Twenty Weeks Today!

Check out my baby bump!

Wahoo! I am at my halfway mark. I am happy to announce that I just might not have been cheated out of my honeymoon stage after all. I finally got my taste for coffee back. I no longer gag at the smell of my husband's morning cup of joe. So, with a little help from Folgers, I got a little pep in my step again.

Funny story! I had been practically dragging myself to the group fitness classes that I teach. However, the first day I could drink coffee, I drank a half cup before I went to class. Instead of dragging myself in, I bounced in...seriously. I know people were looking at me funny but I didn't care. I was ready to go. During warm ups, I warned them that they were in for it. At the end of class, they could barely pick themselves off their mats and they accused me of trying to kill them...it was so good to be back!

As for the baby. Let just call "it" a she for fun. She is currently sitting so low I feel like I might birth her at any second. I don't remember this with Griffin but I have been told I'm all stretched out from him (oh, the joys of pregnancy) and that is why she's clinging to my pelvic bones. She is an incredible little gymnast and does her floor routine day and night. Even Chad has already been able to feel her dance moves.

Unfortunately, I already have trouble sleeping at night. I just can't get comfortable. I am usually a back sleeper and that position is a no-go. I have even tried sleeping on the couch a few times. Chad's so cute. He layers all the blankets on the floor next to me so that he can sleep by my side. Anyway, the couch was short lived. I toss and turn all night. When I'm not tossing and turning, I'm headed to the bathroom...ugh!

Nevertheless, I'm half way and happy to have some energy back so I can keep up with my amazing little three year old. I've been soaking up every second with him. He keeps telling me that I have a girl in my tummy. However, he also told me I had two in there about ten weeks ago...so glad he was wrong about that. We only have to wait a couple more days to find out if he's right.

17 Weeks and Counting

It is official, today I have 17 weeks down and only 23 weeks to go. So what has changed over the last 7 weeks? I have officially gained 4 pounds. Yes, my scales are on the way up. However, it seems that my weight has redistributed itself right to my midsection. I've somehow managed to develop love handles instead of that cute little baby bump. I don't know how that is possible with 5-6 exhausting workouts a week but, nevertheless, they are there. My clothes no longer fit comfortably but maternity clothes are way too big. I'm stuck in that in between stage where you don't look pregnant, you just look like you gave into one too many cravings for cheese fries...ugh.


One the brighter side, I am no longer in my first trimester. I've entered what many call the "honeymoon" stage. The second trimester is suppose to be the best weeks of a long pregnancy. Apparently, the pregnancy gods forgot about me. While the constant churning of my stomach has subsided, my second wind is nowhere to be found. A constant state of exhaustion has taken over, headaches are a common occurrence and that cyatic nerve makes my hip feel like it's ninety years old. Mom, stop shaking your head. I know, I must be pushing myself too hard at the gym. Don't forget, I have a two year old that runs circles around me all day long. He's a workout in and of himself. I voiced my concern to the doc and he assured me that the baby is going to get all he or she needs. He or she is not suffering from my zombie-like state. Nope, I'm the only one suffering. I am working on it. I'm taking more naps when Griffin naps and I'm trying to do more instructing and less doing in my fitness classes. Still, I feel like I'm being robbed of my heavenly honeymoon stage.



Oh, one more thing. My brain seems to be made of mush these days. I went to my last prenatal appointment a weeks early, tried to pay at a restaurant with my drivers license, and I come in and out of the house 10 times before I actually pull out of the drive way. Thankfully I haven't forgot Griffin...yet!

Small Victories

Yesterday I went to the doctors for my 10 week ultra sound. We were so excited to see his or her heart beat for the first time and see the body start to take shape. However, before we got to the good stuff we had to get past my demon first...yes, the oh so dreaded scale.

With my last pregnancy, the scale really was my enemy. They tell you to keep your weight gain right around 25. I ran until I was seven months along and exercised until the little guy popped out and to see the scale shoot all the way up to 43 was discouraging. Yes, I lost 20 pounds within a couple weeks of delivery, but the remaining 23 was ridiculous. So, I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen with the next baby.

So, here I am, facing my first obstacle. I am at the end of the first trimester and I know that not one pound of weight gain is necessary during those first 12 weeks. However, I have given in to a few not so healthy cravings. Still, I have continued to workout with my classes just as I did before I was pregnant. With my husband standing behind me (just as nervous as me because he knows he wouldn't hear the end of it if I gain a pound), I step up and wait for that number to pop up (picture Biggest Loser weigh in). After what felt like an eternity, my pre-pregnancy number popped up... WAHOO!!! Chad and I both did a small victory hop in excitement. The nurse thought we were crazy but not gaining a single pound was a small Tucker victory.

I couldn't help but share my excitement with the doc. We laughed and he continued to tell me that he didn't care how much weight I gained as long as I gained at least 15 pounds. I assured him that 15 pounds wouldn't be a problem. He explained that 15 is really all I need for a healthy baby and "the rest is on me." No, my new goal isn't to only gain 15 pounds. However, I do want to stay as close to 25 as I can.

After all the talk about weight we finally got to the good stuff...the ultra sound. With the issues that I've had with endometrios, a small part of me feared that something would be wrong. I was relieved when the little body popped up and I could see his or her heart beating a mile a minute. It was amazing to us. I think we are able to appreciate it a little bit more this go round since we know the joy that a child brings to one's life.

The baby measured a teeny tiny 2.4cm and around .07 ounce, about the size of a strawberry. The baby has little hands, feet, fingers and toes. He or she is a wiggling and dancing around in there. Although I can't feel it yet, we could see it on the ultra sound. The heart rate came in at a strong 177 BPM. Old wives tales would predict a GIRL. But, as long as she or he is healthy I will be a happy momma.

The baby still gives me a run for my money both day and night. Meat by no means sounds good to me but pasta and popsicles usually hit the spot. Baked Lays are my go to when it comes to my nausea and they usually do the trick...for a little while anyway. My energy is still no where to be found but my first trimester is coming to a close so I look forward to my come back. I'm still hitting the gym hard. That usually gives me an energy boost for a couple of hours. However, my two-a-days usually leave me exhausted. I will keep you posted as I sail into the next trimester. I have high hopes for weeks 13-27...the so called "honeymoon period."

Morning Sickness

I would only be so lucky if morning sickness would actually live up to it's name. It seems this go round I have been plagued with 24/7 sickness. Yes, I am nauseas every single waking moment and then it wakes me up in the middle of the night as a sick joke. I haven't had the pleasure of actually vomiting quite yet. Although I think I would feel better if I could just get it over with. I have had the pleasure of having to talk it back down in the middle of teaching a fitness class as well as while training a client. We are already both certain that this one is a girl. Our reasoning; already high maintenance!

However, yesterday I thought I had beat the plague. I woke up feeling like myself again. I got up early to tackle my hair and makeup (something that had been lacking) before little Grif rolled out of bed. I cooked a yummy egg burrito breakfast, took Maggie (my wonderful lab) and Grif for a walk, cleaned the bathrooms (all before 9am) and headed off to work with a smile on my face. I trained a client and then, instead of dragging myself into my Fit Moms exercise class, I showed up energized ready to kick some mom butt. Everything was good until I layed my head down on a pillow to rest up while Griffin napped. All the sudden my stomach started doing flips, my legs started to become restless and the baby reminded me that yes, I am still in the dreaded first trimester and that he/she is still in charge.

I am sad to announce that the first trimester fun still has my stomach clinched at this very moment. I feel incredibly exhausted. However, I attribute that to the fact that I over did it yesterday in the workout arena. Three, one hour intense workouts in a 24 hour span was not a good idea. In my defense, I get so caught up in pushing my class and clients that I end up pushing myself at the same time. I keep reminding myself that exercising to exhaustion is not a good thing during pregnancy. My plan is to back it off a little without people noticing...I don't want them to think they can start slackin'.

I do want to take a second to defend the importance of exercise during pregnancy (mostly so my mom doesn't call and lecture me). It releases feel good chemicals that can lift your spirits, prepares one for an intense labor (and usually results in a shorter labor), relieves stress, improves sleep, generally,increases one's energy, and I could keep going. I have to admit, the 2 hours that I am usually working out during the day are my 2 best hours of the day. I usually feel the best and leave rather energized for the next hour or two. It's my fault. I need to learn my limits and listen to my body...I'm working on that, Mom! And don't worry, the baby doesn't pay the price for this, I do.

Side note...I do think the four pounds of mayonnaise that I gained have melted off. No, I'm not on a diet. This baby is an incredibly picky eater...nothing sounds good to me at all. See, I told you it was a girl.

Everything Tastes Better With Mayonnaise

So, the pregnancy hormones are starting to really kick in...the weirdest being my incredibly strong craving for mayonnaise. I know, crazy. I don't even like mayo on a normal basis. However, about four weeks ago, before I even knew I was pregnant, I had a sudden urge to dip my cold cut snack in a big jar of mayo. This same craving haunted me in my last pregnancy. I spent most of my nine months dreaming of french fries dipped in the white creamy goodness (and on occasion, that's what I did). This time the urge is stronger than ever. I lather up anything and everything with it. Seriously, everything tastes better with mayonnaise.

Here's the problem, mayo is loaded with calories, fat and more calories. I went to my first prenatal appointment...I gained four pounds...in a week! No, they weren't alarmed but I was (to the point my husband was sick of hearing about it). I came to the conclusion that the mayo is going to have to go. It really doesn't have any positive nutritional value to it. And even though we see pregnancy as the green light to devour all the things we have been depriving ourselves of, it is actually the most important time to clean up our eating habits (not a time to diet) and make the most of our calories when it comes to nutrition. Did you know that the fetal brain may grow as many as 250,000 nerve cells each and every minute. Even more, the brain is consuming about 70 percent of the nutrients delivered to it. Obviously, mayonnaise isn't going to cut it.

We did have an emergency ultra sound to ensure that I wasn't having a tubal pregnancy which can be a complication associated with endometriosis. I am happy to say that all is well. We saw our little peanut (he called it the yolk sac) for the first time. I am now 6 weeks and 3 days along. Baby Riley/Cooper is only 1/3 of an inch long — a little bigger than the top of a pencil eraser. He or she weighs less than an aspirin tablet...amazing...where did the four pounds come from then? Well, it is quiet possible that I have eaten four pounds of mayo in the last couple weeks.

The pregnancy hormones haven't just attacked my cravings, they have disabled my ability to hold back tears. A couple days ago I was driving home from dropping Grif off at school when a sad country song came on. I cried like a baby all the way home, pausing to laugh at myself, only to burst back into tears. What the heck? I forgot about this part. To top it off, my short term memory has completely gone out the window and I sleep most of the day away. If Grif is asleep, I'm asleep. How am I going to get anything done this way?!

At Last!

It looks like some weight gain is in my near future...let's hope not 43 lbs this time. My husband, Chad, and I have been hoping and praying for 5 or 6 months for another addition to our incredible family. With Griffin, we hit the jack pot after just two months. Not so easy the second go round. We started to really worry after about the 4th month. I understand that the average woman takes anywhere from 6-12 months to get pregnant. However, I had a knock-down drag out fight with endometriosis that ended with surgery about 9 months ago. We feared that the disease had done the ultimate damage (as the doc warned was a possibility).

However, my parents had a different theory. They were concerned I was over doing it in the gym...is that even possible? Well, I was teaching seven fitness classes a week and training for a half-marathon. I guess I can see their concern. However, my body fat hadn't dropped too dangerously low. Not to mention, there are plenty of elite athletes (much more extreme than me) who have (semi) regular periods and get pregnant while training. To top it off, I had already paid my registration fee for that half marathon and trained my butt off so I was bound and determined to cross that finish line.

Needless to say I didn't listen to my parents. I continued to train and four of my awesome high school friends flew out to Washington to run that race with me. By the time race day rolled around I was seven days late. Not too crazy for me. I was 10 days late the month before. After 3 negative tests and about 30 bucks (those suckers are expensive), I started my period. However, I let my friends convince me that this might just be the month.

Lindsey, Elizabeth, me, Shana, Kelly

My incredibly small bladder woke me up at 4am. Since the test is most accurate with the first bathroom break of the day, I tip-toed down stairs to take the test as I didn't want Chad to know so I could surprise him if the test was positive. I stared at that stick expecting a negative reading. To my surprise, a faint second line appeared...then it got darker...oh my gosh, WE ARE PREGNANT. I set my surprise Chad plan into action and tossed and turned in bed until I heard some of the girls fumbling around the kitchen. I couldn't hold it in. I had to tell someone. I rushed down to stairs to share the news and we quietly jumped around in excitement.

We set out for the race and still, Chad had no idea. The half marathon was incredible. I loved every second. I never felt like I couldn't go another mile and I never thought, who does this to themselves. The last mile was the easiest. I couldn't get to the finish line fast enough. As I rounded the corner I could see Chad kneeling to take pictures of this big accomplishment. Little did he know, he was going to be a dad...again. When I was 20 feet from Chad I held up a yellow sign that I had made at 4am that morning. It read: WE ARE PREGNANT! The look on his face was priceless. He fell face first in disbelief and even shed a few tears. His buddies, and even perfect strangers, jumped on him in celebration and I crossed the finish line with a big smile on my face!

We are so incredibly excited and Griffin claims to want a little sister. No morning sickness yet, but I am only 7 weeks along. I plan to continue teaching my classes and I still run 3-5 miles twice a week. Don't worry, Mom and Dad, since I was exercising like this prior to getting pregnant it is still safe! I will keep you posted on my journey.