22 weeks

How far along? 22 weeks                  

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 7 pounds (I LOST a pound this week!!!  Woo hoo!!!)

Maternity clothes? Yep, mostly everything except a few comfy pants, sweatshirts and longer shirts still work.

Stretch Marks? Nada

Sleep: I'm still waking up several times a night to change positions, and of course there are the 1-3 bathroom trips every night.  I guess I'll probably just never sleep the same.  Maybe this is getting me ready for how motherhood will be.

Best moment this week: Watching my belly move yesterday for about 45 min straight every time Baby Girl kicked me!  It was so awesome!

Movement: Oh yes!  She's a wiggler/kicker!  And Matt finally got to feel her move the other day.  He thought it felt pretty wierd.  You should see what it feels like from the INSIDE, honey.  :)

Food cravings: Noodles....of any kind, really.

Food aversions: CHICKEN!  (Will I ever look at you the same?)

  

Gender: Girl (at least I hope she still is or I'm gonna have to start returning some things) 

Labor Signs: I've started contracting some in the last week.  I've been crampy throughout most of my pregnancy, but my uterus never gets hard when I'm crampy.  Starting about a week ago, I started feeling something I'd never felt before and I wasn't sure if Baby Girl was just moving differently or what so I put my hand on my lower belly and sure enough it was hard as a rock.  It stayed that way for a minute or 2 and then released.  I've felt these "Braxton Hicks" type tightenings several times in the last week, but they're definitely nothing painful and I've not had any spotting, so I'm just trying to go with the flow and not freak too much.  I talked with one of the doctors in my group on Sunday while I was at work and he wasn't too concerned as long as they were random and not several within the same hour.  I have an appointment next Monday, so I'll definitely bring it up then.

Belly Button in or out? Innie, although it's getting a lot more shallow and I'm wondering if it will eventually get flat.

What I miss: Sleeping soundly through the night and having a drink with friends after work.

What I am looking forward to: Only 2 more weeks til viability!!!!!

  

Milestones: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which she'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep, mostly everything except a few comfy pants, sweatshirts and longer shirts still work.

Stretch Marks? Nothing yet....hope it stays this way.  I've been using Bio Oil twice a day on my belly and chest at the advice of my sweet little friend, Hadleigh, who had 37 week twins and not ONE stretch mark!

Sleep: I'm still waking up several times a night to change positions, and of course there are the 1-3 bathroom trips every night.  I guess I'll probably just never sleep the same.  Maybe this is getting me ready for how motherhood will be.

Best moment this week: March Madness officially started this past week and another year of entertaining and cooking went by without a hitch.  It's always so fun to hang out with everyone, eat good food, and the weather was pretty good.  My bracket went to hell in a handbasket pretty quickly though this year.  :(  All in all, I wouldn't trade this time of year in our house for anything.

Movement: Oh yes!!  When this little girl gets going, she is out of control!  I can't imagine how uncomfortable it will be when she's bigger.  Right now I just enjoy her crazy movements.  And now you can even feel the jabs from the outside.  Still trying to get the timing right for Matt to feel it. 

Food cravings: As gross as it sounds, I've had a thing for Ramen noodles lately.  Don't judge me...

Food aversions: CHICKEN!

  

Gender: Girl (at least I hope she still is or I'm gonna have to start returning some things) 

Labor Signs: Nada

Belly Button in or out? Innie

What I miss: Sleeping soundly through the night and having a drink with friends after work.

What I am looking forward to: Only 3 more weeks til viability!!!!!

  

Milestones: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well and she has her lifetime supply of eggs.

Halfway to my finish line

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 

20 weeks!!  Halfway there!

Size of baby: 
She's the size of a cantaloupe this week.  She's approximately 10 inches from her head to her toes and weighs around 10.6 ounces.  Although from the difference in my weekly pictures, I may be growing a toddler in there (yikes)!

Please excuse the lack of makeup/dark circles under my eyes.  I worked last night and only got 3 hours of sleep today before cleaning the house all day.  I'm exhausted and it shows!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + or -
I have gained 6 pounds so far.

Maternity Clothes:
Yep and loving them!

Gender:
GIRL!

Movement:

Definitely!  She's is moving more and more all the time!  I tried to get Matt to feel it, but of course as soon as I put his hand on my belly, she stopped moving.  Figures.  I'm so excited for Matt to get to feel her move.  It's so amazing and odd all at the same time.

Sleep:
Not too terrible, aside from still getting up at least 1-3 times to pee at night.

What I miss:
Not too much right now.  I'm just trying to enjoy my pregnancy while I'm feeling good.

Cravings:
Pretty much anything at this point.  I still can't do chicken at all, but everything else is on the table.

Symptoms:
My belly has definitely "popped out" and people have been commenting on it.  I feel like I've grown overnight!

Best Moment this week: 
Spending some alone time shopping at the outlet mall on a beautiful sunny day.  Just some mommy and baby bump time.  It was fabulous and both of us got some fun goodies!

19 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 

19 weeks (and 2 days)

Size of baby: 
Most info says average size is about 6 inches from head to rump and average weight is about 8.5 ounces.  However, our little girl was already measuring 7 inches long from head to rump and 9 ounces a week ago, so who really knows?

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + or -
I have gained 5 pounds so far.  (No weight gain this week....yaaaaay!)

Maternity Clothes:
Oh yes!  I just got a second pair of the Gap Long and Lean maternity jeans in the mail and they are fabulous!  I even discovered on Monday that the Old Navy at Clay Terrace in Indy has a small maternity section, so I bought myself 3 new tops, 2 maternity tank tops and a free-flowing maternity lightweight cardigan.

Gender:
GIRL!

Movement:
Oh yes....this one is a mover!  I used to just feel her at night when I was laying in bed, but I feel her all the time all day long now!  Her kicks and punches are definitely stronger than they were and I can't wait for her to get bigger and kick me harder!

Sleep:
Not too terrible, aside from still getting up at least 1-3 times to pee at night.

What I miss:
Being able to wear my normal tops without having to constantly pull them down over my belly and having a drink with the girls after work.

Cravings:
Pretty much anything at this point.  I still can't do chicken at all, but everything else is on the table.

Symptoms:
It's pretty uncomfortable to lean forward while sitting or to bend over.  Other than that, I'm feeling a lot more like myself.

Best Moment this week: 
Finding out that our little miracle is absolutely perfect!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

That's what our little GIRL is made of!!  Matt and I had our big growth/anatomy ultrasound this morning, which I'm so glad is over because it's been making me a nervous wreck for weeks.  In a nutshell, everything went perfectly.  We found out our little one in there is definitely a girl....just like my intuition has been telling me since about week 7 or 8.  (Thank goodness or I'd have some explaining to do to my son on why I've been calling him "her" for the last 2 1/2 months!) 

Our princess looked perfect.  Everything was measuring right on track, with most things measuring a few days ahead, which is great.  All of her organs, placenta and blood flow looked perfect.  Whew!  She was pretty shy about showing her girl parts, but finally at the end of the ultrasound (and much coaxing from my fabulous ultrasonographer, Colleen) Little Miss kicked a leg out to the side and those infamous 3 lines were revealed!  It's a little surreal.  Even though I have thought it was a girl in there, it's still hard to believe it's true.  I'm so thankful to the good Lord that she's healthy and growing!!

I won't bore you with all the pictures of her different parts, but I'll leave you with her sweet (albeit Skeletor-like) face and her "proof."

18 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 

18 Weeks (and 1 day)

Size of baby: 

My little one is about 5 1/2 inches from head to rump and weights almost 7 ounces.  That's about the size of a sweet potato or a bell pepper.  Grow, baby grow!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: + or -

I have gained 5 pounds so far.

Maternity Clothes: 

Almost all of my pants are maternity, including some maternity yoga pants.  I've found my pre-pregnancy comfy pants are just too tight across my belly now.  I'm still wearing a lot of my pre-pregnancy shirts, but they are getting a little short.

Gender: 

We find out on Friday and I couldn't be more excited (and anxious)!  I'm very curious to see if there is a boy or a girl in there, but I'm even more curious whether everything is normal with our baby.  Unfortunately, I work around women that have all kinds of things go wrong with their pregnancies and their anatomy of their babies, which makes your brain just crazy with all this information.  I praying HARD that everything is perfect with our little sweet potato on Friday.

Movement: 

I believe I felt this little one "thump" me for the first time this past Sunday night while I was lying in bed at night.  There were several thumps towards the back of my uterus, not the front.  I've never felt anything like it and I felt it again on Monday night while trying to go to sleep.  It was very strange and not at all what I imagined it would feel like, but it was very cool at the same time.

Sleep: 

Not too terrible, aside from still getting up at least 1-3 times to pee at night.

What I miss: 

My energy and stamina and being able to go out and have a drink with the girls after a stressful day at work.

Cravings: 

Pretty much anything at this point.  I still can't do chicken at all, but everything else is on the table.

Symptoms: 

It's pretty uncomfortable to lean forward while sitting or to bend over.  Other than that, I'm feeling a lot more like myself.

Best Moment this week:  

Feeling those little thumps inside, of course!!