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!

Weeks 9-10

Week 9
1/29/2012 - 2/4/2012
Yes, I'm still wearing Christmas-themed pajamas in this February photo.  Judge away.

Milestones: Baby has grown about an inch since last week.  Amazing!

Size of Meatball: A green olive.  That doesn't seem like an inch bigger than a blueberry, but who am I to argue with the pregnancy websites.

Symptoms: If someone has ever had it, I've got it too.  I'm like a walking cliche of pregnancy.  And not only can I still not poop like a normal person, I am now a walking whoopee cushion.  Never have I been this attractive!

Food cravings: Watermelon is my life force.  I had a couple of plain bagels this week too.
Food aversions: Seriously, I can't talk about food right now.

Exercise: Not a damned thing. So sad.

Weight gain: I lost 1.6 lb this week and am down 6 lb total.

Week  10
2/5/2012 - 2/11/2012
Yep, a bloated belly shot in my undies.  And you thought the Christmas pants in February couldn't be topped.

Milestones: No real milestones, but I'm amazed at how I can simultaneously lose weight and have a monster belly happening at the same time.  Mother Nature is funny sometimes.
Size of Meatball: A little wrinkly prune.  How appropriate, since they are becoming a staple in my diet these days.

Symptoms: I'm still living a glamorous life of dry heaving, night sweats, not pooping, and washing/brushing my hair about once a week.  Don't worry, I'm still showering.  Um, most of the time.  But the next person who sits next to me in a meeting with a cup of aromatic coffee might end up with a lap full of half-digested watermelon.

Food cravings: I ate chocolate cake once.  Okay, twice.
Food aversions: Everything is still disgusting.  Except for watermelon, of course.

Exercise: Only 1 long walk.  Leaving the bed is downright impossible these days.

Weight gain: I only lost a lb this week.  I'm down 7 lb total.

Weeks 5-8

Week 5
1/1/2012 - 1/7/2012

Milestones: It looks like a tadpole, complete with a tail.

Size of Meatball: About the size of an orange seed.

Symptoms: It's like having a constant mild hangover.  And I'm sooooo exhausted.  I also have low blood pressure and get very dizzy when getting up if I'm not careful.

Food cravings: None.
Food aversions: Nothing has me retching, but nothing sounds fabulous either.

Exercise: 3 run/walks (including a 7+ miler), 1 swim, and 2 strength training sessions. I guess I wasn't that tired.
Weight gain: I still have the mega bloat, but I'm down 0.8 lb this week.

Week 6
1/8/2012 - 1/14/2012

My little brother JoshyPoo came to visit this week.  We told him the news by Ken taking a photo of us and saying "hang on, I can't get all three of you in the photo."  We had to try a few phrases before he finally caught on.

Milestones: The heart is now beating.

Size of Meatball: About the size of a nail head, 1/4 inch from crown to rump.

Symptoms: Massive gazongas, cramps, fatigue, and full blow nausea.  Multiple pee trips in the middle of the night.  Good times are getting underway!

Food cravings: None.
Food aversions: Just about everything.

Exercise: 1 walk and an awesome sledding trip with Ken and Joshy.
Weight gain: Down another 0.8 lb this week, and down 1.6 lb total.

Week 7
1/15/2012 - 1/21/2012
I was blessed with a random full-body angry rash this week.  Thankfully it went away after multiple messy oatmeal baths and some coma-inducing Benadryl.

I did manage my first bike ride since Ironman Arizona this week.  It was only on the trainer, and I puked before and after.  But it still counts.  And finding a pair of tri shorts that fit over the baby bloat was pure miracle.

Milestones: Baby K has grown 10,000 times in size since conception.

Size of Meatball: A blueberry.

Symptoms: Last week was clearly NOT full blow nausea.  THIS is full blown nausea.  And my lady lumps keep growing and growing.  And growing.

Food cravings: Ewww, food.
Food aversions: Everything!  Especially coffee.  Ken has to clean out the kitchen and fridge daily.

Exercise: 1 run, 1 bike, 1 strength, and 1 hike.
Weight gain: Down 1.8 lb this week, and down 3.4 lb total.

 

Week 8
1/22/2012 - 1/28/2012
No real pictures this week, but some fluffy mail arrived.  Cloth diapers are soooo cute!!!

Milestones: No milestones to speak of, but I did learn a valuable lesson.  Clean the toilet daily during the first trimester.  It makes for much more pleasant puking sessions.

Size of Meatball: Between 1/2-1 inch from crown to rump.  I love saying "rump".

Symptoms: Oh my God, make it stop!  And now I can't poop.

Food cravings: Watermelon.  It's not so much a craving, as the only thing I can keep inside of my stomach.
Food aversions: Can we please stop talking about food?

Exercise: 2 runs, 1 swim, and 1 strength.  I don't know how I did anything this week.
Weight gain: Down only 1 lb this week, and down 4.4 lb total.

Intro & Weeks 1-4

It's been awhile since my last blog post, but I assure you, I have a really good excuse.  My last entry here mentioned having a hangover of sorts after a hectic 2011.  I now have a new type of "hangover", which has lasted close to 3 months.  Extreme exhaustion, all-day nausea, inability to eat anything other than watermelon.  All caused by something smaller than the size of my fist.

Interwebs, I introduce you to our little meatball:

So while I'm not planning much in the way of races this year, I will be gearing up for one of the largest events of my life in just about 6 months.  I had grand ideas of being able to swim/bike/run during the entire pregnancy, however, after 3 solid weeks of barely being able to bathe myself, I've had a bit of a reality check.  I do still hope to remain active once the "morning" sickness passes and some of my energy returns, but I have certainly been forced into a different frame of mind.

So once I get my body moving again, I'll be using this blog as a way to document my training experiences while pregnant, recipes that are working for me, highlights and struggles during the journey, and yes, eventually, a "race report".  And now that the world knows our secret, I'll be adding in some week-by-week updates.  Starting with weeks 1-4.

Weeks 1&2

Modern medicine calcuates the weeks of pregnancy based on the day of your last menstrual period, so you aren't even actually pregnant for the first two weeks of your "pregnancy".  Since you all probably went through sex ed in grade school, I'll spare you the details about ovulation, conception, etc.  You're welcome.

Week 3

We don’t know we’re pregnant yet, but there are lots of amazing things that took place this week.  There were a few symptoms that made me go “hmmm” and I spent a lot of time overanalyzing every little thing (basal body temp, cervical position and mucus, symptoms, etc.).

Milestones: Implantation!   Baby zygote is snuggling on in and making itself at home.
Size of Meatball: Smaller than a pin prick.
Symptoms: Everything smells like cigarette butts, including the gingerbread that I baked for the Kronholm Christmas party on Christmas Eve morning.  My breasts are feeling a bit ginormous and I’ve started nicknaming them “fire nips”.  I nodded off while driving home from running errands – very unusual for me, and thank goodness for rumble strips!
Food cravings: None.
Food aversions: None.
Exercise: A few short runs, but not much due to the holidays.
Weight gain: Just holiday pudge!

Week 4We’re officially pregnant!  I had the faintest of lines the day after Christmas at 8 dpo (days past ovulation), a more distinct line at 9 dpo, but the first “PREGNANT” reading on a digital test didn’t appear until 10 dpo.

Milestones: Little zygote is now an embryo.
Size of Meatball: No bigger than a poppy seed.
Symptoms: I have a stretchy, crampy feeling in my uterus and the fire nips continue.  I also feel a bit like I have the flu, sort of like PMS.
Food cravings: None.
Food aversions: None.
Exercise: 3 runs, a short swim, and a short trainer ride.
Weight gain: I have some good bloat going on, but no weight gain.

Slowing Down in 2012

I'm still recovering from a whirlwind of a 2011.  Like a hangover, but without the drinking.  In my usual fashion, I bit off a big ol' chunk of "too much" last year.  Thankfully I have a fortress of awesomeness surrounding me, made up of friends and family, who protect me and keep me strong and upright and moving forward.  Compiling a recap of the entire year would be far too exhausting, but I am so grateful for the memories spilling over.  It doesn't seem possible, but each year keeps on topping the one prior.  If that holds true, 2012 is going to be mind blowing.

2011 Totals:
Swim = 183,240 meters.  Or about 114 miles for the non-metric folk.
Bike = 3336 miles.
Run = 620 miles.
Plus all of those hours of practicing transitions, strength training (okay okay, there weren't many of those), hiking, etc.

This includes finishing a handful of shorter races, a half marathon, a half ironman, and TWO full ironmans.  If you ignore the "extras", that is 4070 miles of moving my body last year.  Honestly, I expected that number to be higher.  But given all of the other responsibilities (60+ hour work weeks anyone?), I would be proud with even half of that.  I finished what I had set out to do, and that was the main goal last year.  Mission complete.

But 2012 is going to have a very different theme.  I'm going to reclaim some balance that was lost a few years ago.  The proverbial stopping to smell the roses.  Shorter work hours, more attention for my loved ones, being present in what I'm doing now instead of thinking about what I need to be doing next.  Less multi-tasking.  More workouts because I want to do them, not because they are on a schedule.  Not be so hard on myself.  Get stronger, both inside and out.  Focus on proper nutrition.  Yes, finally.  Basically, I'm taking a well-rounded holistic approach to taking care of myself.  It's going to be fabulous.