20 Weeks Pregnant!

How far along: 20 weeks pregnant! Due September 3rd!

Gender: Officially a baby BOY!!

Total weight gain: Up 9 lb.

Exercise: Unfortunately, my exercise plans for this pregnancy look very different. Between the subchorionic hemorrhage and now the complete placenta previa, I have been limited to just walking. I'm really excited though because this week I have been able to get in even more miles than usual. I should log over 35 miles this week! 

Maternity clothes: Still no maternity clothes. Just making other clothes work. This week I've been living in an old pair of shorts (thanks rubber band trick), dresses, and workout clothes.

Miss anything: I definitely am missing my normal workouts!

Movement: I'm feeling him move all the time, and the movements are getting bigger and bigger. I absolutely love it. This movement is why I stuck through 2 years of IVF cycles back to back. This movement is my favorite feeling in the world. I feel beyond blessed to be able to feel this again!

Have you started to show: I think I am starting to look pregnant to people I don't know in certain outfits...and especially at the end of the day. I cannot wait to have a big ol' bump!!

Stretch marks: This is a tricky one. I never got stretch marks on my belly with Mckenna. But ever since puberty I've had stretch marks on my thighs, tush, and hips. They are very fine and you only really see them when the light hits them right. So there's a good chance that I got more with Mckenna, I just have no idea. My guess is I may be getting more as we speak, I just can't see them in comparison to what is already there!

Belly button in or out: It's in...and looks like a massive goiter in tight shirts.

Wedding rings on or off: On, when I actually wear them! I take them off for exercise, showers, and sleeping...and with my baby brain and pregnancy brain, I often forget to put them back on!

Sleep: I need to get back to my usual early bedtime because I've been getting to bed way too late this week. But once I'm in bed, I sleep like any other mom with a 3.5 year old and a 4.5 month old.

Labor signs: None. I'm hoping none for a very, very long time. But I am having noticeable Braxton Hicks contractions already. I had lots with Mckenna and it's looking like this pregnancy is going to be the same.

Best moment of this week: Sometimes this week after feeding Baby N or getting up to go to the bathroom, I laid back down in bed and felt baby boy moving around. I laid awake each time just feeling him move in the stillness of the night. I thought about what he may look like. I dreamed about what he may become. I prayed to thank God for each kick and roll. These moments are the best moments in a lifetime, not just a week.

Thankful Thursday: New Friendships & ERC

It's thankful Thursday time! We all have so much to be thankful for and we love to take this opportunity just to write down each and everything that comes to mind. Please take this time to share with us what you're thankful for as well. If you have a blog expressing your thankfulness, please share the link! Without further ado, here's what we're thankful for:

Mandi's List:

I’m thankful for new friendships. I have an acquaintance that we’ve known for awhile through some interactions at our nearby parks, but recently we’ve starting spending more time together, and I absolutely adore her. I respect her as a mom and as a woman, and on top of that she’s super fun and enjoyable to be around. There are few things in life that make me happier than friendships that bloom quickly because they feel as if you’ve known that person forever. And I’m pretty sure Ronnie and her husband are long lost twins. I think they may be the same person born into two bodies.

I’m thankful for morning walks. Joy, the woman I just loved on for the paragraph above, and I have started going for morning walks before the kiddos get up. It has been such a great way to wake up. It’s been really enjoyable to log some miles (we get in around 4 miles) while chatting. The added bonus is waking up slowly with some me time vs waking up to the demands of a 3 year-old ready for cartoons and cereal is kind of relaxing!! Though, our cartoon and cereal snuggle time is my favorite.

I’m thankful for a new bible study. We were a part of a small group that needed to take a break for awhile, so we decided to join another group with the newly open time during the week and the ongoing need for spiritual growth. Last night was our first night with the new group, and it was great. We are doing a study called Radical by David Platt, and it looks like it will be a really great one to encourage growth. It should be noted, the bible study we joined is the group of the aforementioned couple in this post. No wonder it’s a fast-growing friendship, we see a lot of each other…I’m pretty sure I saw her 4 times yesterday! We are so fortunate to have the people in our lives that we have!

Ronnie's List:

I'm thankful for our new Bible study. We just started a study with a small group called "Radical" by David Platt. The very first lesson hit me like a ton of bricks and brought to focus how many times I want to serve Jesus on my terms instead of selling out and being a follower on His terms. The study was challenging and certainly convicted me. Now the key will be to turn that conviction into action.

I'm thankful for the Exercise Research Committee. After the CL community chose what question they wanted researched, we were quick to bring together some of the brightest minds in CF and exercise. What has resulted is a proposal for some very groundbreaking and quite possibly revolutionary research in the CF community. I'm always so eager for our phone calls because I learn so much every time we have one. I've learned quite a bit over the last few months. If you didn't know already, doing a proper research study is pretty hard! ;)

I'm thankful for a new adult doctor who cares. I haven't been followed by my new adult CF doc for very long, but it is evident that she cares about me and the CF community. I kind of sprung a request on them to be seen quickly and they did everything they could to get me in this week. Next time I write a TT post, it may be from a hospital bed!

What are you thankful for today?