I just read a quick little piece in a copy of American Baby Magazine and according to a recent study conducted by Yale University scientists... pregnant women should be eating chocolate regularly. Women that had at minimum five servings of chocolate per week were 40& less likely to develop preeclampsia!
Of course it's also important that regular exercise accompany a regular chocolate regiment.
I'll be sure to keep chocolate (especially dark chocolate) on my list of foods when I'm preggers.
What about you... did you eat chocolate regularly during pregnancy?
Hello. Hello. I have been MIA for a little over a week... not a good thing for a "daily" blogger. Well here's the deal mamas. The DH and I decided to take a quick trip to visit family, AF did in fact show up (bummer) while we were on that little trip and my laptop decided to take a turn for the worse. So for the past five days I've had no access to the internet and no way to blog. It's been TERRIBLE! I have an appointment to have it looked at today and hopefully it's not a total loss. Now that I'm home I can use my desktop computer until the laptop is fixed. I'm back to updating my FertilityGal chart and will again be using the ovulation predictor tests to pinpoint ovulation this month.
Hoping all you lovely ladies out in the blogosphere are good!
For those of us that did not make the pilgrimage to San Francisco this weekend to participate in BlogHer (I'm so bummed I couldn't be there) there was still something to look forward to (at least in my opinion)... the release of Mamma Mia.
Having seen the musical on Broadway about six months ago I was so excited to go and see the movie. I went with a girlfriend and it certainly did not disappoint. In my opinion nothing can top the energy and excitement of a Broadway production... but the movie was fabulous in it's own right. Meryl Streep was as always incredible and Amanda Seyfriend the actress that played Meryl's daugther was tremendous.
I should admit that I bought the soundtrack from iTunes last Tuesday... so I'd been singing along with all the songs for days before I saw the movie.
I thought that when I started working for myself I would be able to avoid the "working weekend". Well, I've been freelancing for over three years now and let me tell you... I work almost every weekend. This weekend has been particularly busy, full of lots of logo designs and even some blog design work (which I love). Unfortunately yesterday was so busy I didn't even get to blog about Craving Baby. Oh boy... I am definitely craving baby this weekend.
AF still has not shown yet, making today the 28th day in my cycle. If she doesn't show (I'm crossing my fingers that she won't) by lunch time I may scoot my toosh over to the drugstore to pick up a preggers test... I only had two left and used them on days 24 and 26.
Hope all the ladies that attended loved BlogHer '08 had a fantabulous time. I am so bummed I wasn't able to go this year... I'm making it a priority to be there next year... although I'll have to rearrange a "working weekend" for it.
Today it was time (according to my calender) to test... and I got a BFN. AF has not arrived yet... but I've got the "I'm either PMS'ing or I'm pregnant" symptoms; headache, cramps, sore tatas. I'll let you know what happens.
I've set Friday as the day that I'll be testing again... and of course I'm hoping for a BFP!!! The baby cravings are totally in full effect but I am trying to not think about it too much and stress over it... knowing that won't do any good. I'll be sure to post results on Friday.
This morning The Today Show talked about the potential dangerous that eating nuts during pregnancy can pose. Take a look at the video. What do you think? Did you eat nuts during your pregnancy? The second half of the video is about the rise in melanoma in our country.
I'm looking forward to one day naming a wee one or two... but I have to admit I'll probably stay the way of the traditional. Unlike celebrities that seem to like to give their children one-of-a-kind names, I prefer names that are easier to read, pronounce and don't cause a snicker.
So Brangelina has released the names of their new twins, and unless you live under a rock you've probably already heard them; Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline.
I have to admit that I like the names Knox and Vivienne better than Apple (Gwenyth Paltrow's daugther), Honor (Jessica Alba's daughter) and Rumor (Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter - who is now a teenager).
Vivienne is a really beautiful name and not commonly used. Knox, now I'm not so crazy about it... but it is unique without being absurd.
Check out what the mom's over at MomLogic had to say about the twins' names. What do you think?
Did you give your children traditional or unique names?
It's Monday morning and not only am I craving a baby, I am now craving a babymoon! The DH and I have not had a real vacation in about a year and I am so in need of some R&R. I love what I do... but when you're a writer you can't get away from your computer unless you ban yourself from it.
I'll be able to take a preggers test early next week and if we get a BFP... we are gonna take a mini-vacay. I'm thinking a four day Bahamas cruise sounds like just the ticket!
Anybody planning a vacay for late summer? Anybody planning a babymoon?
MommyMatter is a cool new website that's all about what matters to moms! I am pleased and excited to announce that I'll be contributing to their site. I'll be posting their at least several times per month (my personal goal is a weekly weekend post). I just finished writing my first piece for them and will be sure to let you know when it posts to their site. The title of my first MommyMatter piece? Raising "Good Citizens of the World".
In the meantime, cruise on over to MommyMatter to check out what they've got goin' on. Of course you can always get to MommyMatter by stopping here at CravingBaby and clicking on their ad on the left side of your screen or the link on the right side under "Great Web Sites".
If you're not yet a 5MinutesforMom reader... check it out. They just posted their "5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere" post with tons of announcements, contests, etc. There are some very cool giveaways going on in the momblogosphere right now... don't miss 'em 'cuz you're not in the know.
UPDATE: I ate seven of the 12 chocolate chip cookies I baked this afternoon. SEVEN! The DH and I are supposed to have dinner with friends tonight. I will most certainly be skipping dessert. Unless it is something very very good.
It's already mid-day on Saturday and I have yet to really accomplish anything. Where has all the motivation gone? Typically I'd have all sorts of things done by now... but today I've spent all day on the couch watching re-runs of Project Runway on Bravo. I was up and at 'em by 8:30am... a respectable time for a childless gal and proceeded to not go to yoga, not make a Saturday worthy breakfast and not clean the bathrooms.
Worst of all... I am right now (as I type) waiting for the timer on the oven to go off. Have I gotten a head start on a fab dinner for my DH? Nope. I'm baking myself a whole tray of chocolate chip cookies!!! Pre-pregnancy was supposed to be my time to work out, get super healthy and ready to be the best home for my baby for it's 9months in my belly. Okay... so physically I'm in pretty good shape and my diet is generally pretty healthy (if your doubting me because of the choco chip cookies... STOP. You know you've done it too) but I didn't plan to have pre-pregnancy cravings. Woah!! Maybe I'm preggers? Here's hoping.
It's three minutes to five o'clock in my neck of the woods and all I can say is hello weekend. This week for some reason seems to have dragged on and on. If you read my "The Two Week Wait Begins" post this morning then you understand my current time struggle.
My fingers have been worked (actually they've been typed) to the bone this week and I can't wait for some down-time. No organized plans yet on what me and the DH will be doing except for a planned double-movie-date with friends tomorrow night.
I'm hoping to finish the book I'm currently reading, "Chasing Harry Winston", challenge my DH to a game of Scrabble, give myself a home pedi and make it to a yoga class.
Hope you mamas all enjoy your weekend. I'm sure I'll be around on the boards and likely posting over the weekend... but somehow it feels different between Friday evening and Monday morning.
It's FREE Slurpee day at 7-Eleven stores across the country. 7-Eleven's participating stores give away FREE 7.11 ounce Slurpee drinks on July 11th... the birthday of 7/11. Today the store is 81 years young. So if you, your kids or both need a sugar high today... you can get it for free at your local 7-Eleven.
Remember when you were a kid and two weeks felt like an eternity? As an adult time seems to speed up and before you know it another week, or another two weeks have flown by. Now that me and the DH are TTC, time once again seems to have slowed down. The two week wait between the big "O" (ovulation) and taking a preggers test feels like an eternity. Being as my schedule is a little off thanks to the birth control I'm hoping to be able to test in about a week and crossing my fingers that AF "no-shows" around the 20th.
I have some friends whose children call their grandmothers things other than "grandma". One goes by "gammy", one by "nana" and another by "g-ma." I never did this with my grandmother, she was always just "grandma". Apparently I am behind the times. An article from MomLogic today discusses whether or not it's okay for your kids to call you something other than mom? If they don't call you mom... what will they call you? I'm sure by the time their teenagers my kids may want to call me all the names in the book but while they're little, my children (when I'm blessed with them) will call me "mom".
I finally had an ovulation predictor test come back showing that I'll be ovulating in the next 12 to 24 hours! Yey!! Now just got to get the baby dancing done, cross my fingers and wish for lots of baby dust.
I was a little concerned that maybe my body wasn't back in the game yet (after being on the pill for 15 years). But it looks like it's ready to play.
Apparently the teenagers in Beverly, Massachusetts think that the alleged "pregnancy pact" in neighboring Glouchester is a laughing matter. Quite a few of Beverly's high school students took part in the "Horribles Parade" (a parade that is historically politically incorrect) over last weekend and took the opportunity to poke fun at their pregnant neighbors.
Here's the entire parade video from YouTube... the portion poking fun at the alleged "pregnancy pact" is at about 5:20 min/secs into the video... you can fast forward at the bottom.
Celebumom Jamie Lynn Spears is going to be on the cover of OK! Magazine with her daughter, Maddie, and according to an article I read on the Huffington Post, she told the mag that her "pregnancy was perfect."
Now I don't want to harp on this story too much... but maybe it was "perfect" because she's 17! At 17 my body was in pretty good shape and probably could have handled a pregnancy and the recovery (minus the emotional strain) pretty well. Maybe it was perfect because she didn't have to worry about how she was going to pay for the expense of having a child.
I certainly hope that when I become pregnant, I can have a "perfect pregnancy"... but I also have "adult" responsibilities... unlike 17 year old Jamie. I've also had enough girlfriends go through morning sickness, miscarriages and out-o-whack hormones to know that pregnancy isn't always perfect.
I just can't help but worry that all this talk of her "perfect pregnancy" isn't going to give the 17 pregnant young women in Massachusetts (as well as countless other teenagers across the country) a false sense of security.
I'm up for the challenge of pregnancy (and parenthood) and I want it to be a beautiful experience... but I'm mature enough to know that it might not be "perfect"... just because Jamie Lynn's was.
Researchers have found that a baby's smile actually gives mothers a natural high... the same way drugs affect the brains of addicts. The mothers were most affected by seeing their own baby's smile but were equally affected when a baby, any baby, cried.
I'm a huge fan of Lucy. While I admit the prices are sometimes a little high for workout wear... especially when compared to the great deals at Target... Lucy has some fab finds. I was doing a little browsing today and found this adorable tee perfect I thought the mommyhood would enjoy... only prob... they've only got it in XS. So all you itty bitty's out there with kiddies... this one's for you. The Got Kids? Tee is on sale at Lucy for $19.99.
According to my calendar on Fertility Gal I should have ovulated last Sunday. As of today... no "O". I've been using the ovulation tests and still have not had a single one show that I am near ovulation. I'm wondering if maybe the kit I bought is bad (I bought an inexpensive box of tests at Target)... or perhaps my body has not regulated itself yet? Last month I had a very distinct CM that fit all the descriptions of the type you get right around ovulation. This month, nada.
We're trying to stick to a baby dancing schedule of every-other-day anyway... just in case.
~CB
P.S. If you're new to my blog and haven't checked out Fertility Gal I highly recommend it.
I spent some time working on the site this weekend and things are pretty much back to normal. I am planning on moving forward with the new name, Craving Baby. Don't think there is anything controversial about it... which is good. I loved the name, The Baby Mama Blog (and I appreciate the support from those of you out there that loved it too)... but certainly didn't want it to be a turnoff for anyone. No sense in starting out with a name that was gonna hold me back. So I gave some thought to what it was I really wanted and the answer of course was... a baby. So there you have it, I am Craving Baby. If you missed all the name change excitement you can read about it.
The only real challenge I've had is that my list of Blogging Mamas was somehow lost in the change. If your blog was listed there and suddenly it's not... either email me at cravingbaby@gmail.com or comment on this post with your url and I will replace it... or if you weren't there and would like to be added... send me your url and if I luv your stuff... I'll put you on the Blogging Mamas list.
On a personal note... I've been using an ovulation predictor kit for the past four days and nothing... so either my cycle is just really off or I'm not looking at the calendar correctly. This has meant lots and lots of baby dancing... so my DH is happy.
The 2008 Summer Olympics are just around the corner and if you're looking for a little exercise inspiration... Dara Torres is you're gal. She's a 41 year old swimmer and mother who is about to embark on her fifth Olympic appearance... she'll be heading to Beijing next month to compete for our country.
I read a great post this morning (the post was from June 19th... I'm a little behind on my reading) from Mommy Confessions. Mommy Confessions is a hilarious blog written by a mom named Michelle. She is a mother of three and shares confessions in her blog... fabulous confessions about the kinds of things I'm sure every woman thinks at one time or another... but doesn't always have the courage to say. Michelle's post from June 19th "What's In A Name?" really got me to thinking about the name of my blog... The Baby Mama. When I first decided to blog about my journey to mommyhood the name The Baby Mama was fresh on my mind... my husband and I had just seen the movie and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be a baby's mama. My husband on the other hand felt like the negative connotation with "baby mama" could hold me back. As with most situations when someone tells me not to do something... I choose to forge ahead to prove them wrong. (I've been working on this compulsion my entire life... sometimes it's proved fruitful... other times, I really should have listened.)
Wikipedia defines a baby mama as a mother who is not married to her child's father. That's not me. Not me at all.
So now I'm starting to wonder... is he (my husband) right? Should I change the name of my blog? Or should I forge ahead believing in my instinct and hoping that once readers see my blog they'll love it? Have I given my blog a case of mistaken identity?
Right now I blog anonymously because I write for several other blogs as a professional and feel the need to keep my personal life and my public life separate. If the two worlds should collide someday do I really want my personal blog to have a name with a negative connotation? I'm pretty creative and have several ideas for other blog names... but while I've only been blogging on this site a little over a month... I've invested a lot of time and energy... would it be worth it to start from the beginning? Minus the graphics of course... I really do love the blogger girl and the bubbles.
What do you think? Stay the course or fresh start?
If you're a mom who blogs... but you haven't joined the Mom Bloggers Club yet... you're missing out. This is a great social networking community as well as a website where you can get and give advice on blogging.
Its 100% free to join just like other social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. But unlike those sites... the Mom Bloggers Club is all about moms that blog. Even though I am not yet a mom I recently joined and am enjoying meeting other ladies that blog. If you're a member be sure to "friend" me.
As a self proclaimed shopaholic... I admit it... I have to control my urge to shop till I drop (although the lovely price per gallon of gas is certainly helping), I am a little concerned that once I do become pregnant and can actually begin to delve into the world that is "baby products" my credit card may get run a little ragged.
For all you ladies out there that have already joined the mommyhood... and those that just like to look at fab finds... I've found a very cute online store with some adorable products. Don't know yet how their prices compare to others as I'm not yet completely versed in all of the baby product lines... oh but I will be.
My fav find from their site? The Dhara Backpack Diaper Bag (by Baby Kaed). It can be carried either as a shoulder bag or backpack (like any gal I love options) and has lots of interior pockets. It's a little more than I would have considered spending on a diaper bag ($138) but definitely makes a style statement.
Wishing all the mamas in the blogosphere a very Happy Fourth of July! My DH and I will be spending the day at home relaxing and hopefully doing a little baby dancing.
My DH jokingly said if we should become preggers today... that he would always remember the 4th of July as the day he gave up his "independence"... and was happy about it.
The promos for the new show The Secret Life of the American Teenager didn't really catch my interest. So I didn't tune in. But the moms over at MomLogic did... and it doesn't sound like they were impressed. Want to read their review? Check it out at MomLogic.
So while I'm at least nine months away from delivery, I still love to shop the web for fab finds and today I found a great gift for a mommy-to-be. It's a little on the spendy side... but perfect for a great girlfriend or sister that is headed for labor and delivery soon.
The Due for Indulgence kit ($179.99) from etailer, 5 Minutes Apart comes complete with a spa robe, matching slippers, face cream, massage oil, exfoliating sea sponge, eye mask, lotion, and body wash all packaged in a fabulous chocolate and pink striped bag.
Any gal will be thrilled to add this kit to her suitcase that sits by the door, waiting for the trip to the hospital.
I've never heard of pre-pregnancy food cravings... but when I saw this ice cream treat onWal-Mart's website I immediately had the urge to get the ingredients and make it. It's made with lots of berries, vanilla ice cream and whip cream! The best part? No baking required. My kind of treat!
I stopped by the grocery store yesterday and got everything I need... I'll be fixing this up for family and friends on the 4th!
UPDATE: Two Lines On a Stick posted a comment on this post about the importance of taking quality prenatal vitamins. I absolutely agree. I have been taking this particular brand for one month and my OBGYN did not seem to have any objections to it. However, I was not aware that there are prescription prenatal vitamins. I will be calling my OBGYN to check into this. Thanks for the suggestion! Check out the blog, Two Lines On a Stick.
ORIGINAL POST: I've been taking my prenatal vitamins for more than one month now and next time I stock up I want to be sure I get a good price. I did a little online browsing and for those of you ladies out there that are Costco members they've got a pretty good deal available on their website. I am already taking the NatureMade brand multi prenatal so I'll definitely be grabbing these. Nature Made Multi Prenatal Vitamin (300 Tablets) $12.49 + shipping and handling
I'm a freelance writer and graphic artist and I'm blogging all about craving baby! My husband and I are trying to conceive and I'm sharing my journey to mommyhood in blog form. This blog will track my personal journey and will be a place for news, shopping and odds 'n ends that moms are interested in.
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