Me and my little Belly Bean

Well, here you go. Here's a picture of my belly- and my legs. This is my fabulous view. Some future morning when I've done my hair and don't have a goopy eye I'll see if I can get a good standing up picture of what I believe is called my "baby bump". But for now, enjoy the same view of my belly bean that I get each day. Also feel free to praise me for being dressed! That's right people, I was done exercising this morning at 8:15! which means I was DRESSED in non-pajama and/or work out type clothing when I took my boy down to the school bus. Win!

So let me tell you how things have changed a little since my last pregnancy update- which I think was about 15 weeks ago. Well, the baby has made herself known. She loves to move. At about 5 AM each morning she has a little kick-fest, which is just fine with me. I am no longer addicted to the Doppler but I will admit, there have been times in the past few weeks when I have pulled it out just for a little extra reassurance that she's doing okay. And guess what? She is doing okay......I just thought- did I actually make the announcement that we're having a GIRL? If not, then Guess What?!?!?! We're having a girl :)

Every pregnancy is different, and this one has it's ups and downs. I am healthier this pregnancy than I was during my first two. With J I worked full time and I didn't get much exercise at all, I gained about 60 pounds, and I was happy. I weighed about 230 pounds when J was born. With B, I walked about 3 miles 2 or 3 times per week, I  had gestational diabetes and gained about 30 pounds before I was diagnosed. After being put on the GD Diet I lost 5 pounds before B was born...so I actually only gained 25 pounds that pregnancy. I was tired and went to physical therapy because of some sometimes unbearable pains in my lower back and hips. If I remember correctly I weighed about 208 pounds when B was born.

This pregnancy I've been exercising 5 to 6 times per week, I ran a HALF MARATHON and I've gained about 30 pounds. I PASSED my glucose tolerance test. Whether I passed because my pancreas is actually doing its job or because the lab kind of forgot I was waiting for my blood draw and drew my blood a little late.....we may never know. BUT I felt like I needed to eat a little better and so I've been doing my best to follow the same GD diet they gave me when I was pregnant with B. I haven't gained much, if any, weight in the past 6 weeks. Right now I weigh about 192. I'm hoping that I can keep my weight below 200, that would be AWESOME.

Don't worry about my lack or recent weight gain. Belly Bean is growing well. Starting at about 20 weeks doctors measure a pregnant woman's belly, from what is called the "pubic symphysis" to the top of the uterus which by this point can be felt in the upper part of her abdomen. The measurement, in centimeters, usually correlates quite well with the number of weeks that the woman is pregnant,- that's right I have 1- read books about pregnancy and 2- had previous children, I know fun stuff like this. So, back to me, at my 28 week appointment I measured a little small, 26 cm instead of 28. But earlier this week at my 30 week appointment my belly measured a whopping 32 cm- So yeah, that's pretty much solid proof that baby and I are growing just fine, even if my weight gain has plateaued. What am I eating. LOTS of veggies and protein and less carbohydrates from breads and pastas and sugar. And you know what, I'm feeling pretty good, pretty healthy. Body wise.

Emotionally, I have my moments of anxiety still. I am 100% sure this is normal. With my first two pregnancies I was blessed not to know or think about what could go wrong. But now, after last years miscarriages, I know that not all pregnancies end with a healthy baby. And yes, there are times when that knowledge makes my day hard. There are days when getting up, feeding myself and my children and making sure none of us run out in front of moving vehicles is about all I can do. And I do it. We all survive those days, we don't get much done, but we survive. Other days I feel great emotionally BUT tired physically. Who knew that what "Advanced Maternal Age" really meant was "You will feel as if you stayed up ALL NIGHT LONG for weeks BUT you will have a sweet baby if you survive". Both of these things (hard emotional days and super tired days) have combined over the course of the past few months to produce a somewhat messy house. I feel bad about the state of my home, BUT, I've been taking care of myself and my family to the best of my abilities and that's what counts right? I'm also 100% sure that there is a special place in heaven for ladies like me, who tried! However feeble our attempts....we tried! I mean, I've vacuumed a couple of times recently AND I even mopped a couple of weeks ago. So really, I kind of ROCK.....kind of, if you catch me on the right day.

So there you have it, Kate and Belly Bean at 31 weeks. We're doing pretty good today and I promise there will be an update again soon.