Baby bump status: Making itself known! I told my co-workers about my pregnancy around 12 weeks but since I work in a big office there are plenty of people I didn't tell directly. In the past couple of weeks, when I see those people in the kitchen or during random fire alarms, they give me a double take and say, "Oh! I didn't want to say anything before but now I'm sure; you're pregnant aren't you?!" It's fun to have it be public knowledge.

I'm wearing maternity clothes including these amazing work pants from Gap. If you are in need of maternity clothes now or in the near future I can't recommend them enough! Only pain is that they need to air dry.

How I'm feeling: Great overall although I am starting to feel big already...and it seems like I have a long way to go! I started my pregnancy at my pre-Dashiell pregnancy weight but my body is definitely shaped a bit differently and so some of the maternity clothes I already had don't fit very well and that's frustrating.

I've been feeling the baby move since about 12 weeks but it's now a daily sensation and Chris has even been able to feel some kicks as well. Dashiell was so active and I'm suspecting this baby will be, too.

During my first pregnancy the two annoying symptoms that I endured were heartburn and swollen feet and ankles and those have both come back. I've had a few days of ankle swelling on work days but I have a standing desk and alternating between sitting and standing helps and when I stand I can be somewhat active; it seems to help. I never get swollen ankles on the weekends when I'm more active (i.e. chasing my busy toddler!). My heartburn always strikes at night and frequently wakes me up; sometimes it makes it hard to breathe which is definitely not a fun way to wake up. I think it's time to switch from Tums to something stronger.

Eating & exercise: I've felt pretty hungry lately and have been eating a lot of sandwiches (ideally with a side of Hawaiian BBQ chips from TJ's!). Who knows if it's a pregnancy craving, I crave things all the time, pregnant or not. Otherwise, no other particular cravings or aversions to mention.

I'm going to spin class two mornings a week, and usually also to prenatal yoga. I'm still able to push myself pretty hard in spin class but I definitely hold back more than at the beginning of my pregnancy. For me, spin class is a great time to envision labor and birth and how I will respond to being very uncomfortable. I think it really helped me during my first pregnancy to visualize, practice staying focused and take deep breaths so often and I'm glad to have that again during this pregnancy. We've been going on family bike rides two or three mornings a week, too, I feel so fortunate to be able to be so active! 

Preparing for another baby: We had an ultrasound and resisted finding out the gender! I have no inclination whatsoever and I try not to think about the gender too much, but it will be so exciting to find out at the birth!

Achieving the minima in our house felt like a big step in getting ready to welcome another baby into the house. It feels like the house runs more efficiently now which is a very good thing. We're also working on Dashiell's new bedroom! We've painted the room and Chris and his mom built a beautiful, simple twin-size platform bed that we'll transition Dash to. We'll keep Dash's current room as-is and have the new baby use that room. I'll share more about Dashiell's new bedroom as we get it ready. I'm also working on a post of our complete to-do list before baby #2 joins the family.