Momma's Monday Check-in: 21/40

Note: McFatty Monday's is no longer! Instead I will post Momma's Monday Check-in. Join me as I eat and exercise my way through the next 19 weeks.

Due Date: April 8, 2011

Total weight gain: 11, maybe more--with Thanksgiving dinner on last week's agenda I didn't weigh myself

Cravings/Aversions: Chinese food

Sleep: Meh. Could be a lot better.

I can't live without: My good husband

I miss: Having the opportunity to nap on a whim

I am looking forward to: Trying on Sakura Bloom slings this afternoon. I'm finally going to see them in person and take one home. Update: I loved them as much as I had hoped, and I bought the essential linen in Raven/Driftwood. Such a splurge, but it is the only thing that I really, really wanted for myself for this baby.

Aha moment: I *think* we picked a full name for Little Sears but we're testing it out over the next few weeks. We probably won't share until he's born because I have an aversion to referring to a baby by name before it arrives. Is that weird!?

Best moment this week: There were quite a few, but topping the list: Baking up a delicious storm in the kitchen; giving Roscoe, Mack, and Noah the opportunity to have cousin time to play and wrestle to their heart's content; finding our Christmas tree; and wrapping all of Roscoe's presents.

Milestones: I picked out all the paint colors and a color palette for the baby's room: Dark gray for the walls, a lighter, bluer gray for the ceiling, and a bright blue, pumpkin, and apple green for the accents. Tangible progress is being made and my felt mobile FINALLY arrived.

Movement: Little Sears is most active in the evenings and in the middle of the night. For the first time I could make out part of his little body sticking out on my right side, and we can feel his kicks and punches from the outside now on a regular basis.

Gender: It's a boy!

Exercise: I tried a spinning class this week--something I haven't done in a long time, and it was a nice change of pace. My gym offers only one evening cycle class each week but, luckily, the instructor plays good music (the primary variable by which I judge cycling classes). It looks like for now, at least, Tuesdays will be my night for spinning and weights. We also ran 3.5 miles on Thanksgiving morning with our neighbors, which felt like a lot longer to me, and gave me some hip pain as a reminder not to run anymore.

Diet: I made good on my promise to not make a week out of Thanksgiving leftovers. As yummy as our Thanksgiving feast was, particularly the turkey and gravy, I declined all offers to take any of it home. That night I was disappointed not to have a buffet to raid downstairs, but I'm glad to have thought ahead.

My personal goal for this pregnancy has been to gain around 25 pounds, and I have a little chart by which I track my weight each week. At this rate, I'll probably gain closer to the average 35 (or more!). So I can either increase my exercise, or cut back on extraneous holiday eating. Doing a little of both sounds like the best approach.

Goals for the upcoming week: Exercise 4 days (lift weights at least twice), track my food intake for three days (per my midwife's request), and have a productive work week after such a nice holiday.

Belly Shot:

Labor Signs: None