Thirst Quenched

I don't know what has come over me, perhaps it's the last and final pregnancy craving, or maybe the fact that we've entered the season of pumpkin flavored everything -- either way, this week I have been absolutely unable to get Starbucks off my mind.

I always loved coffee and coffee flavored things, but haven't indulged ever since I began avoiding caffeine and coffee.  Back in the day Starbucks was a special treat for me.  But it wasn't something I was ever addicted to so it wasn't hard to give up . . . Until now apparently!

Well anyway, I decided today while thinking about a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, that I wanted to find out what options they do have for LDS and other no coffee or caffeine drinkers.  No matter where I looked I couldn't find an exhaustive list, or one that was truly caffeine free.  So obviously, I decided to make one of my own!  And boy, oh boy did what I find excite me!!

Hot chocolates

- Traditional hot chocolate

- White hot chocolate

- Zebra hot chocolate

- Flavored hot chocolate

        - Pumpkin, peppermint, Nutella, hazelnut, salted caramel, vanilla, or any other syrup they have can be added to either the traditional or white hot chocolates

Frappuccinos

(I always assumed these were coffee or espresso based beverages...but it turns out I was wrong!)

- Cinnamon Dolce Crème

- Double Chocolatey Chip Crème

- Vanilla Bean Crème

- Strawberries and Crème

- Salted Caramel Mocha Crème

- Pumpkin Spice Crème
- Basically anything with the word Crème in it

Steamers/Other

- Steamed Apple Juice

- Caramel Apple Spice

- Steamed Milk

- Flavored Steamed Milk
        - Pumpkin, peppermint, Nutella, hazelnut, vanilla, raspberry or any other syrup they have can be added

- Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte (iced or regular)

- Blended Strawberry Lemonade

I tried to to the best research I could to avoid anything black tea or coffee based. I even looked up the ingredients to the mocha sauce/syrup to ensure that was coffee free.  A lot of the lists I looked up included the chai and chocolate chai variations (which were my absolute favorite), but chai tea is traditionally black tea based.  Which, for word of wisdom followers or the rest of the no-caffeine population, is off limits.  That is of course, unless you find a rooibos chai, which is a red herbal tea and therefore ok.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the list!!  I've only tried a very select few, so recommendations/your favorites would be delightful.

Don't see your favorite?  Let me know!!  I'd be happy to add it to the list :)

Oh, Baby!

Well, time sure does fly when you're . . . pregnant?!

That's right - you heard me, pregnant.  And what an exciting surprise it was to find out 9 months ago that we were to expect our lives to forever change for the better.  We're both young, we're both still getting established in the "real world," but our little family just got a whole lot more real . . . and we couldn't be happier!

The Mr. and I consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky.  We are blessed with families that love and support us completely and are incredibly excited to welcome our precious little babe to the world.

As one could expect, it's been a crazy 9 months.  But not as crazy as I would have initially expected.  I've been blessed to have a complication free pregnancy!

Here are some of the highlights:

First Trimester (weeks 1 - 12)

• Our first ultrasound was probably one of the most special experiences of my life thus far.  Not only did we get to see our little bundle of joy for the first time, but we got to do it on Valentines Day!!  I'm pretty sure a girl can't get a better present than that!While most people are trapped with those morning-sickness blues, I was of the rare percent that missed it almost entirely!  Sure I had some nausea, but that's about as far as it went!  I most certainly wasn't controlled by it.  For that reason alone I consider myself to be incredibly lucky!
• One the down side, I ended up having to get a root canal basically the second we found out I was pregnant.  Which meant I got nothing to help relieve the pain - talk about ouch!!
• And perhaps the saddest part of my first trimester was our inevitable move from Southern California back "home."  After living somewhere for five years and finding the most amazing job ever, the move was almost devastating.  It was so sad to leave my friends and colleagues, but it was so exciting to turn the page to a new chapter and live in a place surrounded by family.

Second Trimester (weeks 13 - 27)

 

• This trimester was fun.  Any hint of morning sickness I did have was utterly washed away and I went from teeny-tiny flat-bellied me to what I thought was crazy gigantic!

• We got our "big" ultrasound that informed us that our precious little baby was 99% positively a girl!  From there oodles of shopping and crafting began.  It's basically impossible to walk past a baby aisle or into a baby store without melting over the cute little outfits!

• I felt movement for the first time . . . and I don't care what anyone says - it does NOT feel like butterflies.  It feels like someone is kicking you - hard - from the inside out haha

• We took a trip back east for a family reunion.  The plane rides were something else with the swelling and bathroom breaks, but it was so much fun and so worth it to see all my extended family . . . even if I wasn't allowed to wakeboard, kneeboard, or go tubing!
• Eventually I did really pop to basically my full-term size and learned the painful world of heartburn

 

Third Trimester (weeks 28 - 40)

Exactly 1 month till the due date

• More swelling
• More bathroom breaks
• More difficulty breathing
• More heartburn
• More trouble sleeping
• More contractions
• More kicks . . . harder kicks
• But it all prepares you for labor, delivery, and post-partum life!  Plus my crazy monthly weight gain tapered off completely and I've still yet to get stretch marks!! Lucky, lucky, lucky.
• Best part of the third trimester - her hiccups.  My Mr. gets so excited and giddy when she gets hiccups . . . which of course makes me beyond happy.

It's crazy how much you bond and how much closer you grow as a couple during this gestation period. Knowing you're soon going to be responsible for human life -- that you have created and are bringing into this world a tiny little person with wants, needs, emotions, and who is entirely dependent on you for survival is truly amazing.  The fact that your body can combine random gametes and turn these little cells into a living, breathing human being is breathtaking.

As scary and crazy as all of this is . . . and as much as I really don't want to have to give birth . . . I am incredibly excited.  It's going to be so fun to see her face and hear her voice!  With 2.5 weeks left, she could come any day now.  We have the nursery set up, the hospital bags packed, and are just waiting for the "time."

Knowing how terrible I am at blogging, you probably won't hear from me again until our little one is here with us.  But I'm beyond excited to show her off!  And hopefully her presence and my 6+ month leave of working will be enough motivation to get the weekly blogging habit engrained into me :)