Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Pregnancy Update: 20 & 21 Weeks

How far along/size of baby: I'm 21 weeks 3 days today. Baby is the size of a large carrot or a banana (depending on which website/app you look at). The baby measures around 10.5 inches long and about 12 ounces. Starting now through the rest of the pregnancy, the baby is being measured from head to feet (instead of head to rump). Obviously these are not my baby's exact numbers but just averaged numbers based on the different websites/apps.

Left 20 Weeks & Right 21 Weeks (& after a run)
At least I have on blue socks and not those ugly yellow ones that I seem to be wearing in EVERY picture! Must be my Sunday finest!
 
Maternity clothes: Still just mainly wearing maternity pants/jeans and workout capris. I only have 1 maternity tank top that I wear right now. I'm just wearing all the same tops I was wearing before. Some of my smaller tops obviously don't fit but luckily I was once heavier so I have a few different sizes at home and still have some things that work.

Sleep: I'm not sleeping too bad right now but I do have some issues getting comfortable in the middle of the night or my hips or back bothering me. Not sure whether I should invest in one of those pregnancy sleep pillow things? Stacking pillows won't work because I don't have a lot of space in the bed and I'm constantly switching sides while sleeping because of my hips hurting. Anyone have or used those pregnancy pillows (such as the snoogle)?

Best moment of the past 2 weeks: Had the 20 week ultrasound and everything was looking good! I was very anxious the night before so this was welcome news! AND.... we learned we are having a little baby boy! It's nice to just know now and come up with names (and nicknames)!

20 Week Ultrasound
Miss anything: Panera Caesar Salad and a cold turkey sandwich. I know some people might eat some of these things but since I read it's best not to in order to be on the safe side, I'm just going to deal with it. I don't really need to eat these things.

Movement: I believe that I'm finally feeling some kicks! I'm still in the stage where I'm wondering...are those really kicks? But I'm pretty sure they are. It almost feels like muscle twitches. I just haven't had that "WHOA! That's a definite kick!" Although one made me giggle at work.

Symptoms: I have some leg cramping at night in my calves. And I believe I have ankle swelling because my work socks are just too tight (I only notice when I take them off), so I need new socks.

Food cravings: Not much. I might hear about something and think "Oooohhhh that sounds REALLY good!" But I can usually manage to not eat it.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! Still good! I've been very lucky this was never much of an issue.

Have you started to show yet: Yes definitely. I feel large and in charge. lol. Although some people are still surprised when they find out I'm pregnant. They must think I'm eating a TON of cupcakes!

Gender: BOY!!!!

Belly button in or out: In. I keep telling my husband to stop harassing me on this!

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy.

Exercise: Getting a bit more difficult with the breathing aspect. And I'm tired. I've been consistently taking an extra rest day so mostly working out 4 days now instead of 5. But still running (mostly 2x/week) since I have the half coming up this Saturday.

Looking forward to: Getting the half marathon over and done with. And obviously I would LOVE to feel some stronger kicks so I KNOW that's what the heck is going on. I know I'll regret this later.

Other: I have the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Kentucky this Saturday, April 1st. I've been fighting a cold for about a week but it's on the downslide so I should be fine by Saturday. I know that I'll be able to do the and finish in the allotted time. And pace obviously doesn't matter. I will be running the 2:1 run/walk intervals that I've been doing for my long runs. I may need to walk a little more depending on the size of the hill or near the end of the race but I'm ok with that. And if I had to guess, I should be able to finish by 3:00 hours. If not that, then I should be able to finish with no more than a 14 minute pace if all things go as planned. My training generally comes in around 12:00-12:30 pace but factoring in hills, bathroom breaks, and additional walking... a 14 min pace sounds reasonable.  But if not, no worries. I'm not pushing myself, I'm not stressing, I'm just going to keep moving forward providing nothing happens. And I've been feeling fine on my long runs so I'm expecting to be fine. I'll update afterwards on the race.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 18 & 19

How far along/size of baby: I'm 19 weeks 2 days today. Baby is the size of a mango. Mmmmm mangos! They are so delicious! Anyway, the baby measures around 6 inches long (head to rump) and 8.5 ounces. Two weeks ago that was 5 inches and 5 ounces. This baby is getting bigger!
 
Maternity clothes: Yes! Give me ALL the maternity pants! I bought a couple work pants and a pair of jeans. The jeans I bought online for 50% off and they are a bit big and saggy in the butt. But it's fine. The work pants are from motherhood maternity and were an arm and a leg in price. But it feels so much better than my regular pants. Not wearing any maternity shirts except a plain black tank top. My shirts are mostly fine for now.

Sleep: Still the same. Some nights are better than others but I at least get up 2 times a night. Sometimes a lot more.

Best moment of the past 2 weeks: I heard the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office again and it's always such a sweet sound! Heartbeat is in the 150's.

Miss anything: Not really. Maybe just wearing some of my old clothes that are the smallest size I own.

Movement: Nothing yet!  I'm impatiently waiting! Sometimes I think maybe...but nope. Just wishful thinking. Ha!

Symptoms: Not much going on right now. Shortness of breath is my main one.

Food cravings: Pickles and 7up or sprite. Not together. I've always loved pickles but they taste SO GOOD right now!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope! I'm good there!

Have you started to show yet: I'm not sure what happened but I feel HUGE now! I'm definitely showing. So if some people don't know at work that I'm pregnant, I'm sure they are wondering how I could be doing so poorly on Weight Watchers! lol. (No, I'm not doing WW while pregnant).

Left 18 weeks & Right 19 weeks
I don't like the sweater picture much but I didn't feel like changing clothes. And I'm thankfully getting a haircut! Also, Camo always likes to make her appearances in my photos.

Gender: I find out NEXT WEEK!!! EEEEKKKKK! I'm so excited! Still going with boy but girl has been running through my mind lately for some reason.

Belly button in or out: In. Hopefully this never changes. Side note: my husband says he thinks I'm getting an outie. He's crazy. Totally not! So much innie! He knows he's driving me crazy!

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy. But life stresses easily make me unhappy at times. I'm partially blaming hormones. But I'm seriously good.

Exercise: Nothing new here. Running 2x a week prepping for my half on April 1st! Among other workouts. Shortness of breath and bathroom breaks are the major problems here.

Looking forward to: First, finding out gender!!!!!! But obviously, wanting to feel some flutters or kicks. Waiting. Waiting.

Other:  I tripped while running outside in the dark alone a couple weeks ago and almost face (and stomach) planted. How I didn't is beyond me. I held on for dear life. I have to say I was pretty shook up from it and haven't run in the dark alone since then. Luckily with the time change, I shouldn't have to. 

Also, I fell down the stairs leading to our basement last weekend. My sock slipped and I probably fell about 3/4 of the way down the stairs. Luckily I fell all on my bottom end and didn't hit my stomach at all. Just a bruise on my arm from trying to grab the railing and a big painful bruise on my butt but I'm ok and I'm sure the baby is too. That also shook me up a bit.  If I make it to August in one piece, I'll be amazed. Sorry baby. I'm trying to be careful here!

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Running O' the Green 8k

This past Sunday I participated in the Running O' the Green 8k in Tinley Park. I have done this race a couple of times before but this time I would be running while entering my 5th month of pregnancy, so things were going to be a bit different.

First, I love doing this race for a couple of reasons (pretty much the same reason I love doing ALL of Tinley Park's races).

1.  The race provides an option when pre-registering of getting the race shirt or not. I generally opt not to get the race shirt as I always have tons (and they are unisex) so I only have to pay $16! Not bad!

2.  It's a local race and getting to the start is never more than a 10 minute drive! Plus, I can park right in the lot to the rec center where the race begins.

3. You can wait in the rec center before and after the race to stay warm if it's cold outside. Which includes indoor bathrooms!

4. Tinley Park races offer TONS of food. This time around...bagels, oranges, bananas, granola bars, cookies, mini cinnamon rolls, mini Jimmy Johns sandwiches. And they ever rolled in pizza after a small delay. Yes please! It's pretty hard to justify eating all of this after only an 8k but ... whatever.

5. I can guarantee several friends will do it (or get suckered into doing it) and it's always fun doing races with friends!

On to the race. Since I was clearly not trying to PR this race (or even come close), I decided to do a run/walk interval with my friends Becky and Jannelle. They were doing a 4 min run/1 min walk interval throughout and I thought that sounded just fine for me!  We all met up for a pre-race photo (obviously!).
This photo includes MANY of my most favorite run friends!
We headed outside to the start about 5 minutes before the race was going to begin.  I have to say, I was MOST nervous going into this race due to not having any bathrooms on course. Yes, I know it's "only" an 8k. Yes I know an 8k is "only" 4.97 miles. BUT...I'm pregnant and as soon as I start running these days, I need to use the bathroom. No a pre-race jog doesn't clear this up for me. So the thought of running 5 miles without a bathroom to hop into was totally stressing me out! Haha! #PregnantRunnerProblems.

Becky, Jannelle and I started our 4:1 interval and did it throughout the entire race. I thankfully did not have to use the bathroom. Well, I did but I was able to make it through. lol. Ok enough of the bathroom situation. You aren't here for that. I felt good throughout the run. Some of my runs have been rougher lately so I was glad that it was a good day.  I think the baby is a runner and enjoys it. Good because I'm putting you in a kids dash as soon as I can! Haha! Just kidding little one! ... maybe.

My friends rocked it out, as usual. A couple even brought home some first place bling!

The weather was a bit windy but when the wind calmed down, the temperatures were actually quite nice. The race generally runs through neighborhoods with the last half mile on the trail near the rec center. All in all, another great race put on by the Tinley Park District! I'm glad I live so close (and lived in Tinley until I got married).

Next race on my calendar...Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon in Lexington, KY. April 1st. Gulp. Ready or not, here I come! All in all, I feel fine when running. I'm just slower. I do lots of run/walks these days. My breathing is just a bit more difficult. So I should be good to go for this half.

And I purposely haven't been saying much (or anything) to the non-runner about even doing this half because they don't understand. And everyone has an opinion. As much as I'm always willing to hear advice and opinions, I don't need them from people that don't understand and just judge. I'm not doing anything that will harm the baby. I just need encouragement and positivity in my life right now.

I also checked and the half marathon says there are 7 locations for bathrooms throughout the course. This makes a pregnant runner very happy.

Keep on running friends!