Week 35 & 36: Moving into Full Term.

The closer it gets to my due date, the more quickly my body goes through changes. Some are small, like not being able to cross my legs, and others are more extreme to where I know I won’t be able to do it again until after Dillon has arrived, such as a spinal twist. Thank goodness for my yoga pranayama practice. My personal breath practice of letting go of what was or what is, and coming back to the present moment, finding gratitude for everything in that moment. A great way for me to happily make it through some of the tougher challenges of my pregnancy is to remind myself it is only temporary. That helps my mind move forward so much easier and quicker.

These two weeks had Lyla’s 5th Birthday, Christmas and New Year’s to celebrate. I went all out on portion sizes for the holidays by not giving myself limitations. I ate as much as I wanted, but I did keep everything healthy because having an upset stomach, fatigue or nausea is not worth any tasty treat. I had hummus, nuts, fruits, veggies, chips, and kombuchas to satisfy my cravings. With my business expanding, I am having to come up with new recipes to put on my menu. Some of them have cheese if the customer requests that, and the dairy has been causing a lot of stomach issues for me plus fatigue. I am happy that I am done making recipes with cheese for a while.

The holidays were spent with my husband, stepdaughter and his family. New Year’s Eve was spent with friends, and it was my last holiday for this pregnancy as the designated driver! A very big moment for me, haha. I miss my Omission Lager.

New Year’s day I had a catering event of 1,000 bite-sized pieces of food for Sager | Braudis Gallery in Columbia MO. It was such an amazing opportunity for my business! I had multiple people tell me they loved the healthy food, which was such a humbling experience.

I started a habit about 6 years ago where I run on the holiday mornings. It always helps me get out any anxious energy about the day being spent with family. I am happy to say I was able to still do that on Christmas and New Year’s. I had to take it slower, with more of a walk/run, but I made it, and I felt so accomplished and relaxed for the rest of the day. It’s the small things that make us happy that really allow us to shine love to others the rest of our day. I am teaching a lot more off my mat now. I am lucky to have students that know my teaching cues, so that I can demonstrate less and give more alignment corrections as they hold poses. It’s a special gift that I love to share with my students, helping them deepen their practice physically. It also allows me to watch people’s beautiful practice in my classes.

I also took the time over the holidays to step back from my private chef and yoga clients and finish Dillon’s nursery with my husband and the read Babywise. I learned so much from both experiences. I just sit in her nursery some days and get so excited for the memories to come. The book had me overwhelmed, anxious and a little nervous at first, but with the wisdom of other successful Babywise mothers, I feel much more confident now. I am very excited for the day she comes and I get to lock out the world for 8 weeks and just be with my family. It is a dream I have dreamt for 29 years.

I got to do my maternity pictures at the end of week 36. They turned out great! Ryan’s Aunt, Leea, did the photography for us. It has only made me even more excited to be a mom and to teach my daughter a life full of health, wellness and love! Now that it is the New Year and now that I have time to really contemplate my Motherhood Mantra, I have finally nailed it down to what is true to me. “Be Present and Patient in every moment of Motherhood.”