Thankful Thursday - Birthing Class & Bob/Rob

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. as I mentioned, I no longer have the "linkytools" but I invite you to share your thankful blog in the comments section. Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I'm thankful for Chik-fil-A. They have a spicy chicken wrap that tastes like heaven...and I happened to have for dinner last night! It comes with a spicy ranch dressing, which I don't use, but instead I used their buffalo sauce on it, and MAN is it good! I highly recommend you give this tasty treat a try.

I'm thankful for birthing classes. Last night we had the first of 4, 2.5-hour birthing classes through our hospital. In just the first class I feel like I learned a lot and am so glad that we did it. It's a great way to learn what to expect and what all the tips and tricks are. I will say, it makes me REALLY eager to have our little nugget in our arms!

I'm thankful for activity. I am currently 27 weeks pregnant and I'm so thankful that I'm still able to work out and be active. I know I've mentioned this before, but I am just so thankful for this that I foresee it creeping onto my Thankful Thursday list a few more times before the end of the pregnancy. I have been able to maintain my same exercise routine and even up it a bit since getting pregnant, and I'm feeling great. It really helps me feel like a human and like I haven't totally fallen out of shape as a result of the pregnancy.

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for Bob, the new spin class instructor. Our regular Tues/Thur teacher will be gone for the next ten weeks as she works on a different certification, so a new guy, Bob, is filling in for her. Bob is a very quirky guy and opened up the first class by rapping for a full two minutes. And this coming from a lanky, white, spin dude was quite interesting. Apart from that, he's a great instructor. His coaching style really gets me going and there's just something about the way he teaches that allows me to get to my max (and stay there) more than with other instructors. I'm really looking forward to the next 10 weeks of spin class with Bob.

I'm thankful for Rob. Rob is my neighbor who helped me out with all of my home projects this weekend. I wasn't really interested in doing things around the house when I was younger, so I really didn't learn your everyday fix-it tips. Rob is a great teacher and really brings out the handyman inside of me. Luckily he's very patient and doesn't roll his eyes at all of my stupid questions. He had to explain to me several times this weekend exactly how electricity is grounded and what completes "the loop". Each and every time he did it with a smile on his face.

I'm thankful for our new birthing classes. I've never been one of those "sit in a class and learn" type of guys, but I've always loved learning a little bit about everything.This birthing course is a nice overview of the whole process from third-trimester of pregnancy to your first couple of weeks home with the baby. We've already learned some valuable tips and I can rest assured that we'll learn many more!

So, what are you thankful for today?

Learning the Ropes of Pregnancy

As many of you read last week, we're pregnant! And as you can imagine, we're thrilled. We currently are the proud parents of 1 or 2 (we find out in a few weeks) little "poppy seeds". It's so crazy how much I can love something so tiny! I feel completely fine still. No morning sickness (think that doesn't kick in for another week or two). I'm still bloated from the egg retrieval and transfer, but my tummy has gone down quite a bit. I am feeling pretty tired, but who knows if that is from being pregnant, or sleeping on a cot in a hospital room. I've been pretty hungry (not unusual for me in general though). I've been burping more? Not sure if that's actually from anything...just an observation.

I am doing everything I can do get educated. I've started reading anything and everything about pregnancy - including, but not limited to, what's happening in my body, what's happening with our baby(ies), how much exercise I can do, what kinds of exercise, what to eat, what to avoid, you name it. And let me tell you, my head is spinning. I am so nervous that I'll blow it by doing something wrong, eating something wrong, using a product that is wrong, yadda yadda yadda! Every time I go to eat something, use something (like lotion) or do something (like work out), I first google if I'm allowed to eat, use, or do whatever it is. (Anyone have any helpful hints of how they navigated this period in their lives...does it get easier or will I be a paranoid, psycho forever?)

I thought I'd take today's blog to share some interesting findings - ones that have shocked me the most:

1. TOBI - Ronnie's on TOBI this month. And you all know, when you use TOBI, it seems to fill the room with a thick haze. I sat next to him while he was puffing away, and then lightbulb, "I wonder if this is ok for ME to breath in...second hand smoke is bad, what about second hand TOBI?" So I googled it. GULP. A bunch of articles warning pregnant woman about taking TOBI, harmful to fetus, heating loss caused in utero. UMMMM EXCUSE ME. That freaked me out so bad I now banish myself from the room when Ronnie's is doing TOBI. Who knows what it can do second hand, but I'm not taking that chance.

2. Tea - Not all caffeine free tea is safe to drink? What? How does anyone know this stuff? I have now just stopped drinking tea altogether because I can't keep all the hot drinks straight, and I can't even enjoy it as my brain questions if it's causing harm or not.

3. Albuterol - After I read about TOBI, I started googling Ronnie's meds like crazy. Albuterol, in animals, was shown to cause birth defects to babies apparently?! Again, who knows if second hand it even matters, but NO THANKS. Looks like treatment will not be spent together for the next 9 months. I will say though, the Albuterol at least doesn't fill the whole room with a cloud of it's baby harming effects (probably a little dramatic!).

4. Deli Meat - "MMM a sandwich sounds good." I thought last week while trying to decide what to have for dinner. Google. Ok, no sandwiches? Looks like deli meat isn't recommended (I've read mixed feelings on if it's deli meat in general, or if just deli meat that you don't heat WAY up isn't good). Regardless, I'll stay away from deli meat! Goodbye Subway - we will meet again in 9 months.

5. Exercise - Exercise is good. Not so much of a novel fact. But I'm trying to wrap my head around, so I keep trying to read more articles. I am still nervous that someone I will shake the baby(ies) out of me (sounds stupid even typing it). I am nervous that somehow I'll cause myself to miscarry. But I have read a ton, and it looks like by all accounts, unless you're a high-risk pregnancy, that exercise is actually advantageous. So I've gotten back into the exercise saddle (slowly). I still have to be careful, since I still have bloating, it's likely that my ovaries are still swollen from the egg retrieval, and they tell you to take it easy, or you could get ovary torsion (unlikely, but not good). I have started walking daily, and we got an exercise bike in Ronnie's room (hospital provides them), so I've been riding that quite a bit. It feels good to be back in the exercise saddle after not doing anything for 4 weeks (ever since I've started the stim. meds I couldn't exercise).

So there you have it. There are some of my findings over the last week. I will say this though, while it's a little overwhelming trying to learn what I can and can't put into my body for the next 10 months, I couldn't be more thrilled. It's not a matter of being concerned with having to change what I'm doing, it's just me wanting to do everything right for our little poppy seed(s).

The Top Ten Foods That Make Me (CF) Bloated

**I've posted this before, but a great discussion about this topic on CysticLife.org made me think to post it again**

I wanted to follow up on Mandi's great post yesterday about bubbly guts and digestive enzymes. I've compiled a list of the top ten foods/drinks that make me bloated...and not just bloated, CF BLOATED. These are very specific items from very specific places, but believe me, pizza doesn't have to be from Peter Piper to make me feel pregnant. I created the list in this manner because it also gives you some insight into 10 of my favorite things to gorge on. In fact, the little number to the right of the item would be how I would rank them in terms of my favorite to consume.

10. Frosty from Wendys (1)

9. Brachs Jelly Beans (3)

8. Red Stripe Beer (10)

7. Fried Steak Fingers from Lucky Wishbone (4)

6. Chicken Planks from Long John Silvers (6)

5. Shamrock Chocolate Milk (8)

4. 1/2 Pound Beef Combo Burrito from Taco Bell (7)

3. Sausage, Egg and Cheese Biscuit from McDonalds (9)

2. Pepperoni Pizza from Peter Piper (2)

1. Chicken Fried Rice from Pei Wei (5)

So what foods or drinks make you the most bloated? Please be as specific as possible because I would love to try your suggestions. I know, how stupid of me :)

**I did not receive any monetary considerations nor do I represent the above food products in any official capacity...unless of course they are interested. There, that should cover my butt from this new law**

My Top Ten Favorite Things to Drink

While I was thinking of a topic for a Top Ten Tuesday, I became very thirsty.

A star was born...

10. Red Stripe- I probably average 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks a month. It will generally be beer pool side and once in a while some wine with dinner. My beer of choice has been Red Stripe for as long as I can remember. I actually got the chance to take a picture in Jamaica drinking some Red Stripe with the locals.

9. Root Beer- My love for root beer started with my grandma's soda closet. She had this little closet off of her hallway that was always full of root beer (either Dad's or A&W) and Coke. I ALWAYS chose the root beer.

8. Muscle Milk Shake- By far the most tasty protein powder on the market. I generally blend it with milk, peanut butter, banana, oatmeal, yogurt and ice. It definitely tastes best after a hard workout at the gym.

7. Mountain Dew- I'll usually order this at dinner if I'm feeling a little low on energy. I'm not a big soda drinker, but when I'm eating out, this one is usually available for my drinkage. Code Red Mountain Dew isn't bad either, but I must say, it can't beat the original.

6. Chocolate Milk- Here's another love that was created during childhood. My mom always had chocolate powder available to stir into the milk to make a tall glass of goodness. I remember as a kid not stirring the chocolate in all of the way so I would get a random "bubble" of dry powder in my mouth. Man that was good!

5. Club Soda- This is my drink of choice the 1 time a year I'm caught at a bar or a club. I just get club soda straight up on ice with a lime. It tastes like a belong, yet I don't act like a moron and I can fool drunk people into thinking I have a VERY strong drink in my hand. It's amazing how easy it is to convince them that it's loaded with vodka even after they taste it.

4. Water- I probably don't drink enough of the good ol' H2O, but when I do, I prefer it right out of the tap. If I'm forced to get bottled water, I'll go with either Smart Water (cause I like the bottle) or Fiji Water (cause it tastes the best).

3. Sunkist- I buy soda from the store for myself about twice a year. Sunkist will get the nod both times. I don't know when the love for orange soda started, but I have to admit that I do love it deeply. My brother and I always fight over which orange soda is the best. What do you guys think? Sunkist or Crush or Other?

2. Powerade- I generally drink Powerade or water throughout the day. Occasionally I'll sneak in #1 if I'm dragging a bit or just have a craving. I go with Powerade over Gatorade only because it's cheaper. I also love their pink lemonade flavor (in fact, I just picked up a case of it two days ago!).

1. Coffee- I look forward to waking up in the morning just so I can have that first cup of coffee. Seriously, if coffee didn't exist, I could see myself laying in bed all day with no motivation in the world. There's just something about that first sip that just gets me every morning. I have literally NEVER turned down coffee no matter what time of the day it's offered. If you're brewing, I'm drinking (and smiling).

Lack of Oxygen Headache?

6:15am: I was traveling today so my schedule was a little different than normal. I did however get to sleep in a teensy weensy bit, so I'll take that whenever I can get it. I didn't sleep with my oxygen last night and I woke up with a very slight headache. Now, let me just say, this could be for two reasons: 1) I didn't sleep with my oxygen or 2) I slept on a couch with my head in a really weird position on a slightly hard couch arm. I'm thinking that could cause a headache as well. I slept well throughout the night though and don't even remember the circumstances around falling asleep, so all in all, it was a good night and morning. I woke up with plenty of energy for Jezzabel's walk, so she was certainly happy about that!

Like the last couple of days, I really didn't have a whole lot of mucus to cough up. And it's really hard to know if that's a good or bad thing. I could be clear and not have that much mucus in my lungs OR I could be getting backed up with mucus plugs that refuse to budge. Judging on how I'm feeling overall though, I'm guessing that my lungs are pretty clear. Plus, for the majority of the time, my mucus is clear. Let's just hope I'm right in my assumption.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles Time: 37'37"

4:00pm: After more traveling I was glad that I was still able to make it to the gym. I've always gotten kind of wiped out from any form of travel whether it be by car, train, or plane. Not sure what it is about it, but I always need a recovery period of some length to feel right. I got to the gym though and did chest and back. It turned out to be a great workout! I felt really strong and was able to increase the weight on most of my lifts. I do have to admit though, I felt very bloated during the whole workout due to a little stop at McDonald's. The old chicken wrap and french fries got me. I was on the road and needed something quick. I know, poor excuse, and I paid for it. I rarely eat fast food (except Dunkin), but when I do, I get pregnant with that food every time. I waddle around for the following 4 hours after the grease and fat filled meal and feel like someone pumped my stomach full of "hard air". Do any of you other CFers out there get this? I'm guessing I'm not the only one....

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles