I remember being very young, maybe three or four years old, and being on the country side with my great grandmother. It is the only memory I have of her and possibly the only time we were together. The smell was delicious, the sun was nice and warm. And she was wearing black, leaning forward with a very curved back. As a little kid, it felt like she was curling forward to be closer to my height. We were in her vineyard and we started picking up grapes. She had a lot of energy and was super quick dealing with the grapes and leaves, smoothly filling one basket after another. She tried to tell me how to do it: don't pull the bunch of grapes but rather hold the stem tightly and then break it sharply so you free it up in your hand. I never did it again but the memory stayed and it still provides comfort and warmth. Our baby boy is now the size of a bunch of grapes and is moving more and more. I like to believe that he is now interacting with us, with stimuli from the outside world. I wonder which memories will we create and which ones will, for some random reason, stay with him forever. Will he remember those carefully crafted and prepared moments or something that we didn't even notice was happening? Probably a bit of both. Will my husband and I ever notice these memories being created on the spot and realise that, long after we are gone, he will remember certain things as clearly as if they had just happened?...

I finally decided to postpone the Pilates certification. Ah, it is hard to put things on hold, miss expectations and put things you like in a "later" box. Still, the moment the decision was made and shared there was a huge relief, a sense of weight off my shoulders. The additional stress is down, and suddenly I feel super tired, sleepy and relaxed. My body got the message that it can chill for a moment. I slept so well these last few nights that the mood goes up the roof. Of course, I'll continue to practice and study Pilates - but without the pressure of hitting certain milestones before the baby comes. It will be good for both of us to stay active but not try and push through artificial deadlines. Besides, I already have the Coaching certification to be accomplished in January. As the belly grows - and it sure is growing! - And the big day approaches, the reality sinks in more and more and I want to enjoy it. It feels so incredible that a boy is growing inside me and starting to interact with the world around him. My husband can now easily feel the moves and kicks, and it's incredible to see them "together". Definitely, a great week so far and the weekend was beautiful, with fireplace, relaxing, good food and company, and with the Christmas spirit starting to creep in...

The boy is big! Over 26 cms, moving around non stop when awake and then going back to sleep. He is just adorable and I can't wait to meet him 🙂   My husband was travelling for most of the week and there was plenty to do about the move, paperwork, coaching certification, etc.. On top of that, a lot to do and decide regarding Pilates, which has been quite draining. All and all, I've been quite tired and I am not too happy about it. There are no big problems, just a lot of things biting at my peace of my mind and pulling the stress a bit up. It adds up and I ended up feeling quite meh and just wanting to be left alone, imagining being somewhere warm with my bare feet on the sand, smelling the salty water and hearing the ocean waves breaking nearby. I would, of course, be having a magic ice cream with no calories or sugar; just delicious nutrients for my boy. Down here on earth, however, things remained tense. I then talked to my man, once he was back. He was so tired and somehow he managed to be really present and kiss the anxiety away. How he does that, I have no idea. I am so fortunate. Bit by bit, things are progressing but I really want to be less tense; it's not good for anyone. I've resumed meditation and made a point of not studying theory for Pilates (Anatomy and what not) nor unpacking much this week. That should help a little. I also need to start filtering better what...

I had a cold this week and it was quite deflating. After a strong active period last week, the momentum was gone and the energy drained away.

What a week! Everything at once A spiky week A trip to London, 5h Pilates workouts, a final certification exam, hitting my face against a wall, my dad’s visit and catching a cold – it was a fully packed week. This was a packed week: I had a trip to London, with 5 hour long Pilates workouts. I also went through a final certification exam. To top things up, I hit my face against a wall, my dad came to visit and I caught a cold.   It was intense, exhausting and I learned a lot. It was great to finally get the Psychometrics certification. This enables me to use a whole set of valuable Personality and Ability tools in coaching. I'm quite excited about this.   The Pilates training was also very good. There were several long workouts pushing me hard. On top of it all, I got to observe an outstanding instructor working on her clients. I was fortunate enough to stay at her home, enjoy her family hospitality and delicious food. It was quite generous of her and I learned a lot this week. Spikes With all this, the change of weather and sleep deprivation, I ended up catching a persistent cold. My husband caught it as well so now we are both quite tired. We are trying not to feel overwhelmed by everything we still need to sort out after we moved to this new wonderful home.   My dad also came for the weekend - it was the first time we meet since he learned I was pregnant and that I am not working....

The baby is the size of a slingshot Growing in all areas Moving forwards "How much can we share of all the noises, movements, feelings and thoughts that I am experiencing now?"  Growing and Moving It has been a very busy week, filled with an overall feeling of positive change.   The baby keeps growing and all seems to be going very well. He is moving a lot, which feels amazing, and I am having a bit more energy during the day. Feeling the baby move seems to be motivating and uplifting, somehow.    This increase in energy is very much welcome. It will be needed as we are moving to a new home. It's going to be a new beginning and nest for our family. It's wonderful to imagine the boy running around the house, growing healthy and strong.   There's also a growing feeling of nurture, nesting and humility inside me. I just want to give this baby everything he needs to grow and become a healthy and authentic person.   Time machine As I walk outside and see children of different ages, it feels like I'm in a time machine. Basically, I am looking at the same essence in different points in life. Our boy is already in one of those phases, even if a very early one. But looking at toddler, pre-teens, teens... they have all been babies in their diapers. And, if all goes well, they will all move on to the next phase, taking the baton of the new step in life. Everyone we ever met and never saw, was once like our baby...

Baby is the size of a chipmunk Can't eat enough nuts for this Fast Progress, Slow Fuel "The feeling in the belly changes every day, becoming closer to what I imagine the kicks will feel like." 17 weeks already, things are going rather quickly and smoothly.   The main symptoms at the moment are dizziness and headaches, which come and go. It looks like I need more protein and I'm not sure how to get the recommended 70+ gr per day - it's a lot! I'm considering protein supplements but, of course, the debate amongst parents is high. Some of the options seem very natural, with no added creepy substances. So, this might be a way to do it without eating multiples steaks and beans every day.   The baby is growing. The feeling in the belly changes every day, becoming closer to what I imagine the kicks will feel like.   Meanwhile, we are making progress with the preparations for the baby. We are getting clothes, information and what not. Picking a name is tough but we have a good front runner. We might still change our minds a few times, though, until we finally meet our boy 🙂   We have been receiving plenty of advice on what to do, not to do and how to do it. It is a wonderful sign of care so it's been mostly endearing so far, even when not particularly useful.   Pilates has been helping quite a lot. Although the last few days my arms were super sore. It can be quite challenging sometimes. Still, it is being super beneficial...

The Baby is the size of an avocado Started feeling him move He is Moving! "He is not sure if he really felt it or if it was wishful thinking but we are both super excited. It makes it even more real.." The baby is moving - I can feel it and it's awesome. It's not kicking yet but more of a sense of swimming against the walls of the placenta. It's such a wonderful feeling it's hard to describe. There's clearly a person inside me and he's making space and exploring his world. My husband felt it too, after a couple of attempts. He is not sure if he really felt it or if it was wishful thinking but we are both super excited. It makes it even more real.   The belly keeps growing and getting more compact. It's still not clearly visible under the clothes but it's there 🙂   We had another appointment at the gynaecologist and saw the baby. It seems like everything is going very well, he was moving around and having hiccups. You could see the heart becoming more differentiated, with two heart chambers popping up on the screen. He's awesome and I think he's enjoying his time in the pool.   The doctor confirmed the iron levels keep decreasing. This means it is now time to start taking an iron supplement. This explains why I've been so tired. On one hand, I hope this won't make my digestion even slower. On the other, if that will give me enough fuel for the day, then I'm all in. Let's see.   This...