Teeming with #2: Week 25 update!

Definitely in "no question" territory now!

Out for a dinner/drinks date with hubs last night and no fewer than three people asked me when I was due! (Though, to be fair, the ordering of virgin cocktails was a pretty good clue in itself, not to mention that I was even huger due to the generous helping of gnocchi and slice of boca negra I'd just inhaled.)

Weight-wise, I'm up to 131 pounds for a gain of 19 total so far. Given I was so underweight before getting pregnant, I think a final gain of 30-40 total should be about right for me

Following my wonderful news two weeks prior, I had Yet Another Ultrasound last week to confirm that things continued to look good. And indeed, they did! My fluid levels clocked in at 130 according to the particular flavour of the "four quadrant test" performed (normal is between 95 and 200, IIRC) and my placenta was waaay up, evidently at an "interesting" location (sort of a combination of fundal and lateral).

Of course we got some pics - here's your prototypical spooky alien face shot and a cute li'l foot! 

Now hopefully no more ultrasounds! Li'l man's been exposed to enough sound waves already! *nods*

All in all, I've been feeling quite good the last few weeks! I'm enjoying high energy levels and emotionally, I've been happy, relaxed and level like I was last time around. I've started prenatal yoga with another preggy friend (and blogger!) to help loosen and strengthen all those "important areas" in preparation for late pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery. It feels great to work all those tight muscles! Now that I have the green light for exercise (whew, would've sucked to be confined to a sedentary lifestyle!), I'm also planning to start back on my birth ball and Active Birth exercises.

I am definitely starting to feel bigger, however. I can't just flop around every which way in bed anymore, and getting up from a sitting or crouching position is a bit more of a process, especially when holding our daughter. A few nuisances have cropped up as well. The inside of my nose has become extra crusty and prone to minor bleeding (apparently normal - weird) and, yes I'll admit, I've had some issues with incontinence. I'd been thinking I needed to get serious about kegels, but then another mama friend pointed me to this intriguing article which takes a different, but compelling stance. Her stance? "Tighter does not equal stronger. It's just tighter." Makes sense, really, as there's a lot going on together in a woman's pelvic region keeping things aligned & working smoothly! Based on this, I'm even more eager to dedicate myself to the exercises I mentioned above.

Not so much a nuisance but an observation - my appetite is RIDICULOUSLY HUGE these days! I continuously surprise myself by how much I've been able to eat. I do maintain a generally healthy diet and (like I mentioned earlier) I was quite underweight to begin with when I got pregnant, so I just listen to my body and go with it. I eat until I'm full and don't worry about the occasional totally indulgent treat.

And finally, I've been realizing that my current maternity wardrobe leaves something to be desired (I'd borrowed quite a few clothes from my cousin's wife last time around and returned them when she was expecting again) so I spent an hour this morning browsing Kijiji - lots of great stuff out there for just a few bucks per item! Maternity shopping's like kid clothes shopping, IMO. Most 2nd hand stuff's in great condition because it's worn for such a short period of time! So why not go this route?

Well that's about it for now! Hope all you other mamas-to-be out there are enjoying healthy, happy pregnancies as well! xxoo