Pregnancy Update: Halfway There!

I'm nearing week 20 of my pregnancy, and if history repeats itself (which it very well may not), I am more than halfway done! I had both Ada and Eloise at just a couple days past the 38 week point. Last Friday we had our anatomy scan, and everything is looking good with baby girl. The only "issue" is that my placenta is sitting a bit low -- around 2 cm from my cervix. From what my doctor says and what many of you have told me, this should correct itself by birth in most cases. So, I have no restrictions or anything.

I was worried that being almost 35 and being on baby number 3 (pregnancy number 6!) would mean this pregnancy would kick my butt. Not so. I know I should be knocking on lots of wood . . . but this has been my easiest pregnancy by far. I don't have any complaints. I mean, the morning sickness was awful -- but that's been the case each time. I am so thankful that we don't have any weird medical stuff we're watching, like recurrent strep B UTIs or bleeding, etc.

I feel great. I'm still running, and I have no pelvic pain or bladder pressure. I haven't had Braxton Hicks or irritable uterus issues yet, which usually start very early (17 weeks or earlier) for me. I have energy. I can keep up with my crazy toddler during the day. I am sleeping well at night. I have my appetite back and have been eating a mix of foods. I'll admit that I had to feed myself mostly sugar when I was sick because it was the only thing keeping me from vomiting. It's been hard shifting back to healthier foods, but I am doing a good job at balance. At least I think!

While running does still feel great, I can tell that my SI joint is getting a bit finicky. It always does this around now. It's an old running injury from my marathoning days, and I think the hormones make the joint unstable. It doesn't hurt yet . . . but I have moved from tracking mileage to tracking steps each day. I still tend to get four or five 3-milers in each week. But as the weather heats up, etc. -- I am just aiming to get 10,000 steps a day, no matter how they come. I have been averaging around 12,000 -- awesome! (I use this activity tracker by Garmin -- it's great for runners.)

I mentioned on Instagram that I am frustrated because we've had our name picked out for a while . . . and now it's popped up as a character in a really popular television show. Sigh. I mostly don't care, but it's not a great association. I don't see us changing the name, though. And while I did mention a while back that we have the middle name set, I'm now wavering on that choice. We still have plenty of time. We're just the type that's always been pretty set on our decisions with names once we make them. And if you're curious, it starts with the letter E.

Ada is really excited for the baby. She keeps telling me she can feel the kicks, but I know they're still too faint. This first photo is from my pregnancy with Eloise. Ada wanted to recreate the shot last night. She's such a sweetheart.

Eloise still has no idea what's going on. When I say "kiss the baby!" she does bend down and kiss my belly. It's cute. We have been reading this book about breastfeeding for kids, and she gets a kick out of mama milk. So, sometimes when I say "where's the baby?" She points to my boobs. There's part of me that wants to take her to a big sister class, but then I realize that she is really young. It's not going to be the same type of transition that we had with Ada. There will be a day when the baby is still in my belly . . . and then a day when she's out. And Eloise's world will get rocked. Any tips on transitioning to a younger sibling with kids who don't totally get it yet? It's something I haven't dealt with before. And I don't expect it to be perfectly smooth.

(As an aside: We really love the Dr. Sears Baby on the Way and What Baby Needs books to prepare Ada for a new little one. She asks to read these books almost every night. They are written with alternative birthing/doctor/parenting options in mind, too. I highly recommend these books!)

I don't know how much weight I have gained with this pregnancy. My home scale and the doctor scale are totally different, and I didn't catch my initial weight at my doctor. They did say I lost 3 pounds from my 14 to 18 week appointment. I attribute that to eating better and being more active after ditching the morning sickness. I'd say I have gained 5-7 pounds total.

Other stuff: I do still have weird dry heaving and vomiting spells. And I do occasionally had wicked heartburn. The only other unpleasant thing is heart palpitations. They are normal, but I hate when my heart skips a beat and then races to catch up. It happens mostly when I am laying back in a reclined position.

In other news, I am starting to get excited for summer. Stephen will be home for 10 weeks, which is great. It does frustrate me that we cannot time our pregnancies perfectly. I feel like Eloise's birth -- while certainly not in our control -- fell at the perfect time. It was warm and sunny. I had tons of help and support in the summer. When this baby is born, the long cold and dark season will just be beginning. Stephen will be deep in cross country season and away most evenings and Saturdays. I worry I will feel overwhelmed and totally tapped out. I am trying to prepare and get a support system in place.

We'll see what happens, I guess!