Being Pregnant During the Pandemic – My Take

May 26, 2021May 24, 2021 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

If you can’t tell by the title, I’m pregnant. And yes, it’s a pandemic. But, it’s not all bad.

Not to belittle anyone’s pregnancy experience – and I’m so glad I’m not a first-time mom right now – but despite all the downsides of being pregnant during a pandemic, there are also some things I’ve come to enjoy. So, in the spirit of looking on the bright side of things, here is a look at some of the things I’m grateful for being pregnant at this time:

It’s Easier to Keep Your Secret

With pregnancy #2, I started showing earlier. This meant it was harder to hide from my coworkers or those that I wasn’t ready to share the news with. And, I had to “fake” drinking at a few holiday happy hours. This is baby #3, and I swear I started showing the I found out! (only slightly joking) But, since I’m working from home and live on Zooms all day long, it has been easier to hide my growing belly. In-person holiday events/gatherings and other happy hours were pretty much nonexistent this year. So, nobody notices what I’m drinking (or not drinking). This meant I could tell people when I was ready.

No Strangers Attempting to Touch My Belly

If you’ve been pregnant, you’ve probably been in this situation: You walk into an elevator. And the stranger next to you takes one look at your belly and exclaims, “Oh, a baby!” and proceeds to rub your stomach. It’s uncomfortable, and if you’re actually in an elevator, you’re somewhat stuck. But, during a pandemic, not only do I have fewer situations with strangers, but people tend to keep their distance. So far, my next door neighbor is the only one to comment on my growing belly, besides my 2-year-old.

Fewer Awkward Comments from Acquaintances

When you have fewer social interactions, you have fewer awkward ones. There are no colleagues looking at you one day and saying, “Hey, you really popped today!” Or clients commenting, “Are you having twins?” Or extended family sharing how much larger/smaller/different you look from their [insert name of someone in their family] who is also pregnant.

Fewer Colds

Being sick anytime isn’t fun. But being sick when you’re pregnant and not allowed to take most medicines — that’s a new challenge. We’ve been lucky and stayed mostly healthy during the pandemic. Our kids have been home since March 2020, which means they haven’t been at daycare. That, combined with the fact then when I leave the house I’m in a mask, means we’re simply exposed to fewer germs.

More Time

Especially in the beginning, life seemed busier. The kids were home, we were watching them while attempting to working full time, and it was nuts. But now that we’ve gotten into a groove and things have settled down, there’s simply more time. No commute means an hour back in my day. No daycare drop off and pickup? That’s more time back. No play dates, board meetings, etc. = more time. That means more time for breakfast on the porch. More time for family walks. More time for baking. More time for nature hikes. While we can mourn for all we’ve lost this past year, I’m grateful to have all the time to spend with my growing family.

Questions for you:

Have you been pregnant during this pandemic? What was it like?

A version of this first appeared on Northeast Ohio Parent Magazine.

Some NEWS (Here We Go Again!)

January 31, 2018January 31, 2018 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

For those of you that don’t know, B, FW and I have some EXCITING news to share.

We are well onto our way in expecting Baby #2!

It’s pretty evident that I’ve been hiding a baby, as you can sorta see in the above photo.

Can’t really see it? Okay, how about now? (Took the sweater off)

Yup! There it is – baby #2 has been hiding. So here are some of the updates for you:

Baby #2 is due at the end of May.
Once again, B and I are not finding out if it’s going to be a boy or a girl.
I’m feeling overall okay. I felt much more nauseous at the beginning of the pregnancy, and now I’m feeling much more tired. I’m still waiting for the second trimester high to kick in … but, I’m thinking that life with a toddler may be preventing that from happening! #sotiredallthetime
I’m still running! It is MUCH harder for me this time around, and I’m much slower than I was last pregnancy, but I’m happy to be still running (or walk/running) these days, even if it has been a lot of treadmill runs.

We have so much to do before baby #2 arrives at the house! We have to move FW into a toddler bed (and get him one of those …), we have plans to move him into a different room (the baby will get his room, as it has a built-in diaper changing table that B made), and a few other things. Oh, and somewhat finish our third floor and convert it into a guest room …
I had no idea the we’d need so much stuff for baby #2 – we were super minimalistic with FW because we were in a tiny apartment, but now that we have a house there are some basic things we’ll need that are still big ticket items – like a comfy chair for the new baby’s room for late night nursing! (In the apartment, I just used our current living room chair)
We probably have a boy’s name picked out, but still no girl’s name. It was the opposite with FW – we had a girl’s name (which B now no longer likes) but no boy’s name.

So there you go – the news is out! What questions do you have for us? Any tips for being pregnant AND having a toddler? Or surviving life with two kids?

I’ll leave you with this- a photo from when FW was just a newborn. Wow- time flies and I can’t believe we will have another one here in must be few months!

9 Reasons Why 2016 Was Pretty Great

January 5, 2017January 2, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

ringing in the new year

2016 wasn’t that bad for us.

If you are anything like me and my friends, your Facebook feed has been full of reasons why 2016 was the worst year ever and people beyond ready to welcome in 2017. I even saw this trailer for a fake horror movie about the year:

And while not everything went as hoped in 2016, I can’t complain toooooo much. Why? Well, one big reason – FW. But 2016 was a pretty good year and when I was talking with B about how the year had gone, it was easy to come up with some reasons why. Here are 9 reasons*:
1. FW was born! FW was born in June of 2016, so the year can’t be considered all bad 😉

This was taken in the hospital when we were about to take him home!

2. I had a healthy, relatively easy pregnancy. I was pregnant for about half of 2016 and I was able to remain active, walking and running, throughout – and I am so grateful of that!

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A wedding a week or so before FW was born
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A morning walk the week FW was born

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5k race at 39 weeks pregnant

And yes, I had the same pose in all the above photos. There’s not much you can do with your arm when your belly sticks out so much!

3. B got a new job! While his commute is a little worse, he is so much happier at his new gig and I’m so proud of him for all he is accomplishing.

4. The Indians were in the World Series! No, we didn’t win. BUT I did get to go to a game in the ALDS AND Game 7 of the World Series and it was great.

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5. The Cavs became NBA World Champions and B and I got to celebrate – both the night of them winning (we went out and partied with all the other Cavs fans to celebrate) and then the parade, the day before FW was born. 20160619_230123(0)

6. Great travels. We kicked off the year with a trip to Mexico City (I can’t wait to go back with FW!), got in a trip to Boston for our 5 year anniversary and spent a weekend in Columbus after FW was born.

boston ❤

Mexico City!!

Columbus!

7. Great friends. I felt so much love this year from so many great friends. I had a wonderful baby shower with so many of my great friends in Cleveland, had another great year part of Ladies Craft Beer Society (I love these ladies!), and even was visited by some other great friends – my BFF Jane came and visited before FW was born and Katie and Caitlin visited shortly afterwards.

Me and Cuoghi – she threw me the best shower!

some of the Ladies Craft Beer Society at my baby shower.

Jane was excited to see me and touch the belly 🙂

girls night out with Katie and Caitlin!

8. I got to spend another year as a Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ambassador. I’m so grateful to represent the Cleveland Marathon and even though I was just about 9 months pregnant, I’m so glad I got to be part of the group again and run the 5k/10k Challenge Series.

Cari and I before the race! We both did the 10k

with my fellow ambassadors

9. We got a new car! I didn’t realize a new car could excite me so much, but I LOVE our Subaru so much. We got it over the summer and I am loving using it this winter!

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I know many of us are looking forward to having 2016 behind us – and while I had a great year, I’m pretty excited to see what 2017 has in store for us! I have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty eventful year.

Questions for you:

What’s something good that happened to you this year?
What are you looking forward to in 2017?

*yes, there are 9 reasons. Not 10. Why? Because 9 is a pretty awesome number, because I’m recovering from a sinus infection and that’s all my brain could handle and because I’m joining with the Thinking Out Loud linkup where there are NO RULES except write what’s on your mind!)

Friday Five: Ask a Mom! 5 Questions for The Last Mommy Blog

August 19, 2016August 16, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

My friend Reanna is a super mom.

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She is one of the first of my friends to have a baby, and she has been a source of so much inspiration and information as I’ve started this journey toward motherhood. She’s a great resource – she is going through all that I’m going through 6 months before I do and doing it and all with a smile and a great sense of humor (she’s super hilarious – check out her blog, The Last Mommy Blog). So when she asked if she could interview me for her blog, I was like – wait, why can’t I interview YOU? So, I’m partnering with her and sharing some advice, info, tips, etc. for moms. She has so much info to share that this will likely be a series of posts for the next few weeks.

Before we get started, here are 3 fun facts about Reanna:

She used to live in Cleveland but now lives on a farm south of the city. She moved into her grandparents’ house when her baby was just a few months old and is cleaning it out, renovating it and basically living in nature. This is so crazy and amazing to me – I’m scared/in awe of anything nature related and don’t know how to even fix a broken drawer.
She was the Lady who started Ladies’ Craft Beer Society. In case you haven’t read my posts about it, we meet once a month and drink a craft beer and do a craft. It’s been a great way for me to meet new friends with similar interests (drinking is an interest, right?) in CLE.
She wears many hats these days. She’s adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom AND is a part-time freelancer. And she also is a semi-successful gardener and may soon be a goat owner. That’s more hats than I own in real life! (which is why she froze her eggs…more on that [clickbait! but you know you wanna know!] here)

Okay, onto the pregnancy and parenting stuff. Here are 5 Q&A’s with Reanna – and check out her blog, where I answer some of these questions as well! This week, we’ll celebrate Friday and talk pregnancy and becoming a mom.

FRIDAY FIVE; PREGNANCY AND BECOMING A MOM

1. Has motherhood changed your perspective on the world in any way?

I feel so hard for all mothers and babies now. I have always thought our maternity leave policies (or lack thereof) in this country were unfair, but now I feel they’re downright cruel. I took The Baby to a restaurant when he was a few months old and our waitress told me she had a two-week old at home and I wanted to stuff piles of money in both her hands, scoop her up, drive her home and tuck her and her baby into bed. It is appalling to me that we are failing families in this way.

2. What was the worst advice you got while you were pregnant?

I have to also say, “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” I caught a few naps while The Husband was home from work, but as an anxious person it was almost always next to impossible for me to fall asleep on demand. It’s the advice equivalent of telling someone, “Don’t be scared,” or “Win the lottery.” You just don’t have as much control as that advice implies.

3. What was the hardest part of pregnancy for you?

Agonizing heartburn. It was so bad by the end of the second trimester I could barely eat until I started taking prescription heartburn medication, which I felt nervous about every time I took it because it was a Class B drug or something. That and my regrettable inability to quickly think of a good retort at 37 weeks when a male coworker asked me if I was dilated.

4. What surprised you about pregnancy?

I thought I would be really excited to tell people I was pregnant after I was far enough along I felt comfortable to. But I had a lot of anxiety around it. I’m not sure if it’s because I’d had a miscarriage the first time around, or because I was explaining my participation in human reproduction, or because it opened the doors for people to pay me lots of attention and ask me a lot of questions, but it didn’t feel as good to let people in on our secret as I thought it would. Except with my friends, I just wanted to carry on with life as usual.

5. Are you happy with your childbirth experience? Is there anything you wish would have gone differently?

I am so very grateful for my childbirth experience. The only major bummer was that it happened on Christmas Day. Not because it ruined that particular Christmas (not by any means!) but I know it’s going to make The Baby’s birthday rough for him, for his entire life.

There you have it – until next Friday, when there will likely be 5 more questions for The Last Mommy Blog.

Some questions for you:

What questions do you have for new moms?
Moms, how would you answer any of these questions?
YAY for Fridays!! What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Training Tuesday: 39 weeks pregnant workouts and a 5k

June 14, 2016June 12, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

It’s been a few weeks since my last Training Tuesday post and the reason is a good one – I’m not training for anything at the moment! I’m 39 weeks pregnant (eep!) and slowing down. I’m more tired, my body hurts after a simple run and well, it hurts DURING running. So what have I been up to?

At 39 weeks, I’m:

Trying to run 1-2 days a week. And by run I mean run/walk. I’ve tried to get in one outdoor “run” with B and then another day or two of a treadmill workout.

after a run with B

a treadmill selfie. See-I can still see my feet! Yay!

Using the elliptical 2-3 days a week. Taking it pretty easy on there, but still nice to be moving.
Walking 2-3 days a week. B has been great about getting up and walking with me before work some days and it’s been nice to spend time with him outside and not running.

Sometimes we stop and take photos on the walk

scenes from a walk with B

and selfies

BUT this past weekend I did my first race since the Cleveland Marathon Weekend 5k and 10k! B and I signed up for the Lifebanc Gift of Life Walk and Run, which was held this year as part of the Transplant Games of America.

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so sunny I have to squint before the race

It was a HOT race – 80 degrees when we started and barely any shade on the course. And with pregnancy heat, that’s probably equivalent to 90+ degrees – my body is a furnace when I work out these days! I wasn’t sure how I’d feel during it, and I wasn’t planning on racing it- really just trying to enjoy it and support the good cause – and I’m proud to say I only stopped twice and that was for water. So my plans to walk/run were achieved and I mostly “ran”! The race itself wasn’t bad – the course was kind of boring, but I was grateful for the flat terrain and the fact that there were plenty of people running. And knowing that I was running with thousands of organ, eye and tissue transplant survivors, their families and donor families, made it all more worthwhile. One of my clients is Donate Life Ohio and donation and transplantation is a cause that I care about.

a sweaty post-race pic

I’m sure this is the last race I’ll be running until Baby C arrives. With a week (or who knows really) to go until his/her official arrival, I think I’ll be taking these last few days easy and trying to stay comfortable (with a watermelon in my belly it’s a little harder these days), keep my feet and back from hurting and just enjoy the last days of being pregnant!

Questions for you:

How hot is too hot for you to run?
What was the last race you ran?
If you are/were pregnant – when did you stop working out or running?

JUNE is here.

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

You guys. June is here. JUNE IS HERE. I know you know that – but this is a BIG DEAL in our household this year because it means that the BABY MONTH arrives is here. Baby C is due in June! Guess we’d better get our act together, huh?

Anyway, this weekend flew by. Guess when you are used to three-day weekends they’ll do that, huh? I really enjoyed it though – it was a great mix of hanging out with B (it’s only a few more days/weeks/who knows that it’s just the two of us!), seeing friends and getting baby ready.

Friday night we started with a date night – dinner at the Flying Fig. Started with their special toast and it was GREAT – cheese, mushrooms, onions and pea shoots.

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And I got the soft-shelled crab for dinner. We(surprisingly) didn’t get dessert – both of us were too full! We took a walk after dinner and enjoyed the warm evening. 20160603_191947

And we stumbled across the new Forest City Brewery! We of course had to stop in for a beer (not for me..soon!!). It was a cool place – they had a huge outdoor patio/beer garden area and it wasn’t that crowded (at last yet).

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Saturday morning B and I took a walk around downtown again because it was another nice morning and not too hot. We always seem to end up in the Flats – its so nice to be able to walk around downtown and enjoy the sunny weather! 20160604_113125

And then we got breakfast at Restore. It had been too long since I’d been there and I got an amazing dragonfruit bowl!

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Then we headed to the east side. I had plans to take a walk with Nicole (my former downtown running buddy) and I can’t believe I didn’t snap a photo of us on our walk. Oh well. Instead, here is part of Nicole’s garden.

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Then it was time for our Ladies Craft Beer Society! As usual, a great spread: 20160604_154315

And here are some of the ladies crafting.

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We made monograms with succulents. My C came out pretty good, huh?

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That night, B and I had plans to go on another date night but ended up unexpectedly having to babysit our niece and nephew last minutes. So plans then included takeout pizza .. 20160604_195844

Drawing and some board games. I ended up winning this one – beginners’ luck I guess? The game was called the African Star (my sister-in-law is Finnish, thus the Finnish game board). 20160604_203337

Sunday brought a day of errands and a little bit of work catchup. So not that many exciting pictures – BUT I did manage to find an “expectant mother” parking spot for the first time in my pregnancy! I was pretty pumped to park here, especially since it started down pouring right when I got to the store.

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And of course, Sunday dinner with B’s family to round up the weekend. A nice summery meal of chicken, burgers, dogs, fruit salad, corn salad, beans, salad .. yum!

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And of course ended with ice cream sundaes 🙂 No pic but imagine the goodness.

Some questions for you:

What’s your go-to babysitting food? What did you have growing up with a babysitter AND/OR what do you get when you babysit people? almost always pizza! or when i was growing up i could choose a fast food item.
What are you most looking forward to for the month of June?

I’m linking up today with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

My first prenatal massage

June 2, 2016May 29, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I’ve been a little busy/stressed/crazy lately. Between a few things that have happened at work, to some board activities, to this whole baby thing (wait what? do I need to do something for this baby?), I’ve felt like life has been a little crazier than usual. And I definitely don’t want that right now.

SO when I got a message from Massage Heights about trying out a complimentary service and getting the opportunity to RELAX, I jumped at the chance. Prenatal massage? YES PLEASE.

somecardmassage

Let me be the first to acknowledge that I’m not a regular massage person. The last time I had a massage was on vacation, when B booked us a couples’ massage in Costa Rica. It was incredible – I don’t know WHY I haven’t had one since!

And then I became pregnant. And heard from a friend that prenatal massages are overrated. But I don’t know why, and I had to try one for myself.

So, what does a prenatal massage entail? Here’s a little about my experience at Massage Heights in Crocker Park.

I arrived 15 minutes early to fill out some paperwork and meet my therapist. She explained to me how a prenatal massage is a little different than a traditional massage. The main differences she told me were –

You lie on your side next to a body pillow – you’re not on your back or stomach
There is no aromatherapy – so you don’t have any triggering smells
They don’t apply as much pressure as a traditional massage.

I admit that I was a little worried about the less than normal pressure. After all, I’m pregnant and my back and feet hurt! And I’m still running a few days a week, and my legs get sore. What good is a massage without pressure?

3rdtrimester

I had no need to be worried. The massage was great! I was told to lie on my left side holding a large giant body pillow. They started with my head massage, which was of course amazing. I love having my scalp rubbed, and this was a great. Then onto my arms and hands. I had no idea that a hand massage could feel so good! I guess holding my phone and typing all day makes my hand tense.

And then onto my back, legs and feet. Out of these, my feet felt the best. She asked me how the pressure was and I told her I could use some more on my back – but it was still a little light for my preference. It still felt AMAZING and I nearly fell asleep a few times, it was so relaxing!

Then she had me roll over to my right side and she did everything again. The hour went by WAY too fast!

this is what the bed looks like – you can see the body pillow under the blanket and sheet

I’m SO glad I jumped at the chance to get the massage. The experience was so easy, and even for a first-time prenatal massager like me, I felt comfortable and great the entire time. 20160528_121600

When I was leaving, the Retreat Director shared with me some details about the membership – if you want to go on more of an ongoing basis, Massage Heights offers membership programs so that you pay a monthly fee and get a monthly massage or other service, along with discounts on anything above and beyond you want during the month. An introductory 1-hour massage is only $49.99 if you want to try it out first – and even though I went to the Crocker Park location, there are three Cleveland locations. I definitely need to look into returning after Baby C is born – I know I’ll need some relaxation time AND when I get back into running more often again, I will definitely enjoy getting my legs massaged!

I hope this relaxed feeling lasts another 4 weeks!

Some questions for you:

Have you ever had a massage? What did you think?
How do you relax when you’re stressed?

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary one-hour prenatal massage from Massage Heights. All views, as always, are my own.

Thinking Out Loud: What I WON’T Miss About Being Pregnant

May 12, 2016May 12, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

I’m due with our first child in one month. I can’t believe it – in just over a month (or who knows when), I will have to care for another human being. It’s intimidating, and I’m by no means ready at all.

I’ve been lucky, my pregnancy has been pretty easy. Despite being high risk and having the “normal” pregnancy issues, I’ve been blessed (KNOCK ON WOOD) with a great past few months. In fact, I even made a list of the things I will miss about being pregnant- here…who does that?! BUT there are a few things I’m looking forward to about not being pregnant anymore.

Running. I know it’s not going to happen overnight (yes, I know I have to recover from giving birth) – but I can’t wait until I can go for an easy run again that’s actually easy – I don’t feel like like I have to pee the entire time, it’s not hard to breathe, my body doesn’t hurt the entire time (and then for days afterwards) and I’m not paranoid about falling. Oh, and I don’t feel super full. I’ve been trying to keep up running for nearly this entire pregnancy, and although I’m still keeping up the miles, it has NOT been easy.

I’m smiling in the first shot because I’m NOT running.

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People commenting on my body: I know I said that most people are super nice and accommodating when you’re pregnant. But there are also the people who the second you become pregnant suddenly feel like your body/looks/weight is an acceptable topic of conversation. While it would never be okay to tell the person next to you in the store that they are huge and do they really need three different types of nut butter (UM YES OBVIOUSLY), for some reason, if you’re pregnant, it is perfectly acceptable. “Are you SURE you’re not due until June?” “Whoa, this baby is really happening, I guess!” “How much weight have you gained?” “Are you really going to get bigger?” “Wow, you’ve really … grown … overnight!” And these are all comments I’ve gotten from people I know. It’s funny that pregnancy makes people somehow forgot that it’s MY body and I don’t need to be reminded that I have a cantaloupe living inside of me.

Food and drink: Yes, I said it. I miss drinking. I miss everything about it. From having a glass of red wine with a good homemade Italian meal (that may include some uncooked pepperoni to snack on), to having a few drinks with friends, to sitting on the patio with beers, to even a Bud Light Lime in the summer (#dontjudge). I miss it all. Also, I started a list of foods I can not WAIT to enjoy, guiltlessly. Sushi. Unpasteurized soft cheeses. A good Italian sub with all the meats and cheeses. Smoothies. Soft-serve. Kombucha. The list goes on and on. While I haven’t 100% stuck to the “do not eat” list (raw honey lover 4 life), I’ve been pretty good and I can’t wait until I have a meal with all of the above. Yes, someone please bring me some epoisses, sushi, runny eggs, kombucha and fro yo the second I am able to eat it all again.

My skin: OMG who are those people that are GLOWING when they are pregnant? It is NOT me. Unless by glowing you mean super greasy? I swear, since finding out I was pregnant, my face has returned to its puberty days – but worse. The bright side? I guess I’ve gotten better about learning how to wear makeup, something I’ve never really understood how to do before. It’s out of necessity.

Exhaustion and sleepless nights: So I’ve heard that after you have a baby you also get little sleep? So this may not go away … but I will not miss the third trimester fatigue, which sometimes hits me around 3 p.m. (which is also when my backaches start from sitting in an uncomfortable chair all day with scoliosis AND a squash in my belly… sorry coworkers if I’m a crooked zombie at our 4 p.m. meetings) and then makes me helpless for the rest of the day (this is why I need 4 nut butters – hellllllo peanut butter and crackers for dinner!) but then I somehow can’t get comfortable enough to sleep at night. Let’s just say by Thursday I’m pretty much useless until I get to rest up over the weekend. And yes, I’m editing this post at 2 a.m. because I am having one of those said sleepless nights, so today is going to be rough.

And in about a month, I know all be worth it (right mommas???) but some days it is just hard!

Want the other side of the story? I also wrote about what I’ll miss about being pregnant, here..

Joining up again today with the Thinking Out Loud linkup.

Thinking Out Loud: What I’ll Miss About Being Pregnant

May 5, 2016April 27, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 16 Comments

I’m just beyond 8 months pregnant. According to various sources, my baby is anywhere between the size of a pineapple, a jicama, a squash, a papaya or even a pineapple upside down cake.

See doesn’t it look like there’s a squash in there?

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According to some sources, I am having trouble sleeping, feeling mood swings, bloating, out of breath, heartburn, leg cramps and more pleasures. It’s beginning to be patio happy hour season and I’m still delegated to designated driver. And it’s finally getting nice enough to run outside, but I can barely make it a mile without having to stop and catch my breathe, hold my belly, etc. So when a few weeks ago, while hanging out with some great new mom friends and one of them asked the others if they were missing being pregnant, it made me pause to think about it. Would I miss pregnancy?

I actually really can’t complain. I’m still enjoying being pregnant. I’m overall feeling pretty good. I’m still keeping up with running (somewhat) and can’t believe how close we are to meeting our baby! So, what are some things I will miss about being pregnant?

The kindness of strangers: Random people are so much nicer when they see a pregnant woman. People who never said hi to me before are stopping to say hi at the grocery store. Valet workers on the streets (who aren’t serving me), stop to ask me how I’m doing. While waiting to cross the street, random people smile and nod their head at me. I have no idea why, but there’s something about a pregnant person that makes people happy and kind!

The way I feel about my body: It may be hard to believe that with a giant belly and other random body changes that I feel really good about my body these days, but I do. No, I’m not looking in the mirror going “Damn girl, you look hot” on a daily basis, but I’m so impressed with my body these days that it’s empowering. Just knowing what it’s doing – growing and keeping another human being alive – is enough to make me feel proud.

New clothes: I’m lucky enough to have had 3 friends who gave birth within the past 6 months and a sister-in-law with 2 kids and therefore I have been given maternity clothes to borrow from ALL of them.This means that not only have I not had to buy more than a few maternity essentials, but also, I’ve been given a whole new temporary wardrobe. Are they all things I would buy/pick out for myself? Not at all – but that’s what makes it even more fun; I’m getting to try out new styles, looks and fashions and it’s fun!

(sample clothes)

never saw myself as a leggings/long shirt person. until now!

not my dress – but love it!

i don’t do body hugging formal attire…but when pregnant…

The way friends/family cut you some slack: Don’t feel like staying out until all hours? Blame it on the pregnancy. More tired or irritable than usual? Blame it on the pregnancy. Need a late night ice cream treat? Blame it on the pregnancy. For the most part, my family and friends are being more lenient with me. I haven’t wanted to cook dinner more than once a week, and B understands. While writing this post, the dinner I’m eating is a combination of some carrots, peanut butter, pretzels and chocolate chips. Is this a regular occurrence? No … but at least B understands!

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The kicks/movement: Before being pregnant I used to think that it was SO WEIRD to see or feel a pregnant woman’s belly move. It was like an alien and creeped me out. But now, I love it. I love feeling our baby move inside of me- even when it’s semi-uncomfortable. I don’t know how to explain it, but I have a strange love for this being I’ve never even met before, and feeling it move makes me only love it more.

Feeling like I can get away with odd behavior: Pregnancy brain may actually be a real thing. The other morning, before even going to work, I had nearly microwaved my wallet, washed/dried my lunch, and nearly brushed my teeth with B’s comb. It wasn’t pretty. Is it the lack of sleep? Maybe. The million things going on in my brain? Perhaps. But at least – for the most part – people have been understanding and excuse my stranger than typical behavior.

This morning, I’ve tried to microwave my wallet, put lunch in the dryer & toothpaste on a comb.

Starting to think pregnancy brain is real.

— Melissa Koski Carney (@koskim) April 14, 2016

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Don’t worry – I’m not going to blab all about being pregnant non-stop from now on. I’ve held off this long! I may have another post coming, however, about the things I WON’T miss about being pregnant, because face it – despite all of the above, there are some things that aren’t pretty!

Joining up again today with the Thinking Out Loud linkup.

Thinking Out Loud: 6 Months Pregnant Musings

March 10, 2016March 3, 2016 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

This is the first time I’ve participated in the Thinking Out Loud linkup, and I’m pretty sure there’s no better way to join in than to talk pregnancy. Yes, sorry – my blog is becoming a baking, running, cooking, pregnancy blog. And this is a pregnancy post – so if you don’t care, please don’t read on.

As this is my first pregnancy, I’ve been very in tune to the way other people act, as well as the way I feel. And since Thinking Out Loud is the place for random thoughts (yay!), here are mine. And yes, I realize how cliche this post is going to be – but I DARE you to say so (warning: pregnancy hormones!):

Some people are extra nice to you when they find out you’re pregnant. This has happened to me several times. Case in point- I was at a hotel checking in and the lady behind the counter was pretty rude and not answering any of my questions. When she came around the counter to do something and saw my giant belly, she immediately changed her mood and started talking to me about her kids, motherhood, etc. It was as if a light has switched!

Ok maybe not THAT nice …

Some people love commenting about your belly. Like telling you when it looks bigger some days, that you’ve “really popped” and of course that they knew you were pregnant “because of the bump.” And suddenly feel free to ask about my weight. Yes, I know I look bigger some days. Yes, I feel like I’ve popped. But I also felt that way when I wasn’t pregnant (don’t we all have those bigger days?) and you likely do too – but I am NOT going to comment on your belly!

Everyday activities are just a little bit harder. I’m out of breath walking up hills. I get out of breath trying to talk too fast (which I do quite often anyway). Bending down to put on my shoes has started getting harder (and I know it’s going to get worse!). Oh, and I have pregnancy hormones which make me frustrated easily.

I’m extremely hungry and then extremely full at nearly the same time. I swear, some moments I’m ravenous and I can eat everything and anything. And I do. And then I regret it because I’m fuller than I’ve ever been and have trouble breathing because I’m so stuffed. PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who has felt this way?

Everyone wants to know if you’re having a boy or a girl. And they’re either EXTREMELY happy you’re waiting to find out, or EXTREMELY surprised/peeved/in disbelief, etc. There really is no middle ground. People are either Team Surprise or Team OmgIcan’tBelieveYoureNotFindingOut

When you meet another pregnant person, it’s like you have your own little club and immediately bond. While pregnancy is different for everyone, there’s something amazing about meeting someone else in the same boat and knowing you immediately have something in common. It’s fun to hear how she’s feeling, how far along she is, cravings, etc. And you immediately talk as if you’re the only two in the world that have this crazy thing going on – when of course, there are millions of other people out there going through the same thing.

It’s very easy to forget I’m pregnant. Despite the bump, the tiredness, breathlessness and people’s comments, there are times I forget that I’m literally growing a human inside of me. I’ll think about grabbing a drink with friends, or the next half marathon I’m going to sign up for – and then boom – I remember. There’s a baby inside of me! And I can’t help but smile 🙂

Thanks for Running with Spoons for hosting this great linkup and helping me get some of this out there! Some questions for you:

Pregnant (current or former) people – what else would you add?
Non-pregnant people (if you’re still reading) – have you noticed you’re nicer to pregnant people sometimes? I never noticed this before I was pregnant.

And leaving you with this … because .. why not. A girl can dream!