 Hey all!
This is my combined 20 and 21 week pregnancy update. I can't believe I am halfway there!! For all of you mamas that are with me - no matter your stage of pregnancy - congratulations on being an incredible mother to your precious child and for being such amazing women throughout your pregnancy journeys. You have done one of the most beautiful and sacred things in life by caring for and carrying your baby. Wow! Thank you for supporting our site and this adventure - we hope you keep on sharing and keep on reading :) Check out my stats below. Current Disposition: lately I've been feeling SUPER excited but also a little anxious. I am so excited for our upcoming move. We just flew out to our new "home" destination last night (we are here now!) in which I will share a fun post about where our adventure is taking us next. I am so excited to have a HOME. It's so weird but I've always had this vision and dream about what my life would be like. And right now, I feel as if I have everything I've dreamed of - my husband, my baby (and baby-to-be), and the type of lifestyle (simple yet fulfilling) that we will have when we make the move to our new location. It really is a dream come true. It wasn't what I (entirely) expected, but almost feels like something more than what I could have ever envisioned or asked for. At the same time, I look back on our experience in Washington, DC - a place I would have never ever have imagined that I would have ended up in. That said, I can't imagine my life without this place and it will forever hold one of the dearest places in my heart. I moved across country, following my husband and his job in hopes of getting accepted into Georgetown (and potentially spending the rest of my life with this guy!). A few weeks after my move cross country, I was accepted into Georgetown and not only that -- with almost a full-ride scholarship. What?! After that, my husband proposed and we spent our engagement in DC planning the wedding of our dreams. We bought our first condo in the heart of Georgetown that's been filled with the foundation of our marriage, the birth of our son, and several other fond memories. I went to business school at Georgetown University and had my precious little baby at Georgetown University Hospital in between my first and second year of school. We raised our baby in Georgetown and spent mornings walking to coffee shops and onto campus, driving out to Virginia or Maryland for new adventures, and enriching ourselves in the DC culture. We did runs along the C&O Canal. We've shared the most rich and fulfilling relationships with the most wonderful people; our friends have made this journey what it's been. I cry thinking about the prospect of leaving this magical place but also welcome and share excitement in the prospect of our new journey ahead. The perfect way to describe my sentiment towards the move is "bittersweet." What does all of this have to do with having a baby?! I don't know. I think welcoming our new child into our new home location really signifies a new chapter and change in our lives. In this new place, we will have an entirely new dynamic as a family of no longer three, but four. We will have new adventures, new cross country drives, new running trails, and new coffee shops to spend our Saturday mornings in. Not only that, but we will develop new friendships that will never replace the old, but will enrich our lives in a different way. All of this is exciting but also creates a strong, strong sense of nostalgia because what we had here in DC - what we have right now - is something that is so special and sacred to me. It almost seems like nothing in the future can top what we have today. But I know that it can and I know that it will. I know that adding a new baby to the mix will create a beautiful new family dynamic. Our family is four will be as precious (and hectic!) as ever. And I know that our new home will have new and special memories as did our old. And our adventure in this new location is something that will etch a new memory on my heart just as strong as DC did. Energy level: After pouring my heart out -- I'll say that my energy is awesome. Well, during the day my energy is great, however, at night I have been falling asleep on the couch. Usually at night, I relax and watch a TV show, and then I have to make myself go to sleep. Lately, I've been too tired to turn on a show and will find myself dozing off on the couch, and quickly rush to bed. When I wake up, it's the morning! It's the deepest sleep I have felt so far in pregnancy. My running has been great! My pace is just as it has been since the beginning of my pregnancy and I notice that my stamina has been increasing. They say you may start to lose your breath around this time given that baby is taking up more of your space, but I haven't found that to be this far. The other day I did a Core Power Yoga class. This felt amazing - to do a new workout and also to sweat a lot of toxins out of me. The yoga class was a little challenging because my belly limits that types of poses I can do - aka no baby cobras. All in all, I'm feeling great physically and mentally. Diet: it feels as if my belly is growing but my stomach is shrinking. There is no mistaking that I am pregnant at this point given the size of my belly. People would think that means there is more room for food, but in my experience there is actually way less room for food than when you're not pregnant. I've noticed that it's key to eat small and frequent meals throughout the day - hello snacking. If I eat huge meals, I get heartburn and feel that nasty, bloated feeling. Because my diet is so healthy, full of fruits and vegetables and whole foods and I try to limit any overeating, my heartburn is wayyyyy better than it was last pregnancy. This time, I really think my heartburn is less because of the foods I am eating and their alkalinity they are creating in my stomach. I also think that having warm lemon water first thing in the morning really helps to reset my system and puts my body on the right track for the day. You'd think that drinking lemon water would create more acidity but it actually has the opposite effect. In general, I've been eating really healthy - especially when Ryan is out of town (ha ha). Some nights I just snack on hummus/dip and vegetables after eating a huge, late lunch. Then I'll have a little peanut butter and honey for dessert and that is honestly all I need. When he is home, I feel the need to make us a nice big dinner because I know he needs and deserves it. But given the shrinking size of my stomach, eating a huge meal never makes me feel good neither at night nor the next morning. In terms of weight - I haven't weighed myself since my 19.5 week appointment in which I had only gained 5 lbs since the start of my pregnancy. At this point, I guarantee that I have packed on some pounds, just given the growing size of baby and the way that I feel. Cate's nutritionist said that I would gain the most weight between weeks 17 and 18 - I believe. This is actually when I lost 2 lbs - but I think that my body probably has gained the most weight at this point (the midpoint). Will keep you posted on my next appointment in two weeks. Maternity Clothes: PinkBlush sent some cute maternity dresses to Cate and I - check out the image above and this post if you didn't see it. Be sure to check out their site and also to participate in the $75 giveaway - the winner will be announced on Friday. Just tag 3 friends in one of our PinkBlush posts and you will be eligible to win! Weight Gain: ditto to what I said above. Will post how much I weigh as soon as I step on a scale next. I found it very helpful to read how much other pregnant ladies have gained during both pregnancies and I hope to share the same with our followers - just for comfort sake. Remember that at my 19 week appointment I had gained 17 lbs in my first pregnancy!! In this pregnancy, I only put on 5 lbs at 19 weeks. Yes, I am watching my diet more but I really believe that every body and person handles pregnancy differently. There is no competition to gain the fewest amount of pounds or to pig out and eat whatever you want. Just do you - and do the best that you can working towards your highest and greatest self! Doctor's Visits: doctor's visit will be for my 23 week appointment and I will update everyone at that point on the status. I believe I posted that all of my blood tests came back normal for the Down Syndrome and infection test that I had done because of the abnormal anatomy scan. The doctor's thought that everything was fine and after the testing, I was informed that everything IS fine. Praise Jesus! All in God's hands.. Until next week!! xx, ILA
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