I was surprised by just how much I missed my morning carbs! I have a hard time feeling totally satisfied in the morning without some kind of carbohydrates with my morning meal, whether it be oats, fruit, toast or even veggies in an egg scramble.
Fueled by my cheesy eggs, I read stories with Chase once he was up for the day and we got ourselves dressed before it was time for me to drop him off at preschool.
Our morning was a rather smooth one compared to Monday’s tearful meltdowns spurred on by getting Chase dressed but a blog reader passed this along to me via Instagram and I had to share it here since it made me laugh out loud:
Too true!
Once Chase sprinted into Miss Debbie’s arms, she whisked him into his classroom and I headed off to the gym for a workout. The Burn Boot Camp workout of the day was an arms and core workout so I modified it to make it primarily focus on my upper body.
Here’s what my version of the workout looked like:
And my version of the workout finisher included two rounds of 45 seconds of mountain climbers and triceps push ups.
Once my workout was done, I said goodbye to my girlfriends and rushed off to my OB/GYN’s office for the glucose tolerance test. I was instructed to drink 10 ounces of a glucose liquid that tasted like an overly-sugary orange Gatorade and then I met with my doctor while I waited for the blood work portion of the screening. When I was pregnant with Chase all I heard about was how awful the liquid you have to drink for the glucose test tastes but I don’t find it too bad! When I mentioned this to the nurse who administered the test to me, she said they’ve actually been hearing that quite a bit since the formula changed a while back, so maybe I’m not the only crazy one out there!?
Since I had a solid hour to kill after drinking the glucose drink and my time with my doctor didn’t take long, I fired up my laptop and worked for a bit in the waiting room before my blood draw.
The blood work went well and my results should be in within a week. (This test checks for gestational diabetes.) As I had my blood drawn, I began chatting with the nurse (I NEED to talk and be distracted during blood work or I get lightheaded) and we spoke about my pregnancy and she asked if we knew the sex of our baby. I explained our desire to be surprised and mentioned our miscarriages which caused her to then share some of her personal pregnancy and fertility struggles with me. I share this here only because sometimes I feel my heart telling me to say something a little more than “Thanks!” when someone congratulates me when they notice my belly. Lately I’ve found myself often saying something along the lines of, “Thank you so much. It wasn’t an easy road but we are very grateful,” which feels more true to how I feel than a perky, “WOOHOO! THANK YOU!”
This statement has opened the doors to some unexpected conversations with women who have either also struggled or are currently struggling with loss or infertility. (I also think this statement is vague enough to keep the door closed if it makes someone uncomfortable while still expressing sincere gratitude for congratulations.) I will never, ever forget two conversations I had with women after our losses when I longed for a baby and both were with relative strangers (a nurse who was pregnant with twins at my dermatologist’s office and a mother of a toddler at Gymboree). Both of these women volunteered information about their struggles without me saying anything about where I was in life beyond our desire for another child and their experiences helped continue to shift my perspective about pregnancy and fertility.
I guess I feel the need to share this here today because now that I am noticeably pregnant and often running after a toddler, I feel like from the outside it may look like everything was simple. (I also recognize that our journey is simple compared to many, but it also didn’t come without heartache and grief.) Despite everything I now know, all the stories I’ve been told and all of the struggles I’ve heard about from women in my personal life and all of you, it’s STILL easy for me to look at a pregnant woman or a woman with a child from the outside and assume everything was perfect and that her journey to having a child was a breeze. This just isn’t the case for so, so many people and I guess I feel the need to mention this here today because today’s blog post touches on pregnancy and I think it will forever feel like something I want to talk about with sensitivity and a very open heart.
Anyway, back to our Wednesday…
I left my doctor’s office with just enough time to grab a shower at home and down two chocolate superfood energy bites before I had to be back at Chase’s school for preschool pickup. With my little buddy back in my arms, we made it home and I did my best to settle Chase down for his nap before I sat down to work again and dig into lunch thanks to a special delivery from Amelie’s French Bakery. (More on this delivery tomorrow!)
(And yes, I microwaved the ham in the sandwich before eating it to be pregnancy safe!)
Chase wasn’t having nap time but seemed content to sing and play in his crib. (By the way, you guys totally convinced me to keep him in his crib as long as possible. Afternoons like yesterday only confirm this decision!) I did my best to get a little bit of work done through choruses of various toddler songs that came from Chase’s monitor but eventually got him up and out the door for an afternoon play date with my friends Carrie and Laura and their little ones at Gymboree’s open gym.
I needed the play date as much as Chase and left feeling grateful for my friends for the 10,000th time. They keep me sane on this motherhood journey and I just LOVE the way Chase lights up whenever he sees his best buddies!
By the time we made it home I had zero desire to put much effort into dinner, so Chase and I shared a box of white cheddar macaroni and cheese, apple slices and cucumber slices.
I’m not going to lie, it was perfect. Mac and cheese from the box can’t be beat some nights!
Chase settled into bed on the early side of the evening – lack of a solid nap will do that to ya – and so I spent an hour or so working on the computer once he was down before eating a Chilly Cow chocolate ice cream bar and heading upstairs to read in bed. I finally finished The Keeper Of Lost Things (I’d give it a solid “meh” and think it was a little too slow to recommend) and began reading Little Fires Everywhere. I’ll report back on that one soon!
Hope you guys have a great Thursday and I’ll see ya tomorrow for the usual Things I’m Loving Friday shenanigans!
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I don’t understand why doctors tell their pregnant patients to eat only protein before the GD test. The whole point of the test is to show if you could possibly have GD. Eating protein helps level put blood sugar spikes, which is good, but not for this test. If someone has GD it’s obviously so much better that they know, and they should be instructed to eat their normal breakfasto. Rant over. Also Julie I really hope you don’t have GD as you have to severely limit your carb intake if you do.
Eating a breakfast high in protein and low in carbs helps identify the amount of glucose ingested. The level of glucose in the drink is more than enough to determine how the body reacts to it. Stop being critical of her diet. Okay now MY rant is over.
Wow I was not being critical of her diet at all! I was being sincere in saying I truly hope she doesn’t have GD as during this pregnancy she has struggled with morning sickness and carbs are the easiest thing she can eat without it upsetting her belly. Was definitely not trying to imply she wasn’t eating the right foods! I had GD myself so I know how much not eating carbs sucks. Unfortunately the test does sometimes miss some people. My doctors were very clear in that I should eat how I normally eat before the test. I was in the hospital in preterm labor when I did it. It sucked. I had hypermesis gravidarum and the only thing that I could eat was bread so obviously that had to stop. I ended up needing TPN. I just want to reiterate I wasn’t being critical of your diet Julie!! Carbs are the best! I hope all is going well with your pregnancy!
Thanks for commenting again, Lisa!! Carbs have definitely been my go-to for nausea (and still are — I think that’s also why I didn’t feel my best on only protein yesterday morning). I’m so, so sorry you had such a stressful experience during your pregnancy and really hope your delivery went well and that your baby is happy and healthy today. <3 Thanks again for expanding on your experience, for your well-wishes and sharing more with me!
Thanks Julie! My 16 month old daughter is currently playing at my feet, reading books! My 3 pound 29 weeker is now 27 pounds!
Hi Lisa! What Kate said is what my midwife and another doctor explained to me. They said some people also choose to fast before the blood work. I actually specifically asked about “tricking” the test but they said the glucose drink is meant to spike blood sugar enough to identify gestational diabetes in a patient. Maybe other doctors and medical professionals advise otherwise, but I just listened to what my specific doctor and midwife told me.
I don’t know why I still have not tried our local Gymboree classes! My son is the same age as Chase and I also have another one 11 months old and ever since you first posted about it it’s been on my to do list…. anywho- I personally love all of your chase focused blogs for obv reasons and while I started reading your blog for fitness- two little ones and a full time job i just don’t have the time/energy for that. So, going off that would you ever do a chase blog about things he eats? (Kind of like the ones you do for yourself??) last night my husband said to me, what should we make Parker for dinner? I just looked at him like oh you are having trouble deciding between pasta, chicken nuggets or pizza? I feel like like I’m slowly going crazy feeding my son- he eats plenty of snacks but his meals are the same three things on repeat I don’t know how to get anything new inside him! Would love any tips!!
I love this idea! Have you tried deconstructed versions of the foods you eat for dinner? For example, I know Chase won’t eat stir fry, but he might eat components of the stir fry if we separate them on a plate for him (small bites of chicken, *uncooked* broccoli florets <-- he doesn't like it cooked, small carrot pieces and a bit of fruit on the side).
Oh gosh we try- we always put a small portion of what we are eating on his plate but it never gets touched (although not deconstructed so maybe I should try that!!). The only veggie he eats is cooked carrots, and only breaded chicken (sometimes just the breading). We went to Disney world last week and you’d think a place geared towards kids we would be good to go- but non of the chicken nuggets were up to his standards and the Mac and cheese was Orange not white… So that was a no go for him. I think he lived off apple sauce and those kid fruit bars the entire week!!
The deconstructed thing is KEY for us! I hope it helps a bit for you guys but I totally feel ya on the struggle. And your comment about the mac and cheese made me laugh out loud because that is SO Chase. He will ONLY touch white cheddar mac and cheese and really prefers the shells vs. noodles. They sure do have STRONG opinions, huh!?
I love the fitness images you always post! I pin them and usually do a cardio piece and add some weights….sometimes I have a hard time coming up with my own circuit. I downloaded the asics studio app and it has all different workouts that you can listen too, highly recommend!
ooh! thank you for the recommendation. i haven’t heard of that app before!
I applaud your willingness to speak up and share your story both here and in real life. I have boys who are 2.5 years apart and if you looked at our family you’d never know what we went through. It took 2.5 years to get pregnant with my first son through IVF. When he was 17 months, I had a miscarriage. We had used our last frozen embryo for that pregnancy so it was especially devastating. Miraculously, I got pregnant again three months later and my second son completed our family. I feel incredibly grateful for my two boys and have a totally different perspective because of what I’ve been through.
yes to this! from the outside i’m sure it looked like everything happened seamlessly for you. thank you for sharing this with me. and i am so sorry about the loss of your precious little one. <3 i know time helps with grief (and i'm so, so happy you have your two boys!), but i also know the pain is never, ever gone. thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, amy. <3
I am with you on the carbs for breakfast, I never really feel like my breakfast is complete with no carbs.
I appreciate you sharing your perspective regarding your pregnancy and people assuming you had an easy road. While I am not pregnant and have never dealt with miscarriage I have a good friend who is finally pregnant after a year of fertility treatments. I’m sure people might assume she had an easy road when they find out she is pregnant even though that’s not the case.
Also Little Fires Everywhere is sooo good!
Do you have a Goodreads Account? I love keeping tracks of all my books and reviewing them on there!
I did but it has been years since I’ve kept up with it! I still occasionally pop on for recommendations/reviews though!
Julie
Even though I’ve read your blog for years I’ve never actually commented until now. I just wanted to say thank you for being so open about your struggles with infertility and issues with your past pregnancies. My partner and I have been trying to conceive for almost a year now with no luck. I, like you, have found myself looking at pregnant women, or mother carrying their babies and feel the frustration and longing building up inside of me. It seems that everyone can get pregnant besides me. None of my friends have had any problems at all in this matter so it feels very alone sometimes. I do find myself reflecting back on some of your posts over the last year or two and try to remember that this does happen to people, to be positive, to be patient and eventually good things will happen. And it helps to know that someone else in this world knows and understands the sadness and frustration that comes along with infertility. I read your posts about Chase and all the new experiences you are dealing with and I find myself thinking about the time when I myself will get to experience all those firsts as well. Sorry for the long comment, but recently I’ve felt like I wanted to reach out to you, to say thank you for being open and honest with everything to all of us. Congratulations on your pregnancy 🙂
Steph – Though I know your comment was meant specifically for Julie, I happened to come upon it and feel compelled to respond. I have also been dealing with infertility for quite awhile and know first hand the pain and frustration that you are feeling. My husband & I have been together for 10 years, married for 3. Never once did I consider that we’d have trouble starting our family. This road has been difficult and unexpected as I’m sure it has been for you as well. Please know that you aren’t alone.
Julie – I’ve also been a long time reader and can’t tell you how much that your sensitivity around this topic has meant to me. Your words and acknowledgement of these struggles have truly touched my heart. I am so sorry that you experienced such loss along your own journey to have another child. I could not be happier that you & Ryan have this little one on the way.
Julie, I love all of your comments about your journey to having a second baby. I can relate so much. I felt the same way when I was carrying my rainbow baby. When I announced I was pregnant (at 16 weeks) I wrote something about how thankful we were, and when my son was born I wrote that we had waited much longer than nine months for him. I was so worried about my pregnancy news hurting someone, knowing how painful pregnancy announcements had been for me following my miscarriage. I am so thankful that people like you are writing and talking about their experiences. It is a very special thing to have a rainbow baby. A much tougher road, for sure, but I just can’t wait to see a picture of you holding your baby in your arms. I am so, so thrilled for you and your family.
One tv question…are you watching Survivor this season?!
Loved Little Fires Everywhere!
I identify so closely with what you wrote about feeling a tug to share more than you usually would in some situations. When my family was on vacation last summer, my daughter started playing with a little boy near our spot on the beach. The other mom and I started talking, and about halfway through the day, I kind of randomly shared that we had been trying for a second baby but experienced multiple losses. I honestly don’t know why I shared that, but then the other mom opened up about her difficult journey as well. We were inseparable for the rest of the week and despite living three states away, we text every week and rely on each other for ongoing support and friendship. It’s really amazing what taking a chance can lead to.
I just recently finished Little Fires Everywhere and I LOVED it! I’m curious to see how you like it.
I cannot say thank you enough for how much you’ve taught me about life after miscarriage. It has been a tough road the last month and a half. Every time I feel lonely in the journey and emotions I push myself to open up. Yesterday a coworker asked if we were trying. I told him I recently miscarried, so we tried, gonna have to try again. He told me that he and his wife lost their first 2 pregnancies, to go on and have 3 adorable boys back to back. I had no idea. It provided so much comfort and hope; and the lonliness eased. I love how you opened the door so if somone else was looking for that hope they could step in; one day I’ll do the same.
Your blender bars were a huge hit with my 2 year old! I added about 1/4 cup chocolate chips and I also may have told her they were “cake” …. oh well, whatever works, right?! That’s such a thoughtful and kind response when people comment on your pregnancy. I’m sure your openness has helped more women than you can imagine!
I just went back and read the “don’t move a kid out of the crib if they are happy” comments. I totally get it, but my son will be 3 in May and despite him being perfectly happy there, it’s getting to be really hard on my back! He definitely still wants to be scooped up and snuggled and it’s definitely doing a number on my spine.
I too admire your openness and sensitivity regarding infertility. I can also relate but in a different way. I have a 3 year old boy and wanted to have another a couple years ago. I have a chronic illness and my doctor was advising against conceiving for almost 2 years until she could get it under control. It has been a very frustrating road but I was finally given the green light recently (although still not 100% chance that I’ll be able to).
I love how open you are about infertility and loss. It’s so nice to know we’re not alone – and seriously, congratulations! Fingers crossed your testing went well.
And yes to boxed macaroni and cheese!! I could eat a whole box if I let myself!
Random comment here, but your dinner made me laugh as I had literally the exact same thing the other night with my little when my husband was not home! White cheddar shells from the box, apples, and cucumber slices 🙂 Sometimes simple and easy hits the spot!
I just read about a podcast called Cocoon Stories, various stories of gestation. It may be something you’d enjoy.
I feel you on the no nap situation…my little girl also has been hit or miss with them lately, and I am feeling it!
You write with such a beautiful blend of honesty and empathy! I appreciate your authenticity.
SUPER random question – how do you read at night without bugging Ryan? Do you use a reading light or is your kindle backlit? Or is Ryan just a trooper and doesn’t mind you having a bedside light on? I would love to start reading in bed rather than scrolling through my phone but my husband complains about the light.
(My husband is wonderful! I don’t mean to make him sound annoying haha)
I’m jealous of your boxed mac and cheese dinner! As far as the glucose test, my doctor told me to stick with protein and fat–so I ate an egg, some avocado, and…maple flavored breakfast sausage. OOPS. The sweet sausage made me fail the first glucose test and I had to do round two, which was much tougher. I will never make that mistake again! 🙂
Hi Julie! I love your openness consicerning your fertility journey. When my first son was 3, we started trying for another baby. We ended up moving states and wanted to wait a bit before having another baby. Our first was conceived quickly with no issues. Our second try took over 16 months and I had one early loss, which they call a chemical pregnancy. I was so hurt during this whole time. I was only 31 when I found out that I had low eggs. I was crushed. Anyway, I was so lucky to have my first son and then my second 16 months later, naturally. I had a friend at the time who experienced infertility her first time , but was then blessed with her miracle too. Unfortunately, she could not handle me being pregnant even though she knew my struggle the entire time. It hurt me immensely since we were so close, I thought. She never saw me again once I gave birth.
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for talking about your struggle the second time, because I felt that because I was trying for my second, my friend didn’t see it as hurtful for me or that my infertility journey was a struggle. I really hope one day to meet a friend like you. I admire you for being able to be happy for the friends around you who were pregnant during your struggle even though I know it must have been hard. You seem like a very genuine, kind person. It was hard for me too seeing others with their kids being close in age. But when I was researching about infertility, I realized how common it is and how you would never know by looking at someone’s family. I hope my “friend” realizes that she wasn’t the only one and that my infertility struggle was a struggle even though it was during the second time around. Best wishes for a healthy, happy pregnancy!
I loved Little Fires Everywhere! No big wow moment, but found the story staying with me even after finished it.
Yes, yes, yes! I love your heart, mama. When my third child came along a little over a year ago and we suddenly had three children four and under, one would never look at our family and assume there were any fertility struggles. We had to endure a really rough, dramatic season of infertility to get pregnant with our first child. And then were surprised (twice) with future (miracle) pregnancies. I can’t tell you how many times a stranger will make a comment along the lines of “You have your hands full” when they see our…ahem…circus.
Ha I didn’t mind the glucose drink either, found it tasted like the old school McDonald’s orange drink. I found it helped it was cold, I guess some place s keep it warm!!!
I have found tell our struggles helps too because I think it helps people know it’s not always easy and allows the stigma to be broken a little more, just so people feel less alone.
Hi Julie,
I always appreciate your openness and sensitivity when it comes to fertility. I miscarried in September and am now 7 weeks pregnant. I’m absolutely terrified naturally but keep telling myself what will be will be, and that lots of couples face fertility issues at some point. Luckily I have a wonderfully supportive husband and family to hold me up.
I understand if it’s a sensitive topic, but I think a lot of women would find it useful if you did a post on tips for dealing with anxiety in early pregnancy, especially after miscarriage. I’ve been trying to do some breathing exercises and use aromatherapy but would love to hear what worked for you and other women in the comments.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
I accidentally ate donuts (yes two) before my GD screen because I forgot about it haha. Luckily, nothing happened. My mom is a registered dietitian/certified diabetes educator for the obstetrician office I went to so if I ended up with GD I would have been embarrassed :p Anyways, glad you passed!