Week 16: Prego makeover

Sometimes, when your skin is going crazy but you can’t do much for it, and your waistline gets a little thicker every day, you really need to get your hair done! And seriously, isn’t makeup wonderful? I thank heaven I was born in a time and culture when makeup is readily available. Nothing wrong with a little face paste.
While I am sensitive to the concept that anything you put on your skin can reach your bloodstream and get to baby if the placenta does not filter it out, I haven’t been able to give up my bleach. During one of my pregnancies, I went to a specialty salon that offered all natural, pregnancy-friendly hair dye. Great idea, but I walked out looking all natural, which is not why I get my hair dyed in the first place! Especially during pregnancy when my hair tends to take on a warmer hue, I need bleach to get the color and tone I want. (My three kids are all shades of blonde, too. Do you think it was the in-utero hair dye exposure??)
I didn’t make any health- or fitness-related resolutions for 2017. I’m planning to eat reasonably healthfully and go to the gym whenever I have the time and feel up to it, but I don’t want to make myself feel guilty when I give into a craving for pizza or miss a day at the gym because when I do get a free hour in my day, maybe what I need most is a nap. I’m trying for a healthy, smooth pregnancy but realize that some of that is out of my control, so “resolving” to have a perfect pregnancy would be pointless!
My first pregnancy, I told myself I wanted to keep my weight under 150 (I started around 125), but in the last few weeks before baby I came, I gained a bucketful of water weight with my clownish swollen ankles and feet. There was no amount of willpower that was going to keep me from blowing up like a pufferfish. I lost the weight soon after baby was born and all was well, but I learned my lesson about having specific weight goals during pregnancy. (Of course, my 23-year-old goal sounds crazy to my 34-year-old self. I’m dangerously close to 150 already!)
As far as cravings go, I’m often looking for anything with a little zing to it. Vinegar is my friend, so I go through pickles. I bought cucumbers yesterday so I can soak them in vinegar and have a slightly healthier (at least fresher) variation on my Claussens. I often crave sushi, too, which is kind of cruel, but I just go for the bland California rolls and help myself to soy, wasabi and ginger. I love how that wasabi clears out my sinuses!
Then there’s dairy. Rich dairy gives me a stomachache, but sometimes I have to have it! I did find an amazing treat last week—Copper Onion in Salt Lake City has a cheesecake made from goat cheese and topped with citrus marmalade. It’s ridiculously good and creamy, but the goat cheese doesn’t bother my gut. I’ve thought about it every day since I ate it. If you live in the area, you have my recommendation!