophy on life and how much I'm learning from her book! She also co-created The Honest Company, and I definitely plan to try a few of her products.

Baby Prep
We're five months away! So that means getting serious about planning for this little one. Here's what we're up to:

• Figuring out what we need and registering for it
• Reading (see above)
• Narrowing down our name choices (we aren't finding out the gender before the birth, so we're going to head to the hospital with two boy options and two girl options and decide when we meet him or her!)
• Hopefully figuring out where we'll be living when baby arrives soon so we can move before my due date (wishful thinking?)
• Making lists, as always. I love lists.

Honestly, I'm loving this whole pregnancy thing. I haven't felt the baby kick yet, but everyone says it only gets better when that happens. Right now I'm enjoying time with Terry (unfortunately, he leaves again soon for one last business trip) and focusing on staying healthy!