Refreshed

Its amazing the wonders that yoga can do for a pregnant body! I was feeling pretty drained and cranky after work yesterday, and though I could have used another full hour on top of the regular hour class, my stresses and body aches just melted right off my body in there. Kind of embarrassing, haha but since I've started to experience acid re-flux/heart burn lately, with my stomach now pushed so far up inside my belly, when I was in child's pose the back of my throat kept making these gurgling sounds when I would take deep breaths through my nose. Haha, it was probably louder to me than anyone else (right?), but sounded like a large frog was doing his practice with me on my yoga mat, as I tried to ignore my self consciousness and just move through motions to release and let go without inhibitions (ribbbbbbit!).

I also had a funny (less embarrassing) moment last night during an open balancing twist, not sure what its called but it was out of the pigeon pose, with my left foot on the ground with bent knee, and right leg on the floor straight back behind me (top of foot on the ground), left hand on the floor inside my left foot, and right hand outstretched, twisting my gaze and upper body up to the sky. What's usually such an easy balance for me, was so wobbly with my big belly and changed center of gravity, that Cat even said to the class while looking and smiling at an extra wobbly me, "What may be an easy balance for you most of the time, can really be thrown off and more difficult in pregnancy with your shifting center of gravity," I started giggling and tried my best to push against my hand and foot on the ground and figure out my new (constantly changing) center of gravity with the extra weight of my baby in front of me. Glad we didn't have to hold that one too long, it must have really looked funny seeing me try to keep a straight posture in that pose. Haha

I will say that since I've gotten over my nausea (for the most part) and have been going regularly to classes since beginning of June, I already feel a lot stronger and more lengthening and stretching in my muscles. Muscle memory from dance is amazing too, though I'm not quite at the dancer's flexibility that I was in my teens- in just a few short months of regular practice, a lot of my flexibility and strength is returning pretty quickly. It feels great, helping prepare for the hard work of labor ahead! And with working through my past two lunch breaks to make up my time I'll be out for centering, and my overtime hours from last week, I can now go back to my usual schedule, today and Friday and take an hour lunch break! Wa-hoo! So the rest of this week should be a lot less stressful on me. Tonight I do have to fast though, ugh, which should be interesting, haha with my nausea, I hope I don't throw up during centering with an empty stomach, then filled with nothing but sugar water- exorcist style haha. Its okay, it will be what it will be, and hopefully (I won't throw up into our circle haha), hopefully I'll have a good second reading (thankfully not the 3 hour test that I've been told about! just 2 hours- I can do it!).

And I know its early, but over the weekend, I hung up the baby shower decorations - a clothesline in our living room with clothes-pinned baby clothes and gifts so I would have one less thing to remember and worry about during the week after work before this weekend. Having everything all lined up across our ceiling makes me so happy and giddy when I get home, all those tiny lil clothes! so so cute, and a few more have arrived, that I'll need to hang up there too, maybe set up a second line for guests to hang their gifts when they bring them. Jason also bought the biodegradable "silver"ware for the party, so that's crossed off our list. Thanks papa J! All the thrifted dishware is all washed and ready for the party, and all tea-sachets are complete! I think i'll have people write their names on the blank tea-tags when they get there, to claim which one they want. And the only other thing I'm waiting on now, is the candies from Jason's sister for the favors, and the cheesecakes (vegan of course) to be ready to be picked up on Friday. Going to clean house a little more each night after work, and tonight I think since i'm fasting, while Jason does dinner I'll head out to buy a baby shower party dress. All my previously non-pregnant loose dresses are already getting snug on me. And while I'm out, I'll also pick up some chocolate bars for the goodies basket too.

I realize that having something like the baby shower to focus my energy into has given me something productive to put my mind into, that's not work, and helps me to not totally freak out about the fact that we're having a BABY (I can say this a thousand times, and its still just starting to really sink in and become more and more real). Considering we've already set up Jocelyn's room, and Jason and I've put away all her clothes, changing table and rocking chair assembled, he did the floors (so not much else to do for her room), I'm not sure what else will take all my "nesting" energy and focus in the next couple months to come. Considering we've had an annual pumpkin carving contest at our house every year for the last several years before Halloween, I mentioned to Jason that I would really like to keep that going, even this year (depending on when she actually arrives). I might just have to plan a "Meet our Baby!" Pumpkin party this year, which sounds like a lot of fun now, but like Jason said... maybe I should wait and see how I feel. I think it would be a lot of fun, even if I'm out of it (zombies are our other favorite and fitting for the season haha if I'm not sleeping and a total post-baby wreck), and my mom will be here in Austin from mid Oct to Halloween, so I think I could handle the company, and if need be my mom could help be the party hostess if I needed some privacy. Really though, I guess its up to Jocelyn, if I think she would be up to it, and we won't really know until we meet her. I figure too, if people want to meet the baby, might as well throw a party all at once? rather than have a long string of individual visitors when I'm trying to nap/etc and figure out the whole, now I'm a mom thing.

Gosh, I'm such a planner, I need to just breathe, and haha not get too ahead of myself. I think planning though is sometimes my zen. Especially knowing that when it comes to her actual birth, and being a new parent, that I will NOT be able to plan anything (for the most part), haha its up to nature, and I'm okay with that. But its in my nature to want to be in control, so Halloween Pumpkin Party for our lil pumpkin, I think will be my next mind focus to keep me from freaking out too much before she's born. Its either that or more work on our house - though at this point there's not much else to do besides fix part of the roof on our addition.  Haha, and I don't think Jason is going to be okay with his pregnant wife doing roof work in 100+ degree heat. Haha. First things first though, this weekend is going to rule!