Maternity Photos

A few posts ago, I linked to a preview of our maternity photo session with Jim + Ravyn Photography.  We have the final edited photos now, and I feel so lucky that we stumbled across such talented photographers.  Ravyn will also be attending our homebirth (hopefully in the next few weeks!!!), as well as doing the newborn session once baby girl is a couple of weeks old.

Here are some of our favorites:

Weekend Inspiration

I'm late again on the "Weekend Inspiration" post.

Did you see this Nike commercial during the Olympics?  Love it.

Find YOUR greatness.  (My greatness is obviously not getting blog posts up in a timely manner...)

Weeks 35 & 36

Week 35
7/30/2012 - 8/5/2012
Wait, what?  It's August already?

Milestones: My birth blanket is finished!  Some fabulous girlfriends came over one night and did most of the work.  Despite lots of war wounds from trying to poke needles through 2 sheets, 1 blanket, and a layer of plastic, we had quite a blast.  Thanks ladies!  (Note: A birth blanket is basically visqueen and a blanket sandwiched between some sheets. It can be picked up and moved around the house, depending on where I end up laboring and birthing. It protects the carpet and/or furniture and then can be wadded up and thrown away afterwards.)

Size of Meatball: My fundal height is back up to over 5 weeks ahead.  But this type of measurement has a huge margin of error, so the important part is that things are still growing consistently.  Consistently large, but still consistent.

Baby Position: Little girl is head down and has been that way for over a month.  She has been ROT (right occiput transverse) at the last two appointments, meaning she is head down with her head facing my hip, and with her butt up in the top right of my belly and feet sticking out towards the left.

Labor Signs: No signs of labor yet, thank goodness.  Just some minor contractions every once in awhile.  Typically at night when I'm trying to sleep, of course.  The midwife calls it a crabby uterus.  I'm crabby too, so I don't really blame my ute one bit.

Symptoms: My belly is soooo ITCHY!  Damn stretch marks.

Exercise: Things are really slowing down on the exercise front.  Only 3 walks and 1 swim this week.  No strength training because it's too hot to do TRX in the garage, and well, I'm too lazy to drive the 1 mile to the gym to use their weight machines.  Oh, and one exhausting day at the river playing with friends and trying to stay cool.  Oh yes, I'm giving you another preggo bikini pic.  Be glad that the bottom half is underwater.

Weight gain: I really don't know why I keep this category in here.  For the sake of honesty, I'll admit that I'm up a total of 28-30 pounds now, depending on how swollen I am when I step on the scale.  This heat is a bitch, yo.

Other random crap:

- I got up to pee 6 times one night. SIX TIMES.

- Baby girl loves her some hip-hop music.  I have regular dance parties with her (well, me and my belly) all the time.  Her current favorites include Eminem, Pitbull, Nicki Minaj, and of course a little bit of Kanye.

Week 36

8/6/2012 - 8/12/2012

Milestones: Nothing.  Although I did hit up the Nordstrom sale and splurged on some comfy jammies for the post-partum period.  I know that's not really a milestone, but it's been on my "to do" list for awhile.  I LOVE crossing things off my list.  Other things I crossed off this week, with assistance from the husby:

- Organized all of the homebirth supplies

- Detailed the cars

- Installed the carseat bases and carseat

- Sewed burp cloths

- Started getting a "just in case" hospital bag together

- Wrote a "just in case" birth plan for the hospital

- Finished up the baby room - pics coming soon!

- Lots of random cleaning and organizing

There are still a handful of items on the list, but it's getting smaller.  And if baby showed up today, all the essentials are taken care of.  What a great feeling!

Size of Meatball: Supposedly over 6 pounds and around the length that she'll be once she's born.

Baby Position: I didn't have a midwife appointment this week, so I'm not quite sure.  She's either ROA or ROT.  She's definitely still head down with her little tushy pushed into the upper right corner and her feet kicking into my ribs on the left side.  But despite my best poking around, I can't tell which way her head is facing.

Labor Signs: Still not much.  The Braxton Hicks are gaining strength and are almost painful at times.  The cramps/contractions are still coming on occasionally, and mostly at night.  People keep mentioning that it looks like baby has dropped a bit, but honestly, I can't really tell.  Maybe a little bit!

Symptoms: Wow, the bloat monster made an attack this week.  I could hardly even get my flip flops on one afternoon.  The round ligament pain is pretty brutal too.  Sometimes I'll forget that I'm pregnant and try to hop out of bed or something, and holyhellf*%ingcriminy, I'll get these sharp shooting pains down low.  I also learned a new term this week - ECP.  It stands for Evil Crotch Pain.

Exercise: 2 swims, 2 walks, 1 strength, and one marathon day of nesting.  I think I might be done with spin class until after baby is here.  Maybe I'll try it one more time, but the thought of smooshing my bits onto the bike seat with my knees smacking into my belly around doesn't sound very appealing.

Weight gain: Nothing really this week.  Holding steady at a total gain of around 30.

Other random crap:

- An older dude said to me "I feel your pain.  My wife carried twins during the summer too."  You'll recall that there's only one in there, so the only pain he was about to feel was his gonads being relocated into his stomach region.
- My sincere apologies to the checkout gal at Joann Fabrics who was on the receiving end of a gushing fountain of angry pregnancy hormones.  It was probably justified, but I'm still not proud.
- FOUR weeks until my estimated due date!!!!

Weekend Inspiration - Pinterest Edition

A day late.  Again.  But "better late than never" certainly applies when it comes to inspiration, right?  This version comes courtesy of Pinterest.  LOTS of fun little quotes and photos (and funnies) on there to get your butt moving out the door for some exercise.  Here's a little of each.

Weekend Inspiration - Olympics Edition

I know the Olympics are just getting going, but there have already been so many inspiring moments.  Here are just a few.

P.S. Is anyone else exhausted from staying up too late watching the games?

1) Italy's Valentina Vezzali celebrates defeating Tunisia's Ines Boubakri during their women's Individual Foil quarterfinal fencing competition.

(Source: Time Magazine)

2) American Ryan Lochte wins gold in the 400 IM finals (favored Michael Phelps came in 4th).

(Source: International Business Times)

3) Marianne Vos of the Netherlands takes first place in the women's cycling road race...after battling pouring rain for the last part of the course.

(Source: Reuters)

4) In her FIFTH (!!!) Olympics, skeet shooter Kim Rhode took gold, becoming the first American to medal in 5 games in a row.

(Source: Sporting News)

5) American gymnast Aly Raisman is overcome with emotion after realizing that she qualified for the women's all-around.

(Source: Boston Herald)

Weeks 33 & 34

Week 33
7/16/2012 - 7/22/2012

Milestones: She's still cookin' in there.  Each week is a new milestone at this point.

Size of Meatball: Probably well over 4 pounds now.

Symptoms: The heartburn has reached a new level of hell.  Everything else is manageable and not even worth mentioning in comparison.

Exercise: It was a super busy week at work, which totally wiped me out.  So I only got in 1 spin class, 1 strength, and 1 run/walk (Lacamas Lake 4-Miler).

Weight gain: A little over a pound.
Bloating/Swelling: Still okay.  I'm so thankful that we live in the Pacific Northwest.  Anytime I get even a little overheated I swell up like a sumo wrestler, so I can't imagine being in any other part of the country right now.
Sleeping: Sleep?  Well, at least Ken's getting a lot.

Other random crap:
- During our maternity photo session (previews here) we were outside at a local park.  An old guy came up to us and stated to Ravyn (our awesome photographer) - "I think you're going to need a bigger camera".  And you sir, need to get your geriatric ass on down the trail before the pregnant lady sticks her cowboy boots up it.
- Why, oh why, do bathroom stalls open inward?

Week 34
7/23/2012 - 7/29/2012

Milestones: Just another week down.  6 weeks until my estimated due date.  The home birth window is 3 to 8 weeks from now.

Size of Meatball: Big.

Symptoms: Menstrual-type cramps have started.  I guess I can't complain since I've gone 8 months without them.

Exercise: I was sick all week, so I didn't get much in.  It is what it is at this point.  1 walk, 1 swim, and 2 strength sessions.  Good 'nuff.

Weight gain: You really don't care about this, do you?  Good.
Bloating/Swelling: Despite an epic weight gain, I was able to wear my rings most of the week.  Weird.
Sleeping: I know I'm a naive first time Mom, but I truly believe that I'll be more rested after baby arrives than I am now.  Go ahead and laugh, I stand by it.

Other random crap:
- I had to move the seat back in the Jeep.  I swore I wouldn't need to do it, but alas, the belly is out of my control.
- Climbing out of the pool is harder than the swim workout itself.  So is getting my fins on and off.  The Lifeguard deserves a gold medal for keeping a straight face the entire time.
- Two of my obsessions this week:

Race Report: Lacamas Lake 4 Miler

Lacamas Lake 4 Miler

Date: 7/22/2012

Finish time = 1:13:03 (18:16/mile pace)

Pretty speedy pace, huh?  To be fair, this isn't a very easy course and it's actually a bit longer than advertised.  And, you know, that whole being 33 weeks pregnant thing.  I first ran this race back in 2007 when it was a 5k and a totally different course.  I don't remember much about it other than the route was sort of "meh" and the hill at the end was a total bitch.  The new course is pretty awesome, but the hill at the end is still there and is definitely still a total bitch.  However, you quickly forget about the hill once you get your cute little medal and stock up on the finish line freebies (Dave's Killer Bread, Muscle Milk, and Kind bars to name a few).  This year I was joined by Nads (aka Nadine aka Louise Farmer) and my awesome hubby Ken.  Nadine had a great race, and Ken stuck with me and helped to fend off the weird looks from spectators.

The 4-miler starts at the Camas High School track, heads out on paved back roads, winds through the trails of Round Lake, and then wraps up back at the track.  The trails are nice and wide, hills keep things interesting, and I imagine that even on a hot day (today was definitely not hot) that the trees would offer quite a bit of shade.  I managed to run maybe about half of the distance, but took it easy on the hills.  Baby girl is making it a lot more difficult these days - she likes to wedge/brace herself diagonally into my hips and ribs, and my lungs are pretty much out of space - but it did feel good to move my legs and get the heart rate up a bit.

I'm pretty sure this is the last race until post-baby.  Next expected race report: labor & delivery!

Weekend Inspiration

1) Badwater was this past week.  135 miles of running through Death Valley in temperatures up to 130°F.  This years winner finished in 22 hours and 52 minutes.  The last finisher finished in 47 hours 8 minutes.  I highly recommend watching the documentary "Running on the Sun".

2) Funny.

3) An alarm clock shaped as a dumbbell that requires you to do 30 bicep curls before the alarm goes off.  It's not heavy enough to count as a workout, but I bet it wakes you up and gets you thinking about fitness first thing in the morning.

4) Hard to do, but true.

5) Wiggins for the win!  Now onward to the Olympics.

Weeks 31 & 32

I think we've established that coffee, chicken, and fast food are products of the devil.  And that I tend to crave tons of fresh fruits and carby deliciousness.  So how about we mix up the weekly update categories a bit, eh? 

Week 31

7/2/2012 - 7/8/2012

Milestones: 9 weeks left.  Single digits, baby!  This feels somewhat similar to hitting mile 17 of the Ironman marathon - still a ways to go, but sooo close after all that I've been through.

Size of Meatball: About 16-18 inches long and just over 3 pounds.  At my last midwife appointment my fundal height was only measuring ahead by 2.5 weeks (instead of 3.5....or 5), so this might actually be somewhat close to accurate.  One of my biggest curiosities is how chunkalicious baby girl will be when she's born.

Symptoms: I actually felt pretty fantastic this week.  There was of course the usual heartburn, swelling, bird bladder, etc.  But all-in-all, this might be the best I've felt the entire pregnancy.  I guess that "2nd trimester" goodness just arrived a little late for me.

Exercise: I did better this week!  1 swim, 1 bike, 2 runs/walks, and 2 strength sessions.  Plus a whole bunch of weeding, organizing/cleaning, and getting things done.

Weight gain: I'm up a total of 21 pounds now.  I was hoping to limit overall gain to 25 pounds, but unfortunately with 9 weeks left that isn't very realistic.
Bloating/Swelling: My toes and fingers get a bit pudgy by the end of the day.  But my ankles are putting up a good fight.  I also like to think that I haven't developed jowls yet.
Sleeping: Well... My hips scream if I don't wake up about every 60-90 minutes to flip over.  And when I get just about settled I'm awake enough to realize that I have to pee.  Then by the time I get back to bed I forget which side I was supposed to be sleeping on.  And then I'm wide awake so I just play on the iPad for about 45 minutes until I fall asleep.  And then wake up about a half hour later to do it all over again.  So yeah, sleep.  I'm not getting much.  And if anyone is tempted to say "it's training for when the baby comes", don't.  That's a bunch of bullshit.  You can't train your body to need less sleep.  It's just a glorious side effect of pregnancy.

Other random crap:
- You know how when you're wearing pants that are too tight, and you get home from work and the first thing you do is tear them off and put on your jammies?  If not, just play along please.  Yeah, so that happens to me all the time.  But when I take off my pants...everything is still tight.  But I still don't like to wear pants.
- We've dubbed baby's early evening activity as "The Belly Show".  We sit and stare at my belly and watch it move and jiggle and shape shift.  The other night a foot poked out about an inch and slid across my entire stomach.  It was so shocking that I actually screamed out loud.  It was JUST like Alien.
- Happy 4th of July!  This is as festive as I got this year.  We went to the local farmers market, produce stand, and then came back home.  I was in my jammies by 6pm.  Lame, I know.

Week 32

7/9/2012 - 7/15/2012

What a fun week!  Mom was in town for 5 days.  Two of my best girlfriends threw me a phenomenal baby shower (thanks Angie & Jessica!!!).  I got to see my Auntie Anne and Grandma.  We did a baby shopping spree and crossed almost everything off the list.  Diaper prepping is almost complete.  Now we just need a baby.

Milestones: Nothing monumental this week, although some women view 32 weeks as some sort of exciting milestone.  But I think making it another 7 days each week is pretty great.

Size of Meatball: Closer to 18 inches and just under 4 pounds.  She is fully formed now and is just packing on the fat for her body and brain.

Symptoms: Shortness of breath.  Despite trying to stay active I am getting horribly winded just climbing a short flight of stairs.  Is this how smokers feel?  Yuck!

Exercise: A few walks and strength sessions.  Mom was in town through the weekend, so we did a lot of house stuff, running errands, working outside, etc.  So I didn't get much structured exercise in, but damn, I worked hard!

Weight gain: 1.4 pounds for the week.  I'm up 22.4 pounds total now.
Bloating/Swelling: My rings don't fit very comfortably anymore and cellulite is popping up in places that no woman should have to deal with.  But I still have ankles!
Sleeping: I'm convinced that we need a new mattress, but I know it's crazy pregnancy logic and that our mattress is just fine.  But I can't help but wonder if one of those sleep number beds are as fabulous as they look on the commercial.

Other random crap:
- I had someone stick their finger in my belly button to see if it had popped yet.  Seriously.  That's taking "touching the belly" to a whole new level.
- Have you ever prepped prefold diapers?  It takes FOREVER!  You need to wash/dry them 10 times.  Or boil for 10 minutes and then wash/dry 4-6 times.  I'm still convinced cloth is the way to go, but I can totally see how the laundry thing is a major pain.

Weekend Inspiration

1) The Hardrock 100 Endurance Run took place this weekend.  100 miles.  Almost 34,000 feet of climbing.  Average elevation of over 11,000 feet.  I doubt I'll ever line up at the start up this one, but I would love to be in good enough shape to meet the minimum qualifications someday.

2) I had a lot of yesterdays like this.

3) Have you heard of Diana Nyad?  She has twice attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida.  That's 100 miles of swimming.  At once.  I barely covered that distance last year over the course of the entire year.  She will be making a 3rd attempt sometime in the near future.  I should also mention that she's 62 years old.  You can follow here blog here.

4) Get thyself to the gym.  It can't be any worse than this:

5) Local Portland peeps - Chrissie Wellington will be in town at the end of August.  Head on over to Athletes Lounge for a meet & greet with Chrissie.  I wonder if she'll sign my pregnant belly?  More details here.

Weekend Inspiration

While I love journaling pregnancy progress, I don't want to turn this into a baby blog.  So I think it's time to bring back the "Weekend Inspiration" posts.

1) Aside from Kona, I think the finish line at Ironman Coeur d'Alene is THE BEST EVER.  Here is a video from this year's race and it looks like it was even more awesome than the last 2 years, if that's even possible.  If you don't want to watch the whole thing, at least skip ahead to about the 3:40 mark where a woman crosses the finish line just after midnight.  Have tissues handy.

2) Who else has been glued to the NBC sports channel watching the Olympic trials and the Tour de France? If you watched the women's gymnastics last weekend, then you may have seen the heartbreaking performances from Nastia Liukin (2008 Olympic individual all-around gold medalist). She ended up having a rough couple of nights, falling multiple times off the bars. But she kept getting back on, and then even though her chances of making the team were pretty much gone, she still completed her final performance on the balance beam. She rocked it and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Check out this interview - so humble and pulled together.

3) Yep.

4) Crossfit at 37 weeks pregnant.  Freaking rockin' it!  There are more and more of these types of videos popping up.  Love that!

5) Did you hear that they added another Ironman venue?  Lake Tahoe!  Check out the website for some AH-mazing photos.  2014 baby!

Weeks 29 & 30

I forgot to mention in the last update that we're now down to appointments every 2 weeks with the midwife instead of every 4 weeks. Our home visit is in 6 weeks, and we need to have our home birth supplies in place at that time. Which means I should probably place some online orders and start gathering the items on the list.  Have I mentioned that we are planning a home birth?  More on that later.  So excited!  In just 7 weeks I will be considered full term.  Our due date is in 10 weeks.  How did that happen?  Something must have warped the space-time continuum, causing time to speed up exponentially.  Or something.

Week 29

6/18/2012 - 6/24/2012

Milestones: Colostrum production.  Sexy!

Size of Meatball: Every source says something different.  The Bump claims she is somewhere around 2.5-3.8 pounds and 15.2-16.7 inches.

Symptoms:   The BH contractions are increasing a bit (totally normal), and so is the heartburn.  Also, the stretch mark fairy has been visiting frequently.  Bitch.

Food cravings: I don't recall craving anything specific this week.  Lots of fresh fruits and liquids.  I'm super thirsty all of the time.

Food aversions: Nothing new has been added to the list this week.

Exercise:  Three strength sessions and 2 runs/walks.  My preggo running days are feeling very limited.  It certainly hasn't been comfortable for quite some time, but now running seems to spur an increased amount of BH contractions. I really need to make an effort to do more biking.  And get my ass into the pool.  Some things never change...

Weight gain: Somewhere between 17 pounds and 20 pounds.  I'm not in the mood to step on the scale, but it feels like I've packed on a bit of poundage this week.

Other random crap:

- My wedding band doesn't fit on my ring finger anymore, but the engagement band still does.  So I've moved the wedding band to my pinky finger.  I should probably just send them to our jeweler for inspection and cleaning and then put onto a necklace for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Ken would kill me if I lost them or had to have them cut off my fingers!


Week 30

6/25/2012 - 7/1/2012

Milestones: 30 weeks!  I don't know that 30 weeks is really any specific milestone, but it seems monumental for some reason.  We definitely want baby girl to stay put for at least another 7 weeks, but if she were to arrive right now, she has greater than a 95% chance of survival.  That's really reassuring.

Size of Meatball: North of 3 pounds.

Symptoms: Random pee urges that disappear.  She has been using my bladder as a little trampoline lately, which causes me to suddenly go "oh damn I'm going to wet my pants!" and start the process of frantically climbing out of the couch or bed or wherever I'm currently stuck.  And then when I'm half way up the urge totally goes away.  But then it never fails that as soon as I get settled again I almost pee myself.  And I can totally picture her cracking up at herself in there.

Food cravings: Cherries!  And dairy protein like cottage cheese and greek yogurt.  And more cherries!

Food aversions: You know the drill here.

Exercise: I was kind of a lazy ass this week.  In my defense, I haven't felt all that fantastic this week. Nothing really specific, just general "under the weather" kinda stuff.  1 walk, 1 strength session, and 2 days of marathon nesting/cleaning.  Our garage and kitchen (every single drawer and cabinet) have been purged, disinfected, and completely organized. 

Weight gain: See above referenced lazy assedness.  You don't need to know the weight details this week, I decided.

Other random crap:

- I had my first baby shower this week!  One of my awesome employees hosted a luncheon shower and I was so spoiled by all of the lovely ladies at work.  It really makes everything seem so much closer!
- If this isn't nesting yet, someone might need to come rescue Ken sometime between now and September.

Pregnancy Nutrition

Obviously this whole pregnancy thing has been one huge learning experience for me.  But one area where I really struggle is nutrition.  My eating habits prior to the BFP (Big Fat Positive) revolved around Ironman training.  I ate A LOT of food.  And while I didn't meet any weight loss goals last year, I really was able to maintain my weight while eating obscene amounts of crap.  So my calibration for "regular person eating" was way off to begin with.

Enter the first 18 weeks of pregnancy where I couldn't even open the refrigerator without puking.  I lost over 10 pounds and struggled to keep anything down.  Carbs were my saving grace.  And the carb binging continued once the appetite came back, and then well into the second trimester.  Thankfully as the pregnancy has progressed I have been craving mostly healthy foods (salads, protein, etc.).  I can't even think about things like fried or fast foods without gagging.  But I know that I'm not eating as balanced as I could/should be.

My eating habits have been skewed for the better part of 2 years.  And I've battled the scale my entire adult life.  So yeah, I'm terrified of gaining too much weight.  I'm keenly aware of the struggle ahead of me to tackle any extra "baby weight" that I pack on over the next 10 weeks.  I'm not interested in dieting, but now that I'm not hugging the toilet several times a day, I want to make sure that I can honestly say that any pounds I put on are legit.  I'm also at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia (both my Mother and Grandmother had it) and I want to do everything possible to change that pattern.  And I'm taking care of another person now, so weight gain aside, I need to make sure that I'm putting the best possible things into my body.

So aside from continuing as much exercise as I can manage, I'm also going to be tracking my food intake through MyFitnessPal.com.  Have you guys used this?  It's a website, but also available as an app on the iPhone and iPad.  What I love is that it not only tracks calories, but it keeps you informed on your nutrient intake.  I'm going to log my meals for 5 days and see how I'm doing.  Then I'll know where I need to make adjustments to the types and quantity of items in my diet.  And since I'm a total data whore, I'm super excited!

What else have you veteran mamas done to keep the weight gain in check during pregnancy while still getting the full range of needed nutrition?

Weeks 27 & 28

Week 27

6/4/2012 - 6/10/2012

Half of this week was spent wrapping up our time in Kauai.  What a blessing it was to get that time away together before baby arrives.

Milestones: I felt baby girl's hiccups for the first time this week.  So stinkin cute.

Size of Meatball: Average size for this week is about 2 pounds and 14.5 inches.

Symptoms: You know all of those dramatized tv and movies where the pregnant girl is bloated and waddling and breathing fire and running off to puke?  Pretty much that.  But I guess it really isn't all bad.  This is probably the most comfortable part of the pregnancy and I'm still able to do mostly everything that I was able to do pre-pregnancy.  Except for reach the kitchen faucet or have a visual on my girly bits.

Food cravings: This text to Ken probably sums it up. "Artichokes and raspberries and shrimp for dinner please!"

Food aversions: Somebody (coughJeffMaceycough) mentioned a breakfast place in Portland that serves a brunch dish that contains waffles and chicken topped with whipped cream.  The vomit started creeping up, but we were in public and I was able to contain myself.

Exercise: The last bit of walking/swimming/snorkeling in Hawaii.  And one bike and one strength session.

Weight gain: I'm officially up exactly 15 pounds for the entire pregnancy.  My target is 25 pounds, so I have 13 weeks to limit myself to a 10 pound increase.  Given the amount of ice cream I'm eating these days to quench the heartburn, that sounds really really really difficult.

Other random crap:

- I hit one of the lowest points of pregnancy so far this week.  I was cozied up in the hotel room feather bed, all snuggled in, when suddenly I had to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW.  Except that I couldn't quite roll over enough to get up.  I had to wake Ken up and have him push me over so that I didn't pee myself.

- During the travel back home, a TSA guy at the airport said "I hope your water doesn't break like any minute now because I can't swim very well."  Jackass.

- Back in April, my Mom bought me a maternity top for my birthday.  It was huge and I figured that no matter how much I gained that it wouldn't fit correctly.  But I kept it because I always hear how girls don't have anything to wear during those last couple of weeks.  Yeah, it's almost too small now.

Week  28

6/11/2012 - 6/17/2012

We had a great prenatal appointment this week.  All of my numbers are good, blood pressure is in check, blood sugar is great (no GD, yay!), and baby girl is measuring on track.  Well, fundal height is 3 weeks ahead, but that's better than the 5 weeks ahead from last time.  We've been able to hear her heartbeat with the fetoscope since the previous appointment, so no more doppler!  We can also tell which body part is trying to escape from my belly.  She LOVES backing her little tushy up towards the side of my rib cage and snuggling on in.

Milestones:   Third trimester!

Size of Meatball: It really depends on which source you read.  Somewhere between 2.25-2.5 pounds and 15-16 inches.

Symptoms:   Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions this week.

Food cravings: Salad.  I seriously can't get enough of them.  But only from the salad bar at Whole Foods or New Seasons.  Not all salads are created equal.  Oh, and ice cream.  But that's a given.

Food aversions: Same story.  Coffee, chicken, fast food.

Exercise:  One strength and one long hike (okay okay it wasn't long at all but it was still sorta hard).  Can I count the hours spent organizing the house?  No?

Weight gain: I'm up 2 pounds this week for a total of 17 pounds gained.

Other random crap:
I got nuthin this week.

10 Pregnancy Running Tips

1) Bring more water than you think you'll need.  I've been drinking about 50% more than I used to.  And since fuel belts probably aren't going to fit you anymore, get used to the hand-held bottles or a hydration pack.  I have the older version of this one by Nathan and love it.

2) Throw on some extra lube.  I'm now experiencing chub rub in some odd places.  Which might have something to do with wearing non-maternity running clothes beyond their stretchability.  But really, extra lube never hurt anyone.

3) Belly support!  I'm still on the hunt for one that works for me.  I didn't like this one very much at all (way too much chaffing and a weird fit) so I'm going to try this one and/or this one next.

4) Buck up the $$ and get yourself a new sports bra that fits.  Not everyone has circus-freak boobs like myself (increased over 4 cup sizes so far!), but there's a good chance your old ones aren't really working for you anymore.  When the girls are comfy, you're comfy.  I use this one by Shock Absorber.  It goes up to at least to a 36H.  Please don't ask me how I know.

Short side story: I stocked up on $500 worth of new sports bras about 2 weeks before getting pregnant.  If you are in need of 34DD, hit me up!

5) Walk on over to a garbage receptacle.  Now, throw out all of your old hangups about speed, distance, and endurance.  Go on, let go.  Good.  Now close the lid and back away.  Giving yourself permission to finally just listen to your body is one of the best gifts you can give yourself if you want to continue enjoying running while pregnant.  This is actually good advice for non-pregnancy running.

6) And while you're at it, chuck your dignity in there too.  Running while pregnant probably won't do much to boost your self-esteem.  This was confirmed during a run when a car of teenage girls yelled "keep running fat ass" at me.  Lovely.  Because I didn't already feel fat and gross and bouncy.

7) Indulge in some maternity-specific workout clothes.  I didn't run much in the first trimester because I was too sick.  By the time I got into running again (close to 20 weeks) my belly had popped, but I was still trying to squeeze into my usual ensembles.  Those first few runs were spent pulling my shirt down over and over again as it tried to repeatedly creep up over my belly.  And my running shorts, although pushed below the bump, were still tight enough to give me a constant wedgie.  It was miserable.  Although they aren't maternity-specific, I'm loving the running skirts by Lululemon and their regular running/yoga tops but in a longer length.  I have one from Nike that I'm obsessed with, so I'm on the hunt for the same style.  I'll post it here if I find it. But the Lulu ones are pretty awesome and have a nice selection in long lengths.

Another side note: For maternity cycling clothes, check out the line by Sheila Moon.  I purchased two sleeveless jerseys and the Aphrodite shorts and LOVE them!

8) Treat your feet.  I'm not talking about changing up your running shoes (don't!), but the swelling is quite painful.  And nobody looks good rocking the hobbit-feet.  I guess this happens whether you're running or not, but now is the time to spoil yourself.  Kick them up post-run and let the hubby give you a good massage.  Or be good about scheduling regular pedicures.  Yes, it's safe.  No, it won't make you go into pre-term labor.

9) Mind the heat.  You're going to get hot fast.  Like, nuclear hot.  And now that we're heading into summer, try and get out the door early in the morning or later after the sun is going down.  Bring extra water (see tip 1), wear clothes that breathe (preferably not in all-black, even though it is slimming), and don't push the pace too much if the mercury is on the rise.  Remember that first trimester nausea that made you want to slit your wrists and question the sanity of anyone with more than one child?  That's what you'll feel like if you get overheated.  Don't go there.

10) I should probably put in here somewhere to check with your physician about running while pregnant. While a minority of women have issues that prevent them from running safely, it really is okay to do for most of us. Luckily I have kick-ass midwives who are up-to-date in their field and forward thinking. No heart rate limit (totally bogus and outdated advice), no time limit, no distance limit. Just instructions to listen to my body and don't do anything stupid. Common sense stuff.

Happy running!

Weeks 25 & 26

Week 25

5/21/2012 - 5/27/2012

Most of this week was spent tying up loose ends at work and prepping for our annual pilgrimage to the Lochsa River in Idaho.  We make the trek out there each Memorial Day weekend for camping, reconnecting with friends, natural hot springs, and big whitewater.  Hauling a big belly around made things a bit different this year, but it was still awesome.  Sleeping on the ground was slightly challenging (my hips ache just thinking about it!), but all of the fresh air more than made up for it.

Some photos these days leave me totally shocked with my jaw on the ground, while others make me think "okay, I'm looking about where I should be".  This week's photo is more of the jaw dropping variety.  But here's one below that I think is more representative.  If I'm completely delusional, just don't mention it, mmkay?  Sorry Facebook friends, as these are repeats of what you have already seen.

Milestones: Nothing monumental this week.  I have started monitoring my blood glucose levels.  This is an option for me through my midwives instead of taking the glucose tolerance test (GTT).  So for 2-3 weeks I get to prick my finger 4 times a day and see how sweet my blood is.  Since I'm a total data-whore, I don't mind this too much.  I have an awesome spreadsheet going already.  And so far, things are looking pretty good!

Size of Meatball: About a pound and a half, I suppose.

Symptoms:  Swelling and the general feeling that someone inflated me with saltwater.  And injected my legs with lead.

Food cravings: Mostly sweet foods and cheese.

Food aversions: Nothing new here.

Exercise: 1 run and a bunch of walking and activity around camp.

Weight gain: I was up a total of 9 pounds (compared to pre-pregnancy) at the beginning of this week, but am pretty sure I gained another few pounds while traveling.  I spared myself the misery of getting on the scale once returning home.
Other random crap:

- Sleeping on the ground at almost 6 months pregnant isn't too fun.  But with 4 pillows and a 4" paco pad, it's very manageable.  However, 9+ hours of driving each way?  No amount of pillows can make that tolerable.

- I was comparing recent pictures to belly photos from about a month ago and had my warped reality come crashing in around me.  I thought I was "sooooo huge" at the time.  Hahaha.  Makes me wonder what I'll be thinking in 2-3 months from now.

Week 26

5/28/2012 -  6/3/2012

We're on a vacation binge right now.  Two days after returning from Idaho, we were re-packing and boarding the plane to Kauai for a babymoon.  (Does anyone else hate that term?)  We came back to the the south shore of the island to Poipu, at the exact same hotel (and almost exact same room) as our honeymoon.  Ken has his preggo-dar on full alert and has spotted at least 6 other soon-to-be mommas lounging around the property.  Considering there are only like 120 rooms, and the hotel isn't booked solid, that's a pretty high ratio.  I think it's great seeing all of the growing and changing bellies waddling about in bikinis!  And speaking of baby belly in a bikini...

And even though I swore I would only share this next photo with my closest friends and family, I decided that I should just embrace it.  It was Ken's idea, obviously.

I'm working on a belly montage that I'll share when we return from vacation.  There are some hilarious ones, and also disturbing ones, in there.

Milestones:  I read somewhere that baby girl has started opening her eyes and can tell light from dark.  But I'm not buying it, because she doesn't stop rockin' & rollin' after the sun goes down at all.  Or when the sun comes up for that matter.

Size of Meatball: According to babycenter.com, she's about 1 1/3 pound and 14 inches.

Symptoms:  Swelling/bloat and heartburn.

Food cravings: I was finally able to satisfy my craving for eggs benedict from the Koa Kea.  Just as good as I remember!

Food aversions: Same things, but now french fries are also completely revolting.  I've only had them once this entire pregnancy, but now I can't hardly stand to watch other people eat them either.

Exercise: Nothing structured, but lots of walking, swimming, and snorkeling.

Weight gain: No clue.  I have defriended the scale for awhile until we're done traveling. If I had to guess, I would say around 15 pounds total.  Maybe 20, depending on how badly the travel bloat really is.

Other random crap:

- The car rental lady in Kauai had some nice things to say.  It went something like this (in her Hawaiian accent and big toothy grin): "Whoa Momma! You gonna have a big one just like us on da island.  A 12 pounder, mmhmm."  Awesome.

- It's true that you become clumsy and sort of lose your sense of balance later in pregnancy.  Foggy goggles, flippers, and crashing waves don't help the situation at all.  Come on down to Poipu Beach for the comedy show this week!