She’s a little belly dancer

By far, one of the most amazing things about blogging through this time in our life has been the support, knowledge and tips we’ve received along the way. I’m so fortunate to have many blog world resources whom I can learn from and soak in as much information as possible. I was really excited to read about Sabrina, Emily and Maria’s experiences, as they all went through each stage of pregnancy before I did.

When I saw Emily’s 38 week video of little Cullen moving in her belly, it blew my mind. At that point, all I could feel were tiny kicks from the inside –hardly anything from the outside- and couldn’t believe that movement from such a tiny person could be that defined. I’d never seen it before, so I had no idea what to expect.

To be real, pregnancy and pregnant bellies creeped me out until about 3 years ago. I thought pregnancy was beautiful, but scary, and it wasn’t anything I was ready for at the time. When I first started the blog, I wrote about how I didn’t want to have an alien inside of me.

Growing up, I was planning on adopting (which is still an option we’d like to explore in the future) and it wasn’t until I met Tom that I changed my mind about having biological children. I knew I’d want to create a baby with him –genetics like his can’t be wasted, and in all seriousness, when you have a great love in your life, it can change your mind about things- but I wasn’t ready. He was ready long before I was, and patiently waited until it finally clicked. When it clicked, it CLICKED- baby fever is real.

So now that my first pregnancy is almost over, I have to say that it wasn’t nearly as terrible or gross as I anticipated. I heard so many horror stories, and beyond the fatigue, a little nausea and a lot of hip pain, it really was good a thousand times more often than it was a pain- I have loved being pregnant. The baby doesn’t feel like an alien at all… we all have our own little conversations and can explore her personality before she heads into the real world. Tom got kicked in the face last night while he was talking to her- she definitely makes her presence known.

So before she can Zumba on the outside, here she is Zumba-ing from the inside:

She wasn’t moving as much as usual, so I’m thinking she might be a little camera shy…

*Mistake on the video: I said Emily’s belly video was at 37 weeks, and it was actually 38 weeks. Exactly where I am 🙂

More of the belly in action:

Fitnessista and Baby teach Zumba

Hot curler how-to

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45 Comments

  1. Ali on December 22, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    so cute! And so weird!! It has been so much fun to follow this journey, it kinda feels like I have gone on it with you!! Thank you for always sharing your heart with us.

  2. Suzi @ Confessions of a Fitness Instructor on December 22, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    Clearly she just wasn’t feeling that flamenco, give her some Daddy Yankee and she’s good to go 😉

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:38 am

      just like her mama, haha. i’ll take reggaeton over anything 🙂

  3. Jillian on December 22, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    Amazing! That is the main thing I miss about being pregnant. Wishing you the best of luck in the weeks to come- thank you for sharing your journey with us! <3

  4. Jessica on December 22, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    Ahh I could see the shape of your belly changing from side to side!! Thank you for sharing that! It’s crazy how attached we can get as readers lol 🙂

  5. Rebecca on December 22, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    That was cool to see…not gross at all! How cool would it be if she were a Christmas baby?! Or even better born on 01/01. It would be great to enter the new year with such a bang!

    • Rebecca on December 22, 2011 at 9:34 pm

      wow overuse of the word “cool.” oddly enough I don’t ever use it in real life (it makes me feel like i’m in middle school). i just woke up from a nap and i’m all out-of-sorts so that’s the defense i’m going with 😉

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:37 am

      that would be amazing 🙂

  6. Shelly on December 22, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    Wow! that’s so amazing. Seeing this makes me miss being preggers. I was amazed also at the way she moved in my belly, The only thing I don’t really miss was when I would get a foot/kick right in the ribs…whew!
    My munchkin is growing so fast now, it blows my mind at how fast time is going by. There is something new everyday with her.
    I wish you all the best! 😀

  7. sally on December 22, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    so wonderful, thank you for sharing 🙂 i can just tell you are going to be great parents.

  8. Pam on December 22, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    Such a cute video! She’ll be here before you know it!

  9. RachelG on December 22, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    You are so brave to post this! lol. I think my boyfriend initially thought I was watching porn, but when I explained what it is he actually said “Aww”. :O)

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:35 am

      hahah that would be some crazy creepy porn.

  10. Leanne (Bride to Mrs.) on December 22, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    That’s amazing.

    I love all of these family posts, im so happy that I can follow along your journey.

    My hubby and I thought for awhile that we wouldn’t have kids but in the past month or so, we’ve both been saying “when we have kids” or “if we have kids..” a lot more, so who knows. Lately my brain has been saying “baby” on repeat.. hormones are going a little mental! It won’t be for a couple of years though.. I want us to have some time as newlyweds first!

    Wishing you all the best and I hope you keep these family posts up long after the little Zumba dancer is born!

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:35 am

      we were glad that we spent a lot of time enjoying each other’s company first <3
      thank you! and yes, i'll still be blogging on the family page... i'm sure there are lots of adventures and shenanigans to come 🙂

  11. Rachel on December 22, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Not at all gross silly. And we All have some peach fuzz on our bellehs, preggers or not. We used to be completely covered in fur that was a whole lot longer than that! Helps keep us warm. 🙂 Have fun in there Zumba-Grrl!

  12. Sara (Running with Teaspoons) on December 22, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    thanks for this post Gina! i’m getting married in a few months and i know my fiance is way more excited about / prepared for children than i am (although we both agree that we will wait around 3 years once we are married before we start trying). sure, i know in theory that i will want kids one day, but it is so scary to me right now. it’s fun to hear that you once felt that way and now you seem to prepared and excited about having a child! hearing you say that baby fever just HIT at some point is really reassuring for me – sometimes i’m afraid i’ll NEVER have baby fever.

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:34 am

      that’s how i felt, too! but when it happens, it happens 🙂

  13. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on December 22, 2011 at 11:39 pm

    I was a woman who never pined away for kids and never really had the urge to have a baby thinking that’s just something other people do. But all of a sudden I just…HAD to have one.

    This part: “When it clicked, it CLICKED- baby fever is real.” <— YES! And I couldn't get pregnant fast enough and I can relate.

    Glad you decided not to waste the biological genetic pool 🙂

  14. Caitlin on December 23, 2011 at 12:01 am

    I posted a video like this at 37 weeks! Now she is 2 weeks and it is weird to see all of her movements and see what she was actually doing in there!

  15. Suzanne on December 23, 2011 at 12:08 am

    That’s so freaky – but so cool! I wonder how that feels (I’ve never been pregnant) from the inside.
    Thanks for sharing. So very cool.

  16. Tara @ Sweat like a Pig on December 23, 2011 at 1:00 am

    That is so amazing! I honestly didn’t even know bellies could do that! My husband found me watching the video and said “Oh my God, are you pregnant?” Hahaha

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:32 am

      haha! awesome

  17. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on December 23, 2011 at 1:09 am

    That was cool to see! Thanks so much for sharing! It was neat seeing her hand poke your tummy at one part!

  18. Gurminder on December 23, 2011 at 1:40 am

    so cool! This made me smile! 🙂

  19. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com on December 23, 2011 at 1:47 am

    This video made me so happy for you and Tom 🙂 Sending loads of hugs and love, dear 🙂

  20. Laura @ She Eats Well on December 23, 2011 at 2:00 am

    That is crazy and amazing. Seriously, amazing. Our bodies are incredible.

  21. Kim M. on December 23, 2011 at 2:01 am

    Amazing!!!! That was very cool to see. Also, I liked that it was filmed by Bella. 🙂

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

      she’s an excellent videographer

  22. Ashley H. on December 23, 2011 at 4:01 am

    Love the video. I’m right behind you so it’s fun to see what’s to come. When I played the video I had it a little loud and my little girl started kicking up a storm. Maybe I need to go get some Zumba music!!

  23. Ivona on December 23, 2011 at 7:33 am

    Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, I can’t wait to see what she looks like 🙂

  24. Michelle on December 23, 2011 at 8:13 am

    That video is awesome! I wanted to do that so badly when I was pregnant. My daughter was unbelievably active at all times during the day (and night) ! My baby girl (Aubrey Claire) is three months old now and she has been just as active since birth as she was in my belly! Always moving! I was also amazed at how strong she was at birth and she has grown stronger every day since! You are going to LOVE being a mom its the best thing in the whole world 🙂 Its also very challenging, but worth it! This makes me miss being pregnant so much 🙁 You will probably miss it at first, but then you will realize that now that she is in the the world you can share her with all of your adoring family and friends and that is also one of the best feelings in the world 🙂 Have a Very Merry Christmas and Enjoy every last minute of your pregnancy and your new little girls life! I love your blog and its great reading about all your hopes and dreams for your little girl! I can tell you two will be wonderful parents 🙂

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

      thank you, michelle and congratulations on your sweet baby 🙂 so happy for you

  25. Fancy on December 23, 2011 at 8:39 am

    I am 37 weeks and my baby apparently LOVED that Zumba music you were playing….she was twirling and rolling the whole time I was watching your video! LOL! This was her first time hearing Zumba music and apparently she’s a huge fan 🙂

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

      ahhh that is so cute!

  26. Lauren on December 23, 2011 at 10:12 am

    Aww!! I miss that so much! you will see!!

    I use to put objects on my belly to freak my hubby out! 😉

    • Fitnessista on December 23, 2011 at 11:30 am

      haha tom does that to me! last night i was talking to him and he set the remote on my belly

  27. Stephanie B. on December 23, 2011 at 10:28 am

    Aw, this was so cute and fun to see! It will be really neat to watch this with her when she’s older, too 🙂

  28. Marci on December 23, 2011 at 11:40 am

    I am sitting in my luon and black pants watching my belly move too. Coolest thing yet. Btw, my bday is January 6. It’s a great day to be born!

  29. Kari McLennan on December 23, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    OMG that was soooo interesting and creepy at the same time!! I can’t believe you walk around every day seeing/feeling that!! So so cool. I want a baby now!! 🙂

  30. Kathy on December 23, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    Gina I think that is one of the sweetest things I have seen. I know it will be so wonderful for both you and Tom to have that video when she’s older but I can’t help thinking about how priceless that will be for your little fitnessista to see as a soon to be mom one day – or even just as a grown woman! Can you imagine seeing yourself in utero like that playing and belly dancing with your mom? I would love to see me and mine like that. So fantastic!

  31. Kimberly (Sketch the Ebb and Flow) on December 23, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Awww! Very cute. I’m 25 and for most of my twenties have been totally freaked out by the idea of being pregnant and having children. I felt like I’d never get “baby fever.” But reading your blog has actually made me more excited about the possibility because of how you’ve handled it so positively.

  32. Jessica @ Sushi and Sit-Ups on December 23, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    I love hearing stories from people who love being pregnant! Much more uplifting and heartwarming than the horror stories!

  33. RhodeyGirl on December 27, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    Adorable. I’m so excited for you.

    Oddly enough I have ALWAYS wanted tons of kids and to be pregnant all the time etc etc, but in the end I HATED being pregnant. I am very thankful because of the gift it gave us, but I overall hated the experience.

    • Fitnessista on December 27, 2011 at 6:01 pm

      you carried that little guy so well, though!
      i’ve really loved being pregnant, but now that i’m at the end, i’m done. i just want to meet the baby!

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