16 Weeks

After my last post I don't have much to add. This weeks marks 16 weeks. Kind of a boring milestone. Not the beginning or end of a trimester and not as good as next month when we will be close to finding out the sex of the baby! Here are the belly shots...

Please note that the workout gear is doubling as an actual wardrobe. I am a What Not to Wear episode waiting to happen!

Why I Am Not A Fan Of Pregnancy...

Okay, if you are in the mood to hear some first class whining, read on. If not, might I suggest you skip this post and return when my hormones are on an upswing.

So if you know me at all, you know this - I am not a fan of being pregnant. In fact I seriously considered just having one child so as not to have to be pregnant again. ( Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the getting to have a baby part just not the 9 months it takes for the baby to get here.) I know it goes against the mother's code of ethics to say this out loud, but I kind of think being pregnant sucks! (By, the way, you may love being pregnant - that's great! - and don't have to agree with my stance. It's just helpful in understanding my mind frame right now.)

Approaching week 16 I am reminded about all the things that I really am not enjoying. First of all, lets discuss the clothing issue. My pre-pregnancy clothes are really not fitting right anymore and I have switched to maternity pants for the most part. However, I am not quite big enough for them yet, so they irritatingly sag in all the wrong places which is never flattering. Also, many of my maternity clothes from last time are a little too big. Now, I hate to complain because what that really means is that I am not gaining weight in all the wrong places this time and that is good BUT that limits the amount of wearable clothes hanging in my closet. I know in a few months I'll be huge and none of this will be a problem anymore but that doesn't stop it from bothering me now!

And, since this is supposed to be a blog about running, let's talk about running. Last week I had to cut out several runs due to discomfort (pain?) in the pubic bone area. I say pain with a question mark because at this point I have trained myself to run through pain and have made the mistake of running through things that are actually a problem (ie., a broken foot). So, I cut a few runs short and took off three days in a row to give my body a rest, just in case. Yesterday, I did 3 miles to see how I felt. It was okay. The run itself was great - I even hit under 9 minute pace by accident for a bit - but I was sore afterward. I guess that is something I will just be dealing with from now on. I suspect that it may be the relaxin causing an early separation of my pubic bones (pubic symphasis diastis - yes I self-diagnose!) and therefore will probably limiting my running from here on out. I am going to attempt my half marathon distance but will most likely be using a run/walk method, and I will definitely not be running on consecutive days from now on. Ugghh...pregnancy sucks.

The lack of suitable clothing plus the lack of suitable running (in addition to the uncontrollable bitchiness I seem to spout at random times) is making me long for April to just get here already so I can enjoy the baby part and be done with pregnant.

(Next time I promise to strive for more upbeat and post my 16 week belly pics.)

Where Did The Last Two Weeks Go?

Okay, I have been really bad about updating this blog lately. It just seems like I blinked and two weeks went by. Life has been kind of busy around our house but in a good way. Noah has lots going on with school and after school stuff like tennis, and I started an interior design class at one of our local colleges which meets twice a week for 3 hours. Also, we have had very full weekends, either out of town or people in town to see us so time is flying by!

I have been running. Two weeks ago was a great week. I fit in 18 miles and got to run twice with my friend Julie while visiting her in Charlotte. (It was so fun to run with someone - it certainly made the miles go faster and seem easier. My new mission is to find a running partner here!) Last week was not so stellar - I only did 2 miles - oops! I don't really have a reason for that either. Just tired and unmotivated I guess.

This week I have planned it so that I should hit around 18 again with a long run of 7 miles sometime this weekend. I am signed up to run a half marathon in 6 weeks after all. Better get on the ball.

Went to the doctor last week at 14 weeks. I heard the baby's heartbeat and all is fine except I am borderline anemic so that might explain my lack of energy sometimes. Also, I have low platelets, so they had to draw more blood to monitor that. They didn't seem overly concerned about it - said it can happen during pregnancy and that we would keep an eye on it. And of course, last but not least, I weighed in at 117 which makes for 3 pounds of weight gain total. I can live with that! Yesterday marked 15 weeks and I am so grateful to still be running fairly comfortably. My doctor seemed to be convinced that by 16 weeks I would be ready to call it quits and switch to walking and that is not the case at all. All is well so I plan to keep going - now if I could just find some decent shirts to run in that don't expose my belly and cost a fortune I'll be golden!

13 Weeks and Counting

Yesterday was officially 13 weeks. It's weird, now that I'm not nauseous all the time - and I don't have a big ol' belly (yet) - I don't really feel pregnant. That is of course until I twist around in the car seat to pick up something for Noah and my abs scream at me, or I go to the bathroom 6 times in one night. Then I remember, oh yeah, I'm having another baby!

I had a friend ask me the other day how running was going while I was pregnant. She said it with one of those skeptical, hesitant looks on her face like you would have when asking someone, so, how was your colonoscopy? I giggled a bit. People seem to think it is crazy to run while pregnant. I know this will change pretty soon, but at this point, aside from being a bit slower, it really feels no different than running not pregnant. I will say this morning though, I felt a bit of soreness in my lower abdomen. I think that is the round ligament pain I have been waiting to get. My belly is slowly but surely getting bigger so this was bound to happen eventually. It wasn't horrible though. I think I am going to order a maternity support belt and see if that makes a difference.

Okay... I have decided to post the belly pictures. If for no other reason than that this is the last time I plan on being pregnant and therefore the last chance to document it (since I didn't last time). At some point in the future I may want to remember what I looked like while carrying my children. I think I may post a monthly belly shot - this one is at 13 weeks and was taken by me in the mirror, as I decided last minute to do it and nobody was home to get a good shot for me.

The front view - not too scary.

The side view...see how it looks like I spent all last night at the all you can buffet or something? I will actually be more excited when I am a little bigger and you can tell for sure I am pregnant!

I promise next month I will get Wes to take the pictures so that I at least have a face!