As I write this post, we're at 22 weeks. When we took the pictures, we were at 20 weeks - halfway! Time crawled the first half but now that I'm showing (bigger everyday!) & we know the gender, time seems to be zipping by at a rapidly increasing rate...
Due Date: September 27, 2014 How Far Along: 20 weeks! Halfway! Symptoms: Very little (knock on wood). Some right upper rib pain wrapping around my back. It's fairly common for pregnant women to experience rib pain, especially the more they grow, as their rib cages are stretching to make room for baby. I think my right side is feeling it more because I'm right-hand dominant & my right side muscles are probably much stronger/tighter. It's most noticeable when I'm sitting down on a couch or lying in bed. Maternity Clothes: Absolutely. So damn comfortable. The outfit from the picture above is not maternity but they're a few of the last strongholds that haven't been delegated to boxes. Ring: Still fits! Weight Gain: At our 20-week appointment, I'd gained approximately 14-15 lbs. Not sure as of post date. Cravings: Oranges, OJ, & chocolate milk. Aversions: Meat. The farther along, the lesser the aversion. Running/Workouts: Still feeling good on my runs & strength training sessions. I stay very in-tune with my body anytime I'm working out & if I'm going to be longer than 45-minutes or so, I take water & food. I ran a 12K trail race on May 11 & although my time was slow, I felt good & enjoyed the ride. Early on, I purchased a maternity support belt for running purposes & after using it a few times, know it's going to be very handy in the near future. I'm running (waddling?) a half-marathon in a few weeks & my training is on par. By taking it easy & carefully, I hope to enjoy staying active as far into this pregnancy as possible. Gender: (Drum roll...)
We're having a girl!! We weren't set on a particular gender & would be happy either way - our biggest concern was knowing our baby is healthy. Each person has an opinion on ultrasounds but we chose the modern healthcare route & selected the 20-week ultrasound (besides the ultrasound at 7 weeks, we won't have any other ultrasounds unless there are signs of complications). I have to say, it was an absolute joy & thrill to watch as our tech checked the brain, heart, fingers, toes, arms, legs, spine...& all appeared to be developing very healthy. When we first found out we were pregnant, I had a very strong feeling we were having a girl. Call it motherly instinct or call it unbalanced hormones...
We're well into the second trimester & days away from the official halfway mark (gasp!). I'm still feeling very good - knock on wood - & the baby bump seems to pop more everyday.
13 weeks
17 weeks
We're due for another picture (as of blog post date, I'm now 19.5 weeks) & I believe there is a fairly significant change, but then again, the baby bump seems to grow significantly more by the end of the day (bloat, food, you name it).
Due Date: September 27, 2014
Symptoms: Nothing significant, just a few small nuisances. In the first trimester, I was starvingall the time & had to keep food with me everywhere I went. It was crazy. After 15 weeks, I hit the magical "honeymoon" phase & noticed increased energy & a decrease in extreme hunger. I still keep food with me in case of emergencies but if I'm late eating my lunch, I don't turn into a catatonic, food-crazed bundle of hormones.
Nails are growing rapidly but I haven't noticed a significant change in my hair.
Pregnancy comes with a wide variety of experiences - heartburn, hemorrhoids, acne, weird rashes, dry skin, stretch marks - & I will neither admit nor deny any of those listed. It's not always glamorous. If you haven't seen the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting, I highly recommend it. It's [mostly] hilarious, with a few heavier, more serious topics thrown in, but it sheds a funny light on the joys of pregnancy. One of my favorite, & now most relevant, clips:
Clothes: Now into full on maternity wear. And damn these clothes are comfy. About 16-17 weeks, I could no longer comfortably wear my pre-pregnancy pants (jeans or dress). I was lucky to have a bin of donated maternity clothes from a friend that I was able to pull out several tops & a few jeans to wear; a few weekends ago, we hit a few stores to pick up a few more items.
Weight: As of today, I've gained approximately 14 lbs; approximate because I weighed at the end of the day & typically I weigh first thing in the morning. In my world, time of day can be a difference of 2-3 lbs. I'm not stepping on the scale regularly & happy to not focus on weight; if my midwife is concerned, she can discuss it with us (& thus far, she has not expressed any concerns). Since reaching the second trimester, I've noticed the rapid weight increase, as second & third trimester average a pound per week.
Running/Working Out: I'm still comfortably running & training for my June half-marathon. My increased energy levels assisted an increase in motivation. I'm trying to maintain light strength training 1-2X/wk. I bought a maternity band, highly recommended by a few women runners as their baby bumps expanded & the need for ligament support during a run became a necessity. No matter how empty my bladder feels, I've now reached the stage I must potty before a run. The jostling is no bueno on the bladder already being squished by growing baby.
Cravings: Oranges, orange juice, chocolate milk, grilled cheese. Dessert will always be a passion but I noticed I'm more particular about what I fancy when it's time for sweets. Smoothies for breakfast are a must - I can cram plenty of protein & a day's worth of fruit into an easy drink.
Aversion: Meat. Except fried chicken. More specifically, chicken strips. I'm like a 5-year-old when we go out to eat - chicken strips & french fries. I can eat meat if it's put in front of me but if I had to choose at every meal, I'd probably avoid meat. Hamburgers, meatballs, steaks, ham...it just doesn't sound appealing.
Aw, isn't that cute, when we took this picture, I was positive I was showing. (Don't mind the no make-up, messy hair, gym clothes look. I just finished working out. And I'm pregnant, I can do what I want. ;))
Due date: September 27, 2014
Date we found out: January 31, 2014. Exactly two weeks before I was to move to Helena - yikes!
7 weeks
Heartbeat: First ultrasound was a strong, steady 164 bpm. We've had a second appointment in which the midwife found the heartbeat for about 10 seconds on the Doppler fetal monitor.
Symptoms: Very few - for which I feel very, very blessed. Tiredness early on, which really only meant I fell asleep on the couch most nights by 8 PM. I experienced nausea weeks 6-8 but no bodily fluid expulsions, just limited food desires.
Food: The few weeks I experienced nausea, I ate a lot of plain pasta & toast. Since then, most foods seem to be ok except meat. I can eat it if it's put in front of me but something about the smell/texture/taste has me reaching for entirely vegetarian foods. Oranges & chocolate milk are my favorites. Tried an amazing Cara Cara orange...ohhhh yummy, I could eat an entire case by myself.
Running/Workouts: I can probably pinpoint exactly when Baby Lipetzky began life as two little cells. Pre-pregnancy, I was easily putting in 45-90 min workouts, 5X week. Around the time I interviewed for the job in Helena, my workout willpower waned. I was still teaching classes at the Y & running, but I just couldn't maintain the motivation. Coupled with the stress/anxiety of a pending move & lingering plantar fasciitis, I chalked it up to needing a break. Looking back, I think my hormone shift caused my body to go into a natural nesting mode. After moving to Helena, the increased elevation, shitty spring weather & continued plantar fasciitis didn't help. Although my speed & mileage dropped, I'm still running 5X week. While I used to average 30 mi/wk, I'm now averaging 20 mi/wk. Not my ideal, but I'm very happy to still put in miles & luxuriate in the fact I'm pregnant & don't have to meet any goals. I doing this to keep healthy for baby & me. Weight Gain: Um, I think I gained approximately 5 pounds in the first trimester. I haven't kept track & when I asked the midwife, she wasn't concerned & told me not to worry. Clothes: Pants started feeling tight in the waist but haven't had to move to maternity clothes yet. Thank goodness.
"You'll spend half your life trying to get out of Montana & the other half trying to get back in." -A very wise high school science teacher. I have never forgotten those words. He's now principal of said high school, so I should send him an email & let him know it only took me about 12 years to figure that out.
We've neglected the blog & now we're back with a vengeance. I think the title sums everything up - we've moved (or we're in the process of moving), we both have new jobs, & we have a baby on the way.
The end.
Just kidding. So yes...let's start with the move/new jobs. For some time, we've held a small flame of desire to move to Helena. Despite my haughty 18-year-old complaints, Helena is a pretty cool place. It has so many things we've desired of late: amazing outdoor community, strong economy (now THAT makes me sound old), four-year university (Fighting Saints!), larger population (~30,000 immediate vicinity, ~70,000 with outlying areas), centrally located (yay for an airport with more than one airlines!) & surrounded by many mountains & lakes to explore. Not to mention, we're closer to family, which you reach a certain age & realize it is nice to be near family.
Spurring the move was my job offer of HR Director for a wonderful non-profit (read: not amazing pay). *Sigh of relief* What a change of pace from my previous prison position in which I was stuck with a dictator supervisor with strong Cruella resemblances. I am very much enjoying my job & it's refreshing working for an organization with a passionate commitment to their community. Not to mention, this is an amazing opportunity for someone my age & it builds my resume handsomely (something I was NOT getting in Sheridan).
If we didn't already believe in God, we most certainly would in this situation. I won't drown you in details but we took a big leap of faith when I accepted the position (would Hubby be able to find work?) & before too long, we had our answer. He was offered a part-time Assistant Brewer position with a local brewery & his engineering firm in Sheridan (which has an office in Helena), has several projects lined up with his name in the proposal. The firm does not have an engineer onsite with his specialty & in the past, outsourced the work to another of their offices in Montana; with his move to Helena, he fills a much-needed gap.
The end.
Wait, you want me to tell you about baby Lipetzky? In a humorous turn of events, exactly two weeks before I was to move to H-town & start my new job, we found out we're pregnant! Ta-da! God also has a sense of humour. We're calling it the Lipetzky Trifecta. We just knew it - as soon as we planted asparagus in our garden, we'd move. As soon as we took new jobs, we'd get pregnant. (The asparagus bit is true...we've held off planting asparagus because we were just sure we'd end up leaving, since asparagus takes about three years before it can be harvested, & sure as sh*t, we planted asparagus last summer) Little Bean Lipetzky is due September 27, 2014. Sorry honey, we can schedule our wedding around hunting season but Baby is already dictating our time.
With that being said, I have every intention of being more diligent with our blog updates. Although we've moved closer to some family, we've moved farther from other family. I'll keep up the blog so they can watch the changes to our lives. And let's be honest - this wouldn't be a good blog if I didn't give you the honest, non-glamorous version of pregnancy, no? Let the games begin...
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