Second Trimester Has Begun!!

16 weeks…almost 17! This is going by so sllloooowly, but way too fast the same time! I can’t decide which. I am eager to meet the little one, but at the same time I want to enjoy my pregnancy and not get ahead of myself. It is hard to believe I am close to halfway there. I had a doctor’s appointment last week and we listened to the heartbeat; it sounded loud and strong. I have another appointment on May 6 to do an ultrasound and I will definitely get to see the little one. I can’t wait for that! I was really hoping to see him or her at my appointment last week, but she said it wasn’t necessary since we’ve done one every other time I was there. I have been closely following the baby’s development and some of the fun things going on are “His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.”. Yay! He is about the size of an avocado…pretty big!

My bump is growing and is becoming more noticable. Yesterday at the gym the instructor of the class asked if anyone in the class is pregnant and I was the only one. I guess she thought I was but didn’t want to come out and ask. It made me kind of uncomfortable because then she kept coming by me to check on me or something and telling me to be careful. I’ve been taking this class since September (not every week though), so I know how hard it is and I was doing it at a low-impact level. I think maybe she felt like I shouldn’t be taking the class, but since they don’t offer any pregnancy classes, I’ll keep taking this one and just do it at my own pace. This was the first week that I did notice that some of the exercises were a lot harder than they used to be, though.

The Bump: 16 weeks!

Josh and I have been staying busy and relaxing at the same time. We had a cookout at some friends’ house this weekend for a birthday, and that was fun. It is strange that the same friends we’ve been hanging out with for years now has 2 pregnant women in it! Times are a’changin! My girlfriends and I are having a girls day out picnic at Burke Lake Park this weekend, so I’m looking forward to that too. Food, Friends, and the Outdoors! Josh bought some rollerblades and has been taking Dora out every day after work. She loves it! They look so cute rolling around the neighborhood too. Josh is also enjoying his guitar lessons every week and is practicing just about every night. He’s getting good! Pretty soon he will be strumming away for our little one. Can’t wait for that. xoxoxo

Happy Birthday Maria!!!

12 weeks…almost 13! Our appointment went well last week, but unfortunately I don’t have a picture to post. :( We couldn’t see much on the screen, just the head and a couple of limbs here and there. So now we have to wait until April 8 to see the little one again, dang it! Four weeks seems like forever when I just want to know that everything is ok. Other than seeing the baby on the screen, the appointment was pretty uneventful. I gained three pounds which still puts me 4 less than when I first got pregnant, but I think that I am probably making that up now that I’m eating dinner again. Although my waist is definitely thicker, I don’t feel like I have a bump yet. I mean, I do right now because I just ate a whole bowl of cereal is 3 minutes, but when I’m not full, my tummy just has the normal pooch that it has always had. I don’t know…judge for yourself. This was on Saturday at 12 weeks and 2 days:

I told my work on Friday that I am pregnant and it was received well. Everyone was happy and congratulated me. It feels great to finally not have a huge secret! It was so hard not to tell my coworkers for the past couple of months, but I am glad I waited. Having the appointment on Thursday and knowing that everything looks good was reassuring before I told everyone at work. Also, I did really well in Office Olympics on Friday so it was overall a good week. :)

I’m definitely feeling more energized these days. I worked out yesterday and went on a walk today with Joshua and Dora. I can’t sleep still though. I have been going to bed before 10pm, but between the tossing and turning, getting up to go to the bathroom,and Frank taking over my pillow and stepping all over me, I’m having a hard time staying asleep.

It’s about time for dinner so I’m going to get to eating..xoxoxo!

A Little Lime

So I am 11 weeks and thee days today and the baby is about the size of a lime. That seems pretty big to me and I can’t picture a lime that is only 1.6 inches but whatever. I still don’t feel or see anything resembling a bump (aside from when I ate a chipotle burrito the other day) but I’m sure it will be here soon. I’m feeling a lot better and my appetite is returning to normal, although meat still looks and tastes kind of gross. Our 12 week checkup is on Thursday and I will make sure to put the picture of the baby up here. Yay!

Cereal!

I’ve always loved cereal. Mom likes to tell stories about how I used to get up in the morning and not speak or look at anyone until I’d had my cereal. That’s not the case anymore, I usually eat bagels or something less sugary in the mornings and I’m not that grouchy in the morning either. Lately, though, cereal is all that I want to eat!! My appetite has been pretty much shot since around week 5 or 6 so dinner time has been more of a hassle and chore than something I enjoy and look forward to. I’ve found that cereal is once again, like when I was a kid, something I cannot live without. I eat all day at work - a protein bar around 9:30, grapes or carrots around 11, lunch around 1, yogurt in the afternoon. Yet, when I got home from work today around 5, I found myself playing out a scene my mom must remember well. I came in the house, set down my purse and went straight for the pantry. I didn’t take off my jacket, didn’t acknowledge the dog, didn’t call hello to Joshua. I just grabbed a bowl and some milk and enjoyed a HUGE bowl of Smacks. It was perfect. It has been that good all week.

This week has been really good so far. I didn’t do much over the weekend because I was feeling really tired. We took Dora to the dog park on Saturday so she could run around and play with the other dogs; she had fun and wore herself out! We went to DC Saturday night for a friend’s birthday and that was fun. I feel like we never get to see our friends enough so it was good to catch up with everyone. This weekend I am going to two baby showers, and a “reunion” of a group of old friends, so it should be a pretty social (exhausting) weekend.

New updates this week: 1)I exercised two days in a row!! That’s quite an accomplishment since I have been majorly slacking. I hope to keep that going and make it to the gym again tomorrow. 2)Also - I am beginning to see a little bump. It could be just that I am retaining water, plus the fact that I’ve always had a pooch and tend to stick my belly out and my butt out. My belly band came in yesterday and it was great to use today! It has a bunch of adjustments so I had it on the smallest closure today, which just gave me the relief of having my top button unbuttoned without my pants slipping down. 3)I am spending much of my down time at work looking at baby things - cribs, car seats, etc. I am overwhelmed by it, but luckily there are tons of place to find product reviews and safety ratings. Yay for baby stuff!

Its about time for bed - its 9 o’clock. :) I gotta get my beauty rest!!! xoxo

Here is a picture of me on 2/6…I guess I would have been 7 weeks at that time. Pretty flat belly for the most part. Big butt though.

Gas Pains!

Ohhh the pain…ohh the pain. This weekend started up what I hope is a short bout with gas. It first started Saturday evening after we got home from the doctor, where we were investigating dizziness and very bad cramping. The gas continued into Sunday with no relief. I was so happy and excited to see everyone at Joy’s birthday lunch that I apparently overheated and got dizzy and hot, and then the gas got so bad within only a few minutes that I had to leave lunch and go lay down. It was terrible. After getting home, I laid down and rested, but with no relief. The night only got worse! I have been taking the recommended dosage of Gas-x for the past few days, and that has helped the pain, but I’m still uncomfortable. My pants are unbuttoned (Yes, even here at work) because my belly is full of air. I ordered an expander for my jeans yesterday since they still fit everywhere except the top button. Hopefully that will get here soon and I can just wear a long cami to cover it up. From here on out I will be avoiding soda, onions, tomatoes, and a slew of other gas-inducing foods to prevent making this any worse. I keep telling myself this will pass…

On a lighter note, I think I had my first craving yesterday, although it could have just been hunger. Someone mentioned cheese and spinach ravioli and I couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. So we made it as a side with our Tilapia for dinner! It was sooo good, but unfortunately since my appetite has just about disappeared, I could only eat a few bites of the fish and ravioli before I was stuffed.

I also worked out yesterday for the first time in a few weeks. Earlier in the pregnancy, when I was 4 or 5 weeks, I went to a couple of the classes I have always taken - spinning and a cardio/strength class - and realized that I was getting winded much faster and was pushing myself too hard. I purchased a heart rate monitor on Sunday so that I can make sure I’m not going to hard on myself. I suspect it is going to be hard to work out “moderately” when I’m used to pushing myself. I am going to stick to a light 30 minute workout this week on the elliptical machine, and then next week see about easing my way back into the group exercise classes. I’ve read all the benefits of exercising during pregnancy, and I sure hope they’re right! I need all the energy I can get right now, I’m pooped!

Tomorrow starts week 10. Josh and I are enjoying reading our books about the daily development of the little one. It’s crazy how fast it is all happening! We will go for our next appointment on March 11. Its only 2 weeks away!! By then, he will actually look like a baby too! I will upload that sono picture once we have it. :)

The Great News!

On January 17, 2010 Joshua and I found out that we were going to be parents!!! I have my first doctor’s appointment this week, and I can’t wait. I believe I am right around 6 weeks, but because I am not exactly sure when my last cycle was, I may be 7 weeks, so it will be nice for the doctor to give me a due date and tell me exactly how far along I am! I haven’t been experiencing any early pregnancy symptoms yet either, so I am looking forward to the doctor telling me “Yes, you really are pregnant!”, because right now it just doesn’t feel real. I was really bloated one week, and have been a little tired this week, but seriously, I’m always tired so that’s nothing new. I have been spending all of my free time at work reading about pregnancy and the baby’s development each week, which I love. We are just starting to tell people, even though it is still so early. I couldn’t wait any longer!! I’ve almost blurted it out to everyone a dozen times! It is so hard to lie when everyone asks, “What’s new?” and I say “oh, nothing, just the same old thing”. SO not true!! Everything is new and changing! Yesterday I told my mom and I think I took her really off guard. She seemed really shocked at first like she wasn’t sure what I’d said, but then she started to get really excited and giddy. We also told Lauren last night, and she cried. It was a pretty awesome response. So this week we will tell Dad and Lisa and Cheryle and Rachel and everyone else. I can’t wait to have the news out in the open!

Now that I’m pregnant I’ve decided I absolutely have to get back into my gym routine. I was doing really well up until my birthday, I had even lost 10 pounds, but when we go back from Vegas I just stopped going. I kept making excuses and then after the new year I told myself I’d get back into it. Didn’t happen. Starting this week though I am going to get back to the same classes I’ve always taken, and hopefully commit to four times a week, probably cycling twice, strength training once, and kickboxing once a week. I can do the kickboxing and strength training at a low impact rate, so they shouldn’t be a problem. I’m excited to get my body healthy!

Other things going on are…birthdays!!! Lauren’s birthday was yesterday and she came over with Pat, despite the 25+ inches of snow on the ground. It was fun to just hang out with them and chat. Then this Friday is Joshua’s birthday (32!!) and we are going to a dueling piano bar at the National Harbor. We are really excited for that, I think it is when we are going to tell our friends the good news. Saturday is Dad’s birthday and we are going over to his place to celebrate all the birthdays.

With all the snow we’ve had lately, I decided that I was going to be really prepared this time around and make sure I had things to do in the house. I went to the yarn store on Friday and picked up some pretty baby yarn to start my blanket for a friend that is due in May. The pattern is really easy and hopefully won’t take me too long. I started it yesterday and was making good progress, but then I got bored. I made a cheesecake too and I can’t wait to try it later today! It has to be good, considering its got three pounds of cream cheese in it. Who wouldn’t love that?! In a few minutes we are going to walk up to Giant and get a couple of things to eat with the chili I’m going to make today. Yummy!!! We haven’t had chili in a really long time, and since it is Super bowl Sunday (go Colts! I went to high school with one of the players - Melvin Bullitt) I think it’s appropriate. Other greasy, carby foods will also be appropriate.

I guess the only other things that are going on these days are work and home life. Home life is always great around here. Dora is being a great little girl for us, although we did make a mistake last week. We thought we could leave her out of her crate, free to roam the house while we went and ran some errands on Sunday. Of course, we thought it would be fun to see what she did while we were gone, so we videotaped it. The camera was a little high unfortunately, and only caught her a few times during the 30 minutes it recorded. We did catch her jump up on the bar and grab something to chew on, and also get on the couch and get a bottle of lotion to eat. We were mad when we got home, but really we should have known she’s not ready to be left out! She has also become quite the contortionist, and has figured out how to unlock one of her locks on her crate and escape through an opening that is only a couple of inches wide - she’s done this three times now. We are tie-wrapping the doors shut now until we can figure out how/why she is doing this. Other than acting out while we aren’t home, she’s doing great. She hasn’t had an accident in the house in quite a while, and she isn’t eating out of the litter box anymore. Unfortunately, we are still working with her to keep her out of the cats’ food once they walk away from it. She is fine when they are eating, but when they leave and there are a few pebbles of food, she runs right for it. We’ve taken her to the dog park a bunch of times, and she LOVES it. It makes us so happy to see her tail go up so high in the air and how playful she gets around other dogs. She just loves running as fast as she can (and she’s FAST!) being chased or chasing other dogs. Once the snow goes away and the sun starts staying up past 5 pm, we’ll be up there even more.

Work is going well for us both, it’s just the same old thing! I’m still working with the museum doing research for an exhibit, and we’re about to get to the really exciting stuff - identifying culture types, ceramic styles, and dates for the objects! We have about 7 months left on the project and from here on out I think it’s going to be great. We might even get to work with the curators to pick out which objects will actually go in the exhibit. Yay!

That’s about it right now…it’s a lot! I will keep updating with pictures and other fun things.