Bumpdate: Week 17

One day I'll clean my mirror. Probably the same day I decide to wear something other than workout pants.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a day filled with more food than I could have imagined, some quality time with James' family, and then a relaxing weekend back at home.

Continuing on with the Thanksgiving-themed bump-food associations, at week 17, baby #2 is the size of a sweet potato! (Interesting, considering I passed on the sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving day.) Baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, and weighs about five ounces. Baby has apparently learned how to yawn at this point, which is ironic considering my sleeping patterns these days.

Total weight gained / lost: The scale batteries continue to grace my grocery list, though I did jump on James' mom's scale and it appeared that I'm seven pounds up from my original weight. On Thanksgiving, I received several comments from James' family about "popping" since I last saw them, which I tried to blame on the thick sweater I was wearing in their presence. Alas, even I can't help but notice how much larger my stomach looks as compared to a week or two ago. (As well as other things, eh hem - see above photo.) Apparently my uterus (does anyone else get skeeved out by that word?) is the size of a cantaloup at this point, so it all makes sense. Eh, what can you do.

Maternity clothes: Even I'm getting tired of looking at myself in yoga / workout pants at this point. Also, I'm in desperate need of new maternity shirts as I hate all of my old ones. Unfortunately, nothing is uglier to me than traditional maternity shirts with the under-chest cinching, plain old cotton long-sleeved tees are rather boring, and it's hard to find much else.

Sleep: Nothing has changed. Also, I swore off any future children after Sammy kept us awake in the middle of the night for two hours on Thanksgiving. I thought all this early morning wake-up stuff would prepare me for baby #2, but now - I'm frightened.

Best moment of the week: Again, not really baby-related, but I loved my day of prep the day before Thanksgiving. With everything going on, I haven't been as eager to jump into the holiday spirit as in years past. But on this day, I had holiday music on Pandora, Sammy was sitting quietly on the floor (for at least a few minutes) chewing on my flour sifter, and I thoroughly enjoyed whipping up Ina's corn pudding and a salted caramel apple pie. I think I'm now ready to embrace the holidays.

Movement: I've been feeling little hints of something, though I'm not really sure it's the baby just yet. It's hard for me to remember how movement felt early on in my pregnancy with Sammy (though I can clearly remember the kicking and elbowing near the end), so I don't feel like I've much to compare.

Probably the most unappetizing food photo I've ever shared.

Food cravings / food aversions: I've jumped back on the healthy bandwagon and have thoroughly embraced my new breakfast routine of either a Van's power grains waffle with almond butter and banana, or greek yogurt and cereal. (Though I did sneak in a bagel a day or two.) I'm trying to incorporate more protein into my diet as I'm definitely not getting enough via meats or grains. I enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal without overdoing it, and certainly made up for any hint of overindulgence by getting in some quality workouts. No weird food aversions this week.

Gender: The countdown begins! On this day next week, we'll find out! And yes, still thinking boy. I think.

What is different this time around: I recently realized that I've yet to pick up my What to Expect When You're Expecting book. Last time around, I read and reread that thing practically every other night. I really only consult my online pregnancy apps when I'm writing these updates, and a number of issues of Fit Pregnancy have yet to be downloaded via my Nook. (But I promise I won't neglect you, Baby!)

What I miss: Last week's pity party is over, and honestly, there's not much I miss this week! Other than sleep. And dressing nicely.

What I'm looking forward to: Our ultrasound appointment next week! I am praying, praying, praying for a healthy baby and heartbeat. Also, did anyone else sob and sob over this week's episode of Giuliana and Bill? (In which baby Duke was born.) It reminded me of Sammy's birth (um, minus the surrogate and television cameras), and I feel very lucky - and excited - to go through all of that again. There really is nothing that can compare to holding your baby - which you've carried for nine plus months - for the very first time.

Workout: I had a fantastic workout week, if I do say so myself. I love second trimester energy! (Must embrace it while I can.) I also am loving incorporating swimming and biking into my routine and doing something other than running.

My new larger bathing suit, in a very inconspicuous and body-slimming shade of "Barney Purple".

This week was particularly exciting as I had a major swimming breakthrough. A little over a month ago, I could barely swim 25 yards without gasping for air. (Apologies to Baby for any lack of oxygen I might have imposed!) And this week, I swam 400 yards in a row - without stopping! I also increased my total single swim workout yardage to 1200 by the end of the week. And while I was ready to be done by the end of the workout, I still felt pretty good! (Though I promise you it wasn't pretty to watch.)

Also, I sort of committed myself (and James) to the Runner's World Run Streak, which has me running at least one mile every day from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. I'm not 100 percent certain that I'll be able to follow through on it in its entirety, but for now, it's a great goal. Also, it helps that my block is just over a mile. Taking 10 minutes out of my day to run around my block is not so daunting.

• Monday: Biked 30 minutes
• Tuesday: Swam 1,000 yards (300, 5x100, 200)
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Ran 3 miles (while pushing Sammy in the jogging stroller, with James running behind us - eh hem) (Day 1 of RW Run Streak)
• Friday: Ran 1 mile, biked 30 minutes
• Saturday: Ran 3.5 miles, swam 1,200 yards (200, 400, 4x100, 4x50)
• Sunday: Ran 1 mile