Standstill

It’s been a couple weeks since my last update, but I suppose that’s because there wasn't too much that I had to share. I got really busy with work and time just slipped on by. Baby bump got bigger though, take a look:

21 Weeks

Still at 21 Weeks

Today - 23 Weeks

Also, I finally got around to uploading our “work in progress” pictures. This first set was taken in late August when we were picking out paint colors and ripping out flooring.

 
   

Unfortunately, the floor prep took quite a toll on Chris. From using the jackhammer so long, he actually jammed up his trigger finger and gave himself tendinitis. A couple Airrosti visits helped a great deal, but he still couldn't do a whole lot. In case you were wondering, yes this is the reason Chris’s arm is taped up in the picture where he’s holding me and yes he’s the one who wanted pink. His injury really slowed us down when it was time to start painting, but at least he wasn't the only one working. I've been able to help since we’re using Benjamin Moore’s zero-VOC Natura paint and keeping all the windows open. Also, Chris’s mom actually painted our entire master bedroom while we were at work one day. It was the sweetest thing ever and we couldn't be more grateful. Chris and I finished out the detail work in there last week and finally have one completely painted room.

We also took apart the kitchen island (planning to make it 2/3 of its original size) and got most of the living room and kitchen painted. I had been worried about the double story walls and started interviewing contractors, but Chris insisted he could do it on his own and bought himself a 24 ft extension ladder. It makes me incredibly nervous whenever he’s on there but he doesn't seem to mind.

And of course all this work led Chris to hurt himself again. Thankfully it wasn't a fall, but oddly enough, it was his shoulder this time. He had strained his shoulder muscle very badly over a year ago (the spasms led to him being unable to turn his head for over a week) and it never healed completely. So this past week when it started aching, he would ice it after painting. He got a massage on Thursday, but that night when he went to move the extension ladder, he pulled something and now has a very stiff neck. When he went back to his masseuse yesterday, he was warned that his muscle was on the brink of tearing and that it wouldn't be wise to lift anything for the next 2-3 weeks. He really needs to take some time to heal.

So with that, we've pretty much hit a standstill. With me pregnant and him injured, neither of us is in a position to climb on two-story ladders or even haul around floor planks for that matter. It’s time to suck it up and pay someone to finish. Unfortunately all the contractors that we've talked to can’t start until late October or early November. I guess this means we’ll be living upstairs for at least another month. I was hoping we’d be done by my birthday but now can only hope to be finished by Thanksgiving. Meanwhile the empty lot next door not only has a slab now, but also a good portion of the frame as well. The first story of the frame went up in just one day. Sure makes me wonder if the neighbor will have an entire house before we have a floor!

The Porta-Potty showed up Friday 

Halftime

20 Weeks!

Chris says I don't look pregnant from behind

But it's a little different from the side...

Believe it or not, I’m officially halfway through my pregnancy. A lot of people have been asking how I feel and the answer is that I’m doing great. I lost a lot of weight during the first trimester because I could hardly eat anything, but the perpetual morning sickness and nausea started letting up in late July. The transition was pretty drastic, around weeks 12 and 13 I didn’t think it would ever end, and then at week 14 I was able to start eating normally again. Since then I’ve managed to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight! I also have a little more energy now and am keeping up just fine in my yoga and belly dance classes. In fact the two prenatal yoga classes I tried were a little boring since we spent more time sitting around and moving blankets/props than actually doing anything. So I went back to my regular flow class at 24 Hour Fitness and found that I could still do everything with a few modifications. After talking to the instructor it seems like this shouldn’t be an issue until I get too big to do anything other than prenatal yoga, so I’ll keep this up as long as I can. I can also handle a light jog just fine, but the last time I tried to run at my pre-pregnancy pace, my pounding heart and cramping uterine ligaments convinced me to slow down. So on Sunday mornings when Chris does his long runs with his dad (who’s running in my place in the San Antonio half marathon this November), I go walking with his mom. It’s been really nice and we’ve been hitting around 3 and 4 miles pretty easily.

In terms of pregnancy aches and pains, I don’t think I have it too bad, but I do find my neck, shoulders, and back getting sore a lot more frequently – probably from trying to sleep on my left side all the time. A few weeks ago, Chris got me a snoogle body pillow and it’s been pretty helpful. He also surprised me with a prenatal massage package. I usually need him to rub out the tension in my shoulders before I can fall asleep most nights so I really appreciated it. A couple Saturdays ago, as he ripped out kitchen tile, I went to a prenatal yoga class at Get Babied and then stayed after for my first massage with a certified midwife named Mandy. It was beyond wonderful and I’m looking forward to seeing her on a somewhat regular basis. It’ll make for a happy mommy and baby.

I had my third prenatal checkup with Brielle on Monday and the baby’s growing - my uterus is up past my belly button now! Brielle was also able to feel the little one’s head through my stomach and when she showed Chris, he excitedly poked at it. The little thing was pointed down, facing back – hope the baby remembers this position come January!

In the meantime, all is going pretty well. It’s been a busy few weeks with birthdays, bridal showers, and baby showers. We’ve been pretty busy catching up with friends so not a whole lot has happened with the house. Chris is almost finished prepping the floors for the hardwood. He got all the tile and mortar scraped out this past weekend so once he gets the last bit of glue out of the future dance room, we’ll start laying down the new floor. He’s undercutting the hearth of the fireplace and patching up the holes in the concrete this week so this weekend I’ll finally be able to help. I haven’t been too involved so far because inhaling mortar dust and mineral spirits can’t possibly be beneficial during pregnancy, but that danger should be gone soon enough when we’re cutting up underlayment and clicking planks together.

Well that’s all for now, I need to get ready for this evening. We’re taking a belly dance field trip to a Beats Antique show at La Zona Rosa tonight. I hope the baby likes it! It won’t be its first prenatal concert since we decided to relive our early high school musical memories with the 2012 Summerland Tour in July featuring Everclear, Lit, Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms and Marcy Playground. It also won’t be the baby’s last concert - with all the shows we have tickets for in the next few months, the little one is going to become very well versed in our indie ways!

19 Weeks

As of today, I am officially 19 weeks pregnant! Chris took these pictures before we went to the hike and bike trail at Town Lake this morning.

My belly button is already starting to stick out, kind of like a turkey that's almost done.

I actually felt the little thing moving for the first time two nights ago! It felt like someone was gently poking my stomach, except from within. It was strange since I was lying in bed and the side of my stomach that I felt movement in kept changing. I found myself wondering if there was just one in there, even though I was told there wasn’t. I guess there must be plenty of room to stretch out and somersault.

It’s actually pretty crazy how much the little one has developed in these last few weeks. According to my pregnancy calendar, the kid can now hear and suck its thumb! January is going to come too quickly...