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I realize you all may not be interested in pregnancy updates, so maybe check back on Friday – I’ll have a fun fall squash round up then!

For those of you who are interested, I thought it’d be fun to do a 20 week check in – here’s what life has been like:

this Post!

Overall, I’ve enjoyed the first half of pregnancy. It’s been a fun roller coaster, and it’s been an interesting process seeing my body change. I know my body still has a long ways to go in terms of changing, and there are definitely ups and downs to the whole process. The ups are that, HELLO, this is amazing to be growing a human inside of me. At our last ultrasound, it was just miraculous to see what looks less like an alien and more like a human now.

I’m at a point where the bump is starting to be noticeable if I’m wearing the right clothes. I can still hide it pretty easily, but I think in the next month, there will be some visual growth. I’m getting to the point where I’m starting to have some light back/side hip pain, so I have to figure out how to manage that. I know Anne talked about some sciatic pain and Kylie talked about going to a chiropractor.

Baby Size: We have progressed from an avocado to a tomato to a mango this week (about 6.5 inches, 10 ounces).

Food/Cravings/Aversions: I haven’t had any real aversions throughout pregnancy, except for not wanting vegetables for pretty much the first month or two. Otherwise, my appetite has been pretty normal, I’d say. I guess I’ve been lucky! There have been days where nothing sounds good or exciting, and food is just “bleh,” but I eat it anyway.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m eating constantly throughout the day. I’m just a bottemless pit. Others, I do fine with less food. I think the difference is eating enough protein, which I’m working on, but I don’t always crave meat or dairy.

Foods I’ve especially loved: Eggs, Hummus, PIZZA, Crackers, Fried Chicken, Fries (any kind), Sweets (hello carbs and fats). I don’t think my complexion likes me very much with some of these food choices though.

Symptoms: I haven’t had any crazy emotions yet (at least I don’t think so – maybe Ed will talk differently). I have had some bad breakouts that I’m trying to cope with. I had my dermatologist write a prescription for something safe during pregnancy. Skin care is tough because there is so much you have to be careful of.

My belly has started to POP! It seemed like it happened overnight. I noticed it before getting in the shower one night and it’s becoming an outie, which is kind of cute I guess.

If I sit for too long, I find myself feeling very tight and uncomfortable. Sometimes there’s no way around it, but I usually try to get up a few times every hour to stretch and walk around. Fortunately, my clients have been pretty understanding. Speaking of, one of them made us this blanket – how sweet is that?!

How I’m feeling:  Pretty good! I still have days of super low energy, but overall, energy has been more consistent in the second trimester. Sleep is okay – not awesome. I wake up so much during the night. I’ve started sleeping with a pillow behind my back and between my legs to feel comfortable and make sure I don’t roll over on my stomach. I’m thinking about getting one of these eventually – any pregnant ladies or mamma’s out there that can speak to one?

Exercise: I’m glad running is going well and is still available to me. I’ve done some weight training and lots of walking too. I’m probably running about 15 miles a week which is nowhere near my old training days, but it does just fine for now. It feels good to still get a little sweat in. I’m doing some light weights 1-2 times a week, and some yoga and stretching too. I’m enjoying the variety. Most of all though, I’m walking alot. In the morning, througout the day, and at night. Helps to have a crazy energetic puppy to have to get rid of some energy 🙂

Gender Reveal: And what you are probably waiting for…

The baby is…A GIRL. Everyone asked if I had any idea, and I really didn’t. It changed by the day whether I thought babe was a boy or girl. I was going to be happy either way! As we were walking into the appointment, Ed asked me for the last time what I thought it was. I said a girl, and I was right 🙂 We skyped with my family the night we found out and had a pink and blue kong out with some treats under the pink one. We let Tater run to it and let everyone know it was a girl. She may have ran to the wrong one first, silly dog.

It’s more real now, knowing there’s a little nugget inside there. And the prep is real. I went to a one year old’s birthday party this weekend, and gawked at all the baby clothes I could buy. THEY ARE SO CUTE. I don’t know how I’m going to stop myself from buying like everything. My parents were here earlier this week and my mom brought me a bunch of stuff from when I was a baby – blankets and other keepsakes. I think it’s so cool that she’s kept it this long and I look forward to spending the time going through it all.

Any ups/downs of your pregnancy (if applicable)?

Anything you’re curious about for future blog posts?