The Merfett

Babymoon Recap

April 9, 2013 The Merfett

So if you follow me on the big 3 (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) you’ve probably seen all the photos from our Babymoon last week :)

I just wanted to recap and review how wonderful our trip was!

We woke up Thursday morning, packed our bags, got the house in order and made our way out of Burbank. We had plans to stop by a granite showroom on our way out of town to pick out the new countertops for our kitchen. I’m not a huge fan of granite, I don’t get what all the fuss is about, but I know it’s great for re-sale value. Every HGTV show has people that gush over granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Whatever floats your boat. So we’re doing granite. We left the showroom with two options and price ranges and decided to discuss it over lunch. I was getting hangry so Merfman knew just how to make my little heart go pitter-patter…

Grilled cheese, fries and a chocolate shake from IN N OUT. I was a very happy girl. We talked about counter tops and came to a decision, you’ll have to wait and see what we picked!

After lunch we got back on the road and headed toward Ojai. We arrived almost exactly at check in time and got settled into our amazing room at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa.

The view from the balcony of our room

We spent time every day sitting on the balcony enjoying the amazing view. Each night we would turn on the gas fireplace and enjoy the cozy room. I told Merfman that this trip confirmed that I need a few things in our someday dream home…a fireplace in our bedroom, a balcony off the master and an amazing view. Easy, yea?

Thursday night we had dinner at the outdoor Oak Grill Restaurant. And we ordered this lovely for dessert:

It was a peanut butter chocolate-something and it was yummy!

Friday we slept in and headed to the Spa after an early lunch.

We had booked a couple’s massage. Deep Tissue for him, baby-mamma for me :) It was AMAZING. I haven’t felt that comfortable and relaxed in months. When you’re preggo you can’t lie on your back since it affects the blood flow to the baby. So, they have you lay on your side with a pillow under your head and one under your opposite leg with a wedge under that. The pillow under your leg helps keep your hips open to take the stress off your back. I wanted to live in that position forever. It was so cozy and comfortable. Pregnant women can agree, finding a comfy resting position is hard!

That night we had dinner reservations at the fancy restaurant, Maravilla.

I got a virgin Pink Moment. It was lemonade, cranberry juice and whipped cream. So fun! The “pink moment” is an Ojai term for the time of day when the sun is just behind the mountains and the ridge turns a pretty pink color.

For dinner I had the diver sea scallops. SO good.

We had an amazing meal topped off with a very “sweet” dessert

We ordered the creme brulee and the staff wrote Happy Babymoon! on our plate :)

Saturday we had no plans other than wanting to get off the resort for dinner. We slept in, ate breakfast on our balcony, took naps and spent some time reading in the shade by the pool. It was a wonderful relaxing day. We asked for dinner recommendations off property and were directed to Boccali’s.

We wanted something casual, local and low-key. And it was perfect! I got the veggie-lasagna and it was crazy good.

For dessert we saved room for their famous strawberry shortcake

It totally lived up to the hype.

Sunday we grabbed a quick breakfast before checkout and headed home.

Our Babymoon was wonderful, and I stopped several times throughout the trip to savor the memories and amazing views. It was so wonderful to spend time together, relaxing and catching up. No distractions, no emails, phone calls and work to occupy us. I really wanted to take multiple mental photos to look back on in the coming months when we’re up to our elbows in diapers and running on little to no sleep.

Also, I can’t say enough nice things about the staff and people we met on our trip. Our waitress at the Maravilla (Kate) was amazing and so very nice. She even took the time to write us a note with recommendations for fun things to do in town during our trip. The staff at the resort goes above and beyond to make your stay special. I also noticed any staff member you passed while walking the property always said “hello” or “good morning/afternoon/evening” I’m sure it was company policy, but it was a personal touch I really liked.

It was a trip to remember and one we’ll always look back on as our last vacation as a family of 2 :)

Family

Merfbaby the Ear of Corn

April 6, 2013April 8, 2013 The Merfett

Merfbaby is 24 weeks!

The length of an ear of corn!

How I’m Feeling: Pregnant? Ha! I’m feeling good, and not too uncomfortable most of the time. I find that sitting on the couch I get stiff and need to switch positions a few times to stay comfy. Oh, and getting up from the couch is getting a little harder! I also have this funny burning feeling right below my boobs (sorry) and I asked the doctor about it. It’s not heartburn, it’s more surface pain. She said she had it when she was pregnant also, and it’s just stretching and the nerve endings being pulled. It takes a while to go away even after birth, like 3 – 4 months. I doesn’t hurt like crazy, it’s just uncomfortable and I find that rubbing the spot helps. So I look a little odd rubbing the area under my boobs, oh well!

Belly/Weight: My belly is starting to stick out more each week. I had an appointment on Tuesday and I’m up a total of 18 pounds from pre-preg weight. I was much better about eating more veggies last month so I think that helped. So it’s all good! I have my glucose test this month – ick. I’m not too excited about it, but I’ve heard it’s not terrible.

Life Changes: I’ve been a pescetarian, nothing with four legs or feathers…for 3+ years I think? I made the choice this past week to add chicken and turkey back into my diet. I thought about it for a LONG time. And it was the right choice for me for a few reasons. When pregnant, women need 70 g of protein, non – pregnant women need 45 g. My main sources of protein are eggs, beans and rice, dairy and fish. Pregnant women should also limit fish intake to 1 – 2 servings a week due to the levels of mercury in the fish we consume. So I was eating all the eggs and beans I could stand. I was also eating some non-meat substitutes…veggie sausages and things. But when I started looking at all the ingredients listed on each item I started to feel like I was putting complicated foods into “our” bodies and I didn’t like that. So, what does this mean for my diet now? I’m only eating chicken and turkey at home. I’m choosing to purchase organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free poultry. That’s one of the main reasons why I stopped eating meat, it’s full of icky stuff. Since I don’t have control over the sourcing and quality of meat when we’re eating out I choose to still eat non-meat options. I made ground turkey tacos for dinner earlier this week, and chicken a few nights ago. It wasn’t awful, I didn’t get sick. But I need to work on my chicken cooking skills, for fear of under-cooking I over cooked and dried it out :( I don’t know if I’ll keep eating chicken and turkey after Merfbaby comes, I’ll have to see how I’m feeling.

Movement: Big kicks! Little man is getting stronger. The doctor said the “violent” kicks will happen for a few more weeks, then he’s going to start running out of room so I’ll feel more pushes and jabs.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping OK. I’ve some early mornings and late nights this week…we got sucked into The Bible one night and stayed up until midnight. Oops. I’m looking forward to sleeping in for the next few days.

Cravings: In N Out :) I got my Starbucks craving covered, and it was ok. Not as amazing as the 4 week build up, meh. Maybe there’ll be a grilled cheese and some fries in my future :)

Exercise: Nothing major this week, we’re planning to take some long walks over the weekend. I got adjusted on Monday so I’m trying to take it easy.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: On Saturday we woke up and started working on names for Merfbaby. We have a total of 4 on the list, but one is a favorite. It was fun to lay in bed and say names out loud back and forth. Some funny matches…Happy and Murphy. Murphy Murphy? or Happy Murphy? How would singing “Happy Birthday” work?

On My Mind: BABYMOON! We’ll be gone Thursday – Sunday and we’re so excited for a weekend of relaxing, beautiful scenery and amazing food :) Oh, and our kitchen is in a minor state of chaos. Merfman is working hard to get things done while I’m at work, and it’s really coming together! There were a few minor issues along the way, but we’re loving the results so far :)

Family

Merfbaby the Mango

March 28, 2013March 29, 2013 The Merfett

Merfbaby is 23 weeks :)

The size of a large mango!

How I’m Feeling: Good overall :) I’ve been having some lower back pain so I went to the chiropractor to get adjusted, and oddly the adjustment needed was in my neck?! Crazy how that works. I got a new desk chair at work, which is amazing and makes a massive difference. It’s an Aero Chair and one of my favorite things ever :) I’m good about rising my laptop so it’s better aligned with my sight, and I have and external keyboard too. Since I spend a large amount of my day sitting I try to make sure it’s easier on my body. Sitting all day is so bad. My favorite office set up was a standing desk that I had in a production office. It was so nice to stand and work. I’ve considered doing that at my current office, but it would take some serious work to pull off. For now I just try walk around the office as much as I can and get up every hour or so.

Belly/Weight: I started using the Palmers Coco Butter and I rub it on in the morning and at night. I think it’s helping? It might all be in my head, but it helps me feel better :) Not sure on the weight, I have a doctor appointment next week so I’ll find out then.

Life Changes: The maternity dresses I ordered came over the weekend and they are so comfy. I’m going to wear one as an Easter Dress on Sunday. I’m really hoping to wear some wedges on our Babymoon next week (eek!) so I can feel like a real girl! Heels are a rarity for me – since breaking my bionic ankle I’m terrible on heels, well…I was never much good anyway. I did a trial run in my wedges around the bedroom earlier this week and I think I’ll be good to go :)

Movement: I can see his kicks from the outside now! It’s so funny to look down and see my tummy twitch! He’s active in the same pattern most days- morning, afternoon, evening. I can always tell that he’s sensitive to sweets, I don’t eat much sugar, but when I have something sweet it’s almost always active right after. Ha!

Sleep: It’s getting harder to roll over, I find that I end up pausing on my back mid roll. I’ve heard to roll the other way, onto all 4’s and to the other side might be easier? I’m still sleeping pretty well, I use my ear plugs whenever I’m struggling to fall asleep.

Cravings: Still OJ and craving that Starbucks! I bought a Groupon last week for $5 that’s really a $10 gift card! I’m saving it for a special day :)

Exercise: Walking. Lots of walking. Around the office. All over the place on Saturday, and I cleaned the house top to bottom on Sunday. I had plans for Spin Class this week, but with the chiropractic adjustment I decided to hold off.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: We got our diaper bag that I ordered! It was like Christmas morning opening up all the pockets and playing with it :) It’s the first baby item I’ve purchased.

On My Mind: Easter and our kitchen remodel. Our new dishwasher and oven are being delivered tomorrow! We have a busy weekend with family, and it’s crazy to think next Easter we’re going to have a Merfbaby to celebrate with!

Sorry for the sort post – We have a meeting with a granite person for the kitchen!