I’m 18 weeks pregnant which unofficially represents the “I hate pants” phase. They dig into my expanding belly and make sitting, running and even standing uncomfortable. I’ve been getting creative this week with hair ties to extend the waistbands or just letting the top button free. But it’s officially time for summer dresses and those over-the-belly leggings. I just scored some athletic gear from GapFit and Old Navy during their 4th of July sale and can’t wait to wear them! I’m also excited to diversify my wardrobe away from my usual jeans + blouse + cardigan uniform and towards bright dresses. But don’t worry, pants, I’ll be back to get you next year.
Mark and I went on an impromptu road trip from SF to Bend, Oregon for a long 4th of July weekend. Mark, per usual, was super prepared with a cooler full of ice and an endless supply of my favorite pamplemousse La Croix. But pregnancy + bottomless La Croix = lots of pit stops! It was worth it, though, and helpful to have breaks to stretch the legs.
On our road trip we listened to a couple audiobooks and podcasts — some business-related and some parenting-related. The parenting books we started were Bringing Up Bebe and All Joy and No Fun. The podcast is called Pregnancy Confidential which we’ve been listening to regularly ever since we found out we were having a baby. They have week-by-week topics of interest and a “relax, you got this” section for anxious parents-to-be.
Bringing up Bebe is eye-opening as it describes the differences between American and French parenting. They talk about The Pause which is the way that French moms get their kids to sleep through the night within the first 2-3 months. And a host of other topics. We don’t intend to follow all of these guidelines per se, but it’s always helpful to get advice from different perspectives.
All Joy and No Fun is flat out depressing. We had to just stop it and start listening to something else. Yes, WE KNOW PARENTING IS HARD. But we don’t need to hear about the day-to-day misery and horror stories. Pass.
Once we got to Bend we were struck by its beauty, the winding river, plethora of breweries and vegan food! Normally I’d be ALL about the brew-tour, but this time was obviously different. We still went to bars, but I ended up experimenting with different non-alcoholic drinks like Strawberry Lemonades and homemade sodas. Other mocktails to try if you’re not drinking: shirley temple, virgin + your favorite cocktail, cranberry + lime + soda, lemonade + ginger beer.
The other highlight of our trip was going trail running along the Deschutes River just south of Bend. I LOVE running and especially on trails with beautiful scenery and few people around. We could’ve stayed out there all day! But after about an hour the watermelon from our cooler was calling our names. Seriously, watermelon has got to be the best post-run snack on a hot day EVER.
So, to conclude… running is the best and pants are the worst.
Thanks for stopping by! Does anyone have any other book or podcast recommendations?? Would love to hear about them!
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