Babymoon in Zion

Posted by: Bridget

You’ve already read all about Maureen and Dan’s babymoon here.  And you may remember when I referred to our own pre-baby adventure in this post.  But I left out the details because I wanted to include some of our amazing pictures…which still needed to be edited.  Well, it only took me two months to get that done.  So, without further ado, allow me to share with you our adventures in Zion National Park:

How did we decide to go here?  Well, since neither Scott nor I are very good at sitting still, a beach vacation wasn’t really up our alley.  Plus, at 20 weeks pregnant, I was already feeling quite large and whale-like, so the idea of lounging around in a bathing suit wasn’t very appealing!  Our ideal type of vacation involves exploring new places, being active, and taking lots of pictures, and Zion offered the opportunity to do all three.  Yes, I was 5 months pregnant at the time, but we weren’t going to let a little thing like that get in our way, so off we went on our last little vacation as a family of 2.

From our starting point in Park City, Zion N.P. was a 5-hour drive due south.  Although Utah is an absolutely gorgeous place, the interstate that we drove along did not provide a whole lot of amazing scenery.  Most of our drive consisted of this view:

A whole lotta farmland.

Not all that different from the typical Midwest road trip that we’re used to.  We could see mountains in the distance but no matter how long we drove, it seemed like we never got any closer to them. 

Along the way, in the middle of absolutely nowhere (seriously miles from the nearest small town), we came across the most unusual gas station that either of us had ever been to.  Well, actually there wasn’t anything different about the gas station itself but rather what it had on its grounds.  An unmanned, rundown petting zoo?!  Full of zebra, ostrich, llamas, cows, donkeys, Shetland ponies, sheep, and more.

I felt bad for the animals, especially the zebra and ostrich who belong in sub-Saharan Africa, not Utah in late winter.  There wasn’t even a barn or anything for them to go into when it snows.  Weird and sad.

After our brief pit stop, we got on the road again and made good time to Zion, which is located in Southern Utah, not far from the Arizona border.  The terrain has a very Southwestern desert-like feel to it…we even saw actual tumbleweed blowing across the road.  The only time I'd ever seen tumbleweed before was in cartoons.

We arrived in Zion with just enough time to check-in to our hotel and rush over to the park for a sunset hike.  

Suiting up for our first hike!

Although we hiked exclusively on trails, I still insisted on wearing my gaiters (which are typically only used to protect your legs when hiking off-trail) because I was terrified of the scorpions and tarantulas that are common in that area.  I am not a big fan of bugs, especially spiders, but they usually only bother me when I find them indoors...where they’re NOT supposed to be.  If I find a spider outside, however, I usually just passively flick it away.  But tarantulas are huge, hairy spiders that I don’t want to run into anywhere. ever.  Fortunately, I was over-prepared and we didn’t encounter a single huge insect during our stay.  Phew.

Our evening hike was great:

Baby bump at 5 months!

In fact, that’s pretty much all we did in Zion was hike.  We saw some amazing views and took lots of pictures:

Picnic Lunch!

Handsome hubby!

Hiking while pregnant really wasn’t bad.  We purposely chose to go on some of the park's easier, shorter hikes in order to keep it a little easier for me.    But this was easier said than done because we were staying along the canyon floor, and the scale from canyon floor to the top of the mountains is enormous, and there wasn’t really anywhere to go but up.  I did have to stop more often than usual to rest and catch my breath, but all in all, I held up pretty well. 

The only really rough part of the whole hiking experience was the “I-have-to-pee-every-30-minutes” part.  The trail system in Zion is really well-established in the popularly-visited areas, and they highly discourage hikers from straying from the path.  Not that there’s anywhere to go.  Again, Zion is really, really steep and most of the hikes consist of a series of switchbacks that lead you up the side of a canyon wall, like this:

See the trail zig-zagging it's way up the left side of this shot?

You couldn’t go off-trail if you wanted to because on one side of you is the vertical wall of the canyon and the other side is a sheer cliff.  

See?  Two steps further and Scott would fall off the edge!

To make matters worse, we were there on a weekend and there were lots of other hikers around.  So, there was literally nowhere for me to step off trail, hide behind a rock or tree, and quickly pee.  So, I had to hold it.  For hours.  It was not comfortable. 

But I survived.  And, in the end, that part wasn’t bad enough to influence my overall enjoyment of exploring an absolutely gorgeous place with my hubby.  We had a blast and look forward to going back with our little baby someday.  There were plenty of hikers out there carrying their kids in backpacks, and we got the scoop from some of them on which brand they like best, how hard it is to hike with a baby on your back, etc…  So, we’re definitely looking forward to introducing our child to the magnificence of nature from a very young age.

Although this post is already pretty photo-heavy, I'll leave you with just a few more of this gorgeous place:

Where's Waldo Scott?

I'm looking up because I'm watching out for tarantulas!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, everyone!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

posted by Maureen

Dan and I moved into our new apartment in mid-January, which was just about the time that I started to notice my belly bump, ever so slightly.

Late January shot. (Note that I am definitely sucking my belly in here!)

Our new place is great. It’s much nicer and bigger than where we lived before, and it has lots of nice touches like granite countertops, a fireplace, and framed bathroom mirrors.

The only problem has been this:

And this:

Can you tell what’s wrong with these pictures?

Short, little me can see this:

But not all this:

23 weeks...taken a month ago. 

For quite some time, these two bathroom mirrors were the only ones in our apartment, which meant that I had very little concept of just what I looked like as my body was growing and changing.  This made for some funny moments in various places like the gym locker room or reflective storefront windows, where I’d stop in my tracks and stare a little longer than normal at the unfamiliar figure looking back at me. Since I couldn’t see much below my shoulders in the mirror at home on a regular basis at home the difference seemed pretty stark when I actually did get to see my full reflection.

So, we were in need of a full-length mirror, which you might think we’d get around to buying sooner, rather than later. Not so, my friends. Not so. It took us procrastinators three months to finally get something permanent on our wall! 

In truth, it actually just took us a surprisingly long time to find one that we liked, wasn’t too much money, and fit in the space we need to put it. Our lucky day finally came a few weeks ago at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. One 15% off coupon and 20 minutes of Dan’s time later, we finally had this:

The mirror itself isn’t anything super special, but it sure is nice to finally be able to make sure my outfits match and to check on the belly growing progress on a more regular basis. Truth be told, it fascinates me to watch myself getting bigger. I actually quite like it, though much more in the belly department than the hip/thigh expansion that’s also taking place. We’ll see if I continue to be as “happy” about gaining weight when the pounds really start packing on in the 3^rd trimester!

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho...

Posted by: Bridget

Hello everyone!  I, too, am back after a longer-than-expected hiatus from blogging.  Hooray!  Unlike Maureen’s fun activities as of late (mentioned here and here), I don’t have any really fun excuses as to why I’ve been so MIA except that I’ve been super busy with work and that’s made keeping up with the rest of my life pretty tough. 

I can’t complain though.  Being busy is a really good thing for me because I’m self-employed and my job is appointment-based, so when I’m not working, I’m also not getting paid.  I’m a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer, and I run my own private practice:

I absolutely love my job.  It’s very fun and rewarding to help people improve their health and their lives.  And I’m passionate about health and fitness, so it’s a total joy to be able to work in a field that I love and truly believe in. 

It’s also really great to be your own boss. 

There are some obvious perks, like being able to make your own schedule and take as many vacation days as you want.  I don’t have to worry about all of the corporate procedures and policies that my hubby and all of the other people in Corporate America have to deal with.  I’m not going to show up to work one day only to find that my entire team has been restructured and I’ll now be working on a totally different project or anything like that.  I’ve never been good at following rules, especially ones that I don’t agree with, so working for myself is perfect for me. 

But there are a few minor drawbacks. 

First, running your own business is a lot of work.  I don’t get to be just a dietitian and personal trainer.  I’ve also got to be a manager, marketer, accountant, administrative assistant, IT expert, etc…  I have to be really disciplined in order to be successful because there’s no one else to hold me accountable.  Sometimes that can be hard to do. 

On the flip side, it can also be challenging to know when to draw the line and step away from work.  It always seems like there’s something that I could or should be doing for work in order to build my business, so I tend to feel guilty when I’m not working.  It’s always hanging over my head, kinda like that feeling in college when you had a huge paper to write but you decided to go out drinking instead. 

A second drawback that I am now painfully aware of is that I won’t be getting paid maternity leave.  Booooo.  I don’t think I even need to elaborate on how much of a bummer this is.  So I’m definitely embracing the busy work schedule that I’ve had as of late and the consistent income that goes along with it. 

While we’re on the subject of work, I should probably mention the whole working post-baby issue.  It’s something that I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately, for obvious reasons.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve always thought that I would be a stay-at-home mom when I have my babies.  Of course, that was before any of this was an actual reality, so I was always thinking idealistically.  I just never liked the idea of missing out on so much of my baby’s waking hours because I had to be at work. 

Now that this situation is about to become a reality, I am looking at things a little differently.  I still don’t like the idea of having to put my baby in day care, but I also don’t like the idea of putting my job and my career on hold.  If I was to quit working now, it would feel like a huge disappointment after having earned a Master’s degree in my field and worked hard to build my business.  Plus, I’ve already mentioned how much I love my job, so I don’t want to stop working.  Then, of course, there’s the issue of financial stability to consider.  But, still, I really don’t want someone else to raise my baby while I’m at work.

Note:  Before I go any further, I have to add that I absolutely do not judge anyone else for their decision on whether or not to be a working mom.  I think that it’s a very personal decision that everyone needs to make for themselves based on their own life situation, needs, and goals.  I’m just sharing my own thoughts as Scott and I try to work out what’s best for us.

This is another situation where I’m pretty lucky that I’m my own boss.  I have the freedom to decide exactly 

how much or how little I want to work.  This is made even easier by the fact that my job is appointment-based.  Since I can work even just an hour or two here and there, I can still make some money and keep my business going even at a slow pace while I figure out motherhood and what my new life with a little one will be like. 

So that’s the plan as of now.  I’m going to take some time off for my own self-imposed maternity leave and I’ll see how things go.  When I feel ready, I’ll slowly start getting back into work and decide then how far I want to take it.  We’re really lucky that our families live nearby, so hopefully we’ll be able to get some help with childcare while I figure out my new routine. 

In the meantime, I plan on working all the way up to my due date as long as I keep feeling good.  But I promise I’ll be better about making time for blogging so that I don’t go weeks without a post again.  I don’t want to go disappointing any of you loyal readers out there!   

Babymoon!

Posted by Maureen

Could you tell from the hint in my last post what else I’ve been up to lately? Here's another clue:

Since we found out I was pregnant back in December, Dan and I had been hoping to find time to take a little pre-baby vacation – a little trip for two, before we become three.  However, one glance at the calendar proved this would definitely be easier said than done. With Dan trying to save his days off for once the baby is born, it seemed a weekend trip was all we’d be able to manage. Something short, but still sweet. We figured our best bet would be an easy little road trip somewhere in California.

So, needless to say, I was pretty shocked when Dan told me one morning before work just a month ago, that I “had a decision to make and I had to make it quick”. He had a business trip to London at the end of the month, and he needed to know if I wanted to go with him.

Hmmm…a half-paid-for to London with my husband. What’s there to decide, right? Well, here’s the catch: it was over the same long weekend that Bridget & her husband Scott were planning to come visit. And to make matters worse, this was the only weekend they’d be able to come before our babies are born. So there I was, having to decide between Bridget and London.

I immediately started feeling all guilty and wondering how bad of a sister it would make me to pick London instead, when I found out that she’d been in on the secret all along and had purposely held off on buying her flight until Dan could make sure the business trip was on. Whew! We talked over the phone and she thankfully said I’d be crazy if I didn’t go. So last week, I happily left my guilty conscious behind and hopped on an 11 hour flight from San Francisco to London with my amazing husband. 

London has always been a special place for Dan and me. We studied abroad there together back in 2001. We had already been dating for almost two years, when we made the decision to spend 2^nd semester of our junior year there.  I remember my parents thought this was a terrible idea - I should go have my own adventure, instead of being tied to the hip with this boyfriend that no one had any reason to believe I’d still be with 11 years later. Looking back, they were completely right and gave me pretty darn good advice...that I am completely glad I ignored ;)

Dan and me on the London Eye, way back in 2001. We look so young!

Dan and I have some of our best memories from studying abroad together and I can easily say it was one of the best times in my life. So, a trip to London was the perfect Babymoon for us.

We spent about 5 days there, 3 of which we stayed in a hotel with a view of this:

And 2 of which were spent with me laid up in bed in that hotel with a serious case of jet lag!

It definitely took my body longer to adjust than normal, and certainly longer than I would have liked. Luckily, vacations and relaxing go together well, and by the time Dan was done with his two days of business meetings, I had about 4 naps under my belt and was (somewhat) ready to go.

We hit up most of our favorite old spots in this special city of ours. Like the lovely St. James Park, where we love to go and feed the ducks.

And Kings College, the University we studied at back in 2001.

We walked a ton and literally ate our way across the city. Seriously. One time, we stopped for a snack (some chocolate mousse and tea and this adorable little Parisian café), and no sooner did we pay the bill and walk out when I said, “Hmm, I think I’m need something to eat.” So 3 blocks later, there we were, in another café having another snack. Gotta feed that growing baby!

We spent the last two nights of the trip staying with friends in Kent, which is just south of London. I unbelievably missed getting any photos with them, so I’ll just show you more of our days in London instead.

This is Waterloo Bridge, which I used to cross every day to get to school.  Such a great view!

Tower Bridge by the Tower of London.

Artsy photo of typical London doorway.

Apparently Brits recommend pregnant women stick to “one unit of alcohol per day”. 

While this definitely sounds lovely, I stuck to my usual routine of taking sips of Dan's drink from time to time.

It was a fabulous trip and I feel so fortunate that we were able to take time out for us in such a special place. 

With that, I’ll leave you with one more shot of me and my man Dan, who deserves an award for best husband ever for surprising me with this trip!

Back at it!

posted by Maureen

Wow, I have definitely not been a good blogger of late! Sorry, my friends, for the super long absence. I’ve actually been quite the busy pregnant gal lately, trying to squeeze the most out of the last days of my second trimester. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

First, I decided it was time for a little change in the hair department, so I scheduled an appointment and went from this:

Back at 20 weeks pregnant.

To this!

23 weeks.

And guess what? It turns out I wasn’t the only Feeny twin who just so happened to get her hair cut during the 5 o’clock hour on Wed, April 11th!  Bridget and I discovered during a phone chat earlier that day that we had both coincidentally scheduled our first haircuts in 6 months for within 30 minutes of each other on the same day! 

Yes, we are twins. But now we are twins with different haircuts, apparently. I haven't seen any photos yet, but she says she didn't do anything drastic. So despite the matching growing bellies, people can still find a way to tell us apart ;)

Also in April, these two awesome people came to visit!

Coolest parents ever.

My parents are as handy and helpful as they come, so despite to a trip to Carmel, CA and a bit of other fun, they wound up spending most of their “vacation” helping Dan and me continue the ongoing effort to set up our apartment and *start to get things ready for when our new little kicker makes his/her grand entrance.

*I say “start to get things ready” because, although I am now 6 months pregnant, I still have basically nothing to show for it except this (sizable) belly of mine. Hmm…note to self, best get on that.

Here’s what we did get done:

We finally bought a mirror for above our Craigslist-find dresser, which my mom managed to work her magic on and rid the drawers of their funky musty smell (per this post here).  Now we can actually put our clothes in the dresser, instead of on it. That, along with the necklace hooks my dad hung mean that I can see my jewelry when I need it instead of having to dig through various travel cases, as I've done for the past three months. Oh, how much better it looks! 


(OK, honesty check: the pile of laundry, etc. that you see on the bed to the left may or may not have been moved from the dresser just for this photo. Oh well...at least you can see how nice it could look one day ;)

We also planted some flowers, herbs, and veggies and got our balconies (we have two) ready for summer. We are now growing lettuce, cucumbers, basil, and chives. 

Basil...yum!

Don't these just make you smile? :)

 And, for the girl who knows next to nothing about caring for an infant, my mom and I also made the very necessary 45 minute trek to the nearest baby superstore for a little tutorial on just what we'll be needing once this baby joins the scene. 

Oh Buy Buy Baby, why must you be so far from my house?

While my dad went golfing, my mom came along to one of my monthly pregnancy check-ups, where she got to see this:

I am told that the photo very clearly shows the baby's face, including the eyes, nose, and mouth. Can you see it? Neither can I. I could, however, see the heartbeat when he showed us, so that was pretty cool.

My dad got to join in too when we took my parents along on a tour of the hospital where we'll be delivering our little kicker. As we walked out after the tour, it definitely hit me that the next time we leave will be with a baby in tow. Very surreal to say the least!

Towards the end of their visit,  we took a little trip down to Carmel & Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula. Being the lazy blogger that I am, I forgot to take a camera with us, so instead you get to see a photo from our last trip to Pebble Beach back when I was a skinny little thing at 20 lbs less!

Back when I could drink!

That was me then, and this is me now:

So, it’s been a little over a week since my parents left town, but still no blogging from me. Why, you ask? More on what I've been up to next time, but here’s a hint:

Have a great weekend everyone! And get excited for next week when we at Young & Dizzy will be back to our regularly scheduled blogging. See you then :)