Weekly Weigh-In: Week 20+1

This picture is actually from a little more than a week ago, after my graduate school orientation.  I feel like my belly is out there even more than usual now, but I also think that the view from the top makes it seem bigger than it probably appears to onlookers.  I'm still noticeably smaller than with Oliver (see comparison picture here), but that's partly because I'm smaller all over.  My two pairs of non-maternity shorts are almost at the end of their wearability, but fortunately I still have lots of stretchy summer dresses (like this one) to wear for the next several weeks.  Once fall is here, I have two pairs of maternity jeans and two pairs of maternity khakis to get me through until the really cold winter sets in.

I've been trying to stay more active now that school is in session and I spend so much of my day sitting in class or at my desk in the office (our pod, as it's called).  I swam last week, once for real at the student recreation center and once with Oliver just for fun.  I pushed him to campus in the stroller one day, mowed the lawn, and did lots of yard work.  The baby lets me know when I need to take a rest.  I tend to get lightheaded and just overall don't feel well.  So I sit on the chaise with my feet up, drink water or lemonade, and watch a 30-minute episode of something taped (or, increasingly, check email or do schoolwork).

I am, as of this morning, 126.5 lbs.  That up again from my last weight, a 1.5 lb. I think.  Wes keeps reminding me that it's okay.  And the baby's biggest job at this point is gain weight, so I will, too.  I have been more lax about having some ice cream or (my recent indulgence) dark chocolate-covered almonds, but I'm trying to keep the portions and frequency reasonable. I don't want to have to kill myself after this is over to lose the weight! I know that at this point I should just try to be healthy and stop stepping on the scale so often.  Old habits die hard, though.  Doing so helped me keep my weight in check pre-baby, and now it's hard to stop weighing and worrying.

My next midwife's appointment isn't for about 3 1/2 weeks, but since the little girl is moving more and more, I know she's doing okay (or ostensibly so) in the meantime.  I can see some slight movement on the outside (still very low), but mostly it's her rolls and gentle nudges that I notice.  Here's to a healthy second half of the pregnancy!