Phew it's been a while! We've been thrown off with these past 2 busy baby shower weekends - which were AWESOME! We were left feeling incredibly blessed, loved and grateful. And now, it is time to start packing for Bahrain - we leave in a week! Oh my.

How far along? 28/29 weeks! 3rd trimester and 7 months!

Total Weight Gain: 30 lbs!

Stretch Marks: None so far… :)

Belly button: Its flat, slightly sticking out sometimes. So odd!

Movement: All the time. I think I am at the point where I can feel every move.

Feeling: Feeling great overall just large!

Cravings: Nothing really. Ive been having random day-long cravings for peanut butter and bananas. On separate days. One day peanut butter, can't get enough. 3 days later, I want bananas. 

Symptoms: My feet have started to hurt after walking or standing for long, even in shoes with good support. And my lower back still gets achy. 

Missing: Summer and tiny clothes  :)

Looking Forward to: Seeing her sweet face!

Sleep: Sleeping great!

Exercise: UG, this has been terrible the past few weeks excercise-wise!!! We've been so busy and tired and thrown off we haven't had time to get a good workout in at the gym in at least 2 weeks. Honestly, Im not too worried about it. We have tried to stay active - we have had some beautiful spring days where we have gone for walks, I have still been doing T25 with work buddies and I've made it downstairs to our mini-gym a bit; but overall, working out has gotten a lot harder. I find I get out of breath so much quicker now and my lower back and feet are always achey afterwards, especially when the workout is just cardio - even walking! I am definitely slowing down, so I am trying to just focus on staying healthy and being active whenever possible, whether its weights or cardio. 

Eating: Pretty normal in this area! Ive been eating healthy as usual, trying to clean it up a bit more because we have definitely been enjoying extra treats with these showers we had. 

Thoughts this week: I've been saying for a while now that once we had the first baby shower, it was basically like she was going to be here, because we have so much planned in between so I knew it was going to fly by! El Paso shower, Baltimore shower, Bahrain, two weekend trips in May and the BAM. June is here. We are in that whirlwind now - the showers have passed and we leave for Bahrain in a week. A WEEK! I am starting to get really nervous because on the way to El Paso, I was VERY uncomfortable. My feet and ankles swelled up so bad it hurt to walk. Granted, I didn't take ANY precautions because I figured hey, it's a short trip. On the way back, I walked the isles and stretched a lot and it didn't happen again. However the trip to Bahrain is 13 hours STRAIGHT. AH! I bought compression socks, and am planning to walk the isles and to various leg and ankle exercises every 1-2 hours, and I am hoping to be able to put my feet up a bit. Wish us luck!!!

Another thing we have been thinking/feeling this week is how incredibly lucky we are to have so many loving family and friends. So many people came out these past 2 weekends to shower baby girl with love and we just couldn't be more grateful. 

Celebrating Grandpa Barry's birthday!

Celebrating Abu Chacha's birthday!

Safari animals on the wall - cute!

SURPRISE visitors to our shower in Baltimore! My besets friends! I can't believe they made the trip!

Our first cloth diapers for our stash - yes, we are cloth diapering!

28 weeks

29 weeks

Donovan eating baby food, with a baby spoon, in El Paso - nighttime snack?!

El Paso shower, with the mariachis - 28 weeks

Baltimore shower - 29 weeks

How far along? 26/27 weeks!

Total Weight Gain: 28-30 lbs!

Stretch Marks: None so far… ahhh fingers crossed!

Belly button: is looking strange. That’s all I got. Ha.

Showing: Getting larger! 

Movement: All the time. Funny, it used to be that she moved less during the day and mores in the evenings when I was relaxing. Now its flipped - she moves all the time at work and is less active at night. 

Feeling: Feeling great overall! 

Cravings: I've been craving sweets lately…like ice-cream…uhoh!

Symptoms: My lower back still hurts here and there, especially after cardio or standing for a long time. And my hair doesn't fall out anymore!  :) Oh also, CONE BELLY! Wow this surprised me - a few weeks ago, when I was sitting up in bed, I noticed my ab muscles, when contracted, looked like a mountain range down my midsection! It totally freaked me out - did some research, turns out is ab separation. Apparently its normal and meant to happen, and they will go back to normal after delivery, but it sure is odd! 

Missing: SUMMER. We had a sweet taste of spring recently - missing my flip flops!

Looking Forward to: Our baby shower in El Paso this weekend!

Sleep: Still sleeping very well with a fluffy pillow wedged under me!

Exercise: Last week Donovan and I were both feeling off for different reasons, so we took a week to deload - no lifting, only cardio. If felt good, both of our bodies needed it. We ended up going for a loooong walk through the hiking and biking trails in our neighborhood on a 64 degree day - felt so great to be outside! We are back in the gym this week. I have dropped weight a good amount recently and some exercises, like bench press, can be done with dumbbells instead of barbell. This makes it easier for both Donovan and I with loading and reloading the bar between sets - usually we go back and forth, but he always has at least 2 45lb plates on each side of the bar, and depending on the height of the bar, now its getting harder for me to get them on and off! Craziness. Sometimes I get frustrated…but, although my load is much lighter than it used to be, continuing my workouts will greatly help my body retain muscle and muscle memory, which I will need to help bounce back after delivery! Working out is also what makes me feel good, even if Im not breaking the same kind of sweat as I used to.

My husband has also been so amazing. I know I say this all the time, but he's right there with me during this journey, still helping me reach my goals, even as they shift and change. 

Eating: My stomach is definitely getting squished because I can't eat the same amount of food in one sitting. I get full quickly, but snack a lot. I hear this is common. Meals are nutritious and healthy, extra cheats as usual, but trying to keep them minimal. 

Thoughts this week: There have been 10 snow days this winter - 10!!! I can't even remember all 10! Some of them were greatly enjoyed watching movies, playing in the snow and baking cookies with my husband. Hwever now, we are sick of it! Soooo ready for spring! However, I guess it as a good winter for being pregnant.  :)
Also, Lately Ive been so…AWARE…that SHE is in there. SOMEone, a little girl!!!! My mind started to shift…its not really "Im pregnant" anymore, it's "were having a baby girl." Before I do ANYthing, I think about her. If she stops kicking for too long, I can't function until I feel her again. This is much less about me now and much more about her (welcome to parenthood eh?). Hence, the switcheroo in the way I write the pictures. Just felt right to address her directly. 

At the DC United season opener!

26 weeks - keeping fit together!

Celebrating Abu's birthday in Annapolis, at a bar - yes I got funny stares!

27 weeks  :)

Still in awe when I catch myself in the mirror!

CONE BELLY! Top is normal, looking down while slouching. Bottom is when I go to sit up and contract my muscles! Weird!

Enjoying SPRING on a long walk in the sun.  <3

How far along? 25 weeks !

Total Weight Gain: I don’t know, ha! 20 something. Not tracking so closely anymore.  :)

Stretch Marks: None so far… ahhh fingers crossed!

Belly button: is looking strange. That’s all I got. Ha.

Showing: Gosh I looked back at other pics where I thought I was showing…so funny! 

Movement: She’s so cute, we love feeling her move! As of now it seems she’s up every other hour. Up for an hour, asleep for an hour. And when she’s up I can feel her allll over. Way down in my pelvis, high up near my stomach, to the sides, everywhere!

Feeling: Can you tell from my picture? Haha. Workouts have been kicking my butt lately! The last workout we did pretty much laid me up. I didn’t push very hard – in fact I barely sweat and felt like it was mediocre. But the whole next day (snow day thank god!) I literally didn’t get up from the couch except to use the bathroom and bake cookies ;) I had NO energy and my back was hurting (which happens all the time now but it was worse yesterday). So needless to say, I have been feeling a little sluggish lately. Hence the PJ pants pic!

Cravings: None.  :)

Symptoms: My lower back hurts when I stand for too long or lay in one position too long.

Missing: Fitting in to my clothes.  J Clothes that I thought would fit long into my pregnancy because they had ‘room’ in them are definitely NOT fitting… Thanks mama for helping me develop a new wardrobe!

Looking Forward to: Holding her in our arms!

Sleep: Still sleeping very well with a fluffy pillow wedged under me!

Exercise: The last time I felt like I had to consciously drop weight and intensity was around 18 weeks. Since then Ive stuck to pretty much the same routine. However this week, with how Ive been feeling during and after workouts, I feel like its time to drop it back another notch.  

Eating: Feeling normal in this area. Not extra hungry, not overly full, no indigestion or anything uncomfortable. Still eating healthy with extra treats here and there. I have been neglecting my daily green smoothie lately – with it being o cold and snowy I have had no desire for it – but I can feel the effects of not having that extra nutrition boost so I’m working them back in!

Thoughts this week: I found a picture of my abs the summer I got pregnant and compared it to now. Oh. Em. Gee. LOVING being pregnant, and it's definitely made me more proud of myself and the hard work I put in to my body, prior to pregnancy and currently. It may not show on the outside right now  but I am excited to see if I can get back to where I was. However this time, I will be easier on myself. Pregnancy has helped me realize that I was incredibly hard on myself before, and not in a healthy way. I was always seeing imperfections and feeling down. Now that my body is changing uncontrollably, I look back and wonder, "what the hell was I thinking?!" After this pregnancy I want I continue to stay fit and healthy, but also appreciate my body and respect myself enough to enjoy life and be an amazing example for our daughter. She's already making me a better person. 

Baby bump!

Snow pants won't button, haha.

An interesting image I found of what happens to your insides as the baby grows!

My workout partner. Love him so much <3

Feeling insecure at the gym sometimes lately - bump is definitely more obvious!

T25 with ladies at work!

How far along? 22 weeks !

Total Weight Gain: I have been feeling frustrated lately with watching my weight change so drastically, so I decided to stop focusing on it! I am on the HIGH end of weight gain thus far and it started messing with my mind. In reality, I was very small to start – I was also watching everything I put in my mouth and throwing myself into my workouts. When I got pregnant, I decided that this was going to be my time to enjoy foods I don’t normally let myself enjoy as often. Most of our meals have been clean and healthy (still veggies and lean protein with every meal), but I am indulging more frequently and not worrying so much about portion sizes. I think this change in eating habits has influenced close to half of my pregnancy weight gain so far, and I have decided that I am ok with that. I am still working out and eating healthy, so I am just going to enjoy this pregnancy, enjoy food, and when the baby comes I know my mindset is going to go back to clean eating and heavy lifting all the time so I might as well enjoy this time while its here. And my husband is enjoying it right along with me.  :) 

Stretch Marks: None

Belly button: Still innie, but its starting to push out and I can see the BACK of it now – strange!

Showing: Yes, and I am getting the belly touching now. I am one of those people that doesn't mind though.  :)

Movement: Oh my gosh, all the time. I feel like she never sleeps! We had our 20 weekish sonogram this past week and I was surprised to see her wiggling all around, and I couldn’t feel it! Here I was thinking I felt EVERYthing. I really can only feel with she kicks or punches or rolls (which seems to be all. The. Time.). But she was wiggling and moving a lot. The sonographer said she was “a wiggler”! I don’t mind that, because thanks to her wiggling, we get to go back for another sonogram because they couldn’t get a clear picture of her heart – 20 weeks is typically the last sonogram they do so I don’t mind this at all.  :)

Feeling: The last few days I have felt really sick. At first I thought it was a bug, because I felt so nauseous and had no appetite. Once I would start to feel better, I would eat, and then immediately feel sick again. I soon realized that I don’t have a bug – this is actually pregnancy related. I don’t feel sick in any other way, I just don’t really have an appetite at all and I feel nauseous when I eat. However when I just have a few bites, I feel ok (and get full very quickly). I think what’s happening is that since all my organs are being compacted and my digestion is slowing down, my stomach just can’t take a normal portion of food right now? I am thinking that I just need to graze all day – a few bites of food here and there. Tried this yesterday and I felt mostly normal. However after dinner, of which I ate more than a few bites but about half of what my normal portion would be, I did feel a little sick, but not as bad as I had been feeling. Its odd because if you compare this week’s photo with last week’s, my actual stomach looks bloated and full – but in reality, this was in the evening after 2 days of eating nothing but a few bites. Of course this lack of food has affected my strength and energy in the gym, but I’m just going to roll with it. Hopefully my appetite will return soon! Pregnancy really is strange!

Cravings: All cravings are gone this week! I don’t know if its because of this nauseous thing or just natural but I literally want NOTHING. Ha.

Symptoms: Damn nausea!

Missing: Some of my tops and dresses that no longer fit!

Looking Forward to: Our baby showers we are planning in March!  

Sleep: Can’t complain in this area – feeling great! Holding on to it while it lasts!

Exercise: Still lifting light weight with incorporating cardio as well, but energy took a plummet at the end of this week due to the weird food thing. We went to the gym twice over the weekend but my workouts were…lame to say the least. Haha. I am definitely not pushing myself past what I feel comfortable, so we shall see how this plays out!

Eating: Barely

Thoughts this week: Everyone’s pregnancy is different! I try so hard to read about what to expect at every stage and I haven’t been accurate yet – and I’m talking about since the time we started trying and I was trying to figure out what symptoms to look out for before a pregnancy test would come up positive! From weight gain week to week, sleep patterns, symptoms, where you feel your uterus…I might as well just stop reading!

 Our baby girl!!!!  <3

Baby's first rattle! My best friend, Rachel, brought this home for her from a trip to Burkina Faso, a country in Africa. Love it!

Getting' in some Insanity - with many modifications! First time trying it pregnant.

How far along? 21 weeks !

Total Weight Gain: Somewhere between 15 and 17 lbs. Im trying not to think about it (slash OBSESS over it) too much.  ;)

Stretch Marks: None

Showing: Definitely! 2 people at work that didn’t know asked. Fun!

Movement: I am starting to notice sleep and wake patterns – so interesting! She’s most active at the gym and in the evening. I guess all the moving around during the day and the kids voices sooth her. Ha.

Feeling: Good and energetic, but starting to feel big! Most of my clothes, minus pants, have fit up until now but I am starting to feel like I’m growing out of them.

Cravings: So my craving completely switched gears this week – from clementines and watermelon to CEREAL! Can’t figure out what my body is trying to get out of cereal but Im definitely noshing down on some Honey Nut Os.

Symptoms: Just a growing belly!

Missing: Skiing! This is such a good winter for skiing – I sooo wish I could go. I could technically go and just do the small slopes but it would be a waste of money in reality and not much fun. Booo.

Looking Forward to: Completing the nursery! Donovan put the crib together this weekend – it becomes more and more real which each week!

Sleep: I’ve actually been sleeping better this week. I got a pregnancy pillow from my aunt Christy…aunt? Step-Step aunt technically but she feels more like a cousin! Haha…anyway, I haven’t had to use it yet because I’ve been pretty comfy on my stomach with a pillow wedged under one side of me. It gives enough cushion and room for my belly so I’ll take that while I can!

Exercise: We are going 3-5 times a week and still lifting. I’m going to be incorporating some more cardio with a friend a couple times a week at work – T25, I’ve been missing me some Shaun T! I am looking forward to that. I’ve been feeling frustrated lately at my inability to lift heavier and I haven’t been breaking much of a sweat during my lifting workouts. :(

Eating: I am not as hungry as I was – she must have been going through a growth spurt. I’m eating at my regular meal times and enjoying many bowls of cereal daily…  :p

Thoughts this week: Her closet is full, toys are already scattered around, and the crib is built! Woohoo for 2^nd trimester progress! I am already in nesting mode. We also got a futon for the basement – we are trying to make it a great space to hang out before she comes. We’ve got the man cave thing going on with a play area in the back. He’s happy to share.  :)
 My students are so excited about the baby. I think they FINALLY get that she isn’t coming until summer – for a while there they would ask me on Mondays if the baby came over the weekend! Funny moment – a child was rubbing my belly, felt my belly ring, and gasped, “I can feel its head! Its HEAD!!!!” Hahaha, that made me literally LOL.

A book given to a friend and recommended by another friend! Apparently its good to we are beginning our reading.

New futon! The basement is coming together.

My husband started his grad classes again this week.  :( That means class on Wednesdays and Thursdays (he's home by 7:30 so not that bad) and lots of homework and studying!

Have to widen my stance to make room for baby belly! Lifting tip: Your joints start to soften during pregnancy, so keep your depth at 90 degrees, not lower.

14 weeks vs. 21 weeks! The first picture was when I first noticed a bump. Hehe.

A note from a student this week - how poetic!  :)

"You're pregnant Mrs. B! A flower (I mean a girl) will bloom out your stomach!"

The crib is done!!! Soooo exciting! Donovan said he had the thought that this would be the first of many things he would build for his daughter.  :)

Mirror selfie before work.  :)