Photo Challenge: Inside

When I read the theme for this week's photo challenge, I immediately thought of Finley when he was inside me.  (It would be fair to say I've got a one-track mind these days!)  It's neat to reflect back on the pregnancy, and the kicks, rolls & hiccups and realize that it was Finley in there that whole time.  I am so glad to finally meet him and get to know his personality, but I do miss the sensation of having a baby inside and feeling that closeness with him.

Here are a few photos of Finley when he was inside me.  These are pictures from the 12 week ultrasound.  We were amazed at how active he was; he was like a little jumping bean!  When he settled down to rest, you could see the pulsations of my aorta rocking him to sleep... No wonder babies like to be rocked.

I was in denial, but now when I look back at picture of me with Finley inside, there's no question: I WAS HUGE!!!  I don't think you could fit much more baby inside me.

No news yet!

Thanks for all the messages yesterday wishing me a happy due date.  It came & went like most other days.  Our bag is packed, our cat fed, our nursery sort of set-up, baby clothes washed & ready.... but like his/her mama, this baby will be fashionably late!  It's OK - Mother Nature is in charge now, so we will just have to trust her judgement.  That's not to say I can't coax her along with some nice long walks & spicy foods.  I'm still feeling good though, so I won't be resorting to castor oil anytime soon!

Having a word with Rufus

We'll let you know as soon as there is some news to share!

Happy Mother's Day to the mamas out there & happy maternity leave to me!

Yes, I have finally started my maternity leave!  My last official day was Thursday last week, at which time I was 38 weeks and 6 days.  I'll admit, the last few weeks were tough.  Not impossible, by any means, but tough.  Early in pregnancy, you just imagine yourself feeling good the whole way though, and you can't imagine any reason why you would need to stop working.  Also, knowing that most (not all) first time moms go past their due date, I didn't want to come off work two weeks early only to wait a month before delivery.

My challenges didn't come from any particular complications, just from having poor sleeps and increasing fatigue.  The other factor that I never took into account was the emotional impact of my job.  The pregnancy hormones can be up & down and I often felt it was more difficult to handle the emotional components of my work, such as breaking bad news to people, or helping patients struggling with stresses, anxiety, and depression.

But now maternity leave is on and I can fully focus my energy on resting up and getting ready for the arrival of Rufus.

Here is how I spent my first few days of maternity leave:

Friday May 10

• Slept in - yay! (only until 730, but this is sleeping in for me!)
• Swim.  I still love my swims, though I am getting slower and slower.  When I first started going to the pool, all the staff and lifeguards would smile at me.  As I got bigger, they started laughing at me (in a nice way!)  Now they look at me with some concern - they are probably worried I will go into labour on the pool deck!
• Brunch with my wonderful hubby.

Breakfast at Chef Big D's: delicious!

• Prenatal massage.  One of the best things I've done in this pregnancy is get hooked up with a RMT with a pregnancy pillow.  That way I can lay face down & get a proper massage.  It's been such a relief for sore back, tight hips, muscle cramps & just general well-being.
• Bye-bye party at work.  My work-mate Dr. H is due three days after me & our receptionist is due 3 weeks later, so we had a little cake & party for us three ladies at lunch.  'Coz you know that pregnant ladies always need more cake.

I'm not crazy about this shot of me, but I will put my vanity aside as it's the only picture of Dr. H and I pregnant together!  At work we don't have to try too hard to find reasons to have tuxedo cake, but three women going off on simultaneous mat leave called for a large cake!

• Afternoon nap.  What else would you do after eating cake for lunch?
• Bake-a-thon begins.  Round one: two dozen muffins.  I think this is what they call nesting.

Whitewater Marvellous Muffins
1. Cranberry, lemon & almond
2. Pineapple, coconut & macadamia nut

• Early to bed.

Saturday May 11

• Slept in again - talk about lazy!
• Bake-a-thon continues.  Lemon-rosemary scones from the Pioneer Woman (I am obsessed with these delicious scones) and Energy Balls (I used to take these to mountain bike races to keep me & my friends fuelled, and I'm thinking we may soon be calling them "Labour Balls"!)

Making Energy Balls while my scones cool.

• Another swim.
• Cooked a big batch of soup.   By sheer luck the recipe that I was drawn to was a new one, so it also qualifies as CookBook Challenge #14.  This lovely soup is the "Summer Harvest Chowder" from ReBar's cookbook.  Fresh corn has been in the stores for a few weeks & I was surprised at how sweet it was.  So naturally I wanted to make it into a hardy & delicious soup for today & for the freezer.  Definitely nesting!

CookBook Challenge #14: Summer Harvest Chowder from the ReBar cookbook

• Afternoon nap.
• Movie and popcorn with Derek (Argo - recommended)
• Early to bed.

Sunday May 12 - Mother's Day

• Slept in - 'til 8 today!!!
• Mother's (and mother-to-be's) day brunch with Derek
• Chilling, reading, blogging and getting ready for my nap!

I had sort of hoped today might be Rufus' arrival, as it would be an amazing gift to become a mother on mother's day.  But I don't believe things are pointing in that direction.  I do feel that my body is gearing up and getting ready, but nothing is happening imminently.  Still, I know that anything can happen and I am NOT the boss anymore!  :)

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom, my grandma & to all  my friends out there who are amazing and inspirational role models for this mom-to-be!

Reflections on Pregnancy: A few things I will miss

I am now 38 weeks along - only 2 weeks 'til my due date!  It's unbelievable how quickly things seem to have gone by.  Around this time, I've heard lots of women complain that they are "tired of being pregnant", and "just can't wait to have the baby!"  For me, the last month has been the hardest - I definitely feel more tired & have more back pain.  I waddle a lot & have a hard time sleeping.  But I am not "tired of being pregnant", not yet anyway!  If such a thought ever crosses my mind, I push it away & instead think about how fortunate I am to have had this experience & think about the joy and wonder of pregnancy.  Honestly, I know it sounds cliche, but I am blown away when I feel the kicks & rolls inside me and think "there's a little person in there!"  It's mind-boggling.  And I know from friends and patients that getting pregnant is not always easy, and being pregnant can be hugely challenging as well... so I feel so lucky to have this experience.

There are a few things I will miss when I'm not pregnant anymore.

1. I feel like I'm in a secret club.  In the beginning, you are trying so hard to keep your pregnancy from everyone, but it's such an exciting secret.  Every time I sipped on club soda while everyone around me drank wine, I felt like I was in cahoots with my peanut-sized baby.  Some people now tell me that they knew anyway, but whatever - it felt like a huge secret to me!!

Even once the secret was out & it was obvious that I was pregnant, I still had this little one giving me kicks & punches that only I could feel.  Sort of an aggressive type of secret handshake.  It's hilarious to be sitting in a serious meeting when you are being punched from the inside.

2. The movements.  Occasionally they hurt & make me feel like peeing my pants.  But it is an amazing feeling that still takes me by surprise.

3. Everyone is so friendly.  I've never had so many strangers talk to me or hold the door for me, or stop at the crosswalk for me.

4.  No justification needed for long baths & long naps.

5.  The anticipation!  At this moment we don't know if we have a boy or a girl... we don't know what he/she will look like or how big he/she will be... we don't know when he/she will finally make an appearance.   It's crazy to think that this momentous thing could happen this weekend or might not happen for another 3 weeks.

These are just a few thoughts rumbling around in my head as D-day approaches.  I am aware that I am speaking in cliches - I hope you will all forgive me for it & not think of this song when you think of me:
(warning: language & images might be offensive to some!)

I'm not sure how many more belly shots of the week we'll get, but here are a few from Week 37:

I'm thinking this shirt doesn't fit so well anymore!

Belly shot at 37 weeks

Reflections on Pregnancy: Things I miss.

Overall, I have really enjoyed my pregnancy.  I was lucky enough to have an easy first trimester; though I was tired, I had little nausea and was able to keep pretty active.  The second trimester is often called the "honeymoon" of pregnancy, and I can see why - energy improves, appetite improves, you start to show a cute little bump & everyone tells you that you're "glowing."  So far my third trimester has probably been the most challenging as my baby bump goes from "look at your cute little bump" to "wow, are you ever getting big!"  Nevertheless, I would consider this to have been an easy pregnancy so far (still 6-8 weeks to go, so you never know!)

There are a few small things that I miss.  I miss being able to tie up my shoes.  I miss sleeping through the night without multiple bathroom trips (I know I will have to get used to the not sleeping through the night part!!)  I miss walking without waddling.  I miss my wedding ring, which no longer fits on my swollen finger.

Here are a few other things I really miss:

My favourite sushi!

We LOVE sushi & are lucky enough to have an unbelievable sushi restaurant in town.  Prior to pregnancy, you could find us at Sushi Sen at least once a week, sometimes twice.

Since pregnancy, we still go frequently, and I've been pretty good at exploring the menu for safe eating options.  But my absolute favourite is tuna: red eye, yellow tail, toro, hamachi.... I love them all.  They are the king of sushi for me.

I can barely wait to have this tuna avocado tower, or my favourite roll, the Kamakazi with spicy tuna inside & seared yellow tail on top.   I sometimes dream of ordering 2 or 3 "Tuna Tuckers", chef Yuji's creation of tuna sashimi with avocado and garlic chips on a bed of Imperial rice.  I can almost feel a piece of toro sashimi melting on my tongue....

Hot tubs!

I'm not a big hot tub person, though I do love the Scandinave Spa in Whistler (seen here at my bachelorette party last year.)

But when I go to the pool for a swim, a big selling feature used to be that I could treat myself to a hot tub afterwards.  Soaking my legs in the hot tub is is not quite the same!






Running

I did run until about 24-25 weeks, but I was pushing it as my pubic symphysis just became more and more sore.  Arguably, I should've given up the running long before that point.   I've always loved running, but my passion for it was re-ignited last year when I started doing more trail running & training for some local races.  I worked up my endurance for really nice long runs & loved the feeling of just getting there on the trails where the only things I could hear were my breathing, my foot steps & the sounds of the forest around me.

Get Rad Ski Day

Of course I miss skiing, that goes without saying!  I had some really great days on the hill this year & managed to ski until I was about 25 weeks pregnant, so I can't really complain...

What I will really miss is our annual tradition of 80s ski day (AKA Get Rad Ski Day).  

Every April since 2006 my friends & I put on our very best ski outfits from the 70s, 80s & 90s and throw down some rad spread eagles & back scratchers all over Whistler-Blackcomb.  Its so totally gnarly, dude!  I am way bummed to be missing it this year!!

mmmm.... Beer!

I miss beer less than I thought I would.  But on the few occasions that I did ski this year, I missed the tastiness of a refreshing apres beer.  I also thought about a nice Guinness once or twice on St Paddy's Day!  I am thinking ahead longingly of an Oregon microbrew on a warm patio in Hood River this summer...

Mountain Biking

About a month ago I was walking on the 4 Lakes Trail when I passed two young women out for a cross-country ride.  I felt a slight twinge of jealousy.  I thought about a great article once read in a bike magazine in which the author describes being out for a ride with girlfriends when she passes a group of moms pushing strollers around, and feels really sorry for those moms.  Fast forward a few years & the author is now a mom herself, and still an avid biker.  She then talks about the sweet freedom of carving out a small portion of her day for a ride with girlfriends, but  also of the joy of coming home to her little one afterwards.  I know I will still be able to ride this summer - not for as long & probably a lot tamer, but a nice mountain bike ride always puts a smile on my face!

From my side of the gurney

As a family physician, I see an enormous variety of issues in my practice.  Some simple, like a kid with a runny nose, some complex such as helping a family cope with a devastating diagnosis, or trying to figure out the cause of someone's unusual symptoms (page Dr. House!)  I have been lucky enough to enjoy good health, so in most cases I can't say that I truly know what it feels like to have the ailments or concerns my patients bring to me.  But I try to listen to them and be there for them, and hope that I can be a support & source of strength.

Every now and again, I do know what it feels like - because I have the same thing!  This has been a common experience for me in pregnancy.  Prior to these past 7 months, patients would come to me with their pregnancy concerns.  I would draw on my training, my OB text, or consult a specialist, and come back with some reassurance or a plan of action.  I can only imagine what it would sound like to a woman, pregnant with her 2 or 3rd child, to have this young doctor who's never been pregnant telling her - "Don't worry, that is normal." With labouring patients I actually felt like a sham at times!  "Its normal to feel some burning", "Its normal to feel a lot of back pressure."  I have been told it hurts alot, & it sure looks like it does... but I haven't actually a clue what it really feels like!

Me at 21 weeks with my former roommates Tisha & Julie

I've enjoyed a different type of connection with my expectant patients lately.  They come to their appointments for medical advice, but we often chat a little about our pregnancies - they ask me questions and I ask them.  We talk about a stroller we'd heard about, a PN yoga class we'd been at, or just laugh or commiserate over shared symptoms.

I remember the first baby I delivered.  I was a medical student doing a rotation at Women's Hospital in Vancouver.  I was minding my own business at the nursing station when one of the nurses came out of a room asking urgently if Dr so&so had arrived.  When the answer came back "no", the nurse looked at me and said "Get in here, this baby's not waiting!"  I ran into the room just in time to catch the baby.  The family was so excited, they probably failed to notice how wide my eyes were and how much my hands were shaking.  But it was super exciting and I still have the photo they gave me of me holding their newborn.  Since that time, I've done lots of deliveries: some are so quick I barely get to the hospital on time (sometimes I don't!), some are so slow they feel like they will never end; some are so easy I feel like I could do it in my sleep, some are so challenging I leave the hospital with at least 10 new grey hairs... but in all cases its an indescribable feeling to share this magical moment with families.

Visiting my friend Mya in Winnipeg, 26 weeks

In the past month, I've had three deliveries, and the experience seems different now that I am getting closer to my own delivery.  These deliveries were more touching & intimate for me than deliveries had been in many years.  I felt a greater connection with the labouring woman as she worked through the pain and challenges of her labour.  I felt the excitement and anxiety of the expectant dad.  I got all misty-eyed as the new mom & dad held their baby for the first time.

My turn at labour is coming pretty soon though, and this might sound silly or naive, but I am looking forward to it!  Not just meeting this little Rufus, but the actual labour part.  I am inspired by watching my patients dig deep and find the strength they didn't know they had.  I don't know how it will be for me, how long it will take or what it will feel like, but I am ready for the challenge.  As long as I've got my supportive hubby by my side telling me to "giv'er", I'm pretty sure it will all be good!

Belly shot of the week: 31 weeks, hanging out with Mom

Bringing a little Aloha to the Breakfast Table

Well, its been almost a week since we hosted our friends to a tropical brunch and I think I've finally digested all the delicious food we ate that morning!

Derek and I were in Maui in November & we went out for breakfast at the Kihei Cafe one morning.  I have a weakness for always trying the local or house speciality, and so I ordered the "Loco Moco", a uniquely Hawaiian breakfast.  Imagine a mound of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg (I actually got my egg poached to make it healthy - haha!!!) and then smothered in gravy.  Now imagine what my arteries looked like after I ate that!

The rest of the menu featured all sorts of yummy Hawaiian influenced treats - banana macadamia french toast, coconut pancakes, tropical fruit salad and the like.  I was struck the inspiration to host a tropical inspired brunch in the middle of a grey Squamish winter, to help lift us out of the winter dull-drums.

We invited a group of old friends up to Squamish and I got to work perusing my cookbook collection for brunch dishes that made me dream of beaches and sunny weather.  Here's the menu I came up with:

Huevos Rancheros (CBC #5 from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)
Coconut Pancakes (CBC #6 from Bill's Open Kitchen)
Pineapple and Coconut Muffins with Ginger (CBC #7 from Sunlight Cafe - a great breakfast/brunch cookbook from the Moosewood collection)
Pineapple loaf & Banana Macadamia bread (both brought home from Maui)
Lime & Mango Yoghurt, Coconut Yoghurt
Tropical Fruit Salad
Bacon & Breakfast Sausage (no brunch would be complete without!)

CBC #5: Huevos Rancheros from this great book I got for Christmas.  I particularly loved this recipe as it was easy to make for a big group and didn't require me standing over a hot stove turning out one egg at a time.

And the Huevos were muy deliciosos!

CBC #6: Coconut Pancakes
Bill Granger is an Australian chef and this book is full of warm-weather meals inspired by the land down-under.

The coconut pancakes were light, fluffy and delicious!

CBC #7: Pineapple Coconut Muffins
If you love brunch, you must get this book!

The gang digs in!

Brunch with Aloha Spirit!

The rest of the weekend was relaxing and enjoyable.  Our tropical meal had a positive influence on the weather; we went from grey and rainy on Saturday to bright and sunny on Sunday.

I went for a very lovely walk on the Four Lakes Trail at Alice Lake.  As is my (bad) habit, I went out for too long and my walk turned into a waddle!

In Squamish we have a wonderful Farmer's Market with local produce, baked goods, and crafts.  In the winter they move indoors to the Railway Museum.  I'd never been to the museum or the winter market, so I checked it out on Sunday.  It was really nice!  The venue is very cool with tons of natural light & some old railcars sitting in the middle of the room.  The market itself is always a popular community gathering spot, so its a great place to catch up with people and hang-out.

Squamish Winter Market at the West Coast Railway Museum

Sunday I attended my first prenatal yoga class.  It was harder than I expected, but I enjoyed it.  It was nice to meet a few other expectant moms.

Belly shot of the week: on my way to prenatal yoga at 29 weeks.
Mini Zambo in the foreground.

Finally we ended the weekend with a delicious meal and Cook Book Challenge # 8.  This meal is getting some bad press over at my mom's blog Wipe Your Paws, but I'm here to tell you that its yummy!

After a Sunday of hiking, market-going, yoga and cooking, I literally collapsed!  I'm no longer the energizer bunny I always thought I was.  This weekend I'll make sure to chill out more!

Cookbook Challenge # 8: Fancy Mac & Cheese from "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond

I had never heard of the Pioneer Woman until I got this book as a wedding gift.  After the wedding we left most of the gifts at my parent's house in Victoria while we did a little road trip.  Prior to leaving, my mom convinced me to open up this gift, which was given to me by her very good friend Lolo.  After I left, mom wasted no time cracking open the book and giving it a little "test run" (or two... or three!)  Talk about shameless!!

Now I am very familiar with the Pioneer Woman as I read her blog and have 2 of her books.  Her style of writing is funny and familiar & with lots of pictures to look at, her recipes are easy to follow.  She is not afraid to use fatty goodness in her food.  In fact, I think she might be afraid not to.  The fancy mac & cheese is a perfect example.    But how can you go wrong when butter, whole milk, cream, and 4 varieties of cheese meet to make a white sauce?  Fancy it up with a some fried onions, roasted mushies and bacon and as she says: "This is the stuff love handles are made of!"

I say "YUM!"

Derek shows his approval

Derek enjoys some Fancy Mac & Cheese while soaking the nuisance toe

But don't take our word for it:  Thanks to the Pioneer Woman's super fun blog, you can make it for yourself.  Check it out: The Pioneer Woman's Fancy Mac & Cheese

The Goldilock's syndrome (how to be "just right")

My belly continues to grow, seemingly by the day!  Baby Rufus is a very busy little one; he/she is constantly rolling about, kicking and having a dance party.  Its a pretty surreal feeling to have all this action happening inside.  Most of the time I love it & it makes me feel even more excited and connected to Rufus.  I'm less thrilled when my bladder is being used as a trampoline, but thats all part of the package!

I was warned that I would start to have my belly rubbed & touched by strangers.  I do get the odd belly rub here & there, but no stranger has been bold enough, thank goodness.  I don't wear this shirt out of the house, as it would clearly invite belly-molestation.

Channelling Buddha, week 23

One thing that does surprise me somewhat is that people I don't know will not hesitate to tell me what they think of my size.  I've been told that I am too big and that I am too small.  The other day someone marvelled that I am "so much bigger than Kate (Middleton)", despite the fact that by rough calculations, she is due approximately 6-8 weeks after me!  I don't mind the comments because I feel good, am keeping active & my doctor is happy with the way things are going... but I find it surprising nevertheless.  When else do virtual strangers feel its OK to pass comment on your body?

I am a big proponent of staying active while pregnant, as all of my pregnant patients know.  The benefits to mom and baby are irrefutable.  There is even some evidence that the maintenance of a healthy weight in pregnancy can reduce the risk of the baby developing diabetes when he or she is an adult!  Talk about long-term benefits to avoiding the jelly doughnut that's calling out!  

There are a lot of misconceptions about being active in pregnancy, but the experts agree that regular moderate exercise through the entire pregnancy is a good thing.  A few years ago there was a well-publicized story about a woman who completed the Chicago Marathon just days before her due date and went on to start labour a few hours after she finished.  According to the reports, this was a woman who was fit and active before her pregnancy and who undertook her training and running with the guidance (and permission) of her medical professionals.  From the side-lines, she received cheers & encouragement, but also had people tell her that she was "killing her baby!"  Hers is an extreme example - the average woman is not going to be marathon-fit at 39 weeks gestation, but if woman exercises within the limits and guidelines recommended by her doctor, then even a marathon can be safe for mom and baby.

I dreamed of running through my entire pregnancy, but my body only allowed me to go to about 24 weeks.  But there are still lots of options out there, and I'm actually starting to enjoy swimming!  For me its not just about the health benefits, but it also feels good to keep active.  Also, I figure since I am preaching to my patients about exercising, I should probably "walk the talk"!

Running at 23 weeks

Spinning at 27 weeks

What does scare me is the media attention on the celebrity moms & the nit-picking of their pregnant and post-delivery bodies.  Every pound they gain is flashed across the pages of magazines and everyone has an opinion as to the appropriateness of their weight.  When they remain stick-thin throughout or sport a bikini 2 weeks after delivery they get celebrated for looking so good & so sexy.  I'm all for keeping active & healthy, but this type of attention on the "sexiness" of skinny celebrity moms only contributes to the growing problem of distorted body self-image.  There is even a term for the increasing and worrisome trend of pregnant women dieting and exercising aggressively to avoid weight gain: pregnorexia. 

I personally will be interested to watch the media attention on Kate Middleton as she starts to advance through her pregnancy.  (Although, in an ideal world, I wish for the sake of celebrities that they didn't have to live their life out in the public eye, but that's not going to change anytime soon!)  She has always had an intense spot-light on her weight, and this will only increase as she starts to grow her belly.  One supposes that she is a woman who will have top-notch maternity care & it seems likely that she will gain the recommended amount of weight.  Am I being too optimistic when I hope that the media portraits her as a healthy and reasonable pregnant woman, & doesn't focus on that fact that she's "too thin" or "too fat"?  We shall soon see!

Belly shot of the week: 28 weeks.
Too big?  Too small?  Just right!

Skiing the blues

This past weekend we had a few days of sunny warm weather & I took the opportunity to head up skiing for my last day of the season.

We enjoyed some great powder days in Dec, but increasing belly-size lead me to the groomers!

 Its sad to say good-bye to the season in early February, but my body started to rebel against my efforts.  Baby, on the other hand, is loving it!  I get all sorts of kicks while I ski & I'm pretty sure he/she is having an awesome time in there.

Belly shot on my first ski day, around 16 wks

Belly shot on my last ski day, 25 wks

We had great company for our ski day: Chris, Louise and Gail.  All are new moms & they are still rippin' up the slopes, so I know I'll still get some great runs in next season too!

Moms & mom-to-be dropping into the glacier

Saturday Derek & I enjoyed brunch at home & the weather was gorgeous again. Derek ventured out for a bike ride & I decide to go for a hike through Coho Park to the Covenant.   The Covenant is a new-ish mountain bike trail.  I've biked it once or twice & didn't find I could get much flow on it, but its a very favourite running trail for me.  Alas, running is also off limits for me these days, as my pelvic symphysis ligament was threatening to abandon me if kept it up.  So I tried hiking it instead.

The Covenant.  Gorgeous trail for biking, running & walking in Squamish.  Features 2 waterfalls!

The walk/hike was fantastic, but possibly a bit too long for me.  One of the challenges I've been having in this pregnancy is actually admitting that I may have some limitations.  Its easy to get use to our bodies behaving the way we want them too, and its hard to accept that I can't keep running, skiing, hiking and all the other things I love to do.  But I am trying my hardest to embrace the joys of swimming, spinning and slow-walking!

It looks like I may have some company in the pool soon; Derek's ride resulted in a broken big toe, so he's a little laid up at the moment.  I would include a photo here, but I am afraid my filter for medical things is not well-calibrated.  Its hard for me to tell if something is gross or not, because very little is to me!

The last adventure of the weekend was buying some maternity clothes.  I've resisted until now, convinced that I could fit into my regular skirts and dresses.  Throw in a "belly band" and I figured my pants could see me through as well.  It turns out I underestimated my belly in a big way & the need for elastic waist-bands was getting critical.  I put on my first pair of those crazy pants with the huge bib in front & breathed a sigh of relief!!  Actually, it may have just been a normal breath, my first in several weeks.  Why did I wait so long?!?

Belly-shot of the week: 25 weeks & 3 days.
Rocking my first official maternity outfit!