Melissa Vogt • Wine Writer
  • Home
  • Publications
  • Contact + Sample Policy
  • Clients
  • Services

Sonoma County Recommendations: Eating, Walking & Pampering at the End of Pregnancy

1/29/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
I thought for sure my baby boy was going to be born before his due date. My family has a history of birthing before 39 weeks, so I assumed I would, too. But alas, yesterday was my due date and this little guy is still tucked inside, as content as ever. With a super blue blood moon just a day away, and my husband's birthday the day after that, it feels inevitable that the baby will be here by the end of the week. But for the last week, I've done just about everything I can to try and coax him out. And, because I know my solo-time is limited, I've enjoyed a few days of pampering and relaxing—this has been one piece of advice I've heard time and time again from other moms, in addition to enjoying my sleep while I still can.
 
At 40 weeks pregnant, I feel like a rock-star foodie, because eating is one thing I can still do really well. Second to eating has been walking; it’s been really good for me to stay active and I'm proud to still be able to do it in such an uncomfortable state! Third is relaxing, in any way that feels right at this stage in the game—for me, that's mostly been mani/pedis, sleep and Netflix while laying on my left side (for ideal baby positioning prior to labor). So, I took it upon myself to get out of the house on different days and enjoy some lunches out, in addition to some girly pampering—that is, when I wasn't sleeping or watching Netflix.
 
Here are a few of my Sonoma County recommendations for ways to get in your eating, walking and pampering at the end of pregnancy!

Picture
Enjoy the quaint Healdsburg square and get some exercise by window-shopping as you walk around several times. Once you've worked up an appetite, enjoy a tasty al fresco lunch at the  Costeaux French Bakery. And if you want to do something special for your husband, be sure to grab some treats from the bakery case to bring home!

Close to downtown Santa Rosa, Brew has some tasty lunch options and excellent coffee for when you want to splurge and enjoy some good tunes while dining—they always have a great music playlist going.

In an attempt to satisfy my recent craving for chicken and waffles—and I highly recommend that if you do have any cravings, don't hold back in satisfying them!—my husband sought out a local spot, knowing I wouldn't want to be stuck in the car for 45 minutes to get all the way down to the Freemont Diner. (Don't worry Freemont Diner, I promise I'll make the trek your way once I get this baby out.) We discovered the newly-opened Sonoma Crust Bakery, located on North Dutton in Santa Rosa. Their chicken and waffle sandwich was delicious and I will certainly be going back! And if you're serious about getting your baby out like I am, order the spicy version—it will light your mouth on fire and get your baby wiggling.

Picture
Picture
Get outside and enjoy the trails of Ragle Park in Sebastopol. The trails are just the right length for pregnant women and very easygoing—and by that I mean no hills! Just be sure to pee before you arrive, because their portapotties are not friendly.

Picture
When it's a bit of relaxing and pampering you're looking for, I highly recommend booking the Spa Pedicure at Avalon Nails on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa—ask for Kana, because she's the best! This pedicure comes  complete with a foot soak, salt scrub, wax treatment, hot stone massage and polish—totally worth the splurge for those swollen, achy  feet.

If you're looking for a full-body prenatal massage, Me Spa in Montgomery Village (Santa Rosa) is at the top of the list. This is a full-on spa experience, complete with a comfy robe, hot tea and a foot soak before going in for your treatment. They do an excellent job at accommodating pregnancy, propping you up on your side like a queen with a half dozen pillows to keep you comfortable during your prenatal massage. You'll walk away feeling totally rejuvenated!

And last but not least, when you are getting to the point where you can no longer take being pregnant—like once you pass your due date like me—you can always turn to natural ways to help activate labor. The Intimate Skin Spa on 4th Street in Santa Rosa offers a 30-minute Reflexology Foot Massage that women in the area swear by! Reflexology is said to help activate labor by working with pressure points in your feet that are connected to your uterus. I had this relaxing massage done this morning, so now it's time to wait and see what happens!

0 Comments

Top 5 Wine & Food Must-Haves After Pregnancy

1/19/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
At 39 weeks pregnant, there's only so much you can do on a day to day basis. Relaxing is at the top of the list, followed by walking to help stimulate labor and eating right to stay nourished for the big day.
 
To say my husband and I have done a lot of baby preparation is an understatement. We've been together almost 12 years and have wanted to start a family for quite some time. So when we got pregnant, we couldn't help ourselves but to start the baby preparations early.
 
Now, as we wind down to very the end of pregnancy, everything is in its right place. We are ready, and while there's been a lot of serious discussions lately about the kind parents we will be, how to keep the temperature steady for the baby in our old home and just the overall emotionality of transitioning into new parenthood, there's been a few other "less serious" things on my mind as well.
 
Take for instance the restrictions that are placed on pregnant women. I have to admit that as we near my due date, I've started to daydream about all the things I've gone without for 9+ months: sleeping on my back or belly, jogging, sushi and of course… wine! (And beer, too—I'm an equal opportunist when it comes to finely crafted fermented beverages.)
 
Before I was pregnant, I was gifted a bottle of 2000 Chateau Clerc Millon Grand Cru from my former boss, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, when I left my position at Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. Although at the time I didn't intend on saving it for almost a year, I knew I was going to want to open it for a special occasion. After not opening it for a couple months and then learning I was pregnant, I immediately logged this bottle in my mind as the wine that I would open after the baby was born.

So with lightheartedness and an eagerness to enjoy some of the things I've gone without for 9+ months—granted I know there will be restrictions and a learning curve with enjoying wine and beer here and there, given that I've chosen to breastfeed—here's my top 5 wine and food must-haves that I am looking forward to enjoying once our baby boy has arrived!

Picture
  1. 2000 Chateau Clerc Millon Grand Cru – As I already noted, this was a gift from the talented Lisa Perrotti-Brown. This bottle holds a special place in my heart, because working for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for almost two years was instrumental in my wine education and career. I'm looking forward to tasting this 18-year-old Bordeaux—hopefully my husband will be willing to chef up a nice steak to pair with it.
  2. Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier & Russian River Brewing Co. Little White Lie – Now, I may have more education in wine, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying beer just as much. I'm a sucker for excellent craft beers and do very much enjoy both internation and local brews. One of my favorite international Hefeweizens comes from the ancient Bavarian brewery by the name of Weihenstephan—it doesn't get any more class Hefe than this. And for my local choice, my go-to favorite is without a doubt the Little White Lie, a spice-filled, unfiltered wit beer from Russian River Brewing Company. And hey, I hear brewer's yeast is good for breast milk production so, that's a plus!
  3. Sushi – I love sushi enough to not have been able to resist eating cooked fish sushi a couple of times during my pregnancy, but I'm looking forward to the real thing. And on that note, bring on the tasty tuna tartare hors d'oeuvres that kept seeming to pop up at every public function I attended during my pregnancy!
  4. BenMarco Malbec – This is a throwback wine from my college days and in fact, it was probably the first "nice" wine my husband (then boyfriend) and I bought together. I guess you could call it my gateway wine. In the small college town of Arcata in Humboldt County, we went to a local wine shop on Valentine's Day. They were pouring Argentinian flights and this was our first time experiencing a wine tasting of this nature; we fell in love with the BenMarco Malbec. Although I don't remember what vintage we tasted, I've always wanted to pick up a bottle and revisit this wine.
  5. Eating What I Want – Now, I don't mean gorging on chocolate or eating a bunch of unhealthy food, but rather just feeding myself and being able to eat unrestricted by the weirdness that pregnancy brings to food. Throughout my pregnancy, I had a lot of food aversions—mostly to meat, all the way up until the last two months of the pregnancy. And then there were other unexplained aversions like kale, which I normally love! And different kinds of fruits and vegetables were unappealing at various times. Then for some reason, I couldn't eat scrambled eggs during the last couple of weeks, even though I nearly lived off scrambled eggs for my entire first trimester. It's been strange as a foodie to have so many different food restrictions and aversions, so I'm very much looking forward to being able to eat what I want!

0 Comments

A Re-Envisioning of mvfooddrink.com...

1/18/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Welcome to the new mvfooddrink.com. With the upcoming transition into parenthood—our first son is set to be born at the end of January—it seemed only fitting that I would take my current wine and food blog and add parenting to the mix! The result is Sonoma Momma—a blog that will detail my life in Sonoma County wine country, including tasting wine and fine dining, as well as  the ins and outs of new parenthood. I hope you enjoy this re-envisioning of mvfooddrink.com!

This is a blog about being a wine lover, foodie and momma.
0 Comments

    Wine Blog Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015


© Melissa Vogt


Picture
  • Home
  • Publications
  • Contact + Sample Policy
  • Clients
  • Services