Cocktails, Mocktails, Martinis, & Mamatinis!

I love cocktails!  Whether it be the cocktail itself or the social environment in which we consume cocktails, who doesn't love a cocktail?  Happy hour, night caps, wine with dinner, or beer while watching a sporting event, it doesn't matter the social setting but there are usually fun drinks involved.  They bring friends together, help relieve a stressful day, set a romantic mood, create a festive environment, and they are simply enjoyable to consume.  This social tradition comes to a screeching halt when we become pregnant.  The risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy are well known and the social unacceptability of sipping a glass of bubbly or drinking a beer with a baby bump prevents even the most liberal of pregnant women from consuming in public.  Again, I remind you of my mantra & that 9 dry months is a very small price to pay for the miracle of creating life, BUT that doesn't mean that us preggos don't deserve a little something fun to drink while pregnant.

Why is it that restaurants go to great lengths to promote their specialty cocktails, wine & beer lists, & martinis, but don't include even one non-alcoholic mocktail or mamatini as I like to call them?  I was in San Francisco last weekend with some dear girlfriends and we went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner Saturday night.  This restaurant was a long standing tradition for us, it was a place we frequented when it was one of our birthdays, or we were celebrating a life milestone, or for no reason at all.  We had our routine down pat:  order a dirty vodka martini w/3 olives at the bar while we waited for our table, get to the table, order a bottle of wine to share with dinner, then a night-cap at another favorite San Francisco establishment.  Well our little routine had to be slightly altered this weekend as 3 of the 4 of us are expecting.  We marched to the bar like we always had, but the response from the bartender was a little bit different:  "we'd like 3 martinis", he smiles flirtatiously, "but with no alcohol", he frowns, "I don't know how to make drinks with no alcohol", well we must have been saved by the preggo Gods because just then the hostess came and sat us at our table.  We smiled and told the bartender "we'll figure something out, & when you see an order for 3 non-alcoholic mocktails you'll know who ordered them".  Determined to order a mamatini we scoured the menu for something we could turn into a virgin beverage.  "Here we go, you could order a Mandarin Sunrise" says our 1 non-preggo friend (she has a 10-month old at home).  Excitedly we huddle over the menu, Mandarin Sunrise:  Absolut Mandarin, Orange Juice, a splash of Orange liqueur, finished with grenadine.  "Hmmmm, so basically we are ordering a glass of orange juice" says my newest preggo girlfriend.  The same proved true for the rest of the cocktail list.  We ended up with 1 7Up, 1 Soda water with lime, and 1 7Up with a splash of cran.  Not quite the same experience as sipping a dirty martini or a glass of pinot noir as we had so many visits before.  So here's my plea to all you restaurateurs out there:  create a mocktail, mamatini, or prego drink, for all of us preggos.  I'd be willing to pay almost as much as a regular cocktail just to have something other than soda water with lime to sip on, preferably out of a fancy glass with elaborate garnish as well.  This takes nothing more than an ounce of creativity and a couple of lines on the cocktail menu, it will boost the bill and make for many-a-return visit by preggos and their girlfriends.  

In the meantime, for you preggos out there I have done a little R&D on some fun non-alcoholic drinks to ask of your friendly bartender, for dinner parties, or when you are at home, enjoy!

Izze  comes in a variety of yummy flavors including: pomegranate, clementine, blueberry, pear, blackberry, and more.  Made with real fruit.

Dry  created by a pregnant woman who loved champagne and shared in my frustration of having nothing fun to drink in social settings.  Flavors include: lavender, lemon grass, kumquat, & rhubarb.  Low calorie, subtle in flavor, and delicious!

San Pellegrino makes a lemon and an orange sparkling soda in a can.  Serve in a wine glass.  One of my favorites!

Martinelli sparkling cider.  There are also various other brands that make sparkling fruit juices and come in champagne-esque bottles.  Not bad!

Clausthaler non-alcoholic beer.  Definitely the closest to the real deal.  Add a lime for a citrus kick.

Bloody Virgin Mary the classic.  Mix clamato juice with Mr & Mrs T's Bloody Mary mix, add horseradish, Tabasco, pepper, celery salt, & Worcestershire sauce, shake over ice & pour into a martini glass, garnish with lime, olives, celery & a pepperocini.  Tastes just like the real thing!

Mamamosa in lieu of champagne use sparkling water mixed with fresh squeezed orange juice, bubbly just like the real thing and a good dose of vitamin C for baby!

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri thaw 1 package of sweetened frozen strawberries and blend with lime juice and ice.  You can add a little rum to your honey's or your non-preggo girlfriends' for big points with them.  (thanks Judith:)  

Italian soda pick your favorite Torani syrup flavor (you can buy these at any grocery store), add soda water, serve over ice.  Adding cream is optional as well.

Blackberry limeade mix frozen limeade concentrate with water & 7up if you want some bubbles.   Freeze fresh blackberries & water in an ice tray.  Serve limeade over blackberry ice cubes.  Pretty & refreshing.

Spritzer add soda water or 7up/Sprite to just about any type of juice (orange, cranberry, pineapple, guava).  Try a fancy juice such as Odwalla or Naked juice they make amazing flavors such as mango, strawberry/banana, berry, etc.  Garnish with fruit and serve in a fancy glass.

Arnold Palmer half and half decaf iced tea and lemonade.  Try making fresh lemonade by squeezing lemons, adding simple syrup & water to taste.  Serve in a pint glass with a lemon wedge.

Who says Mocktails & Mamatinis can't be FUN!  Cheers!

Positive Energy

I am very grateful to tell you that we are safely through the first trimester of this pregnancy.  I have been feeling really good, other than a few minor symptoms, and amazingly the time seems to be flying by.  I truly believe that we've made it this far, in large part, due to all of the positive energy & support for us out there.  

Part of our reasoning behind announcing our pregnancy early was that, considering what we've been through, we really need all of the positive thoughts and energy that we can get.  The support has been absolutely unbelievable.  We've received so many emails, cards, Facebook messages, comments on this blog, and in-person congrats.  So many of you have taken on our pregnancy like it is your own, and we truly feel so blessed.  

As I've mentioned in previous blog entries I consider myself to be more of a spiritual person than a religious person.  I believe in the power of positive thinking not only for oneself but also by others.  Isn't that what prayer really is all about?  When you pray for someone you are asking "God" to answer this prayer, but really you are sending out positive vibes into the universe which will hopefully come back around to the person you are praying for.  I've always believed that the energy you send out into the universe comes back around whether it be positive, negative, or indifferent.  Some people call this karma, or mojo, or refer to it as "what goes around comes around", or even the "Secret", a phenomenon recently revisited by author, Rhonda Byrne.  

In my life this theory seems to prove true over and over again.  Have you ever noticed that when you have a bad day everything seems to go terribly?  You wake up late, burn your toast, hit every red light, your coat is hanging out of the car door & is soaking wet by the time you reach your destination, you lose a business deal, your husband forgets to pickup the dry cleaning, etc.  Once one thing goes wrong we all tend to dwell on it and manifest the rest of the bad day by our negative thinking.  The key to preventing these days that cascade downhill rapidly is to intervene with positive actions & thoughts.  This is perhaps the greatest challenge because it goes against our human instinct.  Anyone can have a good attitude when everything seems to be going well, but not everyone can turn a bad day around.  

Well deeply believing in this phenomenon I remind myself daily to fill my head with positive thoughts about this  pregnancy, despite the obvious tendency to remember and dwell on the terrible result of our last pregnancy.  This has been perhaps the most difficult task I have ever asked of myself and it has only been made possible by all of you out there who have been so positive and overwhelmingly supportive of this pregnancy.  I can't possibly find myself in a dark & nightmare-ish flash-back when every few minutes I see a new smiling face congratulating me, or an e.mail saying that you are pulling for us.  So thank you!  From the bottom of Frank's and my hearts, thank you!  And, here's to trimester #2!

Life is normal?

Last night I was at a party sipping Pellegrino and talking to one of my guy friends whose wife is also pregnant.  During our conversation we were comparing notes on observations we've made about pregnancy, his from a husband's perspective, and mine from a preggo's perspective.  We noticed that everything we talked about always came back to the fact that life is pretty darn normal during pregnancy EXCEPT the fact that everything is just slightly exaggerated.   

I tend to strip clothing layers more readily and dress a little cooler while pregnant.  I get more winded on hikes or during physical activity.  I can normally miss a meal without any recourse and now my stomach just won't allow for more than three hours to pass without sustenance.  Exhaustion finds it way into my day more frequently, especially in the first trimester, whereas normally I don't recognize any sort of tiredness until I lay my head on the pillow at night.  I find minor aches and pains more of a nuisance and ever more present than normal.  My desire for a "sweet treat" at the end of a meal is now something my will power cannot over ride, it is a must.  And when I have to go to the bathroom, I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.  All of these exaggerated normalcies are tolerable, humorous and sometimes charming side effects of pregnancy.  BUT... then there is the emotional state of pregnancy.  

You all know what I'm talking about, fellow preggos, family, friends, and husbands alike, the mind of the pregnant woman is as easy to figure out as trying to conquer a Rubik cube, blindfolded.   When I see a Purina Puppy Chow commercial I used to smile to myself thinking "those little yellow lab puppies are so cute", and now I find myself bursting into tears at the thought that our 5 year old golden retriever may not be with us forever.  When my husband asks me if I want a glass of water I think to myself, "how sweet", until he brings me the glass of water and it isn't in the type of cup out of which I drink water, "doesn't he know that by now?".  Or the honey do list that I put away after the last pregnancy, but have now pulled out, dusted off, and added:  clean out the mineral deposits in the shower head, change every door knob in the house & re-key, dust the 30 foot ceiling beams, vacuum out fire place and get wire mesh cover for top of chimney so birds won't fly down the chimney, call the alarm company and find out why the dog doesn't set off the motion detector.  OH, and then there is reality TV.  Normally, I would watch The Bachelor and think to myself, boy ABC really got their monies worth when they chose Jason as the bachelor.  But now I find myself cursing his name & thinking "that jerk, how could he do that to Melissa on national TV, he and Molly are never going to last, he is a disgrace to all single Dads searching for love, I'm going to write him a letter!"  Yes, the emotional status of a pregnant woman is that of a roller coaster.  

The good news is:  there IS a reason behind all of this.  Dr. B says that there are more hormones rushing through my blood right now than he could ever administer to 1 woman in 100 years of Hormone Replacement Therapy.  Phewww!  I'm not crazy.  So here's my plea to all you friends, family, and especially husbands out there:  cut Preggo a break!  Hand her a tissue during the Purina Puppy Chow commercial, give her a sweet smile and say "no problem sweetheart I will get you water out of the cup you like", do all of her crazy chores with a smile on your face, and help her find Jason's address so she can write him a letter telling him what a jerk he really is (although you may not want to let that one hit the mail).  Do all of this knowing that it is a small price to pay for the incredible gift you will be getting at the end of 9 months.  And to all you preggos out there, take notes, so you can later laugh at all of these comical quirks that come with pregnancy.  Or, share them here, it might make us all feel a little better about our own.

Paranoia Prevention

OK, so this is the entry where I stray from my "everything is so great", "pregnancy is so amazing", "life is a miracle" mantra.  Somedays are better than others, but I'm not going to lie, there are moments when I am simply scared to death!  The thought of losing this precious being just makes my heart ache and my eyes well with tears.  I spend a lot of time reminding myself that this miracle (just like the last 2 miracles) is completely out of my hands.  And, that another ultrasound or visit with Dr. B isn't going to make one bit of difference in the outcome of this pregnancy.  

I do, truly, believe those statements, but oh what a glorious site it is to see that little heart beat on the flat screen.  So, with my VIP card in hand (trust me, you don't want to go through what it takes to get the VIP card to the OBGyn office) I scheduled what I call a "paranoia prevention" visit.  Fortunately, Dr. B's nurses and ultrasound techs are as nice as he is and they never for a second made me feel like I was being ridiculous for requesting this ultrasound.  I laid there on the exam table with my heart literally beating out of my chest reminding myself that there is no reason for me to think that anything is wrong, this visit is simply for my own sanity.   I don't remember feeling that way last pregnancy, but considering that I still have nightmares about the girls' last ultrasound, I suppose my physiologic response to laying on the ultrasound table will be different this time around.  Again, I am forever changed, the naivety that comes with a first pregnancy has been taken from me.  And the weird thing is, given a chance, I don't think I would take it back even though I would give anything to have the girls here with me.

Back to the visit:  once the tech zoomed in on our babe it was apparent, the little heart was beating away stronger than ever, 167 bpm to be exact.  Ahhhhh, what an incredible sight to see.  The peace of mind and comfort in seeing that little heart pounding makes me want to personally find the man/woman who invented the ultrasound machine and give them a big HUG!  In addition, Baby "C" as we are calling it, (because "A" & "B" are already taken), has grown leaps and bounds since the last ultrasound.  In fact, Baby "C" is measuring 6 days ahead of where he/she was at the last visit.  The reason that this fact is notable is:  if I were to recalculate my due date of October 11th with the 6 day discrepancy, my due date would now be October 5th, Raphael & Lailah's birthday.  Either this baby is destined to be born on his/her sisters' birthday, or this is Raphael & Lailah's way of telling me that everything is going to be OK, they are taking care of their little sibling.  Personally, I prefer the latter, and without any official change of due date by Dr. B, I'm just going to go with it!