Maternity Clothes

Ah maternity clothes, it's a love/hate relationship.  I start off the day thinking I look pretty darn cute and then by the end of the day, when I'm feeling exhausted and beaten down, I think I look just plain frumpy. 

I do love the stretchiness of the clothing, the elastic waistbands and some of the apparel is kinda cute.  There are some pregnant women out there when you see them you think, they are soooo adorable, that's a cute outfit!  However maternity clothing can also look like a sack (shirts with ruching are the way to go), are somewhat expensive for the short amount of time you wear them, and they are baggy.  I for one can not seem to keep my pants up!  The ones with the full panels just keep fall down, taking my underwear with them.  I have to hold them up as I walk around....not to mention they do NOTHING for my backside (hence the bagginess)!  How I miss my Seven jeans!!!  I'm sure by my 3rd trimester the pants will fit much better and stay in place, but then I'll have a whole new issue.  All the stuff I can wear now probably wont fit later!!  Vicious vicious cycle. 

21 weeks

How I Look - The same as last week, loving my cute little baby bump.  It does throw me off when I see my profile reflected in a window.  Is that really me??

How I Feel -  Still feeling great.  My back only becomes sore when I sit in very uncomfortable chairs (i.e. the hard plastic chairs you find in large team rooms at work). 

Weight -   +4.5 lbs overall

Symptoms - None really.  I do still need the humidifier at night for my nose.  And now that the holidays are upon us I really miss being able to drink!  No wine during all the festivities with family & friends is gonna be tough, especially since that's the time everyone indulges (specifically NYE!).

Cravings -  Don't think I had any this week.  Though I did eat a whole bag of pistachios!

Exercise -  Went to the gym for elliptical and lights weights 2x's this week...but only managed to walk the dogs once.  Bad Tina.

What I'm Looking Forward To -  Picking out bedding for the nursery.  I've only viewed them online, eventually I need to go to a baby store and see them in person! 

What I'm Not Looking Forward To - I read that I have to start watching out for varicose veins!  Ack!  To help prevent or minimize varicose veins I need to: exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.  I am so NOT wearing hose.  Guess I need to be better about my exercise.

Odds and Ends - I keep reading I should be sleeping on my left side, but mostly I sleep on my back or my right side.  And actually not many people have noticed my bump...besides my friends that know what's going on, no one has said anything.  Every time I go to Pluckers they look at me like I'm crazy when I don't order my usual Pluckers lemonade (alcohol).  Go figure.  And today while at the gym I asked the manager if there were any upcoming moms-in-motions classes and she was shocked that I'm 21 weeks.  She was like "where's your bump??"

20 weeks - half baked!

I've hit the halfway mark!!!

How I Look - You can see a bump in my picture!

Weight -   +3 lbs overall

How I Feel -  Feeling great and doing well.

Symptoms - none

Cravings -  None really.  Still enjoy an occasional Oreo :)

Exercise -  Manged to fit in 2 elliptical workouts this week before the Thanksgiving holiday and walking the dogs every day.

What I'm Looking Forward To -  Decorating the nursery!  We are having a BOY! 

What I'm Not Looking Forward To - The baby registry...I hear its very overwhelming!  Good thing I have 2 good friends willing to walk me though it.  :D 
Odds and Ends - We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Malek's family and we have much to be thankful for this year!  Also managed to put up the Christmas tree and decorations yesterday, its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  And speaking of Christmas and gifts, today was Black Friday, so Malek and I woke up at 3:30am to do some shopping!  This was my first time shopping on Black Friday, it was actually OK until about 8:30am when it started getting busy.  We didn't make it back home until 10am - Whew!

20 weeks 11/25/2010 - Happy Thanksgiving!

We're having a...

BOY! 

4D image - Baby Boy Malek!  11/24/2010

We had our 20 week anatomy ultrasound this morning and to our surprise and delight we are having a boy! :)  Baby Boy Malek looked great and is tracking right on schedule.  He was being stubborn at first when trying to take specific shots of him and the tech asked which one of us was the stubborn one.  We said "both of us" in unison, which made the tech giggle.  There was no doubt that he's a boy as we had a nice full on view, HELLO BOY!  It was amazing watching him move on the screen and stretching those long legs!  Now we can focus on decorating the nursery and finding a name!  I think picking out the name is going to be the toughest part.  We just can't seem to agree on anything! 

We are super excited and extra thankful this year, perfect timing as Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  :)

Precious little foot - 11/24/2010

19 weeks

How I Look - I am more aware of my growing bump and think it's noticeable, however several co-workers told me this past Wednesday that they still can't tell I'm pregnant and keep asking when I will start showing.  Maybe next week I'll pop.... 

Weight -   +2 lbs overall

How I Feel -  Still feeling great, I never had any nausea (knock on wood).  I have noticed this week that my lower back starts to ache in the afternoons/evenings.  I also noticed it when I was washing the dishes...not so sure Malek will let me out of house work though.  :^P  It could be that my growing bump is throwing off my center of gravity and putting stress on my lower back or that my lower abdomen is stretching/pulling the round ligaments which could be causing the achy feeling.  Both sound plausible.  My seat heaters in the car are the perfect solution and feel awesome.  Guess I'll be breaking out my heating pad at home soon.
Symptoms - Occasional lower backaches.

Cravings -  Still craving oreos and a cold glass of milk!  I think we're on package #3 now; yes, Malek and the kids are eating them as well.

Exercise -  No more running for me.  Malek and my friends have all said its time for me to stop running. In fact A had a dream that she yelled at me for being so competitive and trying to run.  :^P  I did make it to the gym on Monday for elliptical and some light arm weights and I've started walking around the neighborhood after work with Sarah.  Other than that, motivation is low for working out...I think it's due to the upcoming holidays.  :D

What I'm Looking Forward To -  Finding out the gender next week!!!!  My brother has money on a boy, however general consensus is that it's a girl.  I'm giddy with excitement!
Odds and Ends - This week I said 'screw it' and decided to start wearing maternity clothes.  I can still fit into several of my normal jeans, but when I tried on some maternity pants last week I was sold on how comfy they are and decided not to wait any longer.  A co-worker was nice enough to let me borrow all her maternity pants (she's tall like me) and they are perfect!  My favorite pair of jeans are from Gap, super long sexy boot cut style.  :-)  I also started wearing some maternity shirts this week...mainly because all my other shirts feel too short.  I realized on Monday I was walking around and constantly pulling my shirt down...so I figured it was time to bite the bullet and break out the maternity shirts.  The shirts are super comfy and I love that they are longer in length.  So far clothing from Motherhood Maternity is my favorite.  Guess it's time to pack up my regular clothes and make room for the maternity apparel in my closet!

18 weeks

How I Look - Same as last week...no weight change. I do have a small bump...some days it feels HUGE though.
How I Feel -  Great!  Some of my pants feel a bit snug around the waistline...I tried on some maternity pants and they are oh so comfy, but still a bit big.  So I'm still wearing my regular jeans and low waisted pants.

Symptoms - I can breathe!!  The humidifier I borrowed from my brother-in-law is working wonders.  I can finally breathe through my nose while sleeping.  :D

Cravings -  Oreos!  I had bought some Halloween ones (with orange centers) a couple weeks ago and finally broke into them this past week with a big glass of milk.  I pretty much ate half of the box, Malek finished off the rest.  And I'm still wanting more!

Exercise -  I managed to run twice this past week, and hit the elliptical once.  This past Sunday was the Race for the Cure and I ran an average pace of 9:16!!  Not bad for being 17 weeks pregnant at the time.  :) 

What I'm Looking Forward To -  Still waiting to feel the baby move/kick.  I thought maybe I felt something this past week...but chalked it up to digestion or gas.  :^P 
Odds and Ends - This week the baby's hair and reproductive organs are forming!  Soon we will know if we are having a little prince or princess.  And last night I dreamt about baby names.  I kept hoping my mind would come up with a name we hadn't yet thought of...but I don't remember any new ones.  Oh well...and yes, I dreamt about both girl and boy names.  :D

 

18 weeks - 11/12/2010





17 weeks

How I Look - I think I look about the same.  Weight unchanged.  I'm still waiting for my belly to 'pop'. 
How I Feel -  Been a good week!  The past couple of days I've been exhausted by 9pm, other than that it's been an easy, comfortable week. 

Symptoms - My nose is still irritated/congested.  Borrowed a humidifier this week so I'm hoping that helps.

Cravings -  Nothing.  I went with A&J for sushi this week (don't worry all my stuff was cooked), and the smell of baked scallops about made me gag.  That's my first real aversion to food and the way it smelled.  I could eat it as long as I didn't smell it.  :^P

Exercise -  I've run twice this week, Tues and Thurs.  More than likely my last run will be this Sunday for The Race for the Cure.  After that my running will be sporadic at best, possibly nonexistent.  Hopefully I'll keep up with the elliptical machine.

What I'm Looking Forward To -  Still waiting to feel the baby move/kick.  Come on baby, flutter!  :) 
Odds and Ends - I read on the internet that at week 17 you should start rubbing your 'pooch' to help comfort the baby, this also helps with bonding, and the baby should be hearing things now!  I wonder if he/she will be as jumpy as me?  :D  Maybe I'll finally feel the baby move!  Also the baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage into bone (ossifying). 

Tomorrow we are going to Wurstfest...no bier for me...but I will indulge in all the yummy sausage and potato pancakes!