12 Weeks!

Wow, the last week of the 1st trimester is finally here!  Today, I am 12w2d pregnant and am SO excited and thankful!!!  This baby and pregnancy are truly starting to feel real!  Thank you God!

I have my last 1st trimester appointment this Thursday and I cannot wait to see our little peanut!  Although I am a little nervous and anxious, mostly my emotions are just excited!  I am feeling more and more confident and reassured that this is our take-home baby and it feels incredibly good!

I feel like I will finally be able to fully relax and enjoy our little peanut and pregnancy after Thursday's appointment.  We will finally let the rest of our friends and family know.  It will feel great to share our wonderful news with the rest of the people that are really close to us!

Although we will let a lot of people know after Thursday I am still hesitant to let the rest of work know and to announce it on Facebook.  I have another appointment at 15w2d (June 23rd) and will do these announcements after that appointment.  I have already decided on how to do my Facebook announcement and am really excited about it!

Otherwise, I am still feeling very much pregnant!  I am tired all the time.  Two hour naps are a daily ritual and part of my survival strategy for now.  And, although my morning sickness has gotten much better, it still likes to make it's presence every evening (and sometimes throughout the day).  I am having a really hard time eating protein (I try to force it down but it never sounds good and usually makes me sick).  Carbs are definitely my friend lately!  I have also learned that cooking is difficult in that it usually doesn't sound good by the time I finish making it.

I am officially starting to look pregnant and excited to go maternity clothes shopping soon!  Luckily my best friend gave me some maternity clothes and I have started wearing the pants and shirts, even though I can fit in my normal clothes you can definitely tell that I have a little bump when I do (and maternity clothes are so much more comfortable!). 

Speaking of "the bump"...I have always been very healthy and weight conscious (Completed 3 Ironman triathlons, 3 1/2 Ironmans, and 7 marathons, love hiking, etc).  Gaining weight is a struggle for me and I'm realizing that it's more of a struggle than I thought it would be.  Most of this is because I lost a lot of weight before our wedding (25 lbs).  I gained a good 5 lbs between each pregnancy so my starting weight for this pregnancy was about 10 lbs from my original TTC starting weight. 

I know that a lot of my frustration these days is that I decided not to run or bike during 1st trimester (basically walking is my only form of exercise right now).  This decision was based on doing everything I could to prevent another miscarriage and was by far the best decision (no regrets whatsoever).  However, I will be asking my doctor about my restrictions on Thursday and hope and pray that she will allow me to slowly get back into running (starting with run/walk workouts, low mileage, etc).  I love running...it's a huge part of me and the thought of not being able to run (or at least bike) for the next 6+ months makes me a little sad (although well worth the sacrifice if that's what is necessary to have a healthy baby!).  We'll just see what she says and go from there (I do have a feeling she will say "no running" since she did during my 1st pregnancy, prior to having two losses).  Either way, I am just incredibly thankful for God's beautiful blessing and am trying my best to give this all to God!  I will gain the weight that I need to gain for a healthy baby! 

I love every minute of being pregnant and already feel really bonded with this little baby!  I cannot wait for all the fun milestones we have in the upcoming weeks...starting 2nd trimester, finding out the sex, feeling kicks, registering for baby gear, getting the nursery organized, etc!  God is so good and I am just so humbled at how He continues to provide peace and answer our prayers!