Because it's been a while!

Because I've been stressed

Because I've been busy   

And

Because I've been lazy tired

Baby Beckman or "Mini Mel" as Mark likes to call her is doing great!

She's starting to look  like a real person!

Being pregnant is not a glamorous thing. I am a bit in awe of people who choose to do this multiple times. It's been five and a half months and at this point going through this once seems like enough!

I pee all the time! OK, I've always had to pee all the time so this isn't much different but now it seems to be with much more urgency. I feel like I should carry my own personal porta potty with me.

I also have been tootin' like a choo choo train. What, you think I am going to sugar coat things? Heck no! If I have to deal with it you can to if you decide to read my blog ; )

It's a good thing Mark is used to my flatulence. We surpassed the "honeymoon" phase long before we were married.

I also had my first bout of heartburn.

I proceeded to take some Pepto Bismol to ease the pain. Of course after I took  said indigestion relief I found out that was NOT one of antacids ok'd for usage during pregnancy. Ugh! So many rules to follow!

I guess I will have to stock up on Tums and Rolaids so as to harm my baby with the dreaded bismuth subsalicylate.

I am off to lie in bed to eat Cheetos and watch "The Real Housewives of New York" so until next time...!

Baby Blues and Boobies!

I realize I haven't updated for a while. To be honest, I haven't had much to share.

I am however getting a bit frustrated that I continue to just look chubby sans a baby bump. Is there still a baby in there? Tomorrow will be 5 months and you would think I would be showing a little bit more wouldn't you? No, I don't want to be huge but at least a little baby bump would prove I was pregnant and not just chunky!

Another gripe are those two things attached to my chest that seem to grow larger and larger everyday. I am not at the maternity clothes stage however none of my shirts will fit over my beasts breasts! Which brings me to ponder who are these crazy women who PAY to engorge enlarge their mammary glands? Crazy is what I call it!

Do you have that in a larger size?

Now on to something happier....FOOD! Something I plan to enjoy wholeheartedly until I pop that little girl out. After that, well, I don't even want to think about that! Here is a little pictorial of some of the yummies I have enjoyed lately....

Crab Cakes at Fishbar

Yummy sausage stuffed peppers courtesy of Chef Mark

Dole Pineapple float at the Redondo Beach Summer Fest

Patriotic cake pops courtesy of yours truly

Father's Day and Beyond!

Since Mark was nice enough to honor me on Mother's Day I wanted to return the favor on Father's Day.

I want Mark to be able to shoulder baby duties "in-style" without feeling over-run by girlie things so I got him a "manly" diaper bag.

He thought it looked like a briefcase/computer bag. Score!

I than told him I was going to take him to a surprise brunch. After watching numerous food shows in which Mark always remarked "I've never had chicken & waffles" when they featured chicken and waffles I decided it was time to take Mark to an LA landmark...Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles!

Chicken & Waffles!

Gotta have cornbread & biscuits & gravy...what carbs?!?

Verdict is in: He loved it!

This week I took a drive up the coast to see some accounts I have up North. It's not necessary for me to go up there too frequently so I figured I should get another trip in before driving such a long distance becomes too uncomfortable.

Pismo Beach Pier

Hee Hee

It's nice to diverge from the norm sometimes. The drive up was very pleasant and it makes me wish I had more time to spend in Paso Robles, SLO and the surrounding areas. So beautiful although being in wine country is a bit hard on me right now! ; )

The drive back was a bit harder. I left SLO around 2pm and was supposed to arrive home a little after 5pm but thanks to traffic didn't finally trudge in until quarter to seven. ERRRRRR!!!!!

Sugar and Spice or Snips and Snails?

So...the question we longed to have answered was "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice or Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails"

or...

And the winner is.....

I guess the Beckman curse tradition continues. We are so excited and just can't wait to meet her (and mommy can't wait to shop!)

Weekly Re-Cap

Last week somebody had a craving. That craving was for Olive Garden, but that somebody wasn't me. It was Mark! Hey when you have a craving, you have a craving!

So Sunday night we headed to the OG. We aren't food snobs or anything but we try to avoid chain restaurants. Every once in a while though you just can't help yourself and you need some of those delicious breadsticks!

You just can't get these anywhere else!

Tuesday Mark and I  had a golf date. We need to play more often! It's actually quite enjoyable! Unfortunatley I just realized my phone neglected to capture any of the pictures I took so I will just have to tell you that the birds that attacked Mark when he went to search for my ball in the weeds were quite hilarious!

FaRgo

I spent the last few days in Fargo. I arrived at Hector airport Sunday afternoon and was shuttled straight to my grandpa and dad's place. After getting up at 4 a.m. for the flight and not having eaten all day I was STARVING by the time I arrived at the house. To my astonishment there was NO food in the joint (unless you count beef sticks and pepperoni slices as food...I don't!). My dad offered to get some burgers to grill. Yes, please! You don't leave a pregnant girl hungry!

Monday was spent visiting and I took a LONG walk to the river and through Lindenwood Park. Delightful!

I was also able to spend some time with my grandpa on a very special day...Memorial Day!

Awards!

Before dinner I went to visit my grandma who ended up in the Fargo hospital.

For dinner we went to one of my all time favorites...Mexican Village!

You changed your chip! I am NOT happy about that!

Tuesday I was able to escape drive to Fergus Falls and visit mom and Dennis. We went to dinner at Zorbaz where we met my grandpa, Pam & Myron.




Zorbaz did not disappoint!

 Albeit way to short a visit, I headed back to Fargo Wednesday morning just in time to meet my high school friend Chey and her adorable daughter Taya for lunch.

That evening grandpa wanted to take me to one of HIS restaurants...it was going to be Denny's but we ended up at Mom's Kitchen. I can't say I was to upset about this as I was able to enjoy one of their heart attacks on a plate Cheese Frenchies. A sinfully delicious battered and fried grilled cheese. Don't try to ask for the recipe, they won't give it to you!

Thursday had me back at the airport on a plane headed back to Cali. I couldn't wait to see that wagging tail and smiling face...and I was excited to see Riley too ; )

YogaWorks?

I decided to cancel my YogaWorks membership. I thought yoga would be the perfect replacement for Bootcamp but it turns out that I don't have patience for an hour and a half yoga class and although I love the hour long BarWorks class it pains me to go from a stuffy office or car to a stuffy studio. In other words...I NEED to be outside in the FRESH air!

The thought of coming home and taking a long walk on the beach with my little pup makes me a lot happier : ) I think it makes her happier too! I think I am spoiled having lived so long in an environment where you can be outdoors nearly year round. I just can't fathom being stuck in a gym!

Happy Little Pup Pup

In other news, I thought I was being health conscious by buying Hansen's natural diet cola to replace my Diet Coke fix. After having one every afternoon this week I noticed that I wasn't getting the nice little caffeine kick I need mid-day. Upon further investigation I noticed that they are caffeine free. Caffeine free! What kind of show are they running over there at Hansen's? I know it's all natural but mama needs her buzz!
I am now in search of a new caffeinated but natural beverage. Any suggestions are welcomed!

No Caffeine? That's Bull S*%$!

Furthermore, after YEARS of nagging encouraging Mark to try the magical benefits of Sinus Rinse he finally surrendered while suffering through a horrible case of allergies. It didn't kill him and he said it actually helped...for a little while. He may even try it again!

Mission Accomplished!

Everybody's workin' for the weekend!

It was a great weekend to say the least...but hey, you can never really go wrong with 2 days off.  Especially when it's gorgeous out!

We capped Friday off with a trip to the beach. Mark went for a run while I walked the pup.

The happy girl!

Saturday was another beautiful day so Mark and I took our bikes for a long ride from El Segundo to the Redondo Beach Pier and back.

Redondo Beach Pier

It's had obviously been a while since I've ridden my bike because my legs and tushy were quite sore but I am definitely looking forward to more bike rides this summer!

After a stop at Floyd's for a haircut ...                                               

we had a date night!

We started at Sashi in Manhattan Beach for sushi which was really yummy! We then went to see "What to Expect When You're Expecting" which was quite fitting if you know what I mean!

Sunday we took the pup for another walk on the beach. You have to take advantage of the gorgeous weather! We then wound it down with a delicious homemade pizza.

YUMMY!!!

I hope everyone had a weekend as enjoyable as ours!

Ultrasound!

Today was our first official ultrasound! I was both nervous and excited. Was there really a baby in there and if so was it OK? The answer to both was YES! The baby was really active and the doctor said everything looked "normal". "Normal" is now my new favorite word! There were arms and legs a head and a body.

I always thought people sharing their ultrasound was weird...until I had one of my own!



The 3D version. A little hard to decipher.



There's BB!

It will be even more exciting when we find out the sex in a few weeks! Stay tuned!

Mama Day!

Yesterday I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day! Mark wasn't sure if he should count this one or not but I am glad he did : ) ...I am mama to Ry anyway and that's not always easy!

Mark made me a delicious breakfast of healthy blueberry pancakes, turkey bacon and fruit.

He then gave me my gifts...yes, gifts! I can get used to this Mother's Day thing ; )

I got my first baby gift, a baby book and some "blingy" headbands.

We spent the rest of the afternoon with The Zimmer's. So great to see them! We attempted a picnic in the park. It was fun albeit not the gorgeous weather we were hoping for.

All in all a great first Mother's Day and I look forward to celebrating many more!

Fishbar

We ventured to one of our favorite restaurants last night, Fish Bar. The place was packed so we took a seat at the bar. Do you know how hard it is to sit at a bar and know you can't order a drink? It's painful. Especially when your husband has a beautiful, fragrant Pinot Noir. I sadly looked at the bartender and order a "soda splash of cranberry". At least she was thoughtful enough to put it in a bar glass garnished with a lime so I didn't feel too out of place, but sitting at a bar and being the only person not drinking is an odd thing!




My sad drink on the left!

 It was a wonderful dinner though, sans fermented grape juice to accompany it. Going out to dinner is going to be a lot different from now on but it's just something we'll have to get used to!

SOdA pOp

The culprit!

I gave up soda for a while before becoming pregnant. Not for any reason in particular, just to see if I noticed any benefits. I honestly didn't but I did feel better knowing I wasn't pouring all the unnecessary chemicals into my body. My body IS a temple you know ; )

Since the big P I have cut down on coffee. The doc said I could have two cups a day but I barely make it through one in the morning. I always need a boost in the afternoon so I have been reaching for a diet coke as I don't desire the java later in the day. I try not to do it everyday, but it does seem to be the most efficient at providing the desired effect.

I don't feel great about doing this and I am going to try to stop, but until then, please don't judge me!

Sushi!

So, many people believe that you can't have sushi when you're pregnant but they are wrong! My doctor said it was ok. He said women in Japan have been eating sushi throughout their pregnancy and nary a concern do they have.

This was good news as I was having a major sushi craving this week. I may have been craving the miso more than the sushi but who can pass up the bento box lunch special!



All this plus miso for $8.50? Yes please!

I happened to be in the lovely city of Sun Valley when lunch time arrived. Please note: city names in Los Angeles are extremely misleading. Sun Valley? more like S@#* Valley! Hawaiian Gardens? Not so much Hawaii or Garden. Watts? Well, I think you get my point!

So I am in Sun Valley and I check my phone to find the nearest Sushi joint and there happened to be one right down the street. The outside was quite sketchy being situated in a tiny strip mall with bars on the door. I tentatively walked in and was pleasantly surprised. Plus, they had the coveted bento box lunch special.
I ordered and was quite happy with my experience. They even had instructions on the wall to help clueless customers!

My favorite is the 4th one down!

As much as I enjoyed my lunch I hit a wall after I finished. So tired I couldn't even go on with my day. I googled this and apparently fatigue hits many women after eating lunch. Of course I have learned that almost any symptom googled "while pregnant" can be justified by numerous women. This may not be a good thing!

I will have to stick to small, snack type lunches from now on to avoid the dreaded wall but I will continue to enjoy sushi...at dinner!

Monday...

...'nuff said!

Cravings!

The very first craving I had was for Sprite/7-Up. Those have always been the go to drinks when not feeling well and I think they just made me feel better. I couldn't get enough. Nothing else could quench my thirst.

My other craving was...ANYTHING bad. Typical "hung-over" food. Now that the initial icky blahs are over I need to STOP eating this...

...and starting eating more of this!

Today officially marks 11 weeks and the last 11 weeks have been quite an adjustment!

The morning sickness wasn't as horrible as I've heard it can be but the on and off feeling of being "hung-over" was not the most fun...and no, it wasn't from this ...

It was from this....



All Positive!!!



The constant fatigue hasn't been fabulous either for this working girl!







No, not him...







Or her!




But a billion people can't be wrong when they say it will all be worth it in the end!

Although I will miss this...

And this...

And this...

I will definitely make up for it with more of this!




(The ice cream, not the other thing!)