Life Lately...

Hi lovelies! The weeks are flying by now. The husband and I have been trying to fit in as much quality time as possible since we don't know when we'll get any alone time after the baby comes.  Weekends are so busy for us-- he's busy studying for grad school and I'm usually working-- but we manage to at least go out for lunch or dinner.

This past week we decided on a dinner at Earl's Kitchen + Bar.  We had eaten there once before and really enjoyed it. They really go above and beyond when it comes to customer service.  Being veggie and eating out can be a little tricky at times. Our waitress (shout out to Cassandra!) was so sweet and really made sure our food was completely egg- and meat-less. I opted for the Thai Bowl, filled with quinoa, edamame, celery, snow peas, peanuts and tofu with a yummy coconut milk sauce ON THE SIDE so you can control how much you eat.  The hubby went with the Mushroom Burger on a ciabatta roll (eggless) and yam fries.  The food was perfect! I inhaled my Thai Bowl, even the tofu which lately I haven't been a huge fan of as an ingredient (nausea..)!

I busted out my Hale Bob wrap dress for our date night.  I had forgotten how comfy their dresses are and realized they are super bump-friendly! It's safe to say that I'm not a huge print girl, but I can't resist their prints.  Their fabrics are very lightweight and flattering on most body types.

Although, I bought this over a year ago and they no longer carry this version on their site, they have some other amazing pieces that I'm eyeing right now.  I'll have to add them to my collection soon!

Later in the week, I had a chance to meet up with a pharmacist friend. We had coffee at Urban Coffee Lounge. It was so great catching up and discussing pharmacy life!  The great thing about having other pharmacist friends is that they understand the weird schedules we work....off mid-day, but working til the wee hours in the night. It's nice to be able to go out during a week-day and avoid the crowds at local coffee and food spots.

The husband and I also had our 24 week check-up this week to see the little man. Of course he was doing another one of his yoga moves and was curled up with his feet up by his head. lol! We caught him drinking the amniotic fluid and got a cute shot of his little nose and mouth. I was a little frustrated at this visit because we usually get the room with the huge monitor so I don't need my glasses to see the screen. But of course, this time we were stuck in the room with the tiniest monitor and I had left my glasses in the car! I had to keep reminding myself that these scans, although they are so fun to watch and make my day, are to monitor the baby. My hormones tend to make me a little irrational at times now, so I sometimes have check myself.

We got to see his cute little nose and mouth as he was drinking amniotic fluid!

I recently invested in some bellybuds so I can play some music for the little one.  I really like them so far. They have settings for "prenatal" use (while baby is in your tummy) and "postnatal" use (to hook up to various other devices to play music for the baby after birth).  The "prenatal" setting is softer so you're not blasting music into your tummy.  You still have to make sure the volume on your device is set to a reasonable level so as not to hurt baby.  It also comes with a splitter so you can listen to the music with your little one via headphones.  I haven't tested out the adhesive pads yet to stick the buds onto the belly. I've only used them while laying in bed or on the couch so gravity keeps them in place.  It's definitely fun to feel little kicks when different songs come on.  Bonding with baby while in the womb is so important for mama and baby.

I've also been noticing some lovely varicose veins popping up on my legs.  I've always had a couple, but lately I've noticed them getting more prominent and a couple new ones popping up. Varicose veins run in my family so I thought it was time to invest in some compression stockings.  The weather has been getting warmer so the idea of socks or stockings didn't sound like a good time. I opted for these compression sleeves instead. The numbness I used to get in my legs seems to be improving. They're pretty comfortable, too.  I haven't been using them long enough to notice any prevention of new veins but I'm hoping this does the trick! Plus they make me feel like a tough football player stomping around my house in them! LOL!

Anyways, that's it for now, friends! I'm working on a couple new recipes that I'll have up soon and also maybe a post about my favorite mama stretches and yoga poses.  Take care!