This week I entered into 18 weeks of my pregnancy! AND felt my little darling move for the first time!! Let's just say that my heart was overflowing with joy. I had forgotten how amazing those first few kicks can be. (it has been over 7 years since my last "first kicks")
Funny thing about this whole pregnancy is that it has been completely different in the realm of how I'm carrying the baby, cravings and energy. This little one has basically been off center and leaning to my right...which I am hoping quickly self-corrects so that I don't end up totally lop-sided. A wonderful change is that I am showing just a little this time around, which means that I am still comfortably in my regular clothes! (well, a little more filled out in them but still in them) It also means that I've stayed in the range of only a 5 pound weight gain so far! WOOHOO!! With my first daughter I was definitely showing at 3 months and had already gained 10 pounds...my body totally freaked out. The second was a little less dramatic in the weight gain category, but at 3 months I was again showing.
Cravings...well, I'm not craving the salads and fruit that I did during my prior pregnancies either. Something totally contrary to my even non-preggy norm has entered in...a craving for protein like no other. I am a 90% chicken, 8% pork and 2% beef kinda lady. Not with this pregnancy. I find myself dreaming of ginger teriyaki glazed brisket or flank steak...in fact now I can't get it out of my head. Guess I need to pull down my crockpot and get some beef going.
And then there's the craving for sweets, which I really did not have with the other two. So, to keep myself in check I have stayed with 60% or more dark chocolate chips with pecans or melted down with coconut oil which I then dip frozen banana slices into. SO GOOD! This helps me stay away from the urge to bake tons of brownies and muffins...and cookies and scones...and gallons of ice cream.
If any of you have insight of how to battle against what feels like extreme exhaustion, PLEASE share! This little one has completely zapped me...every day. I can be in the middle of something and sit down for literally 2 minutes...and wake up 1-3 hours later when my alarm goes off letting me know of commitments I need to attend to. It's ridiculous really...my girls laugh about it but are also wanting their "fun mom" back. Apparently when you are tired every afternoon you become the boring mom.
Aside from those little issues, everything is going well. My blood pressure seems to be keeping under control with the meds I'm taking, breathing exercises, celery juicing, stretching and pregnancy Pilates I'm doing. And trust me, this is a huge thing since I went through it with both of my girls and I'm also in a much higher altitude. I hate blood pressure issues, so anything to keep it down is welcomed.
