Week 14: Lemon

While I'm happy to officially be in my second trimester now, this week has brought with it some twinges and an increased discomfort that's reminding me not to overdo it. Brian and I tend to pack a million things into every day, week, month... and I've forgotten that the pace needs to slow a bit during pregnancy.
More literally, on the pace topic, I'm seriously slowing down in my running. With the recent heat I've only been able to get out a for a few runs each week, since my early work schedule only gives me running openings during the afternoon or evening hours during the week. I've been taking advantage of the weekends, trying to get my miles in early in the morning, but I've had trouble getting more than 10 miles in total some weeks. Now that I'm 9 weeks out from our next half marathon — the Indianapolis Marathon/Half on Oct. 15 — and the weather seems like it might cooperate a little, I'll be ramping up my mileage... but still taking it slow. I found during my first pregnancy that running was very helpful in working out the kinks and general discomfort, but also that the increased weight and shift in balance requires some adjustment. But I'm still hoping to get a "pregnant PR" in this half — which would only mean running faster than the 2:26 half I did while 5-and-a-half months pregnant with Ellie.

Well, enough from me. Here's the Week 14 update from the experts:
Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.