at only 11 weeks pregnant, pregnancy has already changed me in some significant ways:

1) My hair. I have decided to take advantage of  the fact that hair tends to grow faster during pregnancy, and not cut it the whole pregnancy (well, I did when I first found out…but not again) in hopes of finally having longish hair. This, of course, only makes sense if I keep my hair helthy. So while I do plan to keep up just enough high-lights to not hate myself (a few foils every 3 months or so) I am no longer blow-drying or ironing my hair daily..only for rare special events. Instead I scrunch it up with some curling gel and leave it to dry naturally. Some days, it works. Some days it doesn’t. By the time I realize it is a bad day, I am already out the door…so I am just living with it.

2) My nails. All those months I did not get pregnant I kept up my bio-gel nails faithfully, telling myself they were a little gift to myself for not getting pregnant. Now, they are gone. I grew them out gracefully for a while, filing down the line and keeping them polished and not too long, but last week they started falling off, so I knawed off what was left of them. My nails are now short, bumpy and the polish peels off easily. Luckily, pregnancy also tends to make nails grow longer and stronger, so they should be looking pretty soon. BTW, I don’t think bio-gel is a problem in pregnancy…it is just that it seems an easy way to start budgetting, and like bad luck to keep them up after I spent months considering them a “not pregnant yet” thing to do.

3) Ice-cream and pop. 2 things I never ever used to have unless they were served to me at a party or someone’s house. Not that I disliked them…but I they just seemed too indulgant to have on a regular basis. I am now living on mint chocolate chip ice-cream and diet cream soda.

4) Exercise. I always planned to keep it up while pregnant, but just like last time, have not. I am walking a lot, but have found myself mostly too easily tired to do anything more exerting. As well, I had a little issue last week. After going to my first belly-dancing class in weeks, and exerting myself (I would say a class is similar exertion to a low-impact aerobics class) for the first time in weeks , I started bleeding. I had an ultrasound the next days and there was no indicaiton of a problem or blood in the uterus, so we don’t know what caused it and are thankful it has not come back. I know the exercise my be unrelated..but it left me fearful to do so again. I will deal with the weight gain after the baby comes. Actually, I found it very easy after the girl (and I gained a lot). Between nursing and being a very social person who was always walking the malls and going for walks with other new moms I met, the weight melted off. What happened when I returned to work is another story though…

5) The belly. I am not sure where it come from. The baby is still the size of a kumquat and quite low…yet I have looked like this for a couple weeks already. Not only does my belly stick out…it is hard. Not as hard as it will get…but harder than just pudge. And no, it isn’t twins. Good thing too…I was wondering how I would ever manage to hide twins from everyone I know the whole pregnancy and delivery so no one would know and try to stop me when when I gave one up for adoption!

6) The girl. I don’t know if she got more annying, or I got more irritable…but she does not stop talking, and I just want her to stop. I feel a rush of love when she is asleep though!

OK, not really. Really, my car had snow on it this morning. But warm weather is on the way. It must be. And I must be ready for it. I don’t plan to buy much new clothing for the upcoming seasons (and I need no new warm weather  shoes, since I got several last summer and a few more for Disney World)…but I have picked up a few things at Joe and the sales rack at RW:

Joe

This may be the least flattering picture of me EVER but this dress looks much cuter and less un-flattering in person. The ruching at the chest and knees is adorable, and the colours are really nice too. It also looks much nicer with a black tank top under it adding some colour at the chest…I thought I got a picture of that…but I guess not. Anyways…not a great picture but a great dress, I promise.

I love how comfortable and versatile this silk shell is, and the colour is fab!

 RW

Could this dress be any sweeter? I will wear it with a cami or bandeau for work, of course.

Another not great picture (what is on the camera???), but this faux-wrap top with the ribbon trim  is really nice on, and will be easy to dress up or down.

P.S. Excuse the hideous hair and face. Today was spent getting my car serviced, running while waiting for my car (I am a good girl, aren’t I? I ran to Tim Horton’s… but I only got yogurt and berries and ran back!!!), grocery shopping, and calling every EB Games in town until I fund one that had Wii DDR in stock…then going out to buy it. So, it was a “look like ass” kinda day…but I was productive and even found time for a little fashion show from my closet for ya’ll, so it’s all good.

P.S.part 2-Remember these? I got a deal!

Because I jogged for the first time since…err….umm….November maybe?

I went for 20 minutes, and made it along my usual “short” route, which is about 2 and 1/2 km.

It was cold and my feet got numb and wet, and my throat and ears were burning, and a few times I thought I was gonna vomit, and when I got home I was convinced I was having a stroke.

But I did it. And I feel great now.

Amazing how just one good workout can make me feel thinner and prettier and healthier. Not that I am any of these things.

Yet.

I have really been a gluttonous pig since Florida. I have gained 5 lbs and several inches in various places since Mid-November. I feel fat and my clothing does not fit the way I want it to. I have been okay (not great, but not horrid) with exercising, but really have not been paying attention to my diet at all. So I am going back on my word and going back to Sparkpeople for a while…I hate tracking and for the most part find that when I get to a good weight for me, I can maintain it pretty easily without tracking…but Florida and then the Holidays and all the treats they entail, as well as various personal issues, have gotten me so off track I need to do something to get back on. So back on I will be. Starting tomorrow. I’ll even let you all follow me here!

P.S. I have also decided to start eating poultry again. I find that when I am not eating poultry, I fall back on carbs, dairy and fried foods way way too much! When I lost the weight a few years ago, I was often eating frozen low-fat caloried controlled dinners as my lunches or as dinner when I made something I did not want to eat for my family…that is much harder if I don’t eat poultry. Also, due to my job I eat on the road a lot, and I use dot always get a Turkey and Tomato sandwich (I know, just veggie is lighter, but blech) so since I have not been eating meat, I have had to resort to Filet O’ Fishes or just fries instead when I  had to hit I drive through if I wanted ot eat-not good! As well, I just feel like I do not get enough protein when I don’t eat some meat. I know that many vegetarians are able to maintain a balanced diet and lose weight or maintain a healthy diet weight but I just don’t like Veggies and legumes enough to do that! So white chicken and turkey are back in my diet…no gristle please!

But playing today did encourage me to hop onto the dance pad and play 40 minutes of Pump It Up tonight!! I have not played in 6 months and forgot how much fun and sweat inducing it is…though is fairness to me the last 3 of them it was because we had no TV connected to the X-box. The man just got us a new TV for the living room today…thanx sweetie!

P.S. Did I mention I played DDR on the Wii today? It was awesome and my cousins totally pretended to be impressed by my negligable skills!

If you are wondering what these games look like, check it out here. This kid is amazing!

So D and I hit the mall early today for some Boxing Day shopping. We had fun together, but there was really not much to buy. There were no spring/summer clothes on sale, and the winter stuff was very picked over and mostly stuff that had already been on sale for weeks. Also,  I don’t really need anymore winter clothes and have gained about 6lbs in the past few months (hello writer’s strike good-bye elliptical) and just don’t feel like trying on clothes until I feel better about myself again. There wasn’t even anything to buy for the girl, as she only wears dresses and there were tonnes of girl’s separates on sale, but only holiday dresses which she does not need. I looked for the man too, but all the nice men’s stuff was either super big or super small  (though I admit, I didn’t look too hard for him!).

I did score a pair of boots though. I decided I need flat(ish) boots as I have been wearing a lot of leggings and long sweaters/short sweater dresses this winter, and it looks sorta…um…trashy with high heel boots, and wrong with shoes. I avoided the dreaded hideous Uggs(yes M, I know they are comfy, but I just cannot do it! They belong in the Hell I normally reserve for Crocs) and scored these instead. Cute, eh:

I also have swollen, pus filled, scarred tonsils. I took a picture for ya’ll, but it is scary, so click here if you dare. I am feeling better though, the fever and sick feeling are almost gone, just another day or so of sore throat, and another 7 days of anti-biotics to contend with.

As for what I want. I WANT A Wii! NOW! I played it for the first time at my cousin’s house today, and let me just say, it is like crack. I would drop those 6lbs like nobodies business if just I had a Wii. As it is, I’ll just have to invite myself to my cousin’s house every day, until I score a Wii for myself. Cousins, listen here: Sorry, but I will not return the favour and invite you to my home for lunch.  I’ll cook for you. I’ll clean for you. I’ll even baby-sit you kids and walk your dog. But any future get-togethers will be at the house with the Wii. And that’s your house. Deal with it. Or give us the Wii. It’s up to you (see ya at 9am tomorrow, k? I’ll phone at 6 to make sure you are awake).

P.S. I know that there are some cute Uggs online, but I have never actually seen them. Luckily, I have never seen these in real life either. It is a good thing, as I think if I did I would have to gouge my eyes out:

P.S. S. Sorry I have been not around much lately. Between being sick and being very busy at home and work right now, I have been rather remiss in my blogging duties. I’ll try to be around more in the New Year! I know how much you all must suffer when I am not here for you…

I have been really, really lazy lately. I have not exercised (except my dance class) in about 2 weeks. I have been so physically and emotionally exhausted, I just couldn’t do it. I hopped on the elliptical last Thursday evening, and hopped off 2 minutes later!

Today, day 2 of my vacation,  no more! Time to get off my butt. I considered jogging since it is not too cold today, but decided against it as my right ankle is already feeling tender for some reason. I considered the elliptical, but there is nothing on TV I want to watch, and I am going out tonight and don’t want to leave it until later.

Then, I remembered an old favorite of mine, power Yoga! I have been enjoying  the Rodney Yee Stamina, Strength and Flexibility series on and off since before I had the girl, and I have always enjoyed the mix of exertion, stretching, toning work, balance, flexability and…ahh…relaxation that Power Yoga gives me.

Before I got pregnant, I got really into Power Yoga and was doing at least one of these DVDs about 3-4 times a week. I loved how it made  me feel, and though it is probably not (on it’s own) great for losing weight, it is the perfect amount of exercise to maintain my weight, keep up my endurance, and get in some toning-or it was back then, anyways. I am kinda there now. Too much is going on in my life to be focused on weight loss or hard core exercise right now, but I don’t want to get lazy and lose the gains (via loss) that I have made over the past couple years. Also, I feel better (physically and emotionally) when I am exercising and staying active. I certainaly don’t want to get into that downward emotional spiral that laziness brings (laziness begets laziness, you know!).

I don’t know yet if I am gonna hop back on the elliptical, get intoPower Yoga again, or do some combination of the two. I can, however, say that for today’s foray back into exercise, a power yoga workout was just right!

Oh, and Rodney is a treat for the eyes:

1. I bought a new coat. I know I said I wouldn’t, but I lied. It was just what I was looking for, my size, and cheap (Joe, of course). I have actually been eyeing it for months, but never ever found it in my size. I knew if I did, I would buy it. But when I wrote that post, it had been so long since I had seen it in the store at all, it was not likely. Then yesterday it was there. Just one left. My size. Fit perfectly. It was meant to be.

2. My novel? Not so much.

3. I start Hebrew school today. A free lesson for parents at the girl’s school. Good times.

4. I have been really lazy at sparkpeoplelately. It is clear to me that I am the weight I am now for good (barring any extreme situation or lifestyle change) so I am not tracking food and exercise anymore unless I start gaining weight. I will keep tracking weight and measurements to monitor myself and stay accountable.

5. My birthday is in 2 days. 34.

6. My anniversary, 7 days. 6.

7. Dinsey world trip, 14 days. 

It’s soon. Very soon. Like 2 and 1/2 weeks away. Here is my wish list (click on images for details):

and, if somebody really wanted to show me some love, this would do it: