Bump Update - 25 weeks

How are you feeling?
Overall I feel pretty good. No real complaints.

How are you sleeping?
Horrible. I sleep soundly the first 3 hours and then its a toss between being up for a couple hours or falling asleep for only 30 minutes at a time until morning.

How are the cravings?
I have not had any strong cravings this time around but I am enjoying salads tremendously.

How is the weight gain? 
At my 23 week appointment I had gained a total of 11 lbs, which is a big win in my eyes. At this point in my first pregnancy, I had already put on 22 lbs.

Any new pregnancy must haves?
Jeans that stay up, but I haven't found them yet.  I am happy the weather is finally changing so I can just wear dresses every day.

Exercise?
I am still trying to run but my motivation is severely lacking lately.  However, I manage at least one run a week of 3-5 miles.

How is baby girl?
Doing great, the doctor said all looks well.  Her heart rate was 152 at my last appointment and she is very active in the morning and at night.

Names?
Emmy Marie. I liked Emerson with Emmy as a nickname but my husband wasn't into Emerson so we are just going with Emmy.

I made this floral letter for her room.

5 Truths About Running While Pregnant

In the 3 months leading up to finding out we were pregnant with our second, I had completed two half marathons and a 10 mile race. I was in about as good of shape as I could have been.  So one would think continuing to run would have been a walk in the park.

Here are five of my experiences while running pregnant:

You will be much slower.  Whether it be during your first trimester when your body is continuously exhausted and all you want to do is nap or during the second/third trimester when all that extra weight takes its toll, your pace will get slower and s l o w e r.

Your hips, butt and lower back will hurt during and/or afterwards.  Pregnancy changes your body so as things stretch to accommodate your growing baby, your body becomes more vulnerable to aches and pains.

The need to pee.  I didn't experience this while running with my first but I guess my bladder is weaker this go around.  The entire time I run, I feel the need to pee. The frustrating part is you would think it must be a gallon amount but really it is more like a teaspoon.

Pelvic Pain. At times I get a shooting sensation down to my pubic bone while running or shortly thereafter. It is not terribly painful for me but not enjoyable either.  However, many women stop running while pregnant due to different kinds of pelvic pain.

You will receive many looks.  Not everyone understands the benefits to running while pregnant so you will get those who are confused at to why you would be running sporting a burgeoning belly, others who pity you but the best are fellow runners who are proud of your continued effort.

Liv: Here is looking at you kid

My firstborn is now two, no longer a baby and officially a toddler. 

Here is looking at the things that make you YOU:

• You love to watch Elmo and nursery rhymes on Youtube
• You can count to 13, recognize numbers 1-5 and know your colors
• You are very mannerly with please and thank yous
• You like to shake your hips to music
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has become a big hit
• You hate socks and shoes and take them off the minute you can
• You still are not a fan of car rides or carseats
• Frozen mango, watermelon, soft pretzels, spaghetti, pizza and gummy fruit snacks are your foods of choice these days
• Reading, playdoh and painting are your favorite pastimes
• You are still in size 4 diapers and have no interest in potty training besides putting toilet paper in the toilet
• You are currently wearing 2T-3T tops, 18 month pants and size 6 shoes
• You LOVE the movie Frozen and singing "Let It Go" 
• You also LOVE to be "nakey" especially at night before pajama time
• You still take a bottle aka baba in the morning and before bed and walk around with it hanging out of your mouth hence all the chewed nipples
• Outside, outside, outside is where you want to be if it's not windy or rainy
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