Pregnancy: 22 Weeks

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Am I an elephant? Because they endure pregnancy for 3 years and that's how I'm feeling right about now. People who say their pregnancy went by so fast... bunch o' liars! Ask my son, he'll vouch for me. "IT'S TAKING FOREVER, MOM, WHEN IS THE BABY GONNA BE HERE!?!?" And we are just barely over halfway. How am I ever going to make it without going crazy!?!?

This baby's movements have really picked up the past week. Yesterday she moved and squirmed alllllll day. I've decided that either she only sleeps at night, or she is a crazy sleeper like my other two kids and just kicks and wiggles in her sleep. OR... she never sleeps at all. Thinking back on Jordan's early days (years...) that's probably most likely. 

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Today's Date: 8/22/17

How many weeks: 22 weeks 6 days

Trimester: 2nd

How big is the baby?: About the size of a spaghetti squash (at our ultrasound last week she measured about 11 inches, approximately 1 pound.)

Weight gain: 18 lbs. Y'all. I'm gaining so fast that at this rate I'm going to put on MORE than I did with Jordan... WHICH WAS OVER 55 POUNDS. I did so good the first 18 weeks. And now I'm packing on up to 2 pounds EACH WEEK. My body loves being pregnant and packing on the fluff. OH WELL I'LL GET OVER IT. Right!? This baby seems to be taking up space in my thighs, butt, face, back, and boobs... really, kid!? But I'm going to keep tracking it and taking all the dumb bump photos so that someday I can look back and appreciate what my body has done. As for right now, I'm just super annoyed and self-conscious... LOLTKFC (laughing out loud to keep from crying)

Food cravings: Nothing specific... just ALL THE FOODS.

Food aversions: None. Like literally. Feed me anything, I'll be fine.

Gender: Girl!

Diet: I watch what I eat. I watch it while it's on the fork/spoon all the way to my mouth. HA. But no, really, I'm still tracking all my food on MyFitnessPal. They say 2nd trimester your body needs about 350 extra calories a day... not sure I believe this considering how my body is reacting to all these "necessary" extra calories. But I'm also grateful for the excuse to eat more, because I'm hungry. All the time.

Breakfast: usually coffee (with coconut oil, milk, honey, and vanilla extract).

Mid-morning: I'll have a snack, like a banana, apple, protein bar (I was eating peanut butter all the time but I ran out and refuse to bring another jar to work with me... I can't be trusted)

Lunch: chicken, rice, and grilled veggies (whatever I have on hand - usually always bell peppers, carrots, onion, tomato). And I usually add pepperjack cheese! Mmmmm.

Afternoon snack: Protein bar, fruit, or veggies with some ranch.

Dinner: Everything that exists in my pantry. I usually cook and we have family meal in the evenings, but it's definitely my "heaviest" meal of the day. Meat, potatoes, vegetables, BREAD. And I tend to eat wayyyy too much.

Evening snack: Even worse than dinner. Ice cream, cereal, popcorn, fruit snacks... sometimes just one of these, sometimes all of the above. HA!

Exercise: The "want to" part of it is getting harder, because it's physically getting so much harder and ugh... I get so HOT and I SWEAT soooooooo much. If you know me, you know that on a normal day, pre-pregnancy, I would sweat more than the average male. Add the extra weight/blood supply/whatever else goes on... and I'm drenched before the workout starts. It's embarrassing. BUT... I'm still doing it. I just do it reallllly slow and my breathing feels like it's louder than the music and I leave a puddle of sweat wherever I go.. but I still do it.

Aches and pains: Back, hips, legs, feet, knees... But mostly hips. And my shoulder.. LOL I don't think I can blame that one on pregnancy, though...

Maternity clothes: YES. I can still fit into a lot of my dresses and SOME of my [super stretchy] jeans... but I realllllly need new clothes. Even my "big" comfy shorts are getting tight. JOY.

Favorite moment this week: ULTRASOUND! (technically this was last week but I'm behind, here). This little baby is a SQUIRMER, just like her brother was. The nurse had a hard time getting all the anatomy measurements because she wouldn't stop moving around.

As you know, it's a GIRL! I had a feeling it was (not because of my stellar maternal instincts, those are broken). This pregnancy has been so different from last time, so I suspected it. But still... hearing "It's a girl!" was a shock. A girl?? Ali is almost 12 and I came around when she was 3, past the "baby" phase of her life. What on earth does one do with a baby girl? Is pink mandatory? Do I have to make her wear bows? LOL All I know is dirt and cars and sports and He-Man and Power Rangers... even growing up, I was a tomboy... what an adventure this will be!

Looking forward to: Baby Showers! Really... just anything to distract myself from how long this is taking. 16-17 MORE WEEKS.

My belly isn't that impressive. The REST of my body, however... #datbutt # demlegs #muffintop #booooobs

Sweet little side profile... Sweet little nose...

Long little toes!

My favorite picture... that foot is way up by her face! 

I am in love with this little girl already. <3

Pregnancy: Husband's Side of the Story

WE FIND OUT THE GENDER TODAY! And then WE'RE GOING TO KEEP IT A SECRET UNTIL THE GENDER REVEAL ON SATURDAY! Isn't that so cruel of us!? Ohhhh I know it is but I don't care! I am SO excited to find out! But I also wanted to post something before then and I got this brilliant idea from my husband...

See.. my husband posted this on Facebook:

"Every month my wife gives updates and changes on her progress with the baby. To join the fun, I have had cravings for lemonade and steak fingers. I have also gained 5 pounds. You're welcome, Destiny Darbison."

I LAUGHED SO HARD. And it gave me a great idea to ask him questions about his side of pregnancy.

Today's Date: 8/16/17

What's your favorite thing about this pregnancy? The kids' excitement.

What is your least favorite thing? Your mood, mostly your weight talk. (True--I complain about weight gain everyday. Being okay with getting "bigger" is my main struggle.)

Are you having any sympathy pains? Umm... sympathy weight. I've put on a good fiver. 

Sympathy cravings? Steak fingers, lemonade... and crackers. 

How is this pregnancy different from the last? Umm... well it's been a lot easier on you, been better because you can still workout. You haven't been sick as much. Seems like I'm trying to soak it up more this time because I know it's going to be the last. 

What do you like most about my changing body? Hehe... can I say that!? (LOL--I left out his initial response.) I'll just say your growing belly... (he added more, but I was too embarrassed to post it, too!) 

Do you think the baby is a boy or a girl? I think it's a boy. 

What are you looking forward to most over the next couple of weeks? Gender reveal! And seeing the ultra sound, can't wait to see it moving around. 

What do you think the baby will be like? I don't know. With this baby not moving around as much [as Jordan did] I wanna say its gonna be a chill baby. But I don't wanna jinx it... (HAHA me neither, hon!). 

 What is one thing you think I need to hear most during this pregnancy? How good you look. (I'm really hard on myself... especially when I get home from the gym in the evenings. Working out is so hard and my body feels so heavy, and it's all squishy lol When I look in the mirror I see one thing and when he looks at me he sees something totally different. I love him for constantly telling me I'm beautiful and reminding me that my body is performing a miracle.)

Any other comments? Just that this has been my favorite pregnancy. 

Why? We are settled in our jobs, we have more options now. We could buy or build a bigger house if we really wanted to. Were weren't sure we could even get by with Jordan. (So true! We were both employed at low paying jobs when I was pregnant with Jordan, without any inkling as to how we would afford a baby. It's definitely so much easier when you're not as worried about the financial side of another kid!) 

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Weren't his answers so sweet!? This pregnancy has definitely been my favorite too (don't tell Jordan! ha) because my symptoms have been almost non-existent. I have occasional heartburn, headaches, slight nausea, but compared to my first pregnancy, they're not even worth mentioning! 

Also, I wasn't active at all last time. I went for walks occasionally but that was it. This time, since I worked out before pregnancy, I am still able to maintain that routine. Because of this, I haven't gained as much weight this time around. Don't get me wrong, I am still on schedule to gain MORE than the recommended amount, LOL! But that's just my body I guess... I watch what I eat, I go to the gym, but obviously my body gets REALLY excited about growing another human. So even though it's hard, and even though I struggle, I just have to remind myself that it is O.K. 

Going to the gym helps me cope with my changing body, knowing that I'm taking care of my health which is GOOD for baby! And it's fun to joke about during class... "If the pregnant lady can do it, so can you!" I'm sure everyone hates me! 

Okay, I'm off for now. I'll post again in a few days with pictures of the GENDER REVEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pregnancy: 20 Weeks

Halfway there! Actually, technically, we are over halfway since I'll have to have a scheduled c-section again. They will schedule that about a week before my due date. Tentatively that means the baby could be born December 14th, my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!

So the past two weeks have been harder. I feel heavier (probably because I am) and my body is resisting this whole "stay fit" idea. Workouts are getting harder. My back aches, my hips are tight, my bladder won't cooperate, and my lungs acts like they've never been conditioned a day in their life. My body seems to be growing in ALL DIRECTIONS.

The baby must be growing, too! My bump seems to have appeared overnight. Seriously I look down now and I'm like WHOA, hey there belly! I'm feeling subtle movements now, but nothing super obvious or strong. It's odd, too, because with Jordan I remember feeling him earlier than this and he was super wiggly! I wonder if this baby is just a lot more laid back than he was? Maybe I'll get an "easy" baby, this time!? HA!

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Today's Date: 8/3/17

How many weeks: 20

Trimester: 2nd

How big is the baby?: About the size of a banana (from head to wee little toes) and 10.5 ounces

Weight gain: 12 lbs.

Food cravings: Nothing specific... just ALL THE FOODS. 

Food aversions: None. Like literally. Feed me anything, I'll be fine.

Gender: Unknown

Prediction: Girl. Or maybe boy. *sigh* I really have no idea! 

Diet: Still doing so-so on this, depending on the day. Some days I don't want to eat at all, others I can't stop LOL. I love healthy food, I just also love burgers, pizza, and nachos. So. Anyway. 

Breakfast: usually coffee (with coconut oil, milk, honey, and vanilla extract). 

Mid-morning: I'll have a snack, like a banana, apple, protein bar, or peanut butter straight out of the jar. 

Lunch: chicken, rice, and grilled veggies (whatever I have on hand - usually always bell peppers, carrots, onion, tomato). And I usually add pepperjack cheese! Mmmmm.

Afternoon snack: I try to have a protein bar with some cantaloupe or other fruit. But sometimes it's more peanut butter... yup, straight outta the jar. Again.

Dinner: Everything that exists in my pantry. I usually cook and we have family meal in the evenings, but it's definitely my "heaviest" meal of the day. Meat, potatoes, vegetables, BREAD. And I tend to eat wayyyy too much. 

Evening snack: Even worse than dinner. Ice cream, cereal, popcorn, fruit snacks... sometimes just one of these, sometimes all of the above. HA! 

Exercise: Getting much more difficult (because of my breathing and the fact that I've packed on a few pounds...). But really, even though it's harder, I'm still able to do it. I may be the last one finished, but I feel good enough to finish. So far I haven't had any spells where I feel lightheaded or anything abnormal. Just TIRED! 

Aches and pains: Back, hips, legs, feet, knees... But still mostly hips. 

Maternity clothes: I bought some new clothes last week, none maternity, but bigger sizes. I bought a skirt that I didn't even like, but it was $5 and was a little big, so I knew it would fit for a while. Ugh, I hate clothes shopping... unless I'm shopping for workout clothes, then I love it!  

Favorite moment this week: Feeling the little squirmer move. He/she doesn't wiggle a lot, so when he/she does, I'm like oooooooh there you are! And then I sit really still so I'll be ready when it happens again... and... NOTHING. Brat. lol 

Looking forward to: Next baby appointment, gender time! Also, unrelated to pregnancy, I CAN'T WAIT FOR FALL TO GET HERE. I'm so over summer!