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.