33, Look at Me

I know I just did a 32 week update, but I feel like there has been so much to write about and I missed out on a lot in last post. Plus, I love writing. I'm starting to think that instead of posting statuses on Facebook, I might start blogging more so people who are actually close enough to me to want to read through my blogs will be able to know about what's going on in my life. I'm on a new "unplugging" kick where I'm trying to detach from social media and spend more quality time talking to people... through talk, not type. 

At 33 weeks, I'm feeling at my best. I thought the whole third trimester was filled with aches, pains, hormones, and basically three months of trying to get this baby out as soon as possible. Even though I still have some annoying symptoms, it's exceeding my expectations. As I said in my last post, we are finally close enough to the due date that reality is kicking in. We are building up the nursery, starting to pack and prepare for when I go to the hospital, and getting prepared for when baby Ryan comes home. It's exciting!! I haven't been this excited about the baby since we first found out I was pregnant. 9 months is a long time, and after a while, you tend to lose interest in the final product which makes all of the pregnancy symptoms more irritable. 

I feel energized, happy (rather than bitter) about my big ol whale belly, and I'm still able to stay active. I originally was going to stop teaching Zumba as of Aug 1, but I still feel beyond great when I teach so I extended my classes another couple weeks and I couldn't be happier. Teaching Zumba is my sanity and my passion and I was dreading the day I had to slow it down. I'm glad I get a little extra time with my students before labor. 

I love that I still somewhat have my "ab" lines. I really am just a belly. It's cute to see how small of a space Ryan really has in there. My belly button still hasn't popped but it's sure getting close! 

If anyone is pregnant and reading this, I want to recommend registering at Babies R Us over Target. Why? Well, they mostly have the same things, but at Babies R Us, you get rewards back whenever someone buys something off of your registry. We did a bunch of shopping this week-and we were able to add more to our registry, buy it, we'll get money back off that purchase after my due date, andddd when I got home, we had a coupon for 10% off our registry purchase so I brought my receipt back the next day and they did a price adjustment and gave us back our $38 savings in cash. They are so good and helpful there. Target does have some awesome stuff-mostly the cute outfits/bedding that Babies R Us doesn't have, but they don't really give you any rewards back nor did anyone at guest services really seem to have knowledge about the baby registry. Plus, at Babies R Us, you get 12 months from your due date to return any gifts you don't use. Target just has their basic return policy. 

When we were back home, we went to Buy Buy Baby (we don't have it out here) and it was awesome! They are owned by Bed, Bath, and Beyond so they honor their coupons. Yesterday, we went online and ordered a bunch of wall decals for the nursery. I wanted to see if they'd still accept coupons so I did their "online chat with a pro" option and the guy was really nice and price adjusted our order to give us 20% off an item. Very cool. Another good place to register.

I finally finished writing out thank you notes from the baby shower. It brings me joy when you have the EXACT amount of thank you cards vs. people. I ordered them months ago so it was exciting that I was right on the dot. I have this weird obsession with putting stickers on envelopes, so I went and spent $10 just on baby stickers that I know will end up in the trash probably 5 seconds after opened. But I think they are super cute and I have some left over for whenever I get to scrapbooking baby Ryan's life. 

My baby stickers :)

I'm a nut! But I love it. 

I still have a couple weeks before my next drs. appointment and our first birthing class (finally!), but I think I'm going to spend as much time as I can just reading up on labor (I know you seem to forget everything once you go into labor, but I like the comfort of knowledge beforehand because that's the kind of person I am) and post-delivery to have an idea of what to expect when we go home and, you know, what we are actually supposed to do with this baby once he's here. I truly am excited and each day has been super fulfilling this week :)

32 Weeks, lots of updates

I am at the end of week 32 of pregnancy. We have less than two months until our due date. It's power hour. I'm slowly becoming more and more ready for this. I have had a lot going on in the past three weeks, so let me update you all. 

A couple weekends ago, my husband and I ran probably my last 5k for a while. It felt long, and I felt very heavy and out of shape. I kept trying to pinpoint what it was that was bringing me down (cramps, breathing, aches/pains) and I really didn't have one specific thing that was causing me to run more slowly than usual. I literally just felt out of shape-like my legs weren't in enough shape to carry my stomach. I may have left footprints in the cement with the way my feet were dragging. I'm so grateful for my husband because he stayed by my side til the end and encouraged me the whole way. I probably would have given up if he wasn't there with me. We finished the race in 29:02. I was hoping for a better time, however I'm still proud of the time we got considering how far along I am. 

31 weeks-getting ready for our 5K

Last night, we got home at about midnight from a week-long vacation to see family. I learned A LOT about my body and baby:

• Sleeping on a plane at 7 months is probably the most obnoxious thing I've encountered. Our flight left at 10pm, and my body was in spasm mode the whole time. My poor husband who felt me move and twitch throughout the 5 1/2 hour flight was a trooper. Not only was my body achy (and unable to stretch out), but I had a sinus headache, and felt incredibly nauseous while baby H kicked me from the inside all night long. It was miserable. Pretty sure I cried at one point due to body pain. Oh, and I was itchy-it felt like I had fleas to top it all off. After 3 hours of sleep, it felt great to finally be back on land and take some morning naps on my parents couch.

• I can still be in shape and take it easy at the same time. I worked out every day while home except for our last day (when a good 12 hours of it were dedicated to travel). I did three Zumba classes, ran a couple miles, swam, and spent Thurs morning walking around the Shedd then over to Millennium park. I told my husband a few times that I didn't quite reach the workout levels that I had wanted to (as I usually do in my daily routines out here) however, I also didn't have the luxury of just stopping and resting my feet whenever I wanted. I would much rather have spent my energy walking around shopping, downtown, or wherever with my family than going all out at the gym. It was definitely worth it. 

At the bean in Chicago

• Swimming is better than chocolate. Being in Alaska, we don't have hot summer days like they do back home, which means outdoor pools are nonexistent. Not only does the water feel AMAZING as a way to cool me off from the humidity, but my body felt heavenly. I felt mobile again. I could twist, roll, turn, and dive without the unattractive grunting attached. I was weightless and it was incredible. And the baby loved it. The first time we hit the water, he was happy and kicking the entire hour that I swam.  

While I was home, my mom, sister, and aunt threw me a baby shower which means that I got to see so many more friends and family than I usually get to. I am so lucky to have a good support system out there, and now baby H has a room full of adorable outfits and other goodies. The hardest part about the shower is that I felt like I barely had time to talk to anyone. Every time I sat down to say hi to someone, someone else walked in. I never get to see family so it's hard only getting 5 mins at a time with everyone! But it was such a lovely shower and I'm grateful for even the couple mins I got with my guests. 

Baby shower at Ditkas. 

Our trip back to Anchorage sucked. We had a layover in LA (LAX is the worst airport I've been in thus far) which means we had about 9 hours of flight time alone and due to LAX sucking, our hour and a half between flights turned into me being able to sit with my feet up for about 5 minutes while waiting for food before boarding. My feet were very swollen last night, so my goal this week is to make sure they get lots of elevation and to stretch my body out while resting between activities. 

Other updates during pregnancy:

I feel like I'm back in my first trimester-only fatter. Smells make me nauseas (I can't tell you how many times I almost used that barf bag on the plane or have to walk away while cooking), my body is so tired from minimal activity, I am back to being able to nap during the day, acne-everywhere, my back aches, and I have cravings only for certain foods. A good handful of foods makes me sick or have acid reflux. Unfortunately, these foods consist of anything healthy. My body tends to draw towards ice cream, anything with sugar really, and carbs, so my goal now that I'm done with vacation is to get back to clean eating and try to pump up my protein intakes while reducing sugar. Safe to say that Tums is again my new best friend. 

Other than that, things are really starting to sink in-especially since we had our baby shower. Our next big step is having the baby!!! We have settled on the name Ryan for baby H (my husbands middle name). We are still debating middle names, but now that we've named the puppy, we can't give him up. It's becoming a reality and I'm getting very excited about our next stage in life. In the mean time, I'm just organizing the nursery and making sure we're loading up on all that we'll need. I think we're getting close to being due-date ready :)

Decor I painted for the nursery

Third Trimester Beginnings

*Just a warning, this is a long post-lots of updates :)
Boy oh boy!!  I cannot believe how much has happened in the past few weeks and how BIG I am. Remember the days when I kept looking for a little bump and getting all excited to finally start showing? Well now there's no hiding it. I'm out of the closet and there's no turning back. You know you've popped when complete strangers bring up the fact that I'm pregnant without even asking first. I really want to pull that, "I'm not pregnant" card and make them all feel like jerks, but I don't think I could say that to someone with a straight face. 

This was at the beginning of week 28. I'm plumping up quickly. 

I am 29 weeks pregnant (and 5 days). At my last doctors appt a few weeks ago, she (some new chick that I've never seen before) assured me that my weight and belly growth are right on track. I refuse to know how much weight I've been gaining-for me, weight loss and scales never mixed, and the thought of adding pounds stresses me out, so guess what? I go into complete denial and tell them not to tell me my weight, and only tell me if I need to start gaining/losing more. So far, I've had no problems. 

I am getting frustrated with the JBER medical clinic right now. I'm in the 3rd trimester-it's go time. But the doctor I've been seeing for the first 2 trimesters is all of a sudden "too busy" or whatever so my last appt and my next won't even be with her. When I called to try to change my next appointment so that I can see her, they told me, "chances are, when you have the baby, Dr. Hansen won't even be available to deliver your baby. You usually don't get your practitioner when you deliver." Um... excuse me? Could you maybe have $#(*@&% told me this to start? So I guess she has a "team" of 6 people that I rotate with and I'll see anyone on that team-except for my next appt. They tried to make it with some midwife that wasn't even on her "team" and I was not cool with that. I got my appt changed, so next week I get to meet a 4th random teammate. 

Another frustration of mine. I went to take the glucose test. I wait at the lab for an hour before I'm even called up there. Now of course, the doctor didn't really give me details of what I was going in for, just that I had to go in the day before my appt to get blood work done. They call me up, draw some blood (from both arms, two different tests) and I'm off on my merry way. This was at 9am. At 3 pm, as I have groceries and my dog in the car, I get a phone call saying they messed up the glucose test (they were supposed to give me that drink, which they never did) and I had to come back. Well, this was at 3, they closed at 4:30-so they said to come first thing in the morning. I went back before my 10am appt, got my drink, sat there for an hour, and got called back to take blood. The girl giving me shots messed up-twice and had to call another guy over to draw my blood. By the time I left there, I had 5 needle holes in my arm from a 24 hours time frame. I was not a happy camper. I still don't even know what the test results are.. so hopefully they fill me in at my appt next week (oy!). Gotta love the military. I guess you get what you pay for... 

We had a ball for my husbands brigade a couple weeks ago. Not many places sell maternity gowns, in case anyone was wondering. After shopping a bit, I discovered that I can fit my belly and boobs somewhat well into a size 12-so I went with it. I had a good time, as most designated drivers do at a celebration.. but felt large. I didn't feel beautiful like I usually do in a ball gown, and being the pregnant girl on the dance floor honestly made me feel like I was one of those girls on 16 and pregnant or something. I feel like pregnancy and sexy do not mix. I did have fun, but I also felt really uncomfortable most of the time. I even lost my earring down my dress and couldn't find the backing of it until I got home and took my clothes off. It was hidden in the giant abyss of boobs I have going on down there. They are now officially so big you really can lose things in there. 

At the military ball. I must admit-this was a good picture. As the night went on, I looked more and more like Shamu on camera

On a more positive note, my husband and I ran the Color Run this past weekend!! And we actually did run it (I don't do this walking nonsense). We started at 8:00 and crossed the finish line at 8:25. I don't think it was a 5k-at least, it didn't feel like it was 3.2 miles, but maybe it was, but I think our time was really good. My husband said he was proud of me and it feels good to be acknowledged like that :) On top of that, it was so much fun! We both had a really good time, but didn't stay too long because I didn't want to be on my feet all day. I'm going to try to convince him to do another 5k with me next weekend. We'll see how it goes!

After running the color run!!

Overall, I have been dealing with some minor symptoms as I enter this trimester. Acid reflux is a bitch. I try to watch what I eat because that stuff SUCKS! So miserable. I get a lot of muscle spasms when I'm trying to sleep and when I wake up. In fact, the idea of going to bed is no longer appealing because I feel so miserable laying down and trying to get comfortable. My skin isn't comfortable anymore. I'm either itchy, or achy, or dry, or too hot, or too cold. And to think, this is just the beginning... I think I'm overdue for another pre-natal massage. I need to remember that it's okay to spend money to pamper myself. It's just hard when there are so many other bills to pay. *Sigh*

This is been a longer update, so I'll end with this. Over the weekend, a couple girls out here threw my a baby shower! It was so beautiful and special (they made amazing decorations and food-like Pinterest come to life) and I had such a lovely time. It still doesn't feel real that I'm going to be a mom and have a baby, but getting gifts from people slowly is making that thought come to life. Sometimes I get so caught up being annoyed with pregnancy that I forget once it's over, there's an actual purpose to it. I get something back out of it and it's not all just for nothing. I have to remind myself that there really is a baby that will be coming home with me in just a few months. It seems like a DUH thought, but despite all the changes and the hustle and bustle of my every day life (I still don't even feel like I have time to sit down some days) it's very easy to forget. 

Diaper bouquet from my shower :)

Just some of the many decorations

THREE MONTHS TO GO!

Today we are THREE months away from my due date!! Holy cow I cannot believe I'm entering the third trimester. 

Well, actually, I can. Those symptoms that I had throughout the first trimester which made me ever-so-grateful to enter into the second have returned. They include the following: 

• Heartburn (just plain sucks)
• Constipation (tmi-I'm aware, but I want people to know how pregnant ladies suffer)
• Lower back pain
• Peeing through the night
• Acne. Acne. More acne. *Sigh*
• Andddd... I'm probably experiencing mood swings more than I have this whole time. (Sorry hubby)

And probably a few more that I can't recall at the moment. Let me tell you, I'm not looking forward to the fact that these issues may not end until there's a body clawing its way through my vagina. 

My last post, I was having sciatic pain in my right butt cheek. It was awful, and then one day last week, I woke up and it was gone! Well, this week, I'm experiencing it on my left butt cheek :/ There have been a couple times while teaching a Zumba class that I've winced in pain and had to breathe through it. Hey look, I'm practicing for labor already! 

Work out wise, I have been doing awesome! Well, I might have a different story to tell you on Saturday. I have been subbing Zumba classes right and left. I had 5 last week and I have 7 this week! My biggest challenge will be tomorrow: I have two back to back classes. I'm planning to keep them medium-paced so I don't overdo anything. Today was my day off and I ran 2 miles with my Belle to prepare us for the 5K we have in a couple weeks. I felt great! Last week I felt nothing but preggo when I ran, but I think my legs are finally toning up a bit to carry the extra weight. They even look a little more shapely in the thighs :)

Look how cute and preggo I am! Getting ready for a 2 mile run (while my Denali creeps in the background). 

Outside of teaching, I have been extremely busy. We spent the last week moving out of our old house into our new one. I LOVE OUR NEW HOUSE!!! I'm definitely in nesting mode- throwing out old stuff, selling items, and buying lots of new goodies. My favorite toy: We bought the Roomba! Best. Vacuum. Ever. Our whole place is practically carpet, and we have three dogs that are still shedding their "winter" coats somehow, so this little robot is a miracle worker! 

Lastly, I read Jenny McCarthy's book Belly Laughs over the weekend. She's a nut, but I liked it. It's super short (each chapter is maybe 3 pages) and simply goes over her experiences during pregnancy. It seemed like she had a lot of symptoms to the extreme. It made me grateful that my first trimester was not nearly as awful as hers, however I did a lot of thinking about how much I really did go through (the aches, the pains, the embarrassing women things). I really wanted my husband to read this book to really understand what a woman goes through, but he refused. Oh well. I recommend the book, not as an informative piece rather an entertaining, chatting-with-your-girlfriend kind of book. 

Tomorrow I'm marked at 27 weeks. It seems like each week is completely different. This week, baby boy barely kicked. Well, no, he kicked a bit, however it was no where near as powerful as last week-thankfully. Just little flutters. I also sense he's dropped low in my belly, which is probably why I don't feel like I'm in Alien this week. I have a drs appt next week and then we have a military ball to attend. More updates to come :) Thanks for reading!

25 Week Mark

Happy June All! This is going to be one crazy month. Last month was awful. I spent the week before and all of Memorial Day weekend sick. Not just the typical cold- I'm pretty sure within 5 days I went from chest cold, to fever, to sinus cold, back to chest cold. Usually when I'm sick, I can still get up and work out-maybe not to the intensity I usually do, but generally I can do some sort of movement. Not this time. My body ached, I had zero energy, and I took lots of naps, which, if you have lived with me, you'd know naps are not something that come easily to me. From Wednesday to Tuesday I took time off of my exercise, and when I finally got back into it, it did not come easily. In fact, nearly a week later, I can still feel my body trying to recover doing daily activities. 

When it comes to meds, there really isn't much out there. I found out I can take basic Robitussin (after I started feeling better), Benadryl which helped me sleep at night, and for the first time, tried a Neti pot, which was super weird, but it cleared my sinuses fairly well. 

I have also been suffering from right butt cheek pain. I took the problem to Facebook and it appears that I have a pinched Sciatic nerve-common with pregnancy. It sucks! It hurts when I work out (which is basically always), when I lay down, when I sit, when I walk, and it even enters into spasm mode just from breathing. So irritating! I've been stretching, massaging it, and tonight I'm putting a heating pad on it to see if it will ease any of the pain. This has been going on for two weeks now. It's not comfortable. 

Getting ready for bed. 

So about this baby boy that's growing in me. ALL. HE. DOES. IS. KICK. Boy oh boy it's never ending! I had been sleeping through the night until I got sick a few weeks ago, and (despite the Benadryl) I'd constantly wake up. Every time I wake to change positions, he's kicking! I have woken up every hour between 9 and 6 a few of those nights and what do ya know? There he is kicking. I have a feeling it's going to get rough in my last month when he has less space in there! Do I even have to share that he's kicking as I write this? Cause he is. 

I must admit, I was grateful to have him kick while I was sick. I could barely eat for three days, and when I did, things didn't really settle well. I basically lived off of gatorade and milkshakes while sick, so feeling him kick gave me comfort knowing at least he still had some energy. I could tell though that he was feeling as drained as I was. His kicks were not nearly as strong nor lasted as long as they usually do. I'm very glad that I'm feeling better and able to nourish him properly now. 

Okay, so we get the point that I've been sick and miserable. On a higher note, we have lots to look forward to this month. This week and next week, we will be in the process of moving to a new house on base which means everything will be so much closer. It won't take me 15 minutes just to get to the nearest.. anything. We'll have a grocery store right down the street, and the hospital won't be 30 minutes away. I'm pumped!!! I've been wanting to move for so long and I'm even more excited to start working on a nursery next weekend :) Plus, we'll be saving money which we can use towards stuff that I know we'll need once baby gets here. 

I also have the color run at the end of the month. Another 5K to prepare my body for :) I really wanted to run this last summer and couldn't, so I am not letting anything stop me this year. I'm feeling great and hanging in there as I approach the third trimester in a few more weeks. 

5-Month Festivus

We have officially surpassed the 4 month countdown until our donut baby comes (hopefully). I am at week 23, and if you know anything about Seinfeld, you will know that this title alludes to the following list of grievances. 

My love handles and ass. These are two aspects of my curvy out-of-the-ordinary white girl figure that took lots of hard work at the gym (and the kitchen) to get rid of. Seeing my love handles disappear was a huge accomplishment for me, so now that my mother bearing hips have grown them back, I tend to get extremely frustrated looking in the mirror. I normally wouldn't post a silhouette picture that makes them clearer than day, however I am doing it to show the truth that pregnancy is not as "cute' and "adorable" as it's cracked up to be. And the worst part is that there is nothing I can do in the gym to get rid of them-it's just how my body handles weight. My badonkadonk-same deal. It's frustrating to have a big belly, and then some junk in the trunk. I just look like a freaking infinity sign. Okay, I'll stop ranting about my beautiful, maternal body and move on. 

23 week silhouette. 

Binge eating has slowed down in comparison to the last few weeks. I feel like I actually have days where I'm in control! Yay! This boy is craving hot dogs, so I think I've gone through two packs of Ballpark franks in the last 2 weeks. That phase is over now, and my husband is grateful. 

At my last check up, my doctor told me that I have a big baby. Big, as in 95th percentile big. Big, as in "you may be further along that we're predicting" big. Which is fine if I have the baby a little sooner than expected, although we still are crossing our fingers for Sept. 9th as his due date. However, I am not okay with popping out a 10 pound turkey from my oven. Both my husband and I were big babies-which is unsettling. I get it, women's bodies are meant to give birth to babies of all sizes, and just because I have a big baby doesn't necessarily mean I'll tear, and with meds, I may not feel anything, and blah blah blah. That's great, I still want my baby to be between 7 and 8 pounds. Hopefully as we get closer to the due date, we will know more about how accurate his sizing is. 

I get bigger by the day. I teach Zumba and every week, I have people saying, "wow, you're so much bigger than last week!" Am I? I should only be gaining like... 1/2-1 lb a week so it worries me that I'm looking more like a marine sea mammal every 7 days. 

Believe it or not, I'm not in a bad mood while writing this. I'm actually very high-spirited at the moment and super excited about the next few weeks. We finally got a house available to live on base, so we move in 2 1/2 weeks, which means I start decorating the nursery way sooner than I thought! I am PUMPED. Also, as of this weekend, we are officially registered at Babies r Us and Target. Let me tell you, I am a shopper. I love shopping, decorating, planning, and coordinating, but I DO NOT like registering. I honestly can't even tell you what we registered for because it was so overwhelming and after a while, G and I just kept pulling random things to scan. We definitely reached our limit, but the good news is its over with, and we've covered all the main necessities. 

Another reason I don't want a giant baby: I want him to fit into this newborn outfit we got for when he comes home from the hospital!!! It's so little :)

Except one: a diaper bag. I am a girl who loves my purses. Coach is probably my favorite brand and I have more purses than I ever need--all used and loved however. I somehow end up buying myself a new purse every year as a reward for just being alive and carrying things with me. It's an obsession and I'm trying to stop. This sickness means that finding the perfect diaper bag to carry around with me every day is nearly impossible. I'm a girl who likes fine leather, not square-like totes, so I'm going to really have to do my browsing and find something I can be happy with. Let's face it-for me to spend $400 on a diaper bag with a baby on the way means that I truly should be going to therapy. At least I know when to stop. I just don't want to settle. 

These have been my updates. It's already a long post, so feel free to stop reading (who knows, maybe you already had) but I want to sit back and reflect on motherhood for a few more paragraphs. 

I am going to be a good mother. I know this because I already am. I am a crazy dog lady to 3 dogs, but they make me such a good mommy that I know a baby will be a snap (yes, I am aware that babies are different than dogs and have different needs). Three crazy, needy dogs. They have tested my patience many a times. I think my patience levels have developed beyond regular growth rates. I have mastered the practice of taking deep breathes through frustration without yelling and grown to realize that every single thing I buy has the potential to get broken, eaten, or stained. I like nice things, so this was not a fun lesson to learn, but I have. 

When we first got our chocolate lab in Georgia, she had diarrhea for the first 5 months and would continuously wake us up through the night. My record for times getting up in the night is 12. 12 times in one night. And we didn't have a yard, so we had to take her outside, on a leash and stand in the dark waiting for her to do her thing. It was dreadful, and I am prepared for sleepless nights as such. 

Along those lines are waking up to messes. Cleaning up diarrhea, vomit, or huge pee puddles at 3:30 in the morning is not fun, but it's part of motherhood. I think the best was a couple weeks ago when I suddenly felt nauseous, laid down and 20 seconds later witnessed Cato projectile vomit all over his doggie bed. Did I mention he had just eaten breakfast-none of which was digested? You don't get breaks to yourself when you're a mom. I already know and experience that part. 

These dogs follow me around EVERYWHERE! I imagine it'll be the same with kids, except instead of not being able to leave a room without tripping over a dog, it'll be not being able to leave a room with hearing "mom!" for every little thing. As a mom, I am a popular choice for all needs. 

I also brush my dog's teeth every morning, give my other dog eye drops twice a day, every day (probably for the rest of her life) in addition to antibiotic drops twice a day in her right eye, have been taking my "fat" dog for weekly walks every single week (yes, through the winter) for her to lose weight, and have been through countless other medical procedures for these critters to make sure that they are healthy throughout the years. And if pulling string from a dog's butt isn't motherhood, then I don't know what is. 

Lastly, to emphasize my point of crazy dog lady status, I celebrate each dog's birthday. This past weekend was Denali's first birthday. Not only did I bake doggie cupcakes, but we took him on a morning hike and bought him a new frisbee. We do this for each dog. In fact, when they hear the "happy birthday" song, they all get excited because they think they are getting treats. I love these dogs with all my heart, and I go above and beyond caring for them because that's what mothers do. I think my point is is that people tend to always say, "Well, you don't really know how hard it is to be a mom," or "wait til the baby wakes you up 5 times a night" or other statements like that. Labor is something I am terrified of because I haven't experienced it, but as for being a mom- I am more than prepared for the next 18 years of living like a full-time Zombie who is needed every second of every day. I am ready, and I am excited. 

My little Denali's first birthday celebration. 

21-Loads of Fun

Week 21 has been quite eventful, I must say (as all "21" related events should be). At 21 weeks, my hubby came home from a month of training, I ran my second ever 5K, and we found out the sex of our donut baby! Let's start with the 5K before we get to the good stuff. 

This weekend there was the Pet Fun Run. I took my baby girl, Belle with me and we attempted our first 5K together. I was a little skeptical about this whole situation because 1. I was recovering from a long week of being sick 2. Belle had never run a 5K before 3. It was supposed to hit 70 degrees that day, and knowing my chocolate lab, she slows down and poops out easily in the sun, and 4. Registration was an hour before the race, which meant that for an hour, Belle would be interacting with a bunch of other dogs. I was hoping that wouldn't tire her out. 

Me and my running buddy. We rocked the 5K with a 26:39 time! 

It didn't, but the sun sure did. She and I do weekly runs and we've built up to 2.5 miles so I was a little worried about that last .7 miles. She pooped out. She stopped, laid down, and if it weren't for the fact that I brought dog food with me, she never would have gotten back up. I dragged her butt the last 5 blocks or so and I was SO proud of her when we crossed the finish line. We were both wiped, BUT this 21 week, sick pregnant lady and dog did it in 26:39!! I'm so proud of that time and feel like I really accomplished something this weekend. And don't worry, and no point did I feel like I had to push my body to make it to the end, I felt GREAT for the whole run. 

With my hubby coming back this weekend, we were able to go to our ultrasound appointment together yesterday. I waited extra long so he could be there by my side. I was beyond ready to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl. For me, I am so incredibly lucky because this is now the fourth time during this pregnancy that I've been able to see our baby. It truly is awesome to see it go from a blob, to a gummy bear, to a baby with limbs, to something that looks so humanlike with facial features. 

The chin was tucked under, but I still love seeing the features of that nose and lips!

The appointment was kind of boring, I'm not going to lie. We were there for about 45 mins as they took measurements of EVERYTHING. We saw every single nook and cranny on this baby. With that being said, we had much proof that we are having.... A BOY! We are so excited. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that I'm not having a girl, but I'm still thrilled thinking about being a mother to a little son. Any boy that has the flesh and blood of my husband is going to be the absolutely cutest thing in the world! I finally got to see G's baby pictures and my heart melts with the idea that I get a mini-him. He's going to be such a good dad. 

So it looks like the myths from last week are nothing more than just myths. And yes, that includes the heart rate one. This boy has a fast heart rate-so for everyone who told me that's usually a definite sign that it's a girl, it's not anymore. Maybe his fast heart rate has something to do with the energy he has because he kicks like crazy all the time! It sometimes takes me by surprise when I get a big ol' thump on my stomach. I have a follow-up appointment on Friday so hopefully I'll have some more info on how this boy is doing. 

Did I mention I am SO excited?!?! 

I probably shouldn't have done white against white, and maybe showered, but I'm finally getting out of that awkward "winter weight" phase and looking pregnant!