24 weeks!

According to my weekly emails, my baby has gained 4 ounces since last week and is almost a foot long.  Pretty soon, she'll be taller than me! :)  At this point, she is also starting to produce surfactant--which being a respiratory therapist--is very important to me.  Surfactant production isn't complete until week 35 though--so please, Charlotte, stay put until then.  At least.  :)

Oh yeah, we decided on the name Charlotte.  Or Charlie for short.  Josh and I are both bad at keeping secrets, so it's not a big deal to me if people know the name.  And this way, people can't steal it, right!?

At this point, I'm about 5 1/2 months.  Crazy!  While I'm feeling great still, there are some things that are getting hard to do because of my growing stomach:

-Painting my toe nails.  I just attempted to do this last night.  And while I was able to actually finish painting them, it did take longer than usual and was hard to get in a good position to not make them a total mess.  Next time it will either be Josh who does this for me, or I will have to schedule a pedicure...

-Stretching after a workout.  My stomach is getting in the way of me reaching my toes and doing all the leg stretches I was once able to do.  **If anyone has any good pregnant lady stretches--please let me know**  My intense nightly leg cramps make me need to continue my stretching!!

-Sleep comfortably.  I may have to break down and buy some kind of pregnancy sleeping pillow.  But I refuse to pay the outrageous prices of that Snoogle.  Kind of like buying stuff for a wedding, whenever they add pregnancy to the beginning of an item, it automatically raises the price.  I saw this pillow at Kohls and am hoping it might be the right one for me: "Boomerang Pillow".

-Go over an hour without having to pee.  This will probably make our drive to Minneapolis next month reallllly long.  :)

And I know this list will only get longer as I get bigger!  But just as I was starting to get down on myself for not being able to do things I once was able to, I came across this list on Pinterest of 10 things to love about being pregnant!  Just a good reminder sometimes. :)  This list is stolen from this blog: (with my own thoughts added in..)

1. Elastic waist bands (Yesssss!  I love maternity jeans!  Not having the zipper and button make pants so much more comfortable..)

2. Getting my doctor's full attention for longer than five minutes (Also true.  I looove my doctor and he listens to every stupid question I ask)

3. Watching the shrimp inside me grow a face and legs  (Crazy that there's an actual person inside of me...well....fetus is probably the more appropriate term)

4. Those 300 extra calories a day to use on strawberry Pop-tarts and vending machine chips (aww,

c'mon people, you didn't eat all fruit and veggies either)  (Or an extra Captain Crunch....or ice cream...)

5. Having a good reason to not cook dinner for three months  (Yup--just ask Josh what he ate for dinner during my first trimester of nausea and his answer won't be home-cooked meals)

6. Hearing the labor stories, even the horror ones, because every labor and delivery has its own

story (even the c-sections!)  (There's just something about pregnancy that makes every person who's ever been pregnant tell you all about how they gave birth.  And for some reason, I don't even mind....yet...)

7. An excuse for re-decorating an entire room (Thank goodness for Pinterest--so many good ideas on there!  I can't wait to start!)

8. Loading up on free magazines at the OB office (Well, this one I could give or take...I've never been much of a reader :)

9. Seeing my baby's elbow jut across my belly like a shark cutting its way through the Pacific (Haven't seen an elbow yet, but during moments of intense movement the other night, I could see my stomach bounce out with every kick.  I would love to see a hand or foot protrude from that area, but I'm sure that's all just a myth that that actually happens..)

10. A sense of pending adventure  (Or the impending sense of 12 weeks off of work this summer!)

I'm not going to do the questionnaire I did last week because nothing seems to have changed since then.  But I will leave you with a picture of myself...because I'm all vain like that.. :)

I just keep getting bigger!

Catching up: Weeks 12-22

Yeah, I know this isn't in order, and I just did a week 23 post.
But I'm catching up on the weeks I missed out!

These will just be pictures so I can document my progress and see how huge I've reallllly gotten. :)

Week 12: Nothing to show at all

Week 15: Mayyybe there's something there!?























16 weeks: Food belly!?

17 weeks: I see it!!

19 weeks: And in maternity jeans :)

20 weeks: Found out it's a girl!!

22 weeks: I feel huge!  And I got my haircut. :)

Week 23!

Week 23 might be a weird time to start this blog back up. But that's just how it's going to be.  :)

My due date is July 16, 2013.  A little less than 4 months away.   Time seemed to move so slowly in the beginning, waiting anxiously for my first ultrasound at 10 weeks.  But looking back now, at 23 weeks, I have no idea where the time has gone!  

This weeks' main talking point: working out! 

As we all might now, I am a big runner.  Josh and I have done about 1 half marathon a year, for the last 3 years.  We also do a whole bunch of random races throughout the year.  We love running and competing against each other.   Just working out in general has been a big part of my life since college. I just assumed that when I got pregnant, I would continue on with my workout routines like normal.  Maybe just scaling the intensity down..   Which is exactly what I did the first time I was pregnant this past summer.  And then I had a miscarriage in the first trimester.  While I am 100% certain that running and lifting weights did not cause my miscarriage, it can really just make your mind go crazy.  You start to analyze every little thing that you might've done, while reality is, most early miscarriages are the result of chromosomal defects.  

So, when I found out I was pregnant again this past November, I couldn't bring myself to run.  The mind is a weird thing sometimes.  I still went to the gym for a little while and walked on a treadmill.  But that was the extent of my workouts.  And I was ok with that.  And then, somewhere around week 7-8, intense nausea and sickness came about.  It was all I could do each day to get off the couch.  I was barely eating.  The thought of even going to the gym made me nauseous.  So I took a nice 3 months off of working out.  I was losing weight during that time anyway, so I felt ok with that decision. :)

So now, here we are.  I started going back to the gym maybe a month or so ago.  I mostly walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes at a decent speed and a small incline.  Obviously nothing like what I'm used to, but I'm ok with that.  It's just good to be getting back into it.  I also recently started adding the elliptical to my gym routine, which is nice.  It brings my heart rate up more than walking.  

Since I'm getting bigger, a lot of my old workout clothes just aren't cutting it anymore.  I didn't know if I wanted to buy actual maternity workout clothes, or just get a size up in regular ones.  And then I found these awesome tank tops at Old Navy.   They are baggy enough in the stomach that I feel like they should be made for pregnant woman! (But they're not maternity!)  I was even able to buy my regular size at Old Navy (XS) and they still fit so well, with room to grow!  

So here I am at week 23:

Here is the tank top at Old Navy: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=53934&vid=1&pid=387760072

Those leggings in the picture are leggings I wore pre-pregnancy.  I just wear them down a little lower on my stomach.  I did end up buying a pair of workout shorts in a size medium this weekend though.  Definitely the biggest shorts I've ever owned, but they are so much more comfortable that my usual running shorts. 

I will most likely end each week's blog with the following questionnaire.  It seems like a nice way to keep track of everything I'm feeling week by week!

How far along: 23 weeks!

Total weight gain: Since my last doctor appointment this past Thursday, I am up 10 pounds.  I don't weigh myself at home though, so I probably won't have an accurate answer to this every week!

Maternity clothes: I love them!!  Maternity jeans are my absolute favorite.  I can still get away with a lot of my old tops though.  I love wearing tank tops with a cardigan over them.  I haven't had to buy many maternity tops yet. 

Stretch marks: None (hope I didn't just jinx myself there!)

Sleep: Just fine so far.  I wake up randomly almost every night with an intense leg cramp.  And I get up 1-2 times to pee.  But other than that, I can still sleep very comfortably.

Best moment of this week: Josh was able to feel her kick from the outside over the weekend!  

Miss anything: Running.  Amaretto sours.  

Movement: There has been a TON of movement lately.  I can feel her moving around all day.  It doesn't bother me yet, and it's definitely reassuring.  

Food cravings:  I had a craving for sushi the other day.  I have yet to fulfill that.  I do enjoy my daily salami sandwiches for lunch, as well!  But I've always loved salami sandwiches.  Hummus has also been big on my list lately. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing in particular, yay!  If I would've answered this months ago, my answer would've been "everything."

Have you started to show yet: Definitely.  

Gender: Oh yeah--don't know if I've mentioned it.  IT'S A GIRL!!

Labor signs: I recently started feeling some Braxton Hicks.  I didn't know what was happening at first, but that's what they are, according to my friend, Liz.  My stomach just feels like it gets really tight once in a while, and then loosens up again.  Nothing intense, but I can definitely feel it.  Maybe only a couple times a day though.  I just didn't know they started so early!

Belly button in or out: In.  We'll see how long this lasts.  I feel it's definitely on its way to pushing out!

Wedding rings on or off: On.  And they're still a little big on me (always have been).  But it's still winter here.  

Happy or moody most of the time: I'd say happy.  Maybe this should be a question for Josh!?  :)

Looking forward to: Opening Day!!  Still 2 weeks away though. :(

I'm back!!!

Well, it's been almost 3 1/2 years since my last blog post!!  Crazy to think about!  I obviously did not finish my 101 things in 1001 days.  But I'm happy I kept up with it as long as I did. 

A lot has happened in that time.  I graduated from my Respiratory Therapy program at school!  And I got a job right away, yay!  I am now a Respiratory Therapist at Children's Hospital.  And I love it.  I am so happy with my decision to go back to school and 'change careers'.  Definitely worth the money spent and the time spent not working for a couple years, so I can be happier in the long run.  

Josh and I actually finished the renovations on our condo and SOLD IT!  Yay.  That was such a huge relief.  This actually just all went down a few months ago, at the beginning of this year.  I think it was a little over 4 months on the market before we got the offer.  And in those 4 months, we only had TWO showings.  And that second showing was our lucky charm!  I guess what they say is true--it really does just take one person to like it.  

And finally, it's a good thing we sold our condo, because we are having a baby!!  Alright--well, this development came along before we actually sold our condo (but after we put it up for sale).  But whatever.  :)  We have now moved into a wonderful apartment for the time being that is DOUBLE the square feet of our tiny condo.

And that is my main reason for starting up this blog again.  I wanted a good way to keep track of how things are going with this pregnancy and a good place to keep my weekly pregnancy pictures, so I can look back at them when I'm 9 months pregnant and think "wow, I guess I wasn't really was big as I thought I was then".  Because let's face it, I feel huge right now.  And I know I can only get bigger.  :)  

I can also use it to look back at how I looked in the possibility that I am pregnant again in the future, and compare week by week.  

And lastly--I just have more time on my hands!  (I say that now--talk to me in 4 months when I have a baby to take care of!)  Those condo renovations sure did take up a lot of my time.  While I love that my job has me working random days and I get a lot of days off during the week, Josh and all my friends work "normal" jobs and are not home during the week.  This will at least give me something to do once in a while.  Not that I'm complaining.  I love my time off. :)