Weeks 23 & 24

Week 23
5/7/2012 - 5/13/2012

Milestones: My first Mother's Day!  I'm not sure if this year really counts, but Ken and my Mom made me feel extra special.  And the messages from friends had me smiling all day.

Size of Meatball: Over a pound and a foot long.

Symptoms: Cankles.  Awesome.

Food cravings: Artichokes.  I want them for dinner every night.

Food aversions: Still the "c" words.  A few random things make me think "ewwww", but clearly my food aversions aren't enough to overcome my gluttony.  (See below for weight gained this week.)

Exercise: 1 bike, 2 runs, and 1 strength workout.   Not impressive by any means, but I was out of town for 5 days, which pretty much derailed my good intentions.

Weight gain: Up 2.6 pounds this week!  That's seriously embarrassing.  In my defense, I was in Atlanta for work most of the week.  Two long flights, sitting on my ass for 10+ hours a day, and eating crap food really took its toll.  Overall gain this pregnancy is 6.6 pounds.

Other random crap:

- We are leaving in a couple of weeks for a Hawaiian vacation.  It will be our last trip of just the two of us for quite some time (aka "baby moon").  So I started swimsuit shopping this week.  Let's just say that trying on bikinis, combined with my new found cankles, really had my self-esteem sky rocketing.

- We headed to the farmers market over the weekend to enjoy fresh produce and the sunshine.  We spread a blanket out on the grass for lunch in the park.  Things were going great until I rolled onto my belly without thinking.  Rather, I tried to roll onto my belly.  Ken, after nearly choking on his lunch, described it as something like a human teeter-totter.  Can't you just envision that self-esteem climbing? 

Week 24

5/14/2012 - 5/20/2012

Milestones: Viability!  This means that if baby girl were to make an entrance into the world, she has a chance of surviving and they would make efforts to save her.  However, I hope that she stays in there for a long time and doesn't come out until fully baked.

Size of Meatball: Still over a pound and a foot long.  Apparently they gain about 3 ounces this week.  Considering that's almost 20% of their body weight, it's quite a growth spurt.  I wish I could blame all of this weight gain on her.

Symptoms:  Since I am prone to over sharing, I might as well put this out there.  Gas.  A lot of it.  Ken has made the mistake (twice) of curling up near my legs on the couch.  Poor guy.

Food cravings: Banana bread and coconut ice cream.  Also, watermelon again, so it isn't all bad.

Food aversions: Same old stuff, but some of the nausea has come back this week.  I just eat what I can.

Exercise: 1 run, 2 bikes, and 1 strength.  One of those bikes was an awesome 27 miles with my friend Jessica.  She was very gracious and didn't complain when my speed topped out around 12 mph.  That's a sign of a good friend for sure.  And yes, I still have my IMAZ sticker on my bike.  It makes me feel good.  (Actually, I'm just lazy.  I haven't cleaned the gel spills off the frame yet either.  So what.)

Weight gain: I don't want to play this game anymore.
Other random crap:

- For those of you who are pregnant, make sure to not touch the urine dipstick against your skin at your prenatal appointments.  Apparently "girl bacteria" can contaminate the sample and cause false positives for bad things.  I may or may not have had a horrendous panicky 15 minutes at the beginning of an appointment this week.

- If you have been thinking "gosh, she sure looks big for only 24 weeks", you would be correct.  And thank you very much for keeping it to yourself.  My uterus is measuring quite large (29 cm at 23.5 weeks).  No cause for alarm yet, but I don't think I can blame my size on a bad camera angle anymore.

Race Report: Cinco de Mayo 5k

Cinco de Mayo 5k

Date: 5/6/2012

Finish time = 39:46 (12:50/mile pace)

At 22 weeks pregnant, and horribly out of shape, this certainly wasn't my fastest 5k ever.  But it wasn't the slowest either.  And I'm happy as hell that I'm still able to run.  Of course I use the word "run" very loosely here, but I think that anything faster than a walk qualifies.

I started the morning shivering at Pioneer Square with Ken & Jessica wondering where the sun disappeared to.  Within the first quarter mile Jessica was long gone ahead of us (and she had a great race!), but Ken hung with me the entire way.  We walked a handful of times, mostly because baby was wedged firmly in my side, causing something very similar to the worst side-ache ever.  But for the majority of the course we trotted along at a nice conversational pace.  Nothing very exciting to report.

Oh, if you're pregnant and running, get a support belt.  I have one that is too small/ill-fitting and one that is too large.  So I didn't wear one at all.  And I would have killed for either of them today.

We wrapped up the morning with a yummy burrito and Lagunitas IPAs at the finish line.  Well, Ken enjoyed the IPAs.  I enjoyed imagining how delicious they tasted.

And then we saw a couple of girlfriends come in from the other distance events.  Here we are with Jenn, who rocked the hilly half-marathon!

All-in-all it was a great race.  Maybe if I can find another 5k this summer I'll be able to score a "pregnant PR" sometime in the next 4 months.

Weeks 21 & 22

Week 21

4/23/2012 - 4/29/2012

Sorry for the blurry photo this week.  Ken took a few pics, and instead of deleting this one I accidentally deleted the good ones.  Whoops.  My growing belly is pretty obvious though, so it will do.

Milestones: We felt baby girl kicking from the outside for the first time this week.  I've been feeling movement for well over a month, so it's great that Ken is finally able to feel her too!  And I totally reserve the right to take that back later on in the pregnancy when I want some peace.

Size of Meatball: Supposedly 10.5 inches and 10.6 ounces.  But since my little chunker was estimated at 13 oz before even hitting 20 weeks, and they grow about 1.5-2 oz/week, she is probably closer to a pound now.

Symptoms: "Pregnancy brain" is now in effect.  And while I still have the fatigue from the first trimester and a bit of nausea, I'm feeling pretty good.  Not as good as I was pre-pregnancy, but certainly better than the last 4-5 months.

Food cravings: Fruit.  Strawberries, melon, grapes.  Mmmmm, grapes.  Nearly frozen, sweet, juicy, yummy grapes.  Mmmm...  And chocolate milk.

Food aversions: I think I can pretty much cross chicken & coffee off my list for eternity.

Exercise: 2 runs and 2 strength sessions.  I had big plans for the weekend, but work and the couch won out.
Weight gain: Mooooo.  Up 3.8 pounds this week.  That's over half a pound per day!  I'm now up 1.8 pounds from pre-pregnancy.
Other random crap:

- The other morning I woke up for my usual 4am bathroom break.  Except that I forgot that I was pregnant, and when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I had a split second panic attack when I saw my belly.
- While getting a mani/pedi, the technician asked me "How far along are you - about 8 months?"  Um, no.  About 5 months, thankyouverymuch.  8 months?  Come on!  I know I'm big, but not I'm not THAT big!

Week 22

4/30/2012 -  5/6/2012

Milestones: Nothing major this week, other than she has grown up to my ribs now.  Lots more kicking and jousting going on in there.  We can definitely feel her from the outside more frequently.

Size of Meatball: The size of a spaghetti squash.  If spaghetti squash have arms, legs, and black belts in judo.

Symptoms:   Oh, the reflux!  If the old wives tale is true, this little girl is going to come out with a ponytail down to her knees.  Supposedly papaya extract is an all-natural remedy, so I'm on the hunt for that.

Food cravings: Banana bread.  I woke up from a nap and HAD to have banana bread.  Like right now.  Warm and with butter.

Food aversions: Same old things (coffee, chicken, fast food).  Only 18 more weeks of typing those utterly disgusting words.

Exercise: 1 bike, 1 run, and 2 strength workouts.  I came down with another wicked head/chest cold, which landed me in bed for a large portion of the week.  Oh, and I did a 5k race!  Race report coming soon.
Weight gain: Up another 1.8 pounds this week.  My Mom told me to stop moo-ing.  So, "oink".  Although my total gain is at 3.6 pounds so far.
Other random crap:

- I think my boobs have finally stopped growing!  I haven't had to upgrade my undergarments in several weeks now.  Hooray!

- The inside of my belly button has become really dark.  Like it's tan or dirty.  Normal?

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.

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:

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.  :-)

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.

On the Run Again

After about 3 months of laying in bed, puking, sitting on the couch, puking, feeling really sorry for myself, and not much else......I went for a run tonight!!!

In my vibrams even!  It was only a little over 2 miles, and I was really slow (we're talking Ironman marathon slow).  But ohmygoodnessI'msoexcited I finally went for a run!  One of the hardest parts about being so sick for most of this pregnancy has been not being able to continue with a workout schedule.  In late-November 2011 I completed Ironman Arizona.  And in mid-December I was pregnant.  While I am eternally grateful that we were able to conceive so quickly, this means that I went from full on Ironman training (for about a year) to being completely sedentary in the span of a month.  This hasn't done good things for my physical or mental health.

So tonight I was the girl plodding down the sidewalk with a big ass grin plastered across my face.  And a lot of bouncing body parts that I didn't have to worry about until now.  And yes, wearing triathlon clothes that are now about 3 sizes too small and ride up in weird places.  Which has led me to begin the search for some sort of belly support.  And maternity workout clothes.  Ladies - what advice do you have to keep the preggo belly bounce under control?  And what are your favorite stores/websites for maternity workout wear?

Weeks 15 & 16

Week 15
3/12/2012 - 3/18/2012

Belly is starting to pop a little!  I think such a momentous occasion calls for another undies shot, don't you?

Milestones: I bought some new maternity jeans this week!  No more holding my pants together with a rubber band (and inadvertently flashing my underwear to all my coworkers).

Size of Meatball: About 4 inches long, or the size of an apple.

Symptoms: Although I can tell I'm starting to slowly feel better, this week I was battling a few other illnesses.  So it was a smorgasbord of crumminess.

Food cravings: Still English muffins covered in applesauce.  And cheese.  Mmmm...cheese...

Food aversions: Coffee.  Ken had to change clothes after a Starbucks run one day.  Also, any and all meat.  Especially the "c" word (chicken).

Exercise: Nothing.

Weight gain: I actually GAINED 0.6 pounds this week!  Total change is a loss of 10.2 pounds.

 

Week 16
3/19/2012 - 3/25/2012

I got me some fresh mountain air this weekend!

Followed by bubbles in the bathtub (complete with rubber ducky thermometer to make sure I don't cook meatball).

Milestones: Baby is kicking out the walls in there!  And really loves (or hates) The Hunger Games movie.  There was lots of action going on in my ute in the theater.  I think it might have been from all the rumbling from the surround system.

Size of Meatball: About 4.5 inches long, or the size of an avocado.  Is it weird that I've been craving guacamole this week?  I feel sort of like a cannibal.

Symptoms: For the first time in over 3 months, I woke up on Friday morning feeling BRILLIANT!  It was so marvelous.  It lasted until Saturday night, and then the nausea came back, but in a much milder form.  Other symptoms include fatigue, dizzy spells, and itchy skin.  I'm walking around scratching myself like a meth head.

Food cravings: Chips with guacamole, baked potatoes, eggs benedict, and french toast.  So basically, unhealthy crap.

Food aversions: Still coffee and meat.  I think I'm ruined for coffee forever.

Exercise: A swim and a fabulous snowshoe in the mountains.

Weight gain: I gained again this week.  No surprise, since I ate like a total pig.  But 3.2 pounds!  In one week!  Net loss is 7 pounds.

Weeks 13-14

I'm calendar challenged and had all of my weeks off by a day.  Moving on.

Week 13

2/27/2012 - 3/4/2012
I know you can't see my belly here, but it's the only pic I've got this week.  At least I'm not wearing pajamas.  Or my underwear.  Because that would really be embarassing.

Milestones: I know it's really early, but I swear, I felt baby moving at the end of this week.  Just a little tiny tickle in my lower belly.  Like angle wings fluttering in my insides.  Of course it could have been random digestion, but I'm going to stick with baby moving.

Size of Meatball: About 3 inches long.  Maybe the length of my middle finger.  Which is what I want to flip to all of these symptoms.

Symptoms: Before making a baby, I had this image in my head of the pregnant me.  Triathlon training, cute maternity clothes, still banging out 60+ hour work weeks, peppy and managing a full social calendar.  So I'm struggling a bit with my reality - no real training in weeks, wearing my husband's sweats, lots of early work days, and not seeing many of my friends since the holidays.  I don't want to be totally misunderstood - I'm so very very very thankful for this little one.  I would just really be okay with starting to feel better any day now.

Food cravings: Apple juice.  And raw, creamy, whole milk.  I don't know why it has to be raw, but it just does.

Food aversions: Plain water.  It HAS to have apple juice in it.

Exercise: A big fat nuthin.

Weight gain: Ugh, down 1.6 lb, for a total loss of 10.4 lbs.

Week 14

3/5/2012 - 3/11/2012

The tail end of this week has been significantly better than the beginning.  At the risk of jinxing myself, maybe I'm pulling out of symptom-hell???  I didn't take any photos this week, so I'll post this photo of a super cute fluffy butt instead.  Yes, I'm already very much addicted to cloth diapers.

Milestones: Oh that was totally baby last week!  And I officially can't button, or really zip, any of my old pants.  Isn't it a bit early for that?  Okay, okay, I can't lie.  I already reached that milestone a few weeks ago.

Size of Meatball: A big lemon.

Symptoms: Heartburn has joined the party!  I had a few days of the most horrendous nausea yet.  It was also accompanied by some pretty bad body aches, which has me wondering if I didn't just have a flu bug?

Food cravings: English muffins covered in applesauce.  Seriously, you have to try it.  Soooo good.  Pizza sits well too.  So basically, carbs only.

Food aversions: This is funny in a sad way, but, watermelon.

Exercise: One good walk.  And some aggressive house cleaning.

Weight gain: As I'm able to get some food in me, the weight loss is starting to slow down.  I only lost 0.4 lb this week for a total of 10.8 lb.

Weeks 11-12

Week 11
2/12/2012 - 2/18/2012
Happy Valentine's Day!  We also had our first official appointment this week with our midwives.  It was too early to hear the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, which of course freaked me out.  So we were able to get in for a "dating" ultrasound, even though I did meticulous charting during TTC (trying to conceive) and know exactly how far along I am.  Mom was in town this week too, she was able to see baby jumping around on the screen with us!  I've already posted this pic here, but since it's so fabulous, I'm going to put it in this post too.

Milestones: Baby has hair.  If he/she takes after either of us, then there's a whole lotta hair growth happening in there.

Size of Meatball: 2 inches long.

Symptoms: Same old story, but I think things are getting a little better.  And I have made friends with my bowels again, so that's awesome.  Have I mentioned that I like to over share?

Food cravings: I really needed Chinese food one night.  That lasted for about 5 minutes.
Food aversions: It's now Chinese food.

Exercise: 2 measly walks.

Weight gain: Another 2 pounds down this week for a total of 9 pounds.

Week 12

2/19/2012 - 2/25/2012
Awhile ago I ditched all of my meds (Zofran, B6/Unisom, B6 injections, etc.).  They weren't helping and I'm not a fan of medication while pregnant.  I've been seeing an acupuncturist, and while I'm not sure that it's doing any good, it is relaxing.  However, and this is a big HOWEVER...she is having me drink the most God-awful Chinese herbs to help with my symptoms.  It tastes like cigarettes.  You can imagine how well that stays down.

Milestones: Based on the development method of calculation, this is the end of the first trimester!  Here is a great website that explains trimesters and has a cool calculator.

Size of Meatball: The size of a lime.

Symptoms: False alarm last week.  Things definitely are not getting better.

Food cravings: I'm back on the watermelon diet.
Food aversions: Anything that isn't fruit or crushed ice.

Exercise: Does getting from the bed to the shower count?

Weight gain: Holding steady.  At least I haven't lost any this week!