Half way there!
I can’t believe I’m 5 months. Shit is getting real!
Eric and I keep saying that we wish time would slow down because there are so many things we want to do before the baby arrives. This is going to be one busy summer. One thing on our wish list is to renovate the kitchen, but we have to do some number crunching and see if it’s even realistic right now. I’m hoping we can make it work because if we don’t do it this summer, I don’t see us doing it for a very long time (maybe after graduation? lol).
I feel like baby is growing at a rapid pace now…or at least my belly is! This past week I’ve been looking up prenatal classes, planning the nursery, and researching gear. We’re going to give this used dresser a new life for the nursery. If it turns out, I’ll try to post a tutorial on here to show you how we did it. We also met with a Doula last week and I’m really looking forward to working with her and having her support before, during, and after labour. One thing that’s surprised me about being pregnant is just how much there is to fit into those 40 weeks. There’s so much preparation and learning involved.
Energy wise, I’m feeling amazing. Aside from brief hormonal mood swings when I feel like I could snap someone in two, I feel happier now than I have in a long time. I still have occasional moments of nausea but nothing I can’t handle. I’m working out for 30 minutes with weights each morning and I’m feeling stronger than ever. My friend Michelle, graciously offered me to use her Knocked Up Fitness workouts, so I’ve been trying out those too. It’s fun to mix it up. My favourite one is the Prenatal Fitcamp (9 mins.). This week I’ve been doing two of them back to back along with an arm workout on You Tube (using 5lb weights for all). It’s intense, but I feel so good after. I’m still enjoying walking lately too.
Overall, I wouldn’t say my cravings have been very strong (at least compared to what I thought they’d be like while pregnant) and I’ve been lucky not to have many aversions to my favourite foods. Cravings this past week: Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (from my cookbook) with vegan butter and Herbamare (the best!!), white vinegar soaked cucumber slices (don’t ask), mango (I’m eating two a day lately), two-layer raw chocolate brownies, almond butter and jam on toast, BBQ potato chips.
The big news last week was finding out the sex of the baby. If you read this post last week, you probably picked up on the news. =)
In other news, I’m currently obsessed with this Your Song cover by Ellie Goulding. I think of the baby when I listen to it and it makes me so sappy. I’m so emotional these days! I have to listen to Fancy after to snap myself out of it.
This is my first comment to your blog, but I’ve been a silent follower for quite a while and have loved your recipes (including your book) as well as your writing style.
My husband and I have been trying to conceive for a long time now. I just wanted to say–THANK YOU for not letting your pregnancy take over your blog. Please don’t take that negatively– you are a beautiful pregnant woman, and you and your husband seem like perfect parents-to-be. But THANK YOU for keeping it about food and health, and for tastefully sharing your pregnancy without changing your content. I can keep reading your blog without the twinge of jealousy as I hope for my chance at motherhood.
Thank you for your lovely words Kristin. I appreciate your feedback! All the best to you and your husband.
I absolutely second Kristin’s message. I am unable to conceive and all my old favorite blogs have turned into “mommy blogs”. It’s fine sometimes,but other times I go on hoping to read running tips or recipes and get 100% kid posts. I’ve stopped reading these blogs. I’m so glad that I can just come here, read your regular content, and check in on this page if I feel inclined to. Thank you!
That makes total sense to me Ali. I felt that way for many years (had zero interest in reading anything pregnancy related) which is why I knew I wanted to keep it in a separate section. Thanks for your feedback!
Just want to “third” this. Have never posted here before but regularly cook with your recipes and am watching the post every day for the book to arrive :-). A close friend of mine also cooks a lot with your recipes and mentioned (whilst comparing notes on using a german food called zuckerruebensirup instead of maple syrup lol) your big news. She is queer and can’t have kids, and my husband and I have been trying for years. We talked about how we normally experience a cocktail of emotions when hearing about other people’s pregnancies, and how, because of the considerate manner in which you write, we both felt pure joy (which is crazy, feeling joy for a stranger, but there ya go!). And while I’m showering you with compliments, I love how body shaming is absent from your blog, and pleasure in eating is so present – in fact your blog has helped me have a much healthier attitude towards food than the one I learned growing up. I hope other bloggers and in fact, people in general, take their cues from you, and wish you all the best for the upcoming bundle of joy!
Thanks so much for your kind words! I don’t feel totally deserving of such praise, but I appreciate it all the same. big hugs!
Haha!!! @ “Shit is getting real!”. I love that Ellie Goulding cover-definitely a great one for a new mama. :) All of your pregnancy cravings so great to me-even the cucumbers (I love cucumbers in rice wine vinegar-I imagine this might be similar).
You look great! This is a random question, but have you continued to drink green tea throughout your pregnancy? I have heard mixed opinions on this and would love to know your take!
Hey Jess,
Strangely, I haven’t wanted tea at all (of any kind) during my pregnancy. I’ve tried a few cups but I never end up finishing it. Not sure why…maybe it’s that I usually feel quite warm these days. To be honest, I haven’t read anything on green tea during pregnancy so maybe someone else can chime in!
Green tea interferes with folate metabolism so its not really recommended during pregnancy. I developed an aversion to hot teas anyways while pregnant!
You look absolutely fabulous Angela and glowing!! And I can relate to the cucumbers in vinegar craving – one of my favourite things ever to snack on! Wishing you a lovely Mother’s Day Weekend!
My mom chops cucumbers up in rice wine vinegar with fresh chopped dill. I love it too! it tastes so fresh, nothing like a pickle.
yes it’s awesome with fresh dill!
Hi Angela,
I’m a month’ish ahead of you in my pregnancy, and I can definitely relate! I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by how quickly time is passing all of the sudden, shit is definitely getting real! Be warned, I feel like it has only continued to pass more quickly!
That song is on a commercial for something (baby brain won’t allow me to remember for what) and every time I hear it I tear up. Glad I’m not the only sappy pregnant women in the GTA!
Yes! It is on a commercial…I just heard it again the other day and I said to Eric, “THAT’S where I heard that song!” It must’ve been in my subconscious because one morning I woke up and the song was in my head which I thought was so random (although it was the original version strangely enough).
I can only imagine how quickly time will go by this summer…summer already speeds by too quickly as it is. Good luck with your pregnancy! Keep me posted.
I’m just a couple weeks behind you, and I keep thinking how fast things are moving, too. I just want to tell time to back off a little bit!
We’ve started renovating (well, the contractors have) our former “junk/library/exercise room” for the nursery, and I can’t wait to pick out bedding, furniture, etc.
Glad to hear you’re feeling pretty good right now (I am too!), and I hope you enjoy your first Mother’s Day as a mom-to-be!
Hahaha, I WISH I felt like time was flying for me! I’m probably the world’s most impatient person lately, so even at only 7+ weeks I’m constantly wishing the weeks would hurry up–not that I feel horrible and want them to pass for any negative reason… and maybe in a few months I’ll feel completely different about how time is passing. In the present though, I just want to get this show on the road! It still feels too early to really DO anything (ie: nursery), but I want to so bad. I’m sure part of my impatience stems from not having told anyone but immediate family yet. It’s the worst. I’m practically bursting! Trade mindsets?!
Oh, forgot to add: I vote yes to the kitchen reno pre-baby. I know it seems like maybe it’s not feasible, but I think in the long run you’d find it much easier to manage with just two of you than with a baby/toddler/infant/teenager/young adult (ha!) around. You can skip some of the “dream” features for now and update them later, but if you’re unhappy with its current state, I don’t think you’ll ever regret doing it, whereas you may regret NOT doing it. We’ve reno’ed our entire house and are about to move back into our childhood home (my parents want to downsize), so we’re in a similar boat… wait to renovate the bathroom (in our case) or do it before we move in this summer (or at least before baby arrives)? I’m 100% of the “get ‘er done” mind, but hubby is the handyman who will be doing all the work so I suppose it’s up to him :P Good luck! Whoa, sorry for the lengthy P.S… pregnancy makes me wordy?!
You look so healthy! I can’t wait to see how the dresser turns out :)
Hi, Angela. Great post– and in your photos you are positively glowing… I suppose that’s appropriate for this blog, though. Haha. Just curious as to why you prefer the Sunwarrior brand of protein powder to brown rice protein powder. I’ve seen brown rice protein powders that are sprouted and offer a complete profile of amino acids, and I’ve noticed that the Sunwarrior brand adds in triglycerides, which I’m skeptical about. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Thanks Kate :) The Sunwarrior “Warrior Blend” that I use is actually rice free – the proteins used are hemp, cranberry, and pea protein. I like it for the variety!
Thanks!
I love your updates! I feel like these aren’t coming through on my feed reader for your site… do you have them on a different feed? I’d love to get every post!
Hi Raquel, These posts won’t be in the feed as I just wanted to keep my recipes on there. I’ll see if I can find out about another way to subscribe to it directly though.
Maybe a little email subscription in the sidebar?
Hi Angela – can you post a link to the arm workout you use?
Hiya Angela,
I only came across your blog and websit last month after deciding to move from veggie to fully vegan. I am almost fully transitioned now and am really enjoying trying new recipes and foods. I am also just under 20 weeks pregnant and its lovely to see your posts about this too – more please :) its given me more confidence that I can be vegan and pregnant and get enought protein and other nutrients still. I actually believe its much much healthier for the baby than if I was potentially consuming the chemicals and hormones that end up in animal products! Thanks for the great website, Aeron :)
You look so good, Mama :)
http://ohsheglows.com/2008/12/20/your-song/
:)
oh my – so funny! I don’t even remember writing that post (from 2008 no doubt!)
Hi Angela: Is it okay to eat chocolate or cocoa during the first trimester of pregnancy?… considering the caffeine it has? Also, what did you do for an alternative to coffee or tea in the morning during first trimester? I love my coffee! :(