Weekend recap

On Friday night, we received notice that M's preschool will be closing for three weeks (at least). So we decided to drive down to Los Angeles to spend some time with my in-laws. They both still work, but my mother-in-law is working from home, and at least this way O and I can put in a few hours of work a day (morning, dinnertime, etc.) and get a few breaks. Plus, they have a backyard where M can play outside, including a covered porch, which is great since it'll be raining on and off.

We spent Saturday taking M outside (in the rain!) and packing for our trip. O took M out for a couple of hours while I did a spin/strength workout at home, ran some laundry, etc. I briefly napped in her room after putting her down. After nap, I took her out and she really enjoyed playing in a puddle.

This morning we got up around 6-6:30, worked out (I did a very short but intense spin workout and then went out for a walk/jog, though the jog part was less than 0.5 miles and kind of painful). Then we finished packing. Packing took about 1.5 more hours than expected - we had a ton of food in our fridge from Friday's shopping trip (in anticipation of crowded stores this weekend), so wanted to bring that down to avoid wasting it. Thankfully M played independently and adorably most of the time.

We headed out a bit after 10:30. The freeways were clear - nothing like a pandemic to make a drive to LA super easy. We made a couple of long-ish bathroom stops, and still made it before 5pm. M did really well despite the long drive and very little screen time. She napped for less than 30 minutes though...oh well. Now my MIL is prepping dinner, O and M and are reading, and I'm looking forward to maybe a bit of relaxation time before bed...unless I just crash at 8:30. All in all, I am reminding myself that we are extremely lucky to be able to have this very comfortable "alternative arrangement" during a truly crazy and disturbing time. Oh, and my digestive system wasn't totally miserable today, so that was very nice, too.

Random photo from earlier this week, from an early evening scooter ride

Pregnancy update - almost 26 weeks

There is very little I enjoy about being pregnant. Aside from knowing that it will hopefully lead to the appearance of an adorable little human who makes my life fuller and makes my heart explode with love and tenderness...just like my other little human does. Not a small thing.

That said, there is a few "small things" that feel very big now and make me feel frustrated, dejected and downright depressed a lot of the time.

• I still have some low-level nausea these days, plus acid reflux and other hard-to-describe abdominal discomfort. My digestive system never really feels OK. Some parts of the day are better, some parts are worse. But it's very noticeable and relentless. This is by far the worst part of the whole experience.

• Also, I've read all about this "surge of energy" that comes during the second trimester, but I have not been blessed by such a surge. I feel like I need at least 9 hours of sleep a day, lots of coffee (a problem when pregnant), and am keeling over with exhaustion by 6pm unless I nap. Which is hard with a full-time job and with a toddler.
• On the positive side, the various aches and pains I was experiencing at this time during the last pregnancy are more mild this time. I don't have much symphysis pubis dysfunction symptoms this time - they began at about 15 weeks last time. I'm even still able to jog a few days a week, which feels like such a treat this time! 

How am I coping with this? 

• Exercise
• Therapy every other week
• Meditation (just started about a week ago)
• Positive self-talk? Sort of. 
• Reminding myself that I've already made it pretty far and that I will be done in just a few months, hopefully to NEVER do this again!
• Trying to take it one day at a time. Occasionally I even succeed!

Saturday - Rain and Coronavirus

We finally received some rain here in the Bay Area today. While I was LOVING the warm and sunny weather the last few weeks (I mean, I went for a walk in shorts and a tank top on Wednesday) the lack of rain was worrisome for snowpack and wildfire reasons.

That said, a rainy weekend with a toddler AND a developing Coronavirus epidemic is not easy. We are avoiding taking her to indoor spaces. I also have been a bit sick and coughing (no fever, thankfully) for about a week, and still have a cough, so I don't want to go to public places, either. Which means no friends' houses, no workout classes, etc.

This morning we went for a walk outside in the drizzle. It wasn't very cold, and not pouring. O and I were proud of ourselves for getting our kid out despite our discomfort. I walked with them for a bit, then went home to try and work out, but they returned not too long after me, I guess M got tired and there was no stroller. She demanded avocado toast, then we "exercised" together for a while, and eventually she went down for a nap. It's 2:20pm and I'm full from a very large grilled panini sandwich - the man at the deli very kindly microwaved the ham AND grilled the sandwich for me. Going to lie down and read for a bit. Maybe nap.