Hi! I’m Mitzi.
Welcome to my new blog: grateful mindful mommy.
I’m a first-time mommy, a yoga instructor, a non-profit founder, and a finance professional. This is a blog about my journey into motherhood. I wanted a place to chronicle my experiences, share my learnings, and remind myself to find gratitude and mindfulness throughout this pregnancy.
I’m excited for this new chapter and to share with everyone along the way!
Jet officially reached 100 days on August 14, 2019! We celebrated by going down to LA so that Jet could meet my side of the family. We are so thankful for everyone, especially those who flew in / drove hours just to celebrate with us! I’m very happy he got to meet so many of his aunties, uncles, and cousins for the first time.
Is there anything better than a baby’s sweet smile? We are so lucky that Jet blesses our days with his sweet smile! Beginning in the second month, he started smiling socially with everyone, and it feels like he smiles more and more every day. I’m so in love.
In August, we visited LA so Jet could meet my side of the family. At first, I was nervous, but he ended up traveling so well! With our busy schedules (even busier now with the baby), it’s hard for me to go down to LA a lot, but it was so important that we did. Jet had so much fun, and we can’t wait for our next visit!
Month 2 has been so much fun, and I know it just gets better from here. It’s amazing to see him develop and change day by day. It’s the subtle but obvious things - turning when he hears our voice, following objects with his eyes, engaging with his environment, and responding with all of his different facial expressions. We love him so much!
Happy first Father’s Day to the best daddy we could have asked for! We are so thankful for you, Jeff — for always giving your 100%, for all the love you give to us, for everything you do and so much more. We love you so much. If Jet grows up to be as amazing of a man as you, I would be so happy.
Jet is one month old today, June 6, 2019! I can’t believe how quickly time flies! It’s been a whirlwind of a month. He’s now 8 lb 6 oz and growing. He loves falling asleep on his mommy, being bounced by his daddy, and being talked to for hours by his grandma. He’s not a very good sleeper yet and only sleeps for 1-2 hours at time, but we’re getting the hang of our new schedule.
Our little cutie pie had a little photo shoot at our house when he was two weeks old. The pictures came out so cute, and the whole ordeal was hilarious. It takes a lot of tries and poop on blankets to get these shots. He’s so adorable!
After almost 70 hours of a very difficult and complication-ridden induced labor (over 50 of which I managed without pain medication), I ended up with an emergency c-section and we thankfully welcomed a beautiful baby boy. I’m writing this all down as a reminder of the love and endurance it took to bring him into this world, and as a reminder of the gratitude in my heart to finally meet him.
We are at UCSF right this moment, just moments (more like days) away from meeting baby! While this last stretch has been unexpectedly difficult with both Jeff and I getting sick, I am feeling overall positive about this delivery. Looking back, I can’t believe how far we’ve come in 9 months — I’m about to meet an actual human being that I grew inside my body!
Pregnancy is such a miracle, and I just wanted to make sure I captured all of this to look back on. Fortunately with perfect timing, my friend, Jenny Soi (who also did our wedding photos), hosted a photoshoot series called Luminous Motherhood. “Luminous” is exactly how I was feeling! Here are some of my favorites from the shoot. These pictures were taken April 7 at 36 weeks.
Last weekend, we went back to Saratoga and busted out Jeff’s old baby albums. Who will baby look like? Here are a few fun side-by-side pictures of me and Jeff as kids. (Jeff - left, Mitzi - right)
It’s been hard to keep up with posting, but I’m committing to creating this space to document my experience so I’m a little behind! Baby is about the size of a pineapple (even bigger now), and he is still growing. I feel my body expanding dramatically in this final stretch! We are spending a lot more time these days at UCSF with extra monitoring and testing, all in preparation for an early induction.
We are so thankful to our friends for helping us with a big move this past weekend! Huge thank you to Uncle Larry, Tony and Max for helping us move and assemble furniture. It has lifted a huge and heavy concern off my heart, and for that peace of mind, I am completely grateful. I was getting a little nervous that we wouldn’t be able to finish in time, but lo and behold, the guys finished in less than a day!
Baby is the size of a butternut squash. He is growing, kicking, hiccupping, and responding to sounds! I’m doing well overall too. We took a tour of the UCSF Birth Center, and now I’ve got my birth plan ready to go! Unfortunately, I’m still dealing with the gestational diabetes, but we are taking it day by day.
After weeks of endless rain, the sun came out last weekend to give us the most beautiful weather for an awesome 30th birthday AND a surprise baby shower in Half Moon Bay. I am so thankful for our friends, and I’m still laughing at all the silly memories. We filled the weekend with a hike along the coast, HILARIOUS games, binging on too many snacks, an a fancy happy hour at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay.
Thank you to our sisters, Audrey and Vicki, for planning our little family baby shower! Grandma, Mom, and Audrey drove up from LA to host our baby shower in San Jose. On Saturday, we got a super convenient AirBnb right on Santana Row, had our baby shower in the afternoon, then walked to dinner. Then on Sunday, we all met up again for dim sum before saying goodbye to my family.
Our babymoon in Hawaii was so wonderful, and we wanted to capture the moment with a little shoot on the beach. Now that I’m in my third trimester, my belly is changing so rapidly every day! I want to be sure to capture every moment of this special transformation.
Friday morning, I got tested positive in my screen for gestational diabetes. It’s not a diagnosis and I need to go back for a longer blood glucose test, but I freaked out! Stressing is not going to help anything, so I’m focusing on staying positive and taking care of myself.
We’ve read a lot about what to expect in the pregnancy and what to expect in childbirth, but no one really prepares you for the nuance of being the first of our immediate friend circle to be pregnant. It impacts the two of us in different ways, and we are learning how to navigate this transition period. Above all, we remind ourselves that things don’t end, they just evolve.
We are here in Hawaii for our babymoon! I realize that the concept of a babymoon isn’t accepted at all workplaces, so we definitely consider ourselves fortunate (one the perks of working at tech companies!) to be able to take a week just for ourselves before baby comes. We are taking this time to get plenty of rest and relaxation before baby comes!
Can you believe it?! I can’t believe we are just three more months away from meeting this little guy! Although I made a resolution to put my health first, it’s been hard to practice what I preach. Admittedly, I’ve allowed work to take over, and it’s been hard to let go of that part of my identity. For the next three months, it’s my intention to let go of my workaholic nature, and practice mindfulness.
We are in the final weeks of our 2nd trimester and baby is the size of a cantaloupe! He’s tumbling around my belly like a little gymnast, especially around 4-5am in the morning when mommy wakes up. I am loving being pregnant in the 2nd trimester. I’m full of energy and appetite. Jeff and I finished our birth classes, and we made our first big purchase - a stroller!
Everyone prepares for birth in their own ways - it’s completely personal. For me, I am an over-planner who likes to be over-prepared (even when I know it’s a situation I can’t control). To overcome my fears and feel confident about pregnancy and birth, I dove into education and preparation. This includes 85 hrs of prenatal yoga teacher training, 20 hrs of birth classes, hiring a doula, getting infant CPR certified, and more.
In 2019, I’m putting health first. While I might have been able to get away with sacrificing health for the sake of productivity or achievement in the past, health is no longer a luxury I can afford. My health IS baby’s health. Being pregnant and the custodian of another life has forced me to re-prioritize everything.
