Welcome to the World

It's been a while since I posted something personal but I have a good reason .... I had a baby!! Allow me to introduce Yoav Rubin Glaser. Our son was born on February 2nd, 2012 via C-Section after 55+ hours in labor. Isn't he cute??

I love Kermit the Frog!

Go Blue!

Yoav is already a half-month old and he doesn't even look like he did when these pictures were taken. It's insane how different he looks every day. So, ready for his birth story?

On January 29th, I went in for a routine weekly OB/GYN check up. After another fetal monitor and blood pressure check, I was sent to my doctor so he could see the results. The verdict: go to the hospital ASAP! Apparently, I was experiencing hypertension and he wanted the hospital to induce labor. So, off we went.

At the hospital's pregnancy ER, I underwent another fetal monitor exam and blood pressure check up. I was asked if I was experiencing any headaches, blurry vision, or tummy pain. The answer: I have a sinus headache from the rain. So, off I went to the regular ER where I waited an hour to see a neurologist. In my opinion, if you make someone wait an hour to see a neurologist, they may as well be dead. If I had any real neurological issues, like a stroke or something, I would have died waiting to see someone. Yet, she gave me a clean bill of health and even wrote out that I know a sinus headache when I feel one. She then sent me to the ophthalmologist to make sure everything was OK before sending me back to the pregnancy ER. The verdict: I was A-OK in the head and eyes.

After realizing that I was OK, the doctor on staff said he'd like to admit me to the high risk ward and he was recommending inducing me. Why the recommendation? Because he doesn't have the authority to decide if I should be induced. Nearly 18 hours later, I was told by a doctor I was being induced. The problem? I was having my own contractions and they wanted to wait and see if something happened naturally. Another 15 hours went by before they gave me my first dose of pge2 (the induction pill). I have never felt pain like this before!! It got really bad and then it stopped. Since my contractions were so bad, the doctors decided not to give me another dose of pge2 eight hours after the first dose. They thought my cervix would dilate on its own. It didn't. My contractions stopped. I was given the second dose over 24 hours after the first one. It did nothing. Eight hours after that, I was given a third dose. That did nothing, too. Then I started contracting on my own, again. And quite badly.

The big problem? I wasn't dilating. After three doses of pge2, nothing was happening!! The next day, a doctor that I refer to as Dr. Nice Guy came by and told me that he wanted to try dilating me using a balloon. At this point I was in tears because I had been examined vaginally so many times that I was in physical pain from my auto immune disease. Plus, as a survivor of sexual assault and rape, I don't exactly want someone I don't know touching me. I clam up. At one point, one examination was so bad and painful that I cried uncontrollably for an hour into Craig's chest and he made it very clear to the nurses that this doctor is NEVER to come near me again. I was then given a sedative and I drifted off to sleep.

Anyway, after two failed balloon attempts, Dr. Nice Guy went to speak to the head physician (the Dean) and I was told they were going to send me to labor and delivery where I'd be given Pitocin and an epidural! Once the epidural kicked in, I don't remember much else about that day. I slept a lot. At some point, another doctor came in with Dr. Nice Guy and I was given two options: give the Pitocin another two hours to see if I dilate or have a C-Section. After about five minutes of discussion, I told them to get the kid out of me. Another two hours of Pitocin wasn't going to do anything since I was no more dilated five days into my hospital stay than I was when I walked into the hospital.

At 8:35pm, on February 2nd, I gave birth to a very loud little boy. The next day, he was taken to the NICU for jaundice. The nightmare continued. He was there for five days and they were the longest five days of my life. The State of Israel takes this stuff VERY seriously- especially since it was my blood that caused the issue. We have an ABO blood incompatibility. By February 7th (the day I was supposed to deliver ... and a day after my parents arrived), we took our gorgeous little boy home. He's been given a clean bill of health by the Dean of the NICU and by his pediatrician!

Pregnancy Must Haves

Oh insomnia, how I love thee... no, wait, no I don't. I loathe thee. I cannot figure out why I can't sleep lately. I'm woken up by random things like the baby kicking, pelvic pain, the dog dreaming, and even Craig yelling "why are you coming after me?" (but in a Jersey Shore-style) in his sleep. Some nights I don't even sleep at all. I'm often woken up just because I'm sweating. Pregnancy sounds fun, yeah??

Well, on top of everything that's going on in my brain, I came across a blog post on People.com that got me thinking. Marla Sokoloff wrote an interesting piece on her pregnancy must-haves. As I looked through her list, I kept thinking "does she think we're all independently wealthy people?" Nearly everything she had on her list is expensive. So, I decided to create my own "must have" list for my friends that are currently expecting! Since this is me we're talking about, you can expect my choices to be somewhat inexpensive.

Clothing
Any good mama-to-be should know to be versatile but there are a few things you're going to need!

I could not have survived my pregnancy without the three empire-waist dresses I bought. When I bought them, I got them on a whim and told Craig "I'm going to wear these all the time!!" We were short on cash and I wound up spending about $100 on two bags of clothes (not just the dresses). While he rolled his eyes at me, I've worn every piece of clothing I bought that day at least 100 times by now. The dresses are my go-to tunics now and I still get compliments when I wear them. They are fantastic for before/during/after pregnancy! 

Make sure you get maternity jeans with a stretch to it! As you expand, you want jeans to expand with you and you're going to need shirts that cover!! Don't forget about sweaters! You WILL get cold at some point, so invest in a few longer cardigans that can easily be taken off when you get hot, again.

Shoes. All you really need are shoes... that will expand with your feet. I preferred wearing boots all winter but I learned a valuable lesson - don't invest a lot of money in new and expensive shoes. They won't last you long. Your feet may go up a size, so look for bargains on shoes that you won't mind tossing once your feet return to a normal-ish size.

It's always nice to have a fancy dress or two - you never know when someone will be getting married or you have a party to go to. My recommendation: buy 1 floor length dress and 1 shorter dress.

Just like your t-shirts, tunics become great for every day wear, so invest in longer tunics that will eventually get shorter as your belly grows. They go well with just about everything - jeans, leggings, skirts...etc.

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

There are also other things you need...
I'm not kidding when I say stretch marks itch. Get Shea butter!  Palmer's Shea butter works really well at relieving dry stretched skin but use a bit of aloe to cool the skin off a bit!

Another thing you'll need: a durable water bottle. I prefer metal, some people prefer glass or plastic. Just make sure it's BIG! You need to stay hydrated and it's easier to throw a water bottle in your purse than it is to go to Starbucks.

Books will keep you entertained but you don't need to buy every pregnancy book on the market. My favorites: Taboo Secrets of Pregnancy: A Guide to Life with a Belly and Expect This! - they're not scary pregnancy books and they're actually rather funny.

I love makeup... and my skin changed a lot with pregnancy. Invest in a few staples: cheek/lip stain, tinted moisturizer, SPF, lip balm, and a cream eyeshadow. These are as versatile as it gets and you don't want your makeup sliding off during the day. Take it from someone who lives in the Middle East!!


The last thing you can't and shouldn't live without: healthy snacks! Keep fruit, oatmeal bars, string cheese, and nuts handy! Keep them in your purse, bag, desk...etc. You're going to get hungry at random times - may as well stave off the hunger. Plus, eating little by little helps keep "angry lady" at bay as well as nausea. Trust me when I tell you that at the drop of a hat your blood sugar will drop - so keep food on you at all times - make it a habit!

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

 

 

Ok, it's your time to chime in ... what were YOUR pregnancy must haves?

Bed Rest Approved Dinners

I'm kind of limited in what I can do lately. I'm on bed rest and my range of activity is somewhat slim. I can do endless DIY activities as long as they are not stressful and I take breaks to relax... and they need to be done inside my house. I can also cook and I can go to the grocery store. That's about it. Going to IKEA would probably make me a monster and would raise my blood pressure. So, I'm stuck entertaining myself.

What have I done so far?

• Made pillow covers using safety pins and a button
• DIY Micro-Dermabrasion using baking soda and orange juice
• Made low-cal/low-fat dinners

Not bad for someone who is on bed rest, right? Well, this was all just this week's activities so far. I still have the rest of today and tomorrow to get through.


I wanted to share two really yummy dinner recipes that I made that are both low in fat and really easy to make. I made creamy roasted veggie gnocchi for dinner last night and I also made pan-seared potato kreplach (think tortellini) with a lemon butter sauce for dinner a few nights ago. Ready for the recipes?


Creamy Roasted Veggie Gnocchi
First of all, I hated gnocchi growing up - just ask my step-dad. I wouldn't touch it when he made it. I will only eat this stuff if it's in a creamy sauce. So, here's what you need:
1 package of Gnocchi
1 cube of veggie bullion
1 cup of frozen cauliflower
1 cup of frozen broccoli
1 cup of sliced zucchini
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter

2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of low fat milk
1/8 cup of low fat Parmesean
Salt and Pepper to taste


Here's what you do:
Take a large pot, fill it with water, put it on the stove and add your veggie bullion. Let the water boil.


As the water boils, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a large mixing bowl and dump in your veggies. Add your olive oil to the mix, lightly sprinkle the mixture with salt and mix well. Take a baking pan covered in tin-foil and sprayed lightly with PAM - now pour the veggies on to the pan and place the pan in the oven.


Once your water is boiling, add your gnocchi. When all of the gnocchi are at the surface, they're ready to be drained! Once they're drained, set them aside.


Return the pot to the stove and make sure your setting is on medium-low. Add your butter and minced garlic to the pot, stirring quickly. Then add your milk - make sure the milk doesn't burn! Once your milk starts to bubble, add your cheese and stir the mixture until everything is melted. Turn your stove off and add the gnocchi to the mixture. If your veggies are nicely browned, add them as well.


Serve hot!


To make this dish slightly lower in fat, substitute the butter for olive oil. 

Pan-Seared Potato Kreplach in a Lemon-Butter Sauce
For most of my life, kreplach was something you ate in chicken soup and it always came with meat inside. It wasn't until I moved to Israel that I realized there's a wide variety of kreplach on the market. I'm pretty sure if my grandmother knew what I did to kreplach, she'd scold me. This form of kreplach is like tortellini so you can always substitute one pasta for another. Here's what you need: 
One package of frozen kreplach or any kind of tortellini
2 tsp. butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1/8 cup of lemon juice
1/8 cup of flour
Salt and Pepper to taste

Here's what you do:
Take a large pot, fill it with water, put it on the stove and let the water boil. Once it boils, add half of the package of kreplach - then place the rest in the freezer. When all of the kreplach are at the surface, they're ready for draining! Drain them and put them aside for now.

Grab a large and deep pan or skillet. On a medium setting, melt the butter and garlic together - mixing vigorously. Add your lemon juice and mix well. To thicken the mixture, add the flour slowly, making sure you mix as you go. You may not need the full 1/8 cup. Once the mixture looks less buttery, add your kreplach to the mixture. Let the kreplach sit for a few minutes and stir it. You want the pasta to sear, not burn, so keep a watchful eye. Once your mixture has browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and eat it!

Serve hot!!

To make this dish slightly lower in fat, skip the butter and use olive oil instead. If you use olive oil, do not use flour. 

Both of these dishes are very low impact - meaning they won't take you long (both dishes took me less than 20 minutes from start to finish). You can add veggies to each dish or substitute the veggies I used. We try to buy seasonal veggies because they're cheaper but the frozen ones are just as good.

Eat in good health! 

Taking Care of Mom - Post-Baby

Last week, I wrote a post about baby gifts - what to get and what not to get expectant moms. In truth, I've been really lucky - I LOVE everything that's been given to us but the post made me think about what we need and what I need in a larger capacity. I'm constantly being told by my friends that right now is the time to indulge and be selfish ... to spend a little money on myself. In one day, I was told to get a manicure and pedicure plus a new haircut and hair color ... by four different people. First of all, I like my hair cut and my color. Second, I can do my nails myself. Doing my toes is a bit harder but, c'mon people, it's winter! I have a hard enough time shaving my legs this time of year - don't expect me to get a pedicure!

Anyway, as I eagerly await the arrival of the little monster currently destroying my insides, I'm pinning away on Pinterest. My friend, Sarah, wrote a great post about how loving your kids and loving motherhood are not the same thing. This got me thinking that I really need to find things that are just for me so I don't wind up resenting motherhood or my child. So, I created three new boards on Pinterest: Healthy Foods, Post-Baby Workout, and Post-Maternity Style. I know I'm supposed to be worried about the baby's well being, and I will be, but who is going to worry about my well being. So many of my friends have had children and then stopped taking care of themselves. While I won't call them out publicly on it, I really don't want to go that route. Craig and I agreed a loooooonnnnnng time ago that taking care of me is just as important as taking care of Baby Glaser.

During parts of my pregnancy, I went a little crazy with foods that weren't necessarily healthy for me. While 90% of what I eat is good for me, 10% of it hasn't been and I want to change that... hence my health board. I have no intention of eating fat-free this or reduced-calorie that (you should know me better) but I want to put more fruit and veggies into my belly. This pregnancy was rough... I couldn't eat so many complex carbohydrates like brown rice, multigrain bread, or even wheat bread! It totally messed with my system. I love smoothies but, lately, fruit has been really expensive here. I've started freezing fruit that's about to go off and even started buying things like pineapple and apricot in their canned variety. Thankfully, we have a little blender so making smoothies isn't so rough but those are about to get healthier as well!

Once the baby is out, I'm going back to eating healthier!

I'm also heading back to the gym as soon as I can!! So many of my friends tell me that just getting out for a walk helps clear the mind but the gym is "me" time. It'll be a chance for Craig to bond with the baby and a chance for me to get away from the baby ... and Craig ... and the dogs. Don't worry, I won't go overboard but I want to lose the baby weight, get healthy, and be on a path that could have me looking like this:

Source: glamour.com via Hillary on Pinterest

Ok, maybe I won't look like that ... but I'd like to look healthy. And be a size 4. Again. One of my bloggy friends said this wasn't a lofty goal since the baby will need fresh air (and I will need to get out of the apartment), daily walks will help me lose the baby weight. I do have a goal - look better by the time my maternity leave is over. "Better" means not double-chinned and bloated.

The last part of taking care of me comes in the form of clothing. I have clothes that can last me a few weeks after the baby is born but once the initial bloat is gone and I'm deflated, I can't really wear some of this stuff ... and I don't want to invest in a new wardrobe just yet. Remember, I want to lose weight so investing in a brand new wardrobe is just dumb ... but I did make a deal with my Dad. When he and Jo-mama visit, they'll babysit so I can go interim-clothes shopping. Here are a few of my basic style ideas:

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

If you couldn't tell, I like jeans... a lot. The problem: I don't have any!!! These outfits are my cool-Mommy casual-chic outfits that can (and will) be mixed and matched.

So, what do you do to take care of you post-baby? Is there anything special you do for "me" time? 

No Spend Month - Gratitude

As Craig and I do our financial thing to prepare for baby #1, a new friend of mine is having a very different experience with her pregnancy. I've enjoyed reading her baby updates so far and even her scary updates have taught me a lesson.

I spent last month working on the Gratitude Project - a month-long journey into discovering how other people learn gratitude. I often post about the little things I'm grateful for but as Craig and I take this annoying financial journey (yes, it IS annoying), I'm pausing to mark a few other things I'm grateful for.

1. I'm grateful that even though it's 4:30am here and I've been awake for 1.5 hours, it wasn't the pregnancy or pre-term contractions that woke me up. It's just a cold. I have an annoying cold because some of my coworkers thought it would be a good idea to come into work sick. So, now I'm sick. But the baby is fine.
2. I'm grateful that I feel great! My first 20 weeks of pregnancy were hell. Between flying early to the US, my grandmother's death, family drama, work drama, health scares, and horrific flights - I'm amazed I got to week 32. A lot of my friends are not feeling so hot in their pregnancies right now and, aside from this cold, I feel really amazing. I'm not super tired, I'm more active (walking around the mall counts, right?), and I've learned my limits.
3. Finances will always be a tough one for me but it's a hurdle I'm willing to jump over. My Mom once told me that gaining control over your finances won't happen over night and it won't happen in a month... but it will happen if you take control at some point. We're taking control and we have goals set. I'm grateful that I'm dealing with this stuff at an early stage in our marriage and while we're young ... because if I had to do this in my 40's, I'd be screwed. 
4. I'm grateful for the State of Israel and for what they do to help pregnant women. I get 14 weeks of paid maternity leave (paid for by the State of Israel's Bituach Leumi - like social security). My hospital stay is free. I get a small amount of money for giving birth. The Jewish state takes the whole be fruitful and multiply thing very seriously. Everything else here may cost a fortune but they try to make the pregnancy process much easier. The birthing centers are run by midwives and nurses who aren't so keen on admitting you earlier than you need to be there. They've been known to turn women away only to have them return an hour later and be admitted. I'm grateful for all of this because they'll let my body do what it's supposed to do - go through the labor process.
5. I'm grateful that when I need to vent about something, my parents are there to listen. I call my parents about once a week and I email regularly with my Mom. They know I'm scared to be going through this alone. In fact, this will be their only grandchild born overseas. It's a scary thought that your youngest child is about to give birth in a country where she doesn't fully grasp the language but has been surviving for nearly 6 years. I don't have the luxuries I would have in the US but, at the same time, I have more luxuries here being pregnant. 

I could go on and on and on about what I'm grateful for right now. I'm obviously grateful for my husband for letting me handle certain things on my own. He still offers to do the laundry even though he knows I'm going to say "no". He encourages my independence.

I'm also grateful that g-d has given me the strength to do this financial thing. It's hard - very hard. But we're doing it. We splurge a little (if you can call toilet paper, potato chips, and pretzel bites splurging) but we're mindful of what we won't be able to buy because we bought other things. Last night we picked up our "free" items (which actually came in handy). We also bought toilet paper and a four-pack of potato chips for me to take to work. The total: 45NIS/$12. We also stopped for pretzel bites because I was hungry (I'm still getting the hang of this pregnancy thing). The total: 18NIS/$4.78. Knowing that I spent almost $5 on something stupid like a cone full of pretzel bites reminds me to bring food with me for moments of starvation. The total for yesterday: 63NIS/$16.76.

We now have 829NIS/$237.32 left for the rest of the month.

Addictions and Budgets

Ever have an addiction? I don't mean to something like alcohol or drugs. I mean to something like pie, LolCatz, or shoes.

Right now, I have an addiction to two sites: Pinterest.com and Polyvore.com. Pinterest allows me to find cool things on the internet then "pin" them to a "board". It's kind of like those cork boards I had growing up where I would pin pictures and stuff to. Polyvore allows me to create fun outfits and looks, then publish them and post them to Facebook. Oddly enough, some of my polyvore looks have been re-pinned over and over again on Pinterest.

These two sites are giving me maternity inspiration. Not just for clothes, but also for food.

I promised you last week that I'd hit up some budgeting updates this week, so here goes:

Craig and I did a BIG shop that wasn't actually so big. We replaced a pan of mine that got ruined due to someone (like my husband) washing it in oven cleaner. Yeah. You read right. I also did quite a bit of maternity shopping... my next big maternity shop will be in mid-September for all the Jewish holidays and some weddings we have coming up. Downside: we have a few more months of Summer. Upside: I spent around $40 on 4 tank tops and 4 dresses! WHOO HOO!

So, those two weddings we have to go to are religious - which means I need to cover as much as I can. Since it'll still be warm here, this is what I came up with:

Source: polyvore.com via Hillary on Pinterest

Not too shabby, right? Only in my dreams, I suppose.

I'll update more on our budgeting tomorrow, I promise! Join me on Pinterest.com!!

Raising Baby Glaser

I always thought that I'd be older and more established when I had kids.

Who am I kidding? I never thought I'd actually HAVE kids. Not because of biology, more because I didn't really want them. Just ask my Mom. She'll tell you. I wasn't that kid who used her Cabbage Patch doll as a baby, I pretended Aprilette (yes, that was her name) was my friend. I never wanted pregnant Barbie - I wanted office slave Barbie.

Yup. I was that kid.

Being pregnant kind of changes things. I always wanted a career... although I never really knew what I wanted to be when I "grew up". Now I know what I want and I know who I want to be for our child.

A few days ago, Craig and I went for an ultrasound (we've had a lot of them in this country) and I randomly asked the doctor if we could find out the sex of the baby. He made us wait until the ultrasound was over to say....

"Mazal tov, it's a BOY!"

So, it's official - we're having a baby boy! I never thought my first child would be a boy - and it definitely complicates things (bris, flights for parents...etc.) but it's a good complication! I can't wait to meet him - he looks beautiful already!

The news of baby boy Glaser kind of took over my week but I promise to update you with some budgeting stuff later on.

Being Pregnant... SUCKS. Part I

I had a revelation the other day...


I'M PREGNANT!

LOL, OK. I know that's not news, especially not to me.

Today, I had another revelation...

I FEEL pregnant.

That's a first.

When I was in Detroit last month, I was already showing (yes, at 9-12 weeks). But it was that "is she pregnant or just fat" kind of showing.

Now I'm actually really showing. I figured it out this morning when I was at work. I went to use the restroom and as I was pulling up my insanely stupid maternity pants I saw it... my belly. It was round. Seriously.

As I waddled back to my office, I realized I was waddling. No longer walking so much... more waddling like a duck. A duck who can walk in a straight line.

Needless to say, being pregnant is not fun for me. Are there any women out there who LIKED being pregnant? Do I have something to look forward to?

My friend, Joanna (you know, the Soulful Coach), promised me that my second trimester would be blissful. WTF! Why am I not blissful??? Why am I crankier than my grandma?? I'm hot and cold all the time; I eat wickedly weird foods together (like a Nestle Crunch ice cream bar with salt and pepper potato chips); I pee every five minutes (over share?); AND breathing is harder.

WHY IS BREATHING SO HARD??

Whew. OK. The angst is out but why am I so angsty? I feel like Mary the Federal Marshall on In Plain Sight. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. I'm her. Right. Now.

Anyone got a valium? I kid. I kid.

Suggestions please!!!