Letting it all hang out

Turns out the Belly Band is God's gift to pregnant women. Man, is this thing comfortable.

And it looks like I purchased it just in the nick of time, as I have not one pair of pants that still fit. It seems that the belly popped overnight. Litearlly. I couldn't button the pants that I wore yesterday.

The maternity pants that I ordered last week arrived yesterday. Of course, they're not nearly long enough and the cut was horrible. Back to the drawing board.

An Engineering Marvel

This is how I have to wear my pants.

It's actually pretty comfortable (thanks to M for the tip). Unfortunately though, this method only goes so far. As I get bigger, my zipper will sink lower and lower. But it works for now. I'd like to maintain a relationship with my pre-pregnancy pants for as long as possible.

In other news, my mom took me maternity shopping on Saturday and we picked out some ridiculously cute stuff. Two darling, work-appropriate dresses (that don't even look maternity) and a cute, lightweight cardigan that isn't maternity, but will easily accomodate my growing belly.

Fashion pictorial when the bump becomes a little bigger.

Waist Not, Want Not

I only have one pair of work pants that I can still button. Luckily my jeans are all low-rise, so they seem to be holding up. But work wear is getting a little tight.

So I bit the bullet and ordered some maternity pants yesterday. This is a moment I've been dreading. I want to be comfortable, but I also want to be cute. And I have the added hassle of needing pants with an extra-long inseam.

Luckily Gap Maternity was able to accomodate. The black dress pants I ordered are super long and cut nicely. I even managed to find a pair of maternity skinny jeans (oxymoron?).

Now if only JCrew carried maternity. That would thrill me beyond belief.

Watch This

I'm doing it. I'm getting a cold ham sandwich for lunch.

The official recommendation is that pregnant women should avoid deli meats, unless the meat has been heated to steaming (to kill any possible lysteria). But wouldn't you know it, all I've been craving lately is a cold ham sandwich from Jimmy John's.

I asked my doctor about it on Monday, and she said the occassional deli sandwich would be fine. Weeks ago I vowed to trust my doctor's advice, and ignore anything that Google or the crazy mom bloggers told me. So I'm doing it. I'm having a delicious, thin-sliced, deli ham sandwich for lunch.

I guess you could say I'm living dangerously. On the edge. At the meat counter.

Bump Watch

Here we are... 16 weeks! My co-workers say I still don't look pregnant. But I feel rounder, and Ben says he can definately see a bump emerging.

You be the judge... bump or no bump?

Oh, hello!

My bad. I've been missing in action for the past week. But its been a busy one. The Community Foundation's new website launches on Monday, so I've been up to my ears in proofreading, page testing and HTML coding. And I'm in the middle of a great book (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), so I'm in bed reading nearly every chance I get.

We also had a busy baby week. We have a color for the baby's room (golden yellow) and a volunteer to paint while I'm gone this weekend (thanks, Julie). So when I'm not reading or working on the website, I've been trying to clean out the bedroom (turned storage area) that will soon house our child. Turns out we've accumulated a lot of stuff in the last four years!

What else? We started our Bradley birth class on Sunday. The Bradley Method prepares mother and partner to have a natural, unmedicated child birth. Our first class was all about nutrition and exercise throughout pregnancy. Good stuff.

We also had a doctor's appointment yesterday. The baby's heart beat is nice and strong (150 beats per minute), and I only giggled once this time. The nurse also told me which way to lean on the scale to make my weight go down. Score.

Fried Food Foe

It appears that they baby hates fried food.

This is particularily upsetting as a I love fried food. But the last few times I have consumed any sort of food dipped in oil, my body has recoiled into a bout of nausea.

This probably means the baby wants more nutritious items, and rightfully so. But part of the fun of pregnancy is being able to indulge a little, right?

Well, no dice. My only pregnancy cravings to date have been vegetables. And lots of them. I'm still on my spinach kick. Though I'm hoping the highly coveted bacon phase starts soon.

Pain in the...

I ran a 5K in December, very early in my pregnancy. I didn't stretch enough for the cold temps, and (moderately) pulled my right glute.

That was over three months ago. And wouldn't you know it, it's still bugging me. I stretch it, I heat it, I massage it, I rest it. But it continues to seize up on me whenever I run or walk. It's a literal pain in the ass.

My doctor says it's just one of the physiological complications of pregnancy. My body is so focused on growing a person, that my own muscle recovery suffers. And in turn, so do I. Just another reminder of what a total body experience pregnancy is.