Friday Five: Random Thoughts

Hey hey!  Sorry I'm coming at ya late.  I was up late last night (see #5 below for why) and up early this morning for some cleaning (see #1 below for why), but better late than never!

I'm so happy it's Friday, because today I really started to feel just how pregnant I am.  Swollen ankles, so tired after walking across the parking lot, and just feeling big.  It's fun stuff, I tell ya!  At least the weekend is just about here so that I can relax (kind of--again, see #1).

Since it's Friday, I'm linking up with Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar for the weekly Friday Five link-up!

This week is a free Friday, so I'm just going to share five random thoughts from today/this week.  Head over to one of the hostess' blogs to see other Friday Five posts!  Such a fun variety this week with the "free Friday" theme :)

1. My mom comes in to town today, and Kristie comes in to town tomorrow!  I'll actually pick up my mom from the airport on the way home from work.  Her flight gets in at 1:30, so she'll just be hanging out at the airport for about an hour and a half.  Poor thing!  I'm so excited to see them both, as well as my mother- and sister-in-law who will also get in town tomorrow.  What's the occasion?  Mom and Katherine (SIL) are throwing me a baby shower!  Fun times!

2.  I seem to have completely emptied my pantry of viable dinner options, so I hit up Chipotle on Wednesday for dinner!

Yummy!  I haven't been there in so long, and I just love their burrito bowl!  I opted for the brown rice this time to be a little more healthy, and I really couldn't taste the difference.  Plus, I had leftovers for lunch on Thursday.  I love when that happens.

However, I REALLY need to make getting to the grocery store a priority this week.  I have been eating poorly lately, and it's making me feel really icky.

3.  I've gotten a package when I've arrived home two days this week!

On top of one of my schools surprising me with a shower on Tuesday, Baby Fish received two gifts in the mail this week!  This child is so, so loved already!  Both Joe and myself can't believe how generous everyone is, and we are truly thankful for all of the gifts we've received.

4. Did y'all see "the dress" that was all over social media last night?  Last night, I saw it as white and gold.  This morning, I saw black and blue.  Apparently, the actual dress is black and blue!  So weird.

5. Anyone watch How to Get Away with Murder last night?

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I really didn't want to watch it last night (it kind of gives me nightmares when I watch it at night...lol) but I watched the first few minutes and got sucked in.  No spoilers, but I DID NOT see the ending coming.  I'm happy to hear the show will be back next fall, but I just hate that it's done for the season already!  Viola Davis does a great job in this series, too.

And just for fun, here's a cute picture of Tequila:

She apparently wasn't ready to stop cuddling on Thursday morning.  What a cutie!

I hope y'all have a great weekend!  I'm hoping to have more content on the blog next week, as I have some ideas for posts that I hope to work on after all the visitors leave.  We'll see how that all goes!

Question for you: What color is that dress?  Are you a HTGAWM fan--if so, what'd you think of the show last night?  Any fun weekend plans?

WIAW #48: What's-in-the-pantry Edition

Good morning everyone!  After our busy weekend of having guests in our house, I feel like I've finally caught up on sleep.  I feel pretty glorious this morning :) 

I also got a kick out of Tequila last night--she got COMPLETELY under the covers (like, down-at-the-foot-of-the-bed under the covers) and slept there for a few hours!  When I'd wake up to roll over, I'd peak under and she just looked as happy as could be.  What a funny little pup!

Well, it's Wednesday (and I remembered to take a picture of my meals yesterday!), so it's time for another installment of...

Thanks so much to Jenn for the link-up!  Head over to her blog Peas and Crayons to see what other bloggers are eating, and to find out what What I Ate Wednesday is all about!

Since we had such a busy weekend, I didn't get to go to the grocery store as I wanted to.  So, for the past few days, we've been operating under the "Open up the pantry and see what we can scrounge together."  Certainly not the way I like to do things, but hey, it's worked so far!  Let's see how this strategy went on Tuesday:

Breakfast

No grocery store trip=no milk=can't make the overnight oats for breakfast that I COULD make with the oatmeal in the pantry.  So, I've been hitting up Dunkin' Donuts for Veggie Egg White Flatbreads this week.  

However, Dunkin' must be running low on things, too, because they have been out of the flatbread!  I can get the Veggie Egg White sandwich, but I've been getting it on a bagel or croissant.  Well, on Tuesday, they messed up my order and gave me a Turkey Sausage Egg White Croissant.  Still pretty tasty!

Morning Snack

Not pictured, but I got a chocolate glazed donut at DD to enjoy mid-morning.  So tasty, but yet so bad for you!  That's the downfall to getting breakfast in the morning--I can't resist a donut!

Lunch

A peanut butter sandwich, carrots, and a clementine!  I really like to eat out of the orange food group, apparently!  Notice the bite out of the sandwich--I was so excited to eat that I almost forgot to take a picture.  Oops :)

Afternoon Snack
My co-workers at one of my schools surprised with me a baby shower in place of our department meeting (how nice!!), so we snacked on yummy cupcakes and some delicious spinach and artichoke dip.  I didn't get any pictures because I didn't bring my phone to the "meeting"--they really got me there!

Dinner

I made some lemon pepper chicken and served canned peas and canned carrots on the side.  Pretty tasty and healthy meal, especially for a "What's in the pantry?" type meal!

Not a horrible day of eats, but I certainly eat a lot more unhealthy things when I don't meal plan and prep at the beginning of the week.  I'm planning to get to the store this evening and do some meal prep for the rest of the week into next week!

Question for you: What's your go-to use-whatever's-in-the-pantry meal?

Pregnancy Update: 35 Weeks + Combatting Laziness

Good Tuesday morning!  How's your week going so far?  

We had a busy weekend with lots of visitors for the Daytona 500, so I was pretty exhausted yesterday!  There's still a lot of stuff to do around the house after accommodating all of those people, but instead of getting started yesterday, I really needed the evening to just relax and regroup (oh, and watch The Bachelor!).

Well, it's time to bring y'all another pregnancy update!  Check out what's been going on with things now that I'm 35 weeks pregnant!  The countdown to meeting Baby Fish is quickly coming to an end.

Pregnancy Update: 35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks (and 2 days)

Baby Bump progress: taken yesterday.  Keeps getting bigger!

Baby's Size? a coconut! Around 18.5-19.5 inches long and 5.5 pounds

What's happening this week?  

• Baby continues to gain baby fat and will continue to plump up from here on out!
• The brain is continuing to grow and develop more brain cells, making baby pretty top-heavy.
• Hearing is fully developed, and baby responds best to high-pitched noises.
• If it's a boy, the testes have probably descended.

Total weight gain/loss: big jump from before--a total of 27 pounds!  I gained over 5 pounds between week 32 and week 34.  I guess Baby Fish is growing bigger and bigger!

Stretch marks? no new ones, and the ones I have aren't too bad looking.  I'm getting more regular with my cocoa butter application, and I think that's helping!

Sleep: still pretty good.  I am waking up a few times a night, but I'm always able to get back to sleep very quickly.

Best moment this week: At our coaches' meeting, my co-workers surprised me and another math coach (who is also pregnant) with a mini-shower!  They all brought us diapers and painted bibs and onesies for us!

How cute, right?!?  Unfortunately, the wind messed some of them up a little, but they're still adorable :)  It was such a nice surprise and so very appreciated!

Miss anything?: drinking wine outside on a nice day (like this past weekend), being able to wear my normal clothes, being able to fit through tight spaces, breathing normally

Movement: lots and lots of movement!  Still weird to see all the movement happening, as well as being able to feel limbs from the outside.  Joe even got to feel a good amount of movement this weekend!

Food cravings: nothing specific, just having to eat things I get a taste for!  This week, I saw a picture of mozzarella sticks and just had to have some!  I didn't get some that day, but I did get some the next day :)  Yummy!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!  I'm very thankful that I haven't had many problems with that.

Gender: We'll find out when Baby Fish is born :)

Labor Signs: none, other than a few Braxton-Hicks contractions

Symptoms:

• swollen feet/ankles
• acid reflux
• sensitive gums
• itchy belly
• easily irritated (seriously, no patience at all)
• being excited and overwhelmed about everything

Belly Button in or out? still in, but it's flattening out (and pretty weird!)

Wedding rings on or off? on!  They do get a little tight when I get really warm and toward the end of the day

Happy or Moody?: happy for the majority of the time, but my mood does change pretty quickly.  

Funny moments this week: not sure if this is funny (more cute than funny), but one night while watching TV, Pablo jumped on top of me to fall asleep.  Tequila was already curled up on my feet, so he took the stomach region.  Check out what he chose to use as a pillow!

Too funny!  Baby Fish was definitely moving around and trying to figure out what was on top of him/her.  I wonder if Pablo was able to feel Baby Fish and/or hear the heartbeat?

Looking forward to: seeing my mom, Kristie, my in-laws, and other friends at my baby shower this weekend!  Oh, and I'm really starting to get excited to actually meet Baby Fish!

Exercise this week: this week has been really bad on the exercise front.  All I did was a short walk on Wednesday and Thursday (hmmm, this could explain the 5 pound gain in 2 weeks!).    I'm off to a better start this week, though, as I got in a good workout on Monday!

It was so nice out that I used my landlord's outdoor gym to complete a total body ladder circuit workout!  It felt good to lift some weights again.  I'll tell you what, though, my muscles will be sore for a few days!  I love that feeling, and I'm hoping to ride that feeling to a good number of workouts this week.

Baby Fish Feature: Combatting Laziness

I've shared on this blog before about my habit of laziness and procrastination.  Well, let's just say that the lack of energy during pregnancy hasn't helped this one bit!  The "deadline" to have things ready for Baby Fish is looming, and while I normally do well with deadlines, I've been getting overwhelmed with just how much I still have to do.  That keeps me from getting any of it done, ironically, and the cycle starts again!

Well, over the last week, I've really made an effort to end this laziness/procrastination cycle.  Here are some of the things I've tried to get that done:

• Pray about it.  I asked my prayer partner at Bible study this week to pray that I would not be lazy or procrastinate things this week.  Since asking for that, I have felt more motivation, so I know the prayers are working!
• Set a manageable goal each day.  As I said, I do well with deadlines, so if I set a daily goal, then I have a deadline to work toward.  Writing it down and crossing it off when I met it is always encouraging, too!
• Having Joe keep me accountable.  I share the goals I set with Joe each day, and he does a great job of checking up with me and making sure that goal is met.  Plus, he's setting daily goals and having me check on him, too.  It's a great accountability system!
• Get things done in the morning or right when I get home.  My motivation wanes as the day goes on, so the more that I can get done earlier in the day, the better.  I've been starting to do a small chore in the morning before work and getting right to work on chores when i get home.
• Finding pre-baby checklists and other resources online.  One of the reasons I get overwhelmed is that I really don't know what all I need to get done before the baby comes.  I've been relying a lot on websites for checklist and another resources to help me prepare for the baby.  It's great to see what other new moms found helpful before and what advice they can offer now that the baby arrived.

I'm hoping to continue these things to help combat the laziness I've felt and continue to feel lately.  If you have any other suggestions, feel free to share!

Question for you: How do you combat feelings of laziness in your life?  New moms: what are some things I really need to make sure I have done before the baby comes?

Thursday Thoughts

Hey, hey everyone!  How's it going?  Things are pretty good in my neck of the woods, but it's COLD!  I know it's not as cold here as other places in the country, but people around here have no idea how to dress when the temperature drops below 60.  It's sad!  Wherever you are, I hope you are bundling up and staying warm!!

I'm feeling pretty random today, so I thought I'd put together a few Thursday Thoughts for y'all!

1. I think Tequila has pink eye :(  Poor baby.  I'm taking her to the vet this afternoon to get it checked out.  This should be interesting, considering she won't even let me turn her head so I can LOOK at her eye.  I'm just imagining how hard it'll be to get any eye drops they may prescribe into her!

2. This weekend is Disney's Princess Half Marathon weekend, and I'm so, so sad I won't be participating!  However, I made the right decision to defer the Glass Slipper Challenge to next year.  The thought of running a 10K and half marathon two days in row while I'm about 25+ pounds heavier than normal (and haven't really run since mid-January) sounds pretty miserable!  I wore last year's shirt on my walk on Monday to be there in spirit!  Good luck to all those running this weekend!

3. Speaking of that last picture...can we talk about my pregnancy boobs?  I've never looked at a picture of myself and thought "whoa, my boobs are huge!"  I made that comment when I shared that picture on Instagram, and I think a lot of my friends got a kick out of that :)

4. Check out the sunset while we were heading up to Joe's grandparents' house this weekend.

I didn't get a very good picture (my mom called right when there was a really good opening for a photo), but it was BEAUTIFUL!  Sunsets like that make 3+ hour drives a little better!

5. We've had some pretty awesome snuggle time during the evening this week.

Yes, Pablo is using Baby Fish as a pillow :)  And I couldn't believe that he climbed up there so close to Tequila!  These two have been keeping me cozy while watching TV this week.  In fact, most of the recent photos I've taken are of these two cuddled up with me.  Crazy dog/cat lady much?

6. I tried the new Tiramisu Latte at Starbucks this week!

It was pretty good!  It's not my favorite of the Starbucks specialties (Peppermint Mocha and Mocha Cookie Crumble Frapp take the cake in my book!), but I will definitely order it again.  I'm happy about this, too, since I DID NOT like the Caramel Flan Latte last year.  Ugh, that was a disappointment of a Starbucks trip when I ordered that!

7. My FitBit isn't syncing to my app, and it's making me mad!  I read their help section on their website and tried resetting it, but that hasn't helped.  I think I need to get on the phone with them and try to get this working.  I'm missing getting credit for the valuable steps I've been taking!

8. This weekend is the Daytona 500, so things are about to get CRAZY around my house.  Seriously, race week and Bike Week are the two worst times to be in this area!  It takes forever to get anywhere, everything's packed, and there are so many tourists to deal with.  I'm going to stay as far away from the race scene as possible, so maybe I'll still be able to enjoy my weekend!

Now, I feel like we're all caught up from this week!

Question for you: What's a thought you're having this Thursday?  Have you tried the new Starbucks drinks?  Are you in to NASCAR?

Pregnancy Update: 34 Weeks

Hey y'all!  I was just about to say "Happy Tuesday" when I realized that today is actually Wednesday.  This short week is flying by for me, when normally they seem to drag on!

Since it feels like a Tuesday, let's just pretend that it is and jump right in to the pregnancy update!

Side note: I feel like it was just yesterday I told y'all I was pregnant!  How is it that there are only 6 weeks until my due date!?  The time is just flying by!

Pregnancy Update: 34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks (and 3 days)

Baby Bump progress: I normally take these pictures on Sunday, but this was taken yesterday:

Baby's Size? a butternut squash! About 5 pounds and 17-18 inches long

What's happening this week?  

• Baby Fish can react to and recognize songs--I'm sure there are plenty, as I've been known to sing along to the radio quite often!
• Baby Fish is urinating about a pint a day (good to know for diaper changes!)
• May begin to descend lower in the uterus to prepare for birth!

Total weight gain/loss: As of two weeks ago, 21.4 pounds total.  I go back to the doctor today, so I'll know an updated number for sure!

Stretch marks? no new ones!  The ones on my chest have faded a bit (thank goodness!), and I've been much more regular with my cocoa butter application.

Sleep: I slept TERRIBLY on Monday night thanks to some nasty acid reflux, but other than that, sleep has been good.  I've been waking up a few times each night, but I'm always able to go back to sleep relatively quickly.  Tequila is also a great snuggle buddy and loves to curl up right next to my belly.  She must know her little brother/sister is in there!

Best moment this week: Spending Valentine's weekend with Joe!

We went up to south Georgia to visit his grandparents and had a very low-key weekend.  We even got an extra day away thanks to President's Day!  For Valentine's Day, we went to Waffle House for a candlelight dinner and some good ole diner food!

They really did it up in there--they put colored plastic over the lights to dim them, had non-alcoholic wine to drink, took our picture and were going to print it out to mail to us, and even had a 4-course Valentine's menu to order from!  We stuck with their regular menu and had a good time.  Yummy!

Miss anything?: being comfortable for long periods of time in the car, alcohol, fitting in to my normal clothes (I REALLY need to get more maternity tops), breathing deeply/not getting winded so easily

Movement: This child moves all the time!  It's kind of fun to watch my stomach move all around, especially when I'm sitting down.  He/she responds when I lean something against my stomach by kicking at it, and if I put my hand over a limb that's kind of sticking out, it'll move it away.  It's kind of fun to play with him/her!

Food cravings: As normal, nothing specific.  I just have no portion control, but I'm working to get better on it.  I've wanted salt on ALL my food, but if I eat too much of it, my ankles swell.  No good.

Anything making you queasy or sick: On Monday night when I was dealing with my bad acid reflux, I thought I was going to be sick.  Luckily, though, I took some Tums and was able to sleep the rest of the night!

Gender: We'll find out when Baby Fish is born :)

Labor Signs: just some Braxton Hicks contractions maybe once a day(going to confirm this with the doctor today), but other than that none!

Symptoms:

• swollen ankles (not cute!)
• Braxton Hicks contractions
• some blurry vision (after looking at a screen for too long)
• growing belly!  People are actually telling me I'm getting big now (never thought I'd be excited to hear that!)

Belly Button in or out? still in, but it's flattening out (and pretty weird!)

Wedding rings on or off? on!  They do get a little tight when I get really warm and toward the end of the day

Happy or Moody?: happy this week, except for while watching the newest episode of Grey's Anatomy!  Warning to the pregnant ladies (and anyone else, really) that has it DVRed: have a full box of tissues handy!!  It's a hard one to get through.

Funny moments this week: On Friday, my friend Kristie and I were texting back and forth almost all day.  It's kind of killing her that she doesn't know the gender of my baby (and finds out her baby's gender next week--she's due in July!), so we decided to put together a table of the old wive's tales about gender prediction to see what they said about each of us!

Well, as you can see, other than two of them (I didn't know if I was carrying high or low--my guess would have been high??), I am 50-50 on the gender!  So funny!  It was a pretty entertaining conversation, and I'm glad we got nowhere with trying to figure out Baby Fish's gender :)

Looking forward to: family/friends coming next weekend for another baby shower, meeting Baby Fish!

Exercise this week: really not much on the exercise front this week, but I did get in about 3 walks, including a lovely Sunday afternoon walk with Joe :).  I'm going to try to walk every day from here on out so that I at least get a little exercise in.  I'm also hoping to make it back to BodyPump, since I've had scheduling conflicts with it for about a month!

Tuesdays on the Run: Treadmill Running Tips

Hey everyone!  Once again, I dropped off the map.  Sorry!  It's been a lot for me to get things done around the house, take care of the pup, get workouts in, prepare for Baby Fish, etc. that I've just been too tired to get a blog post ready to go.  I keep saying every week I'm going to get better, and then I don't.  So, I'm just going to say that I will do my best with the blog, but taking care of myself and my household will be the #1 priority.

Anyway, I'm going to do the pregnancy update and share more about my weekend tomorrow because I have a fun topic to talk about today!

We're going to talk about running!  I'll be linking up with the lovely ladies behind MCM Mama Runs, Run the Great Wide Somewhere, and My No-Guilt Life for Tuesdays on the Run!

Since most of the East Coast is dealing with lots and lots of snow and many other areas are dealing with sub-freezing temperatures, I doubt people are spending much time running outside.  Guess what that means?  Treadmill running!  Not everyone really enjoys running on the treadmill, so today I'm going to share some tips for treadmill running.

(Side note: So glad this Tuesdays on the Run topic coincides perfectly with an old tradition around here of Treadmill Tuesday!)

Stick to your normal outdoor running workouts--just use the treadmill!
The treadmill doesn't have to derail your training.  In fact, it can actually enhance it!  You can still do your fartlek, speed workouts, Yasso 800's, long runs, hill repeats etc. on the treadmill.  In fact, I actually prefer to do speed work on the treadmill, since I can manually adjust the speed and force myself to run faster.  The treadmill really can be your friend!

Make a game out of it.

Whether it be a personal challenge or secretly competing with the person next to you, making a game out of a treadmill run will make the time go by much faster!

Bring a friend.
Workout buddies ALWAYS make things better!  If you have to run on the treadmill, bring your normal running buddy and chat away just like you would when running outside.  This is also a good test of your exertion level (you should be able to hold a conversation without much trouble when running)!

Switch up the running and strength training!
One thing that helps me with running on the treadmill is to run a set distance/time, complete a set of strength training moves, hop back on the treadmill for another set distance/time, then head back for another set of strength training.  I keep this up until I've completed all sets of my strength training workout AND the distance/time I wanted to run for.

Follow a treadmill workout.

Treadmill Speed Pyramid Workout

The beauty of the treadmill is that you can control the speed/incline very easily.  Completing a set treadmill workout always helps the time go by faster for me!  If I know I'm running at a faster pace/steeper incline for only 2 minutes, I'm much more motivated than just setting out to run X amount of miles.  A quick Google or Pinterest search will yield a ton of treadmill workouts, but I love the variety that Julie has on her Treadmill Workouts page.

Set a new goal each time.
Having a goal for each treadmill run will give purpose for your workout, as well as motivate you to actually complete it!  Maybe go up 0.1 mph on the speed each time, or run for one extra minute.  Whatever the goal, set one and strive to reach it for each treadmill workout!

Here are some other tips I've shared before on how to avoid dreading the treadmill!

Head on over to the Tuesdays on the Run link-up for more treadmill running tips (and to visit some great running blogs)!

Question for you;  What tips do you have for treadmill running?

WIAW #47: Multi-Meal Dishes

Hey, everyone!  I had a bit of a weird morning today--I woke up at about 4:45 and couldn't get back to sleep.  No fun!  Surprisingly, though, I was still getting to work at the normal time.  I guess knowing I had extra time made me move a little slow.  Oh well!

Today, I'm getting back in to a blogging tradition that I've fallen out of for some reason.  It's time for another edition of...

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Today, we'll be looking at some meals I've been eating this week.  Thanks to some meal planning, this week has been all about multi-meal dishes.  I haven't been very excited about cooking, so throwing some things together on Sunday that I can eat portions of throughout the week sounded great to me!  I'm switching off each these two dishes for lunch, and on days when I'm not feeling like cooking, I'll eat the other for dinner.

Pesto Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This recipe came form Becky at Olives 'n Wine.  I made this for a Thanksgiving pot luck at Joe's school this past year, and it got rave reviews.  I didn't get to try any (seriously, Joe's co-workers gobbled it all up!), so I was excited to try it out for myself.  This has really been a tasty lunch this week, and it's very healthy, too!

Mexican-inspired Rice Bowl

When looking for something else to throw together, I noticed I had plenty of ingredients to make a Mexican-inspired rice bowl.  Here's what all I put together:

• 1 package of Uncle Ben's Spanish Rice (the ready-in-90-seconds kind) 
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 package of frozen corn (the steam-in-bag kind)
• Salsa
• 1 avocado 

I mixed the rice, black beans, and corn in a resealable bowl, dished out a portion of it, added 1 avocado and just enough salsa.  I mixed everything together in my smaller bowl and had a very tasty meal!  Now, any time I want to eat this, I have the rice/bean/corn mixture ready to go, and I just add salsa and an avocado!  Quick, easy, and delicious--my kind of meal!

Having these dishes ready to go has made packing lunch in the morning so easy.  It's also great when I wanted a quick dinner on Monday (and probably tonight, as well!).

Question for you: Have you tried making a multi-meal dish for the week before?  Feel free to share some recipes with me if you want :)

Pregnancy Update: 33 Weeks + 5 Things NOT to Say to a Pregnant Woman

Hey there!  What's going on?  My procrastination has turned in to a busy week + lack of blogging yesterday.  I think I was able to get ahead with some things last night, though (thanks to multitasking--work project + blogging + The Bachelor + playing with the pup), so I shouldn't disappear any more this week!

Well, let's jump right in to today's post, shall we?  It's time for a pregnancy update!

Pregnancy Update: 33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks (and two days)

Baby Bump progress: I feel like Baby Fish grew a bunch this week!

Baby's Size? a durian...about 4.5 pounds and 18 inches long.  The doctor estimated that Baby Fish was 4 pounds last Tuesday, so that's about right!

What's happening this week?  

• More brain development this week
• Bones are starting to harden
• Keeping his/her eyes open while awake
• Beginning to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing

Total weight gain/loss: As of last Tuesday's appointment, 21.4 pounds total since the first appointment.  Although, I'm having trouble remembering the starting weight...I keep inverting numbers, but I think I've got the right starting weight!

Stretch marks? sadly, I discovered a few new ones in the chest region this week :-\  You better believe that I'm back on the regular cocoa butter application now!  Thankfully, after talking with a few friends with infants, they said they had the same thing happen and they went away fairly soon after birth.  Thank goodness, because these things aren't pretty!

Sleep: I just was not able to catch up on sleep last week from the Super Bowl, even though I was sleeping pretty well.  Thank God for the weekend, because I was able to rest up and feel much better so far this week!

Best moment this week: having a good doctor's appointment last Tuesday!  I met the last doctor at my OBGYN group (I see each of the four doctors throughout the pregnancy), and she is awesome.  It's always good to get a good report, too!  Now I'll start going more often from here until the end of the pregnancy.

Miss anything?: fitting in to my normal clothes--not much is fitting anymore!, being able to reach down comfortably, breathing deeply, being able to get up from a low-sitting chair/my car easily, alcohol, and exercising comfortably

Movement: oh, lots!  It's crazy how much Baby Fish is moving.  I watch my whole stomach move around, and I've started being able to feel limbs/body parts when they're pressing again my stomach.  So crazy!

Food cravings: like last week, nothing specific, but when I get the taste for something, I have to have it!  This week, it's been some Starbucks and Girl Scout Cookies.

Anything making you queasy or sick: not sick, but I have gotten a fair amount of acid reflux this week.  It usually happens after I've eaten poorly, so I'm working on better nutrition.

Gender: We'll find out when Baby Fish is born :)

Labor Signs: nothing this week (thankfully!)

Symptoms: 

• acid reflux
• shortness of breath when walking for a while/climbing lots of stairs
• growing belly (I feel like it happens daily)
• some feet/ankle swelling, particularly on days when I don't drink enough water

Belly Button in or out? still in, but it's flattening out (and pretty weird!)

Wedding rings on or off? on!  They do get a little tight when I get really warm, though

Happy or Moody?: mostly happy this week, but random things were making me tear up/cry this week.

Funny moments this week: On Sunday, I babysat the two boys I normally watch.  We were watching a show on Nick Jr., and it wound up being a math-y show!  I have to say, I was REALLY impressed!  I mean, this show was talking about dodecahedrons.  Many of my high school geometry kids couldn't tell me what that was!  Needless to say, Baby Fish will be watching this show once he/she is old enough :)  Gotta start 'em on the math track early!

Looking forward to: Valentine's Day this weekend, as well as continuing to work on decluttering/baby set-up!  It'll be nice to be able to tell people that we do have a room set up!

Exercise this week: This week was all about the walks.  I'm starting to feel more and more sluggish as Baby Fish grows, but walking is something I can still do fairly comfortably (and Tequila benefits, too!).  I also wound up not doing the 5K I signed up for on Saturday.  I woke up and just was not feeling like I could run that morning.  I still got in some activity, but I am glad I didn't run.

Tuesday-1.80 mile walk with Tequila

Wednesday-rest/busy day

Thursday-1.72 mile walk with Tequila

Friday-1.82 mile walk with Tequila

Saturday-about an hour of "outside time" with Tequila (running around, playing fetch, etc.)

Sunday-playing with the kids I babysat outside for a while

Monday-rest/busy day

I did get in some unconventional activity this week on top of my walks, so not a complete waste on the exercise front!

Baby Fish Feature: 5 Things NOT to Say to a Pregnant Woman

I've heard it all over the past 20 weeks (since we told people I was pregnant)!  I know people have the best intentions, but here's a list of things NOT to say to a pregnant woman, no matter what your intentions are!  If you do want to say something, I've suggested an alternative to have the same message without the negative connotation!

1. "Wow, you don't look very big for how far along you are!"

Even if this is true, just don't say it to the poor woman!  Two reasons for this one: first, she may worry that something's wrong with the baby--that's the last thing she needs!  Second, everyone's pregnancy is different, so just because she's smaller compared to another pregnant woman, she still probably notices every pound she's gained!  Hello, insecurity!  

Instead, say: "Wow, you look great!"

On the flip side...

2. "Look how big you've gotten!"

Yes, I'm sure the baby grew since the last time you saw this person.  But please, don't say it that way!  Comment on how the baby's grown, but don't tell the woman she looks big.  That comment + pregnancy hormones could lead to an ugly emotional outburst.

Instead, say: "Your baby is really growing!"

3. "I forgot to pick up the ____ you were craving"

Husbands: if you tell your pregnant wife you're going to pick up something she's craving and you don't, you best turn around and get it!  She's got her mind set on eating that thing, and if she's like me, she won't be able to rest until she eats it!

Instead, say: "Here, honey, I got your _______.  How about a foot massage, too?" :)

4. "You shouldn't be doing that, sit down and I'll do it for you"

True, pregnant woman should take it easy when it comes to lifting things, but don't tell a pregnant woman not to do something.  In most cases, she will let you know when she can't do something and needs help.  She doesn't need to hear what she can and can't do from other people.

Instead, say: "Let me know if you need anything!" or "Can I help?"

5. "Have you eaten lunch yet/Are you drinking enough water/Make sure you eat enough veggies!"

Just because she's pregnant doesn't mean she's COMPLETELY lost her mind.  Hopefully someone who is getting ready to have a child can take care of their own basic needs.  Let her take care of herself, unless you have a legit reason to be questioning her health.

Instead, say: "Do you want to grab lunch?" or "I have this great recipe to share with you!"

Question for you: Moms or other pregnant ladies-What else should people NOT say?