Belly Diaries, Week 23

Busy, crazy, fun, stressful, exhausting, exciting, relaxing. That sums up these past three weeks. We've been on the go with a teething baby and that has been an adventure. I'm not quite sure how molars are supposed to work, but it'd be nice to have a month in between each of Isla's THREE new molars. She's developed a habit of giving me "The Look", which I have been giving my mother for years. Trying to get this girl to smile or eat is hard work!!

Isla is not impressed: with either my cookie decorating skills AND the BYU football team.

Where have I been? Besides napping, you mean? It all started two weeks ago. I went to a BYU football game. This ALWAYS makes me sad I haven't done sports broadcasting for a while (when you're a former BYU sideline reporter for smaller sports, it's a bit depressing to realize if you had been at BYU just a few years later, you could have been a FOOTBALL sideline reporter on a national TV station since they own the rights to broadcast their games now...) So pregnant Tracie scoured the local news sites for any kind of sports jobs. Then Pregnant Tracie applied for said sports jobs (temporary ones, of course). And, I did it! I lucked into a video editing/sports writing job at a local news station for the football season. And now I get paid to watch all the local college football games. On top of this, I have physical therapy, a toddler I have to chase down, trying to keep my house from falling apart, required exercise, required napping, required eating, and trying to help E decide if he wants to get his MBA next fall or the year after that. Oh, and growing a baby in my belly (THIS COUNTS. IT'S EXHAUSTING).

How many weeks?: 23 weeks
Size of Baby: Large mango, 11.5 inches, 1.1 lbs!
Countdown: 17 weeks, 119 more days
Total weight gain/loss: Fluctuates depending on if I've given into my crazy cravings or not. I've either stayed the same or gained 5 lbs, so I won't know for sure til my next appointment next week.
Maternity Clothes?: YES. LOVE. I found the perfect pair of maternity skinny jeans at Ross for only $13. I would wear them every day if I didn't love my pajama yoga pants so much. I can still wear regular shirts, but my maternity shirts are longer and more comfortable.
Exercise Habits: Working out at least 30 minutes a day either walking with Isla in the stroller, stationary bike, swimming or spin class. I throw in 10 minutes of yoga/stretching a day, and switch every other day doing strength training for arms/back/shoulders and my legs. I also have been doing several ab exercises.
Physical Therapy: Mini pregnancy rant (Pregnancy Rage is REAL, people): My back/pelvic pain has been getting worse. I can't turn over or get out of bed without help from E. I made an appt and my PT was supposed to be there. Instead, she ditched out and I met with my hip doctor (all at TOSH) who said there was NOTHING I COULD DO for my extreme back/pelvic pain. No exercises, no stretches. Diagnosis? My pain is from pregnancy. NO KIDDING. He and my PT obviously do not treat pregnancy pain and so instead of referring me to someone who does, they had me come in and pay them money to tell me nothing. The only options the doctor said I had was a steroid shot right in the middle of my pelvic bones. No, thank you. Enjoy my co-pay 'cause you'll never see me again. I found an AWESOME PT and went to an appointment this morning and already feel so much better. I'm looking forward to being able to turn over at night & sleep longer than two hours at a time with stretching and exercises and prenatal massage (best part!)
Sleeping?: Should be getting better with my physical therapy.
Worst Moment in the past 3 weeks: Still watching my sugar/carb intake. Why can't I eat donuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, again?? Or pizza. Or french fries. Or Ding-Dongs. It's a struggle to eat 5-9 servings of fruits & vegetables a day.
Best Moment in the past 3 weeks: Either getting my new job OR spending a night away just with E  OR watching Isla become independent: she now loves to go with me to the gym. As soon as I drop her off at the child care center, she runs off without looking back as opposed to screaming her head off the entire time. This makes me equal parts sad, proud, and relieved that I can now spend over 30 minutes at the gym.
Isla's Reactions: She's so sweet--she hugs and pats my belly all the time. I love it. She's also learned to not hit my belly. FINALLY.
I miss...: Eating like a normal person. My appetite is HUGE.
Movement: Her busiest time is at night around 11:30 pm. Baby starts kicking up a storm.
Morning Sickness?: Almost all gone!
Food Cravings: French fries. Pizza. Peaches. Ice cream cones. BBQ sauce. Cherry tomatoes. Cheese sticks. Green-ish bananas w/ nutella or PB. PB&J sandwiches. Cottage cheese. Pudding.

Generous enough to share her pudding with me

Food Aversions: Chicken. Cheeseburgers. Tacos. Over ripe bananas.
Showing yet?: Yes, finally. It is small in the morning, but gets bigger by the end of the night.
Gender: SO excited to have another girl!!
Labor signs: Braxton hicks contractions don't hurt, but they're super uncomfortable. I get them when I don't drink enough water.
Moods: Still feel anti-social. I'd rather read a book.
Not Looking Forward to: I'm slowly remembering what it was like to recover from labor & delivery from last time. Uh-oh.
Looking Forward To: Maternity photo shoot coming up! Okay, in like 8 weeks. But I can't stop looking at and/or pinning pictures.