Pregnancy #2: Weeks 17-19
Week 17: We drove down to Destin, Florida to start our true Christmas vacation. We lucked out, because Grace was a great traveler during the 7.5-hour car ride and actually slept really, really well in her pack and play.
I really struggled with what to pack. My maternity clothes were just a little too big but my regular clothes were starting to get snug. So I took a risk and used the hair tie method (using a hair tie as a waistband extender) to stick with my normal clothes.
We spent two days in Destin boating and enjoying some amazing seafood with some good friends we hadn’t seen in year! On Saturday we hopped back in the car and drove another 7 hours to Vero Beach, FL, where my family was meeting up for Christmas.
We stayed in a beautiful beachfront home with my family and my aunt, uncle, and their three kids. So in total, there were 13 people in the house and half were college-aged. I did feel a little left out that I couldn’t enjoy a beer on the beach every night with them but it was still so fun!
The weather was AMAZING, and we really enjoyed being able to spend so much time outside! Since Grace and I were the only sober ones, we woke up before most of the house each morning and used that time to get a sunrise run in. Coming from the miserable 30° weather in Tennessee, waking up to 65° weather was nothing short of amazing!
We were celebrating Grandma’s 80th Birthday while we visited, which meant lots of dinners out. Guys, I ate SO MUCH good food! So all those morning runs were totally cancelled out 😆 but that’s okay!
We also celebrated Christmas this week. My parents, Casey, and I ran a Santa-themed 1-Miler on Christmas Eve, which was super fun! And Casey took 3rd overall, too! Grace didn’t quite get Christmas yet, but had fun opening gifts! Week 18: We enjoyed our last two days in Florida but unfortunately had to drive home before New Year’s. This is where I really regretted not bringing maternity clothes...nearly 13 hours of travel and I was SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Lesson learned: it’s time to rock leggings until (and after) this baby comes!
We celebrated a quiet New Year’s at home, and had to go back to work this week too. Ugh. Since we kept a good routine over break, it wasn’t too traumatic for Grace but boy, Casey and I were not ready to give up that extra sleep!
I also finished my Runner’s World Run Streak this week! I ran over 125 miles over 40 days, in locations from San Diego to Florida, with weather ranging from freezing rain to 80° and sunny! There were quite a few one mile days and I am perfectly okay with that! The Run Streak challenge definitely motivated me to keep moving all month long, and helped me get running again after a stop-and-go first trimester.
Week 19:
The biggest challenge I faced this week wasn’t pregnancy-related...it was baby/toddler related. Grace started at full-time daycare and naturally, spent the first few days sick as a dog. She is being SUPER clingy which means I’m either holding her, or she’s having a temper tantrum. Ugh. It breaks my mommy heart and has made it impossible to be a functional adult! (I think the picture below is sufficient evidence of how tired I was this week...)
One highlight was squeezing into my dress uniform ONE LAST TIME before I have to give in to the maternity uniform. We had a formal reception to attend, so I sucked in hard and got my pants buttoned! Phew! For the record, military maternity uniforms are not attractive AT ALL, so I do everything in my power to avoid them.
Fitness wise, I managed to get in three good strength workouts plus three good runs (a 5k and 2x 5-milers). I took completely off one day and did a quick 15 minute jog another because I was so busy it was all the time I could afford. This second trimester is totally the best part of pregnancy for me, and I’m enjoying being able to work out at a higher level while I feel this good. Overall Baby Growth: By week 19, he was 6 inches long from head to booty and about 2/3 of a pound! He still moves a lot, especially in the early evening after dinner. Mommy Growth: Belly is officially out! You can’t tell under my uniform at work, but in normal clothes it obvious that I’m pregnant. By the end of Week 19 I was up 12 pounds. Again, more than I remember being up during my first pregnancy but...holiday eating. It bugs me a little...I mean, what girl isn’t kind of bothered when the scale goes up 6 pound in 3 weeks? But I’m in a healthy range for this point of pregnancy so I’m not too concerned. Cravings: Ummm...well, I was eating so much indulgent food over the holidays but I don’t think my cravings were pregnancy related. I really wanted Italian food at the start of Week 18 and it may go hand in hand with my current carb cravings. We bought a loaf of chiabatta this week and it took all my willpower not to eat the entire thing in one sitting!
And with this post, I can (finally) say I’m caught up! Whoop whoop! Looking forward to weekly updates from here on out!