Now Showing!

Just in the last week or so my tummy has started to morph into more of a "bump". For a while, it was just looking like a "bulge", so it is a welcome change. I seem to be gaining weight all around my mid-section, like an innertube. I was hoping to be one of those pregnant ladies who just pops right in front, but no such luck there.
I have been feeling better! I am now eating a wider variety of foods but I am still not a fan of plain, grilled meat. I mostly crave seafood and fruit...and starches. I still get the "gags" every once in a while, but it is very manageable and nothing like it was a couple of weeks ago (thank goodness). I look forward to my afternoon nap to help me feel a little better when the nausea gets tough. School starts up again soon and I will be sad to kiss those naps goodbye.
Because I have been feeling better I have started exercising again. Lots of walks on the beach and hikes in Torrey Pines. I also started going to a prenatal yoga class a couple nights a week with my friend Katie.

Here's a couple pics of the belly after yoga:







Adam didn't want to be left out! Here are pics of his belly on a hike in Torrey Pines. (Just in case it isn't obvious, he wanted me to point out that he is sticking it out!):

Correction...

I got all of my diaper prices in the last post from 'Diapers.com'. I was told that you can buy the traditional disposable diapers for $0.18 a diaper, making the cost difference even bigger.

Mother Earth

I have been doing a little research to try to find an eco-friendly diaper. Because I love children and babies so much, I have had many babysitting and nanny jobs in my lifetime and changed a LOT of diapers. I have always been thoughtful of how much waste they produce and interested in seeking an alternative when it became my turn to buy the diapers for my own baby.

The average baby uses about 8,000 diapers in his/her lifetime (some would argue more). Traditional plastic diapers are made with plastic and chemicals that take approximately 500 years to decompose and add an estimated 3.4 million tons of used diapers to our landfills every year. It is disgusting to think that the 3.4 million tons is not only created with plastic, but also human waste which is disease causing and toxic. Yuck! It is also interesting to note that it takes a LOT of oil to make a disposable plastic diaper.

From what I have read, using cloth diapers isn't a better choice because of the energy, water, and chemicals it takes to wash them. And, to be honest, I'm not sure I want to deal with cloth diapers.

I also learned in my research that the super absorbent gel found in a diaper is made of sodium polyacrylate, which is a highly toxic chemical that causes allergic reactions (which is one of the main reasons 54% of babies get a diaper rash within their 1st month) and has been linked to toxic shock syndrome. Also, a chemical called dioxin is used to bleach the cotton in diapers. This chemical is the most toxic of all cancer-causing chemicals. It has been linked to cancer, birth defects, and reproductive disorders. I realize that most people use traditional disposable diapers with no complaints, but I still think it is important to be informed about what is going next to your baby's skin and what it is doing to the environment.

I found a few options in my search for an eco-friendly/toxic-free diaper:

1. The G Diaper
These are flushable and completely biodegradable. They can be composted and break down in 150 days. However, they seem much more labor intensive. They have to be worn with a cover, and when the baby poos, the cover will have to be machine washed or rinsed out. Check out the website. It has a lot of interesting information and has a video about how to flush the diaper. The covers are pretty cute, but they cost $19.00 and you need about 6 for each size (s,m,l) which is an added $120 to the cost of diapers. The disposable insert costs about $0.40 a diaper.


2. Tushies
These are gel free and contain no toxic chemicals. Because they are completely gel-free I would imagine that they leak a lot, but I have never talked to anyone who uses them. They are not completely biodegradable, but they break down easier and are made in a more Earth-friendly way than traditional plastic diapers. They cost approximately $0.40 a diaper.

3. Seventh Generation
These are dioxin free and their absorbent polymer found in the gel is also non-toxic. They are not biodegradable, but contain fewer chemicals and are made in a more Earth-friendly manner. They cost approximately $0.31 for their mid-sized diaper.

Just for comparison, Pampers are about $0.25 a diaper. So, If you do the math, the average baby will cost $2,000 in Pampers and $3,320 in G Diapers (including the covers), which are the most expensive of the three I listed above. That is a big difference. But, can you put a price on the benefit for the baby and environment? I'm not sure! I definitely haven't decided what to use on our little one. I am open to other suggestions or comments from people that have tried diaper alternatives.

Happy 4th of July!

Adam and I spent our 4th of July weekend at our friends' wedding in Los Olivos. It was a gorgeous wedding and we had a great time celebrating the happy couple with all of our friends. Congratulations to Ivana and Andrew!

Baby's First Photo Shoot

Here is our baby's first pictures! We had an ultrasound before, but it didn't show much. In this picture you can see his/her head on the upper left with a little hand in front of his/her eyes. The legs and feet and toes are on the bottom right. It was very exciting to see our little buddy and hear the heart beat loud and clear. So far, everything looks great from the ultrasound and blood work I had done.

Our doctor told me that it will become more challenging to show me a lot of pictures as we progess because we don't want to know the baby's sex. Adam is hoping that he spots a little weener or 'gina "on accident". Every time a friend of ours calls to tell us that they are having a boy or girl, Adam wants to rush to the doctor's office to find out and I have to talk him back into waiting. It is one of life's true surprises!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

For the record, this is not an official complaint. I am soooo happy to be pregnant and will take the lows with the amazing highs any day. But, if this blog is to be a true journal of my pregnancy (and soon our baby's life) I have to say that I am getting tired of the nausea. It has recently gotten better, but I still gag a few times a week and I still get sick at the smell or mention of certain foods (especially meat). And, just recently the overwhelming exhaustion has kicked in. Most people say that they are really tired in their first few months, but mine just hit me. In the afternoons I am so sleepy that I can hardly keep my eyes open. I am grateful that it is my summer vacation and that I can indulge in afternoon naps on most days.
Because of being sick and tired, I have only exercised once in the past month, which I know is something I need to work on. It is just a little hard for me to motivate when I either want to fall asleep or puke. A couple more things while I'm "not complaining"...I am gassy, my body hair grows back at twice the speed it ever did before, and my boobs are so sore that I often sleep in a sports bra. Paints a beautiful picture, doesn't it? I apologize for the negativity. I promise that the next post will be filled with joyous news about the development of our baby. :)