23 Weeks!

 (Christmas Edition!)

Thankfulness: I am so thankful for family. We've had the wonderful treat of celebrating the holidays twice this past week, with both sides of the family, which has been wonderful! It was our niece and nephew, Meagan and Matthew's, first Christmas, and was so special to be a part of that. 

How Far Along?  23 weeks. Only 1 week to viability, which is exciting, though hopefully Evan keeps cooking for a lot, lot longer.  

Size of the Baby? A grapefruit (some weeks it seems like the fruit it getting smaller). Confusingly, the measurements that go with today's picture are the same as last week, so I've got nothing to go on here. He seems to be getting bigger, though, since I've been feeling more consistent movement lately. He should definitely be over that 1 lb mark by now and closing in on a foot long!

Sleep? The since that night of beautiful sleep, things haven't been great. Consistently, I've been up 2-3 times a night, and then choppy sleep for the last couple hours until finally up around 6-6:30. Dreaming of better nights ahead. 

Eating? Fully indulging and enjoying the holiday eating. I did make the apparently bad choice to have a fruit smoothie (just fruit and apple juice) that made me feel incredibly sick for about an hour, and have had a few days where my stomach has been off, but for the most part, I've been able to have some really delicious food. Once the holidays are over, we're back to real, healthy eating. 

Exercise: Eh...not great, not horrible. I got in two yoga sessions (one my real class and one on my own), a gorgeous hike in Kings Canyon, and a run/walk around a very nice creek. So, all and all, I'm pretty happy with that. I've also tried to do at least a few yoga poses every night to keep my hips happy and sciatica at bay. The run/walk did alert me to the fact that my pelvic area is starting to stretch out, so I had to be more careful not to overdue it. I'm not sure how much longer any kind of running is in the cards for me. 

Best Moment? There is too much to count. Seeing our niece and nephew and how much they have both grown is definitely at the top of the list. Getting to celebrate Christmas with all of Ed's family for the first time also ranks really high. Cuteness wise, hearing my other niece talk about "Baby Evan" just melts my heart every time. She likes to ask if he's sleeping and if he's still in my tummy. So, so cute!

Milestones: Actually starting to get baby products! Ed's family gifted us with a pack-n-play, car seat bases, a diaper bag with some towels, body products, diapers and wipes included, and lots of clothing (some that are too small for our nephew, now). It's so exciting to start feeling prepared for our little one's arrival. Only 4 weeks left until 3rd trimester!!

Mommy Update: Overall, I've been doing pretty great. I've definitely been a little more tired than I'd like, but much better than I could be. I feel very thankful for my relatively smooth pregnancy. I'm starting to get more lower back pain, but am working to keep that stretched out. I've also been more teary  lately, but not necessarily sad, so I'll take it. 

In non-baby news, I've really been enjoying my gift from Ed - a Kindle paperwhite - and have really be loving doing a lot of reading over the break. Right now I'm working on "Fear of Flying" (for book club), "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" (recommended by our midwives), and "Little Women" (perfect for the holidays). 

Baby Update:  Evan should be starting to register (and respond to) sounds in the outside world, so we've been playing a lot more music for him. His lungs are also starting to prepare for breathing. Evan's eyes are completely formed and he's starting to look more like he will at birth. Over the next few weeks, he will really start to gain fat on his body and fill out!

22 Weeks

("Honey - you are really looking pregnant now!" - Ed after taking my picture this week)

Thankfulness: I am so thankful to have reached Winter Break! This week was *hard*. Between some very long work days, due to meetings, and a bit of resurgence of morning sickness, and adding in the hype of students very ready for a holiday, and you have a bit of a mess. I am so, so appreciative that the next two weeks will be full of family, fun, rest, and love. 

How Far Along?  22 weeks! I hit 5 months yesterday, meaning I'm now in my 6th month of pregnancy. That sounds unbelievable, but pregnancy is 9 full months, so I still have at least 4 before Baby Evan makes his appearance.. 

Size of the Baby? A papaya! Baby's measurements are a bit confusing this week, with their huge ranges. I'm guessing baby is at least 13 ounces, since he was 12 a week and a half ago, but it's amazing to think he could be up to a pound already! No clue on length. Hopefully he grew another inch :). It certainly feels like he's been going through a growth spurt - at least that's what I'm telling myself about why I'm so tired and feeling bigger daily. 

Sleep? I had a *dream* night of sleep Monday night. In bed asleep at 8:30, and slept until 6:30. Yes, I woke up a few times, but never for that long, so I'm counting it as 10 hours of sleep. I felt fantastic all day and was floating on a cloud. Of course, ever since then, I've felt like I've been run over by a truck. Seriously rivaling first trimester tiredness. Cannot wait for two weeks with no official wake up time!

Eating? Ugh...the holidays make this so hard. Students have been bringing me treats, and there are always chocolates and cookies on hand somewhere. On the plus side, I made really delicious lamb curry this week, a Paleo recipe that I love. So, it hasn't been all bad. This may just be a gray area for me until January, and that's okay. A bit worried about that scale though... 

Exercise: Sadness. Definitely not happy with only hitting 3 workouts this week, but I just couldn't bring myself to do any more after work Wednesday and Thursday with how I was feeling. Sometimes, you just need to listen to your body. Still, had a fantastic hike Sunday. 

Can I count that as double?

Best Moment? That night of 10 hours of sleep. Ed has also instigated some nightly bonding with Evan, by reading to him and playing some of his favorite music for him. So far, we've gone with Brahms clarinet concerto, Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Copland. It's very cute, and Evan seems to like it, though was much more active listening to the Magic Flute than the Brahms. Also up there, our diaper arrival :).

Milestones: Finishing 5 months of pregnancy feels pretty huge. We are now definitely over halfway, and closer to 3rd trimester than to 1st. 

I'm also feeling much more certain that I've been feeling Evan moving around and have really been enjoying that. Ed hasn't been able to catch a kick yet, but hopefully soon!

Another milestone is that we've signed up for childbirth classes. We are going with, in the words of one of my midwives, the "PhD" program of childbirth classes: the Bradley Method. This is a fairly intensive 12 week course that is supposed to prepare you for the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of labor. Almost 90% of couples who attend Bradley classes achieve natural birth, which is pretty good odds. By the way, I'm going for natural (drug free) birth, which I feel weird about putting out there, since pre-pregnancy I *may* have not understood women who had that desire. But, I figure with my personality and love of endurance events, birth is sort of like the ultimate ultra, right? :). In any event, I am super excited that we're registered for our course, and for Ed and I to learn a lot more about this birth process. We don't start until February, 12 weeks our from delivery. I have a feeling it'll be here before I know it.

Mommy Update: The last week before break is always crazy, teaching wise. You're trying to cram in all you can for the end of the quarter, prepping for when you get back so that break doesn't have to be all work, and dealing with hyped up students. We are all ready for the break. Christmas presents are mostly bought, though we'll need to definitely do some more shopping on Saturday (and maybe after that). I did buy Evan his first clothes from me, which was pretty fun. I did limit myself to a couple clearance items, but how cute is this?!?

Baby Update:  Evan is heading into another big growth spurt (I feel like they're always saying this), but he still does have a lot of growth to do before he's ready to get here :). He's looking increasingly like a newborn baby and is sleeping 12-14 hours a day, in cycles. He also can experience the sense of touch, according to one of my books, and might be exploring that by touching his environment. His brain is also entering a period of rapid growth.

 

Throwback Thursday: Tucson Mountains Adventure

Way back in June, we had the wonderful idea to go camping in the Tucson Mountains. It ended up being not such a great idea, since it was the trip where I ended up in the hospital and we wrecked our car :(. 

On the plus side, we did make it up the mountain the following day, and had a really great time! It actually felt a bit like the Southern California mountains, and was a fun escape from all the craziness and stress of what had happened. A little too tired to write, but the short of it is we relaxed, had some yummy beer and delicious ribs, and explored a very cute little lake. Enjoy!

Getting Ready

Yesterday, a lovely package arrived that helped us feel a bit more prepared for this parenthood thing - our diapers!

We decided to take advantage of some serious holiday sales to invest in our first batch of diapers, as well as some important accessories (a wet/dry bag for storing used diapers on the go, and diaper pail liners).

We're going cloth for a lot of reasons, but primarily because it's better cost wise, much less wasteful, and less likely to cause skin issues for our little one (as someone with super sensitive skin and plenty of allergies, this is a big one for me).

This set of diapers obviously isn't enough to fit the needs of a little boy, and we'll be continuing to accumulate as we go, but it's pretty exciting to have this very tangible set of baby items in the house.

And, Ed's hoping such cute diapers will make all those (middle of the night and otherwise) changes just a little more bearable :).

Winter Hiking

Ed and I had an incredible hike at the Lost Dutchman State Park yesterday, which made me think that *maybe* I could love some Arizona trails.

The weather was spectacular - maybe 70 degrees and incredibly clear.

Wh had an amazing time and will be excited to go back, especially when everything starts blooming!

If you'd like to see all the pictures, visit my running blog :)

21 Weeks

(I think I've finally *popped*. Belly seems a lot bigger this week, and I feel like I truly look pregnant. I finally also feel far enough along to embrace this, and am feeling a lot less self conscious)

And, because comparisons are fun (and I stumbled upon this when I was looking for pictures from our San Diego trip) a comparison shot in the same shirt from, I think, 12 weeks. 

 
(Just a *little* bigger :) )

Thankfulness: I am so thankful for our healthy baby boy! Getting to see our little one on the ultrasound Tuesday and hear that all was well in there was incredible. It feels so much more real now that we know "who" is in there. 

I'm also thankful that Ed and I had a great weekend escape to San Diego last weekend. We had a wonderful time appreciating being near a natural body of water (and some relatively temperate weather), eating lots of amazing food, and enjoying "December Nights" at Balboa park. 

(Samosas at a hole in the wall indian place in Point Loma)

(Sunrise from the balcony of our room)

(Downtown San Diego view from the hotel)

Our lovely room

Great harbor view!

Our indulgences of choice - cream puffs and Martinellis :)

Breakfast at the Fig Tree Cafe

Banana Fosters french toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. So good, we brought my parents back the next day).

Art festival at December Nights

Enjoying a food truck dinner

Free admission into museums!

Quick visit to see the ocean

Baby Evan hearing waves for the first time!

How Far Along?  21 weeks! And less than a week until I hit 5 months. How did that happen?!? Life is flying by, and it's wonderful

Size of the Baby? A pomegranate. Baby appears to have grown 4 inches, but it's just because I think we're officially switched over to measuring from heels to head (instead of from his tush). At the ultrasound on Tuesday, they estimated he weighed 12 ounces, so I'm guessing that he's a bit more than the 12.7 average. Measuring right on track, though! 

Sleep? I've sort of accepted the fact that my body can sleep pretty well for 6-7 hours, but then insists on waking up. I've woken up at 4:50 most of the mornings this week, but I'm learning how to not stress about it. I slept great last night, but that was because we stayed up until almost midnight (felt so rebellious!) so it still ended up being a bit less than 7 hours total. At our group midwife meeting, they said that pregnant women sleep more deeply for less time than normal people, so I'm trying to keep that in mind as well. 

Eating? I had one day this week where I got a crazy hot flash in the morning and really thought I was going to be sick (right at the beginning of work, so that was fun), but otherwise stomach has been pretty good. This section should probably now focus on how I'm eating healthy, so I suppose I should really start doing that. I have been good about trying to get in some healthier foods like lentil curry and smoothies, but I've still had way too much chocolate/junk food. That really needs to get fixed so that I can keep my health goals. 

Exercise: I'm fairly happy with what I accomplished, all things considered. Two "runs" and even a swim! Swimming felt great, and I was happy to take advantage of the hotel pool. Only got in 4 days, but it was such a busy week, I'm glad I got that much. 

Best Moment? No surprise, seeing our boy! His official name is Evan Thomas, and we couldn't be more in love. The moment where we found out was exactly like I had hoped, and so incredibly special. It was also amazing just to see him again, and see how much he's grown. He really looks like a little baby now! 

(sharing one more time, for good measure :) ). 

Milestones: Being in the 2nd half of pregnancy feels great, and having a healthy and successful anatomy scan feels like such a critical step. It finally feels like it's time to start preparing! We bought our first set of a dozen cloth diapers last night, which was exciting. We're going with BumGenius, which get great reviews and seem pretty user friendly. This is Ed's favorite pattern:

(the aptly named "Albert" style)

Another milestone of sorts is that I got my due date changed!! I don't know if anyone remembers, but there has been a discrepancy between the doctor due date and my "real" due date (based on actual data/facts rather than a standard formula). The OB I was originally seeing refused to change it, even when my dating ultrasound validated my date. Well, now that I'm with midwives, things are different. The one I met with, who was very nice, agreed that we definitely wanted to change it to give the baby as much time to cook as possible. So, my new (old) due date is April 29th! I'll still be going with the updates on Fridays, but just know that I'll have 4 *bonus* days at the end of week 39 :). Anything we can do to keep from having to be induced is a huge gain in my book, so this makes me super happy. 

Mommy Update: As I mentioned on Thursday, this week has been incredibly hectic and pretty stressful at times, just trying to fit everything in. I'm really hoping to get my feet back under me this weekend. It's nice to feel like I am far enough along that I am supposed to look pregnant, and that I probably do look pregnant to others. I do need to start on our to-do list of scheduling childbirthing classes, booking a hospital visit, etc. So many things I put off because we had so much time, but suddenly we're 19 weeks out and there's a lot to do!

Baby Update:  Evan (yay! I can use a name!) should be starting to settle into patterns with movement and sleep, and I should be feeling more distinct kicks soon. I did find out I have an anterior placenta, which is why all the movements have so far been pretty light, but hopefully I'll start to feel more soon. He can taste what I'm eating through the amniotic fluid (hope he likes curry!). Evan now is also experiencing REM sleep and could even be dreaming in there. He's also gaining some fat! So many happy changes :)


Linking up!

A Lovely Break

This week has been insane. After coming back from out lovely San Diego trip, it seemed like we jumped in full force. Monday I had 2 meetings after work and was completely wiped out. Tuesday, we had our amazing, exciting ultrasound and bought our insanely massive Christmas tree, and Wednesday was Family Circle (our group midwife appointment). Tomorrow we're hosting a holiday get together for Ed's work, Saturday is my work party, and Sunday is my book group holiday celebration. 

So, tonight has been a wonderful respite. 

I got home from tutoring today with this sight to greet me:

Ed had a concert to get to, but we needed to squeeze in dinner and tree decoration, so he was amazing and got everything ready for us, and made a delicious dinner. It was so lovely and romantic. 

Next, it was finally time to tackle our tree. Now this tree was in the 7-8 foot bin (the size we bought last year) but is easily at least 9 feet tall. Ed swore we wouldn't get a bigger tree, since I seem to finagle a larger one each year, but he was thwarted once again. In my defense, there weren't a lot of options out, and this one was just so pretty! And, believe it or not, we still got it to fit inside the Prius (with just a little bit sticking out the trunk). 

Decorating the tree is one of my favorite traditions. My family has been doing a yearly ornament exchange for at least 7 years, and we always buy ornaments on trips, so we have so many connected to very special memories and people. 

Granted, we couldn't quite finish the tree before Ed had to leave, so we'll be doing some late night decorations after he gets back, but it's so nice to have the tree looking Christmas-y. This is by far the latest we've gotten a tree and decorated, but this is also probably the busiest early holiday season we've had, so we have a bit of an excuse. At least this way we'll be able to enjoy it well into the new year :)

And to top off the lovely evening, I got this in the mail!

A pregnant mom group I'm a part of did a Secret Santa Onsie exchange, and mine arrived tonight!

It's so fun to imagine our little boy in these outfits. Getting baby stuff is pretty much the best ever :)

Yes, I still need to clean the kitchen, shower off from my workout, do some christmas/baby online shopping, and tidy up the rest of the house a bit, but for now, I'm very much enjoying sitting on the couch, listening to Christmas music, and drinking a nice glass of milk. 

Love this season.