Pregnancy and classes

This week I am studying. From Sunday until Monday, I am taking a class.
I registered in August, before knowing I will be pregnant by now. I don't think knowing would have changed my choice of taking the class. The only thing that surprised me is that the class is around 150 km away from home (approximately 2 hours by train), in a beautiful mountain resort. I'm not happy to be away from my family, but it is a welcome pause from my daily routine. I miss going to gym the most (my husband would loooove to hear this).
What I discovered about my new pregnant self is that I find it very tiring to be here and to pay attention to class 8 hours per day, every day, including Saturday and Sunday! Am I getting too old for learning in an academic environment? Or is it the pregnancy that gets in the way? I hope it's the latter! And I hope I will go back to being my normal, attentive and active self soon after the birth of my baby.

Pregnancy and music

In these happy times, I feel the urge to listen to classical music. But not exclusively! I also love to listen to my favorites, the "normal" music. The music that, together with the books I've read and the movies I've seen made a big part of the person I am today. I still listen happily to Bon Jovi, Take That, Oasis, Metallica and many many others. I also like some of the new young bands, such as The 1975 or Bastille. But what I have learned in the last few years is the joy of "discovering" new bands or songs (new to me,obvious). Such as Arctic Monkeys. Such as Chvrches. And many many others that bring me joy with their creations.

How wonderful is it to bring happiness and joy to people who will most likely never meet you? How amazing is it that an artist from England, USA or any other country in the world has reached me, a housewife and mom-to-be from East Europe?

I have an absolute respect for singers. I am totally unable to carry a tune, my husband always makes fun of me saying that he's going to be the one who sings to the baby. According to him I will be the one reading stories and doing other things, but I must never sing because that would most likely make the child cry instead of helping her fall asleep faster.

Pregnant guest

Ever since I am pregnant, everybody goes to a lot of trouble just to offer me "goodies" when I visit. I suppose it's the way people are happy to please a pregnant woman. Since we (pregnant ladies in general and yours truly in particular) are known to be moody and to have big appetites, the host is always pleased to stuff me as if I am a turkey. But I don't appreciate these "goodies" most of the time.
I just want to settle one thing: in my country the meaning of "goodies". It refers mostly to sweets. Sugary sweets sometimes baked, but other times boiled in hot oil. So this concept is about sugar, flour and oil. I think this is one of the worst food mix possible. I refuse mostly, but from time to time, in order to protect their feelings, I must accept... And I eat this kind of "goodies". Should I just say "No, thank you"? I think so, but I don't want to offend every woman who asks me to visit.
I will think about maybe finding a better way to say "no". A smarter way!

Pregnancy, unemployment and money

Believe it or not, I have always been the professional. The one earning her own money, never waiting for someone to "take care" of me. One of my friends (housewife and mother of two beautiful and healthy boys) used to tell me: 

"This job won't bring you the joys a baby would. It only brings you the monthly pay."

Yes, it was true. I understood it best when the company's management decided to downsize and let me go. What ugly and meaningless words: let me go. I had successful projects and good numbers in negotiations. Yes, I took pride in doing my job. And what? Did any of these matter at the end of the day? I can't say they did. Actually these only got me fired faster.

So now, almost half a year later, here I am: jobless and pregnant. Depending 100% on my husband. 

I find this incredibly difficult. I'm not used to explaining my expenses. I don't spend too much nor do I spend recklessly. But still I hate when I have to explain. It breaks my heart and my spirit. 

So this is what I plan on doing: I have some projects and I earn some money, I also have some money saved. But I'd rather keep it for "after the birth".And "until the birth" I will work harder and take on more projects. This is my November 19th's Resolution! Why should we only have New Year's Resolutions?! I will go with this November 19th! It sounds good and looks good. And you know why? Well, it's because this baby is truly the most important project in my life so far. No work project or employer will ever be more important than this. Plus, a mother is unique, all the other numbers in our lives are flexible, except this. So my responsibility is huge, but so is the payback. I can't wait to meet my baby! I have until May and then I will see her, hold her, feed her, play with her and all the bad will go away. There is only room for good in my life, so I am working on getting things done and having it all ready in May 2015.

Dry skin and pregnancy

Everybody warns me about the toll pregnancy will take on my skin. I don't really worry about this. My skin has always been horribly dry and full of stretch marks. So please don't worry about my skin! Ever since elementary school, I've always had stretch marks. Everywhere. Because I grew too fast and my skin was not elastic nor flexible enough to accommodate my new dimensions. During the summer holidays I became the tallest, biggest and "breastyest" girl in my class. So other than my stretch marks, I also got a bad case of shyness. Which caused my back to curve a little, making me first of all smaller (I felt smaller, so it must have worked) and it helped hide my two new signs of womanhood.
Luckily, my mother saved me then from a life of low self-esteem. This resulted also in my back going from curved to straight. The only things that stuck ever since that summer are my stretch marks. They are part of who I am. So I am not afraid that the pregnancy will ruin my beautiful skin. I have my morning and evening routine when I cover my body in coconut oil, sweet almond oil or extra-virgin olive oil. My skin being extra-dry, the oil goes in fast and I am ready to get dressed in a few minutes.
There is this thing about being pregnant in winter. My friends who were pregnant during summer said it is better in winter. That's because I won't sweat embarrassingly. But I have to worry about catching a cold or stumbling and falling on ice or snow.
So no matter the time of the year, there are always good parts and bad parts. Just as everything in life.

How to be mother?

I started this blog a little while ago, shortly after finding out I am pregnant. It is a time of big and unexpected changes for me and I feel the need to share this experience. I don't know if it's the usual reaction, but this is my feeling and I go with it, writing here. I am also reading a lot about all that pregnancy means, but I feel this inexplicable need to document this time of my life.
Is it strange? I don't really care. I go with my feeling and I will do my best to explain everything and maybe to be of help to someone who is going through this and needs something and someone to relate to.
For instance, I started to face a problem I didn't have before: my gums are bleeding when brushing my teeth. It is not painful, but disturbing since the bleeding doesn't stop fast, but it eventually stops by itself. The first time it happened I was a little scared, so I looked it up on internet :) They say that 50-100% of the pregnant women have this gum problem. None of my friends nor my mother faced this. So, again, I am alone with the internet and my doctor. Apparently, I am among the lucky ones. For some it brings complications that require special medical attention. For me, until now, there is nothing dramatic. As advised, I will go on brushing my teeth twice a day, I use dental floss as usual, ignoring the bleeding. Keeping my teeth clean is the most important.

Me, myself and Eliza Graves

The first thing I feel like saying about this film is: this is more my kind of film than Interstellar. No mankind coming to an end, no far-fetched theories about deep space travelling, no family drama. In short, life as I know it would not have ended whatever the outcome of the events going on at Stonehearst Asylum.
I will not spoil the film for you. I liked it and I hope everybody will see it just as I have seen it, with curiosity and interest, looking forward to what's next.
It reminded me of another film with the story set in an asylum, both movies having Ben Kingsley playing a psychiatrist. I'm talking about Shutter Island. Yet, I must admit, I liked Shutter Island more. Shutter Island made me want to rent the DVD and go home and watch it again that same evening. I found it unbelievable. Of course, Martin Scorsese.
Bottom line, I believe Stonehearst Asylum to be a little too revealing, but still exciting and full of strange and interesting details. While it has not much to do with the original Edgar Allan Poe story, this film does show in all its horror and inhumanity the way patients diagnosed with mental illness were treated in the past.
It is a creepy and even scary (to a certain extent) film, with interesting developments, suspense and... a love story!

Cooking and pregnancy

I was never much of a housewife, I used to cook only the food that I loved and never compromise on this. My husband is a very good cook. Not very patient nor organized, but a very good cook. So he has always cooked for us both, while I only did it once or twice a week. My specialty were sweets.
Since I became a vegetarian, I started cooking more often. And now, that I am pregnant, I am cooking more than ever. Sometimes the smell chases me away from the kitchen, but I return in a few minutes, with fresh appetite and trying to ignore the disturbing smell.
I cook vegetables mostly, fish sometimes and never meat. And I always listen to my new favourite music while cooking.
Today I made prawns in butter with garlic. I know that, during my pregnancy, I can't have seafood often, but I only had them three times in these three months. So I think it is reasonable. In terms of music, today Vivaldi was my best friend.
Tomorrow I plan on cooking. Actually, on Friday I have guests so I should make something nice. I haven't decided yet what to cook, but definitely NO SWEETS. My doctor told me to take it easy with white bread and sugar. So if I feel like making something sweet, I will try some new raw vegan cake. I have discovered raw vegan sweets last year and I have to say I think they are genius! So sweet, so good and so healthy!
I will decide what to prepare and let you know in time since you are on the guest list, of course! :)

Interstellar evening

My husband took me yesterday to Interstellar, the new film with Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. First, I want to state that I don't particularly like McConaughey. I like some of his films such as Two for the Money or Frailty, but what went wrong when he made The Wedding Planner or Failure to Launch? The only explanation I found for rather good actors making bad films: he had to pay his long overdue rent and, when offered a bad script he said to himself: "This film is horribly bad, but I'll do it for the money" (I won't bring up the much praised Dallas Buyers Club).
So let's go back to Interstellar. I liked it. It made me laugh, it made me cry and stirred a little my new found feeling of motherhood. Wouldn't it be great to be able to set the percentage of honesty and sense of humor for the ones around us? So if and when you have the chance, I think it is worth seeing. It's not in my top10, but it's not bad at all. It must be the Christopher Nolan blessing.
PS: I would have preferred seeing Eliza Graves (or Stonehearst Asylum) because I love both Jim Sturgess and Kate Beckinsale. Plus who doesn't love an Edgar Allan Poe story? I plan on seeing it next week.

Pregnancy and daily routine

I had company yesterday. Three friends came by. I offered them tomato soup and cauliflower soufle. The soup is too easy to make, but the soufle... Also easy to make, only that it was the first time I cooked it. So I was a little afraid of the outcome. But it turned out to be PERFECT! Yes, if I may say so myself, I did a great job with the soufle :)
So is this what mommy life will be for me? At least the few years of my new baby's life? Is it all going to be cooking and cleaning and attending to the baby's needs? Visits from my mommy friends? Or future mommies? But what about vacations? What about concerts and theaters and weekend get-aways? Will the baby take all my time? Will I refuse to do anything without her? This is what my wiser friends tell me: once you see that you have created life, you won't need any other entertainment. I really wonder sometimes. But most of the time I just look forward to meeting my baby. I pray for her health and ours. I feel, at this moment, health is the only important thing.
So, come what may, I look forward to all of it!

Pregnancy and pets

This is a very subjective and delicate issue. Every mother (or mother-to-be) has her personal point of view on this. If you have a dog, you are sure that the worst thing would be having a cat. If you have a cat, you can swear that a dog is the worst pet possible.
Well, I have a guinea pig called Caesar. He is a blonde Sheltie, always hungry and extremely talkative. I have asked my doctor about him and she told me that I should be careful in terms of cleaning the cage and being too close to him. But otherwise, having him around the house is not forbidden nor is it dangerous to the baby.
So, I don't know about other pets, but I am sure that having the cute blonde Caesar in my life is making my days more beautiful and a lot happier.
Plus that having him around, means that I always have in my fridge fresh salad and greens which come in extermely handy with my pregnancy diet.

Vitamins and nuts

Thanks to perfect blood tests, I was not required to take vitamins while pregnant. Except for the folic acid. So I eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible, once a week I eat fish and every other day I have yogurt with oat flakes and dried fruits. Also, I like eggs, so I have eggs a few times per week. And nuts every day. Must be why sometimes I feel nutty :)
I have a friend who only ate sweets all 9 months. She gained only 7 kilos (my doctor told me it is reasonable for me to gain 12 kilos) but even if the mommy was a little under-weight, her daughter was almost 3 kilos, healthy and beautiful. So my plan is to eat whatever I like, not to allow old ladies in my family try to force meat or anything on me. I will eat what I want, as long as I feel good and my baby develops normally.
About my going to gym, I also had very interesting advice from "experienced" moms. Apparently, going to gym is bad for me. For me? But my doctor and my trainer said I can go on as I plan, with moderate exercise, not overdoing it, but keeping it nice and relaxing. I was exercising prior to pregnancy, why should I stop now?
So, I will only follow the signs my body gives me: if I feel tired, I slow down or stop. I won't try to break any pre-pregnancy records. I will not overwork my joints, I have heard that I will become more flexible, but I don't plan on acquiring a handsome injury while pregnant.
I am monitoring my blood pressure and my blood sugar two times per week and everything is perfect!
Apparently moms who work out during pregnancy have shorter labors. Plus that it keeps me in a good shape both physically and psychologically! So, as long as sports keep me happy and healthy, I can only see a win-win for both my baby and myself.
So I need to filter the advice I get since apparently the only good advice will come from my doctor.

Blood tests and classical music

My doctor told me that, being older than 30, there are some "special" blood tests I have to make in order to make sure I have a healthy baby. I started worrying. I know that my worrying is definitely not good for my baby, but I can't help it 100%. Mostly, I am happy and relaxed, but there are a few moments when I see someone while taking a walk or when I find a character in a story... I know that I can only pray and hope for the best. But sometimes I have these moments of panic. They pass really fast and happy thoughts of my baby and the joy she will bring me are washing over me and taking away all the stress.
We are working on deciding how to arrange the baby's room. Of course, we have different opinions. But at least we have peaceful conversations, we draw plans and all negotiations are on loving terms. We used to be on fire, both of us. No argument went without each of us trying to force his/her opinion on the other. Maybe this is part of the "magic" this baby brings to our family.
Lately, I have noticed that classical music is soothing and I find it not only easy to fall asleep to (Hihihi!) but also nice to listen to while driving or cleaning. Classical music is blissful! But not all classical music, some of Brahms wakes me up no matter if I am sleeping at the time or not. So "relaxing/soothing" depends on the mommy's taste or mood.