Saturday, Saturday

This is actually from last Saturday, a friend's birthday party.

At about 17.5 weeks pregnant, I am (hopefully) slowly coming back to my normal self. Surely, some things, like my belly, are going to continue veering in the "abnormal" direction. But emotionally, nothing crushes me like the nausea I experienced, especially until about 13-14 weeks. Thankfully it's really really close to being gone. Fingers crossed.

I'm being reasonably productive at work, and enjoying being in the office. I'm finding many aspects of it interesting again! Getting M ready for school or doing bedtime no longer feels like torture. And since we definitely are done at two kids, I'm pretty certain that this will be my last pregnancy.

Today I got up at about 6:40, had a little coffee and started on the spin bike at a relaxed pace, while O was out for a run. I went for a run/walk at about 7am. It was a cold, clear and beautiful morning. I ran/walked for about 30-40 minutes. My pelvic joint pains have really kicked up in the last week, so I don't expect to do any running at all for much longer. During my last pregnancy, even walking became painful by about 20 weeks, which was tough for someone who loves to run. But I am somehow less concerned about it now... Maybe because I know it will end, and then I will hopefully never deal with it again!

After my run, we had breakfast, puttered around, I showered and took M to the playground around 10:30 while O went to Trader Joe's. We got back at 12:15 or so, ate lunch (scrambled eggs with spinach, then a bunch of crackers with cheese and ham for me (heated the ham to avoid listeria), then bedtime for M, some cleanup. O went to a friends' one-year-old's birthday party in SF. I browsed the Corporette Moms website and snacked more, including a bunch of chocolate, which was delicious. But also tough to feel OK about because at my OB appointment two days ago, I learned that I gained 9 lbs in the last month. Oops. My OB assured me that my total gain is OK, but ugh. Doesn't feel good. But if I don't eat, I feel nauseous, so there's that. And many healthier foods still kind of gross me out.

The plan for this afternoon/evening? Read or maybe pick up around the house a little more until M finishes her nap. Go for another walk outside. Go out for dinner or do takeout, hopefully something reasonably healthy. Get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

New decade

2020, the year that once seemed so far away, is here! It's going to be a big year for at least two reasons:
1) The country will pick the President for the next four years
2) We will become a family of four - baby boy due June 23rd!

Both pending events are full of anticipation and uncertainty, so there will be a lot of waiting this year.

My pregnancy has been...less than awesome so far. Perpetual nausea has been the worst, and the exhaustion of the first trimester didn't make it better. This time around, I'm a little less bitter about women who claim to love being pregnant. But it has been a trying time. Thankfully things are slowly improving, but at 15 weeks I'm nowhere near a "blissful" second trimester (as some websites describe it).  I don't want this to be a whiny post, so I will stop here.

2019 in review
This is probably not comprehensive, but just a list I jotted down in my head:

• M is thriving at 2.5 years old, has successfully transitioned to a great new preschool close to our house, and is talking in more and more complex and insightful sentences. Observing her is becoming more and more fascinating.
• In February, we moved to what we thought might be our last rental. It's a pretty good place in an awesome location. Part of me wishes that we had a 3br instead of a 2br now that we're expecting another kid, but I also like saving money.
• Went to Israel in July, with M, to visit O's grandma and other family. I consider that trip to be quite the accomplishment due to the challenges of traveling with a 2-yr-old. The flights were manageable, but the jet lag was killer. That said, it felt like the best time window we'd have for the next few years, so I am glad that we made the trip. The memories are worth it.
• Bought a new car, a Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen. 6yr warranty! It's a good family car - enough for 4 people, but not too big.
• Had a pretty good year at work - completed big projects and received a good review.
• Survived my hopefully LAST first trimester ever. 

Not a bad place to start 2020. I wrote out a list of goals for the year, something I don't normally get around to. One of the goals is to blog twice a week.

Happy New Year!