Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cravings

In my weekly updates, I haven't been writing much under "food cravings".  Really, I didn't think there was anything I've been particularly jonesing for, other than the random muffin w/ applesauce, or the occasional piece of cake.  I stand corrected.

Here are excerpts of texts I have sent to my husband over the last couple of months, mostly dinner requests, although they are far from complete (or normal) meals.  I now also realize that I'm a total diva and spoiled rotten to the core.  And it's painfully obvious how I've put back on all of that weight that I lost in the first trimester.

- I need a refried beans w/ cheese.

- Bagels and cream cheese tonight please.

- Those little pies.  Little Debbie maybe?  Cherry!  And lemon!  Hostess I think.

- Cold pasta salad.  With olives and artichoke hearts!

- Or baked ziti?

- I need a plain Arby's sandwich and curly fries!  Really!  Can you bring me some?  I love you.  Thank you. [sent during the middle of the work day while I was home sick]

- In response to Ken sending me a menu from a pizza place he was eating at: Ick, no.  Just cheese?  Cheesy bread? Cheese, like mozzarella.  And brie.

- Hummus & tortillas.

- From the bathtub: Will you bring me ice water?  Please???

Thanks, honey.  And I'm sorry.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Weeks 19 & 20

Week 19
4/9/2012 - 4/15/2012
Milestones: My linea nigra (dark pregnancy line on the belly) has arrived! At first I thought it was another stretch mark since I already have tons of those, but upon closer inspection (in the mirror since I can't really see the underside of my belly anymore) I realized what it was.  It only goes part way up to my belly button right now.  I wonder if I'll get the full line, or only half of one.
Size of Meatball: About 6.5 inches long from crown to rump, and about 10 inches from head to toe.
Symptoms: Holy heartburn!  If anyone has a lead on yellow-only citrus Tums, please let me know!  I'm still pretty tired, and feel nauseous if I've overdone it during the day.  My immune system has taken a bit of a hit too, but I'm managing to hang on without getting an all-out cold.
Food cravings: Cheese & fruit.  And tons and tons of water.
Food aversions: The "c" words.  And the smell of fast food - ick.  I even have to avoid certain roads when driving around town.
Exercise: 1 run/walk, and 1 bike.
Weight gain: I packed on 2.6 pounds this week, and am now down only 2.8 pounds from pre-pregnancy.
Other random crap: I'm totally digging getting all crafty for baby girl.  I sewed this awesome pirate dress for her this week.  I think it's a nice combo of girliness and tomboy.
Week  20
4/16/2012 - 4/22/2012
We had our 20 week anatomy scan this week.  All I can really say is "wow!"  It's basically a head-to-toe ultrasound of baby and all of the important bits and pieces.  We got to check out the brain, heart, kidneys, stomach, bladder, and even the lenses of the eyes.  And we counted 10 fingers and 10 toes.  Well, it looked like 12 toes, but the technician assured us there were only 10.  I guess we'll find out in September for sure.  Baby girl was a maniac in there and wouldn't really cooperate.  One second we're looking at a cute little fist and all of a sudden we're looking at feet.  Followed by a quick flash of the head and then the bum.  Maybe she was just excited to see us.  Or royally pissed off that we were poking around in her home.
Milestones:  We're half way!
Size of Meatball: About the length of a banana.
Symptoms:  The cold/allergies finally caught up with me this week.  But the glorious warm sunshine that finally came out over the weekend had amazing healing properties.
And the crazy preggo dreams are escalating.  I had a nightmare that my Grandma helped bad guys rob our house, and when I tried to call 911 my phone was transferred to the bad guys who were then trying to kill me.  I woke up hyperventilating and crying.  Don't tell Grandma though.
Food cravings: Chex cereal with sliced banana.  But it must be a 50/50 split between the wheat Chex and the honey Chex.
Food aversions: The usual suspects.
Exercise: 1 run/walk, 1 strength session, and 1 bike.
Weight gain: I'm up another 0.8 pounds this week and only have 2 pounds until I'm at neutral weight.  No doubt I'll exceed that next week since I seem to be sliding up the scale faster than a sumo wrestler now.
Other random crap: Yard work while pregnant is seriously the worst.  I was LOVING the sunshine this weekend, but bending/squatting/lifting was exponentially more difficult with the belly getting in the way.  Thank goodness for husbands!
And I majorly scored on some maternity cycling clothes.  They aren't cheap, but they are super cute.  Check out the line by Sheila Moon.  I ordered mine from Team Estrogen.  Can't wait to get out on the bike again - this time with my belly fully covered and shorts not in danger of exploding off my sausaged body.  Here's what I ordered:


Saturday, April 14, 2012

First Outdoor Ride of the Year!

Pregnant or not pregnant, this is always a momentous occasion here in the Pacific NW.  Especially with the uber rainy fall/winter/spring we've had for what seems like the last 6 months.  We have been blessed with a bout of sunshine this weekend, so my girlfriend Jessica and I decided to take advantage of the nice (and probably fleeting) weather.  She just purchased a beautiful new bike and wanted a mellow ride to get used to things.  And, well, I just plain needed something easy.
The workout really started at the house while trying to squeeze into tri-shorts and a cycling jersey.  I eventually found something that sort of fit.  Okay, it totally didn't fit at all, but it wasn't threatening to bust open at any of the seams immediately.  So no, I didn't take any pictures below the neck on this ride.  My next online shopping excursion will be fitmaternity.com for some roomier ensembles.
Thankfully the riding part went a lot more smoothly than the pre-ride workout.  Getting into the aero bars was definitely a no-go, and I could probably stand to raise up the headset an inch or two.  And my belly now protrudes far enough that my legs smoosh into it with each pedal stroke, causing me to feel like I have to constantly pee.  And compressing my lungs more than they already are.  BUT...it really was a marvelous ride.  The sun was in full force, the wind was non-existent, and the road was remarkably clear of major debris.  The low-impact workout felt great.  Lungs burning a bit, legs getting some blood flow, and baby kicking all around (practicing her pedal strokes perhaps?).  If all goes well, I'm hoping to still be doing this 5 months from now.  :-)

Monday, April 9, 2012

Weeks 17 & 18, and Gender Reveal!

Week 17
3/26/2012 - 4/1/2012

It's a...  GIRL!!!  I was 100% convinced that I was cooking a little baby boy in there.  I mean really, a girl couldn't possibly be causing that much trouble over the last 4 months.  I had such a strong intuition that it was a boy, and two of my best girlfriends had boy dreams.  And while I didn't have a strong preference either way, I think I was secretly hoping for a girl.  As soon as the ultrasound tech put the wand on my belly it was obvious we were all wrong!
Baby girl was spread-eagle during the entire scan and was moving around like a little triathlete.  The cutest part was watching her moving her arms all around her head and rub her face.  We can't wait to meet her!

Milestones:
It's a girl!!! 
Size of Meatball: About 5 inches long.  And my uterus is now approximately the size of a cantaloupe.
Symptoms: I only had a few days this week where I felt ill, and it was usually later in the day after trying to do too much.  Things are definitely looking up!
Food cravings: Chex cereal w/ bananas.
Food aversions: I'm still super picky and have a lot of smell aversions, but the "C" words are still the worst (coffee & chicken).  Excuse me while I dry-heave away from the computer screen after even typing those two words.
Exercise: 1 run and 1 strength session.  Also, a marathon 12-hour stint in the Atlanta airport that has to count for something.
Weight gain: I gained 2.2 pounds this week (wow!), so now I'm only down 4.8 pounds overall.


Week 18
4/2/2012 - 4/8/2012


This was a big week! My Mom came into town for a fun weekend, I turned 33 years old, and we made a trip to the circus. Not to mention lots of shopping for fabric, bras (yes, again), pants that fit (!!!), and my first and maybe last trip to Babys-R-Us.
Milestones: I think the days of sleeping on my back are over.  We'll soon be inviting a third person (aka massive pregnancy pillow) into our bed.
Size of Meatball: Almost 6 inches long, or the size of a sweet potato.
Symptoms: I now feel great in the mornings and then start to go downhill around 2 or 3pm.  I'm useless by 5pm.  At least now I can cram all of the important things into the first half of the day and be semi-productive again.
Food cravings: Nothing really.  Although I totally devoured a home-grilled burger the other night.  Ken makes them the best!
Food aversions: The same usual suspects.  I don't think I'll ever be a coffee drinker again.
Exercise: 1 swim
Weight gain: I lost 0.6 pounds this week, but I consider this holding steady.  Overall change from pre-pregnancy is a loss of 5.4 pounds.