A quick note since I know this can be confusing: These recaps are all posted on a one-week delay since I write them at the very end of each week (usually on a Friday) since I don’t want to miss anything. I then share them on the blog the following week. I hope this makes sense!
Past updates:
Baby Updates
Baby is the size of a spaghetti squash!
A spaghetti squash!? That seems so huge to me! Ryan and I cannot believe there’s a little guy the size of a spaghetti squash hanging out in my belly. Exciting!
Weight Gained
Didn’t weigh myself.
Workouts
I am getting back into more strength training (it took a backseat to barre workouts in March thanks to my studio’s Pure Madness challenge) and after taking two Body Pump classes and teaching a total body strength class this week, it’s safe to say I am thrilled to be lifting again. I really hope to maintain regular strength training throughout my pregnancy.
Since the spring weather in Charlotte is so, so gorgeous right now, I cannot help but feel a little bummed that running outside just isn’t in the cards for me. I’d love to leash Sadie up and go for a run around the neighborhood, but the heaviness I feel down there totally rules this out as an option. I know listening to my body is the most important thing I can do right now and I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will not be a pregnant runner. I’m obviously a little bummed about this, but my long walks with Sadie have been a great way to soak up some sun and enjoy time outside.
Spinning and walking continue to be my main form of cardio!
Symptoms
After too long on my feet, I’ve noticed they will start to feel a little achy. This isn’t an everyday thing, but it happened a couple of times this week and I’m pretty sure I fell in love with Ryan all over again when he gave me a fantastic foot massage a few times. Can this be an every day thing? Haha!
I also felt like my appetite was raging this week. It was really weird – I wasn’t exactly ravenously hungry the way I was during my first trimester, but I kept wanting food constantly. It was a very snacky week, that’s for sure!
No nausea to report at all which is faaabulous! I hope this means I’m “over the hump” and entering the “pregnancy sweet spot” I’ve heard so much about!
Food Aversions
Tomato-based soups, most plain cooked vegetables and anything cooked with cumin. I am beginning to wonder if I’ll ever be able to stomach the thought of a tomato-based soup again. Bleh!
Food Cravings
- Cheese and crackers (I want this for dinner every night.)
- Red wine (Seriously this craving will not go away! I cannot wait for my first glass of cabernet post-baby!)
- Chopped salads (So grateful this craving continues to be a strong one!)
- Greek yogurt
- Gummy candy
Please check out the glorious candy that found its way into my Easter basket from Ryan this year…
The fact that Ryan managed to find candy that combined my intense love for jelly beans and sour gummies was a serious win!
Sleep
The Snoogle continues to save my sleep! Only one night of restlessness. I seem to sleep the worst on Monday nights which makes no sense to me.
Looking Forward To…
Our 24 week appointment! Hurry up and get here!!
Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases?
Aden + Anais crib bedding (this teeny star sheet in “Oh Boy!” and a solid light blue sheet) and a changing pad cover! I picked all three up for $10 each at HomeGoods last weekend and love the soft fabric and calming color. Though the furniture and décor in our nursery will be mostly neutral, I wanted to incorporate some pops of color through bedding and sheets and was happy when I found an affordable option that I loved. My wonderful friend Caitlin gave me an organic crib mattress so once I have a crib skirt in place, it will be good to go!
I also took a trip to Michael’s to get two paintings reframed that used to be in my mom’s childhood bedroom that we’re hoping to hang in the nursery. I will pick them up soon!
And my love for super-soft bralettes continues. I am basically living in them right now and nabbed a Splendid minty-blue bralette on sale from Nordstrom Rack that’s comfortable enough to sleep in.
Oh! And I couldn’t resist buying a onesie that says “Little Peanut” on it for $9 from Zulily for our little one. It was a little too perfect given my love for peanut butter and the name of this blog. So cute!
Stretch Marks?
Thankfully, no! After my morning shower, I am applying a combination of Mambino Organic Oh Baby! Belly Butter and Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter to my tummy and boobs and hoping this helps.
Belly Button In Or Out?
Slightly in, but it’s flattening out more and more with each day that passes. Outie, here I come!
Happy or Moody Most Of The Time?
Happy!
Any Movement?
Yes! Feeling lots of wonderful fluttering daily but the movement still isn’t super strong so I only feel it when I’m very still. I also notice more movement in bed right before we go to sleep and right when I first go into a horizontal position or eat something sugary. Ryan and I joke that our baby is a little night owl, which doesn’t bode well for us considering we’re both morning people who think an early bed time is pretty darn fantastic. I think we’re in for a treat!
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Hi Julie! I rarely comment, but just wanted to say that I really appreciate the fact that you aren’t focusing on weight gain in your pregnancy posts. It’s so easy to get caught up in the number on the scale, but you do a great job focusing on staying active, eating healthy, and feeling your best during your pregnancy. I think you are a great example for lots of pregnant women! Congrats to you and Ryan on your little one – it’s easy to tell that the two of you will be great parents.
Thank you!!! I am actually copying a few friends of mine who said they just got weight updates at the doctor’s office which sounded like a good idea to me! I am just trying to keep my focus on being healthy for the baby and not let body changes weigh on my mind too much even though it can be crazy to see my body change constantly — and not just a growing belly. There are waaay more important things going on right now and I just want our baby boy to have a safe spot to grow until he’s ready to come out!
Your nursery is coming along so well and can’t wait to see the finished product hopefully soon! I’m not pregnant and I crave sour gummies all the time! They’re the bee’s knees!
I’ve always been more of a chocolate girl, but right now it’s all BRING ON THE GUMMIES!!!
Oh I don’t think I could pick between gummies and chocolate! I’d just have them both
Have you had Chocolate Gummy Bears?!
WHAT!?!?! NOOOO!!! Need these…
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory by far has the best! They are also all over Amazon…and sometimes called Dingle Bearies (snicker!) I also sometimes find them in the bulk bins at some grocery stores
Chocolate covered gummy bears are SO delicious!
Love this! You look so great! I haven’t been able to run either, mainly because I don’t think my stomach could handle it right now nausea wise, but walking has been a great cardio go-to for me! Getting out and MOVING just makes a world of difference!!
My daughter was so active at night too! I was telling my mom this and she pointed out that is is common, she said that is why most babies are born in the wee hours of the morning.
I started contracting (45 minutes apart) the night before. My water broke at 3 a.m., I was at the Klink at 4 a.m. and she arrived at 7a.m.. Not bad. (: I hope you have a fast delivery!!!
I love that he is moving a lot now! How exciting Your crib is super cute!
I officially want Cheese and Crackers really bad right now. If I wasn’t at work I would be indulging. I could go for some Ranch Wheat Thins, also!!
MMM!
My feet were also achy and swollen by mid pregnancy last summer. If you find yourself in a “none of my shoes are comfortable” situation like me… Check out Skechers. I ended up with lace up go walk sneakers (which I lived in) and a pair of their on the go boat shoes. Not the cutest but not super bad either. The go walks made me feel like I was walking on clouds!
Good luck! I love reading your posts. My boy was born 6 mos ago. Time flies!
i bought a bottle of Ariel wine to quench my red wine craving…it’s non-alcoholic and really isn’t too bad. FRE Brand isn’t bad either. They make a non-alcoholic champagne that i drank some of while on vacation. Really couldn’t tell the difference in a mimosa.
Did you find this at a regular grocery store?? I’m quite intrigued…
The Ariel was a little tricky to find, but I did find it at a local grocery store that had a decent wine selection. FRE is sold in most stores here in ohio. I had a hard time finding the champagne in florida and ended up finding it in a liquor store. Fre has a store locator that you can search by type: http://www.frewines.com/shop
I think the FRE blend is pretty good, not as good as the Ariel, but a little easier to find.
I was going to comment just to say this. I don’t drink anymore for various reasons, but I like the taste of wine so FRE and Ariel are my staples. There are a couple of other brands (MADD actually makes one which I found in Walgreens of all places), but those are the two most common. Whole foods has them sometimes, and usually bigger liquor stores do, Wegman’s has them, and I’ve found it at normal grocery stores too.
Out of the two I like the quality of Ariel better, but FRE is more common and they have pretty much every type of wine you can think of whereas I’ve only seen maybe 3 types of Ariel. The only FRE one I don’t recommend is the champagne. It just doesn’t have that thing.
If you go looking for it, don’t count on anyone who works at these places to know what you’re talking about. I’ve gotten a lot of attitude about it before. The other thing I should mention is that sometimes it’s not kept with the other alcohol. Wegman’s and Whole Foods carry them with mixers or even in the fancy grown up soda section, so it may take a little searching.
when I was pregnant with my first, I totally thought he’d be a night owl just like you. 11 months later, he is an amazing sleeper. I think you feel him more at night because that is when you are most still. Don’t despair!!
phew!!
You look great!! If you’re feeling a lot of heaviness into your pelvis and it’s causing discomfort, you might try getting adjusted by a chiropractor who is Webster certified. With my third and most recent pregnancy, I had so much discomfort down there that it hurt to walk and running was definitely out of the question! My husband, who is also my chiro (talk about convenient!!), started using the Webster technique on me and the baby then moved into a better position and I was muuuuch more comfortable… Even to the point that I was able to run again. Life. Saver!! I couldn’t imagine pregnancy without getting adjusted!
This is very interesting! Thanks for sharing!!
Are you planning to BF baby boy? I work everyday with children & nutrition counseling and just haven’t read that you’ve mentioned what y’all’s plans were? congratulations to you both!
YES, absolutely!!! i am not sure why, but this is something i am REALLY looking forward to!
Hi Julie! Long-time reader but rare commenter here If you’re planning of BFing you should definitely check out “Breastfeeding made Simple- Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers”. It’s on Amazon. My doula recommended it to me and I am so so glad she did. I didn’t think breastfeeding required a book but there were so many times in those first few weeks where I would wonder whether something was normal and would refer to the book and find an answer. It really helped calm my anxieties! Now my baby boy is almost 11 months old and we still have a wondering breastfeeding relationship
I also just want to say that I love these updates and your blog and am so happy for you and Ryan. Thanks for being a happy space to come to on the Internet!
Thank you for this recommendation, Ana Maria!
I love the updates. Glad you’re feeling better!
I’m not even pregnant and I can’t stand too much cumin. Too bad that my husband is Indian so if we ever have family dinners it can be a little overwhelming!
Have you tried the Sweet Tart jelly beans? SO GOOD.
Also, I am on a huge cheese and crackers kick at 14 weeks. I can’t get enough!!!
Cheese and crackers are the best! I have been eating a ton in my pregnancy too! So yummy.
The “Little Peanut” onesie sounds so adorable!
One of the reasons babies are more active at night is the fact that you’re still. Babies are soothed and rocked around when you’re moving, and they are still to enjoy that time. When you’re still, they realize and start moving around
If you have a really strong craving for wine you just can’t shake they do sell non alcoholic wine. Not sure what varieties they sell, it may simply be red or white. But I have a wine-o friend who is pregnant who has a glass every night.
Hi Julie! What crib did you buy? I’m starting to check them out!
Ahh I’m so excited for you! Your nursery is going to be beautiful!
It’s actually normal for babies to be “night owls” because they are used to falling asleep when mothers are up and around during the day (they are lulled by the movement), and wake up at night when things get quiet and the mom stops moving. That’s why many babies reverse cycle after they are born because they are used to being awake in your belly at night, and sleep during the day. I’m a NICU nurse and I am obsessed with babies, and have even been telling my friends and family that “the adorable blogger I follow is now pregnant!!”. Best wishes for a continued healthy pregnancy!
I recently heard that you’re only “supposed” to have an extra 100-300 calories per day when you’re pregnant…that made me sad haha one of the reason’s I’m looking forward to being pregnant one day is to be able to eat more (healthy stuff)!
I love reading your weekly updates! Pregnancy is hard but also so magical, and it’s awesome you will have these posts as a sort of journal for your little guy.
Just a heads up that you might already know, but there are pressure points both on the ankles/feet and the shoulders that can cause contractions and early labor. I would never tell a pregnant woman to forego foot massages (the best but just Google the points Ryan should avoid (good masseuses and pedicurists know these spots also).
xoxo!
Red wine? How funny! Soon enough, Julie! Glad you’re back to strength training! You’ll need those muscles to carry around a big baby:)
I craved wine all through my pregnancy! When my hubby when drink some, I’d ask him if I could just smell it! LOL as weird as that is, it helped me deal with that craving. I still haven’t had my first post-pregnancy glass of wine–my baby is 8 days old now! I’ve just been too focused on breast feeding and haven’t gotten the pump out yet to pump-and-dump after drinking some wine.
Julie,
Where is your crib from?
Has anyone suggested a groin support band to you yet? It may relieve some of the weighty feeling and make running easier. You have a lot more blood flow there now so it makes sense that it would feel heavier.
https://babybellyband.com/product/compression-therapy-groin-bands/
I started reading your blog probably… 5 years ago? Unfortunately life got in the way and I stopped reading blogs due to my school work but the other day you randomly popped in my head and I thought “I wonder when she will have a baby!” So I looked at your blog and was SO HAPPY to see you and Ryan are expecting a baby boy. Congratulations to you both
The heavy feeling you talk about I remember well with both of my pregnancies. I’m no doctor but because both of my boys got into birthing position early (by 6 months or 7 which I thought was early) and were head down for so long there was a lot of pressure. I could have sworn they were gonna fall out between my legs at any given moment but of course they never did. Plus they felt like 10lb. babies. Both born early. One by 2 weeks induced and one by 4 weeks on its own. Both came out just fine. One weighed 6.4 and the other 6.6.
oh my goodness I cannot believe it is week 22 – I feel you like you told us about the little guy!
I read this post while eating my lunch of spaghetti squash haha. Made me pause and look at it differently!
When I have a craving for Wine, I drink kombucha… it does the trick for now
I love reading your updates! It makes me nostalgic for when I was pregnant; my daughter is now 17 months. It goes by so fast!
When I was pregnant, I loved chocolate-banana “softserve”! I, no joke, ate it everyday!
Yay for foot rubs! Go Ryan!
Yikes, I totally will probably have crazy wine cravings when I’m pregnant too! Is it bad that I’m kind of legitimately concerned about that? Yay for a spaghetti squash baby PBF!
Yep, no running for me either with pregnancy! I am missing it but thankfully someone already bought the BOB stroller off my registry so I plan to run again once my little guy is here (in JUNE..OMG, coming up so fast!!)
And yes cheese and crackers have been a hugeeee craving for me. I eat it a lot for dinner along with some fresh fruits and veggies, the only thing that is missing is a big glass of red wine!! I cannot wait to eat sushi with a glass of wine, meat and cheese plates, etc once my baby is here.
enjoy some wine!! i know plenty of docs/ob gyns who say a glass every once in a while during pregnancy is A-ok!
I agree!
Bralettes are literally the only thing I wear! I can’t even imagine trying to put on a real bra right now with how big my boobs have gotten. I’m hoping my nausea subsides soon because it’s the worst feeling ever. I take my first plane ride home tomorrow night and I’m super nervous I’m going to have to use the “puke bag”. Wish me luck!
Your nursery is super cute! I can’t wait until we go next weekend to pick out nursery things and to register!
I hope your flight goes well! I actually had to throw up in the bag on two flights during the earlier weeks and feel for you if you end up getting sick! Crossing my fingers for you for smooth travels!
I love the nursery look so far–how cute!!
Our 1st seemed to be a night owl in womb but she’s an incredible sleeper (usually), so that was a relief! haha. Are you guys planning on having the baby sleep next to you at first or go straight to the crib? I love hearing all the details!! <3
I craved beer when I was pregnant!! Which is so weird, because I hardly ever drink beer normally. I would just steal a sip of my husband’s from time to time
I love reading your bump updates! You’re about a week ahead of me pregnancy-wise (I’m at 21 weeks) but months ahead with planning!! Ah! I can’t believe you have a nursery and bedding already! My husband and I are moving back down south in a couple of weeks so everything has kind of been on hold until after the move!!! You look great!
Hi, Julie! I’m sure someone already told you this, but since I suffered the same “down there” heaviness that you’re talking about (until about 3 months postpartum, unfortunately), I wanted to tell you that my midwife said it would have been much improved if I had done more kegels. Just food for thought. Love your updates!
i’ll definitely do this!!
Do you find either is those stretch mark creams to be greasy? I bought one from Honest Company and I love how hydrating it is but I can only use it at night because it is too greasy to get on regular clothes. I am 14.5 weeks and I want to start using something daily after I take a shower.
Pregnancy aversions are so random and funny! I’m pretty sure I will never go near anything artificially jalpeno flavored again!