Tara

PregTASTIC Podcaster | View all Bios

Hi, I’m Tara, I’m 34 years old and I am engaged to be married at an undetermined date (I need to fit into a beautiful dress). Early this January, just after the holidays, we are going to have our first baby: a little boy. So far, my pregnancy is moving along without any complications. I’ve been lucky to not have to deal with anything too awful! I can still run 5-6 miles a day 5 days a week and 10 miles a day once a week for my long runs. I also attend the prenatal yoga classes at Mary Birch twice a week when my schedule permits. The most difficult aspect of pregnancy has been having to stop daily surfing. The other difficult thing for me is dealing with the weight gain, but knowing (well, hopefully) its temporary makes it a little better. I’ve had belly envy throughout most of my pregnancy since I have a long torso and I’ve continued to exercise and stay fit, my belly is on the smaller side compared with other women in my age and due date. Luckily in the past month I have finally started to show and my friends say I have the “Hollywood Belly” which I take as a compliment. Last year I suffered a miscarriage and took a year off from teaching. I told my district I would return before I found out I was pregnant again so starting back to work part time after having a year of vacation and traveling the world can be challenging at times, but I forgot how much I missed the middle school mentality and my class this year are the most wonderful group of 8th graders anyone could ever dream to teach! No “weird” cravings like pickles and ketchup, but I have noticed that when I have a desire for something (usually chocolate milk) it had BETTER be available! Our hopes are like everyone else’s: to have a healthy baby. And, hopefully not have a son that suffers from colic or sleep issues!

What are you most excited about? I am most excited about finally becoming a mother and watching the wonder of my child develop.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Some days I wake up feeling a bit more tired but continuing my exercise regime has helped me maintain my stamina. I find I no longer run, I call it the pregnancy jog waddle!

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Up until a few weeks ago I was still fitting into most of my regular clothes, but lately I like stretchy dresses and skirts and pants with elastic waistbands.

What type of food are you craving or have aversion to; does the smell of pickles make you smile or gag? The smell of scotch makes me want to vomit and so does the smell of cigarettes and when I go run by a famous breakfast spot at the beach the smell of bacon and sausage causes me to gag every time. Other than that I seem to crave chocolate milk on a daily basis. I think I drink almost a half gallon of Horizon chocolate milk every couple of days.

What color will you paint the nursery? We decided to paint it baby blue with an aquarium theme in honor of my love of surfing .

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that your husband has said about your pregnancy? He said I might be damaging the baby with my wickedly smelly farts I get from time to time depending upon the food the baby is craving!

Where did you conceive? Do you want to share some funny details? We conceived in our warm and cozy bed. The best part was telling my fiance I was pregnant on the Amalfi coast in Positano, Italy. We had a spectacular view, great dinner and an incredible day of sightseeing so it made it all the more special.