Well, we are officially halfway through July already, and yet November can't come soon enough. It's amazing how when you're pregnant time flies by so fast, yet the end goal (ie, Delivery Day) seems so far away.
Life Recap:
So far things are great. I'm swimming a lot, practically every day. If there are any pregnant ladies out there, or ladies who are planning on it, swimming is fantastic during your second trimester. Personally, I've been finding aerobic exercises boring (I dance for a living, so that makes sense), I don't like those quick 20-minute exercises on my phone app, and I can't run outside in this summer heat (it's a risk I don't want to take), so swimming fits the bill perfectly! Plus, you feel so weightless in the water; and trust me, as a pregnant woman you need a break from all those extra pounds.
Dave and I got a chance to visit our friends in Brooklyn again, which was, as always, a blast (although this time I discovered that subway stairs and preggo bellies don't mix...at all). We attempted to check out the David Bowie exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum Of Art, but that got sold out while we were waiting in line, so we ended up just exploring the rest of the museum instead. Being the Ancient Egyptian history nerd that I am, I spent the most amount of time in their Egyptian exhibit educating my friends on their history and culture. I was even able to translate one or two words in the hieroglyphs! I always love going to museums whenever I'm New York; it's one of the best things you can do whenever you're on a trip.
Of course, there's the food too. In all the times we've visited our Brooklyn buddies, I don't think we've ever done a repeat visit to a restaurant ever. But we always end up finding good food somewhere. This time it was doughnuts. Yup, as soon as my friends discovered my pregnancy craving for doughnuts, they did everything they could to find bakeries carrying those delicious treats. And find them we did! I had at least one doughnut a day during our short weekend trip, all of them usual and tasty (including a creme brulee doughnut, that was awesome!) I believe that was the first time my craving was actually completed satisfied! Good times, gooood times.The other day was also a fun get-together with another friend of mine. This friend is also pregnant and due in a month (a few months ahead of me). While pigging out over pulled pork mac-'n-cheese with corn bread, we compared pregnancy notes and complaints, and I got some useful advice on what to expect over the next three months (I also got to see how big I'm going to get in a few months time--whoo boy!) Ladies everywhere, my next bit of pregnancy advice is to talk to your friends and family members who were pregnant before, but also get in touch with other pregnant woman. I've been going through this pregnancy feeling a little alone in this adventure, and a little stressed out because this is such foreign territory for me. It definitely helped having another pregnant woman to talk to.
Anyway, it's time to see how I'm doing with all of my reading!
Reading Recap:
You know what, I'm feeling pretty good here! I'm on a roll with my reading, and I've been able to set aside time for it (having a cat who loves laps and won't let you get up helps a lot). And since I've been pretty good about sticking to a loose reading plan, I've started getting a little more ambitious with my schedule (more on that later). Thus far, I've managed to finish 4 books this month, and I've got plans to complete 6 more!Here are the books I've finished already:
Title: The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody #3)
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Date Finished: July 4
Quick Review: A fun comfort re-read, and an amusing cozy historical mystery
Full Review | Goodreads Link
Title: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1)
Author: Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling)
Date Finished: July 10
Quick Review: Another comfort mystery re-read that is officially a favorite!
Full Review | Goodreads Link
Title: The Two Towers (Lord Of The Rings #2)
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Date Finished: July 12
Quick Review: A comfort fantasy re-read that I still love, but I'm kinda no longer in the mood for fantasy at the moment
Full Review | Goodreads Link
Title: The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2)
Author: Robert Galbraith (a.k.a. J.K. Rowling)
Date Finished: July 14
Quick Review: Loved this book even more the second time around because this mystery fooled me twice!
Full Review | Goodreads Link
Yeaahh they were all re-reads. So sue me, I'm pregnant, I can do what I want!
But because I'm doing so well this month, I've decided to read some new books and achieve some challenge goals. For the rest of this month, I'm planning on reading 6 more books. Challenge accepted!
Okay, so don't laugh, but because my goal has suddenly become so ambitious, I have a planned reading schedule for the remainder of this month. Two of my planned reads have deadlines to read by, so I figured; why not set deadlines for the rest of them?!
Honestly, this happens every year; I become obsessed with a monthly goal, and then I plan out how much I should read each day. I thought I'd keep my plans loose this month because I'm pregnant, but the obsession happened anyway. This year I went a little further in my plans and decided on the book order, which books should be read through hardcopies, and which should be listened to on audiobook.
*Pushes glasses further up nose, makes a little cough*
...So, according to my calculations, I calculated that of my hardcopies, I should be reading 96 pages daily. And of my audiobooks, I should be listening for 2-1/3 hours daily. That's a lot, but I feel I could manage it. Here's the schedule that I currently have highlighted on my kitchen calendar (yes, yes I know! I'm a full-blown nerd.):
Audiobook Schedule:
13.25 hoursStart: July 13 (4 hours in already)
End: July 18
Why Am I Reading This: For a summer reading challenge. I need to read a book set in the tropics.
The High Tide Club, by Mary Kay Andrews
16.75 hours
Start: July 19
End: July 25
Why Am I Reading This: For a summer reading challenge. I need to read a book that is considered "a beach read", according to a specific website (this website, if you're curious)
The Perfect Couple, by Elin Hilderbrand
12 hours
Start: July 26
End: July 31
Why Am I Reading This: For a summer reading challenge (this reading challenge has several categories, as you may have gathered). I need to read a book with a beach on the cover.
Hardcopy Reading Schedule:
561 pagesStart: July 15 (starting today!)
End: July 21
Why Am I Reading This: It's the BOTM for my family's book club. The meeting is scheduled for July 23
Castaway Cottage, by Joanne DeMaio
408 pages
Start: July 22
End: July 26
Why Am I Reading This: For the summer reading challenge. The mini-challenge that ends on July 26 is to read a book with alliteration in the title
Career Of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3)
492 pages
Start: July 26
End: July 31
Why Am I Reading This: For fun! I read the first two books earlier this month, so now I want to read book #3. It's my reward for a job well done!
If you're curious about this summer reading challenge I'm participating in, check it out at this book club!
Well, so far, so good! I'm on point with this schedule, and I have time to read over the next week. But now I have to stop typing because the World Cup is on, and Dave and I want to watch it (we're not really soccer fans, but we saw the quarter finals with our Brooklyn friends and now we're invested!)
Happy reading everyone!
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