22 weeks

Sorry this pic is so grainy...it's a new App I used that I don't think I care for...

How far along?  22 weeks and 6 days

Size of the baby? A papaya, or 10-11 inches

Maternity Clothes? Still wearing the Belly Band, although I did put on my first pair of jeans this morning that were just too tight all over to wear :(  So...I'm hoping to get a few more weeks out of my non-maternity jeans before switching over to maternity pants.  I'm hoping I can wear jeans/leggings for the next couple weeks and then can start wearing more dresses.  

Stretch marks? Honestly, I'm not sure - sometimes I look at my belly and it looks like there might be a couple pink lines, and other times it doesn't look like it.  I can't tell if it's indentations from the Belly Band or stretch marks...so at this point I'm going to call them Belly Band marks :)  

Weight?  No clue where I'm at right now, but I am starting to struggle a little with the weight/size issue.  Overall I have kept most of the weight in my belly, but the last week or two I've really started feeling like my hips and butt and thighs are expanding.  And because I have been good about walking but not doing anything else to exercise, my arms are starting to look a little flabby.  So I may need to remedy that and start using my hand weights.  I'm going to the doctor today so we'll see about the weight gain, although I'm contemplating not finding out for the rest of the pregnancy.  I just really don't want to focus on that because the bottom line is that you're going to gain weight, and your appetite IS increased, and I don't really want to feel guilty or restrictive when I'm eating (as long as it's good choices, you know?)

Sleep?  It's been rough the last few days.  Last night when I was falling asleep the baby was moving so much that I couldn't fall asleep, which was the first time that's ever happened.  It's sweet for sure, but on the other hand, it's like, "Okay, you go to sleep, too!"  I've been waking up to use the bathroom more often now, or waking up with limbs that have fallen asleep cause of how I have to position myself now.  My belly can be sore in the mornings cause I still like to sleep on my belly as much as I can (which isn't much, but I am so not a side sleeper that I have to do what I can!)

Best Moment of the Week?  The best moment this week was revealing the gender of the baby to our friends and family!  It was so, so exciting to finally tell everyone that we're having a baby GIRL!    

Movement?  Yes.  Lots and lots of movement.  She changes position every now and then and so the movement has felt different at times - for a week or two I'll feel kicks more in one area, then another week it's in another area, etc.  Right now I feel her move pretty much every time after I eat, usually in the mornings, and now at night when I'm going to bed.  

Symptoms?  I'm having a little bit of heartburn, definitely more back aches and sore feet (I have low arches and I think that maybe the extra weight makes them sore?  I don't know, just know that they hurt when I stand for a long time).   

Cravings?  Nothing really this week that I can think of.  I mean, I am always craving pasta, mac and cheese, etc.  I just don't eat it :)

Gender?  Baby GIRL!  It's so exciting to finally know.  I feel like finding out helped me bond more with the little being inside of me.  Maybe "bond" isn't the right word, but it just helped make it all seem more real.

What do I miss?  Not constantly feeling really large.  Looking forward to summer clothes or summertime (boating, laying out, fun drinks, late nights out with friends, etc).

What I'm looking forward to? Still looking forward to week 24/25 :)  I think I'm looking forward to start getting ready for her - buying the things we need, getting her little nursery ready, etc.  It will be so exciting to see things come together!

21 weeks

How 'bout that sunglasses tan???  I got that this last week while in Florida.  I should've known better...I guess it's my souvenir :)


Instead of doing a big questionnaire this week, I'm just going to highlight some random things...

• I definitely think I experienced a growth spurt this last week.  One night this last week my belly just ached, and I couldn't figure out why.  Looking at pictures, I'm pretty sure it was just cause the it was getting bigger.  
• Speaking of getting bigger, I think I'm moving beyond the blessed Belly Band.  I seriously love that thing.  But yesterday when we were flying home, I kept having to tug my jeans up cause they kept sliding down.  I think they're just starting to sit too low on my hips or something.  So today I wore my maternity jeans from the Gap and ended up going home at lunch to change cause I literally could not breathe - the demi band (it's about a 2 or 3 inch band instead of the big belly band) was cutting into my stomach.  I put leggings on and it's much better :)  
• So I had originally decided not to do a nursery at our current house cause we're going to be moving in - fingers & toes crossed - November.  But I just realized that we're going to have to have a place for the baby's stuff, so I might as well.  Plus, finding out the gender probably encouraged that need to make a cute space for the babe!
• In Florida, I was craving - CRAVING - Tom Kha Gai soup (a Thai soup that is sooo dang good).  There were a million Thai restaurants but since Brad isn't a fan of the ethnic foods besides Fast Wok and Mexican, we didn't eat at one.  So I bought a can of it at the store.  It was not the same thing. 

Well, we're 22 weeks tomorrow!  Getting closer to viability - which is another area I have to continually keep giving to the Lord.  I get so worried around this time that something will happen and the baby won't make it.  BUT we trust in ALL things, right??  

20 Weeks & HALFWAY!

How far along?  20 weeks and 4 days

Size of the baby? A cantaloupe!  The Bump says the baby is about 10 ounces but our babe was 12 ounces at our big ultrasound this last week.

Maternity Clothes? Same as before.  Wearing the Belly Band, maxi dresses, etc.  We're in FL this week for a little babymoon and I told Brad that dressing while pregnant for warm weather is a total adjustment to me, for some reason.  

Stretch marks? Nope

Weight?  No clue where I'm at right now.  My appetite is as good as ever, though :)

Sleep?  Pretty good for now!

Best Moment of the Week?  Hands down, no question, seeing our beautiful baby on our ultrasound!  The baby measured right on track - I was 20 weeks exactly the day of the appointment and that's right where we measured.  Everything looked very healthy, and we DID find out the gender but I won't be updating that on here until the end of the month.  We're doing a reveal party for family and friends but not til the 28th :)  However, even better than finding out the gender was finding out that the baby was healthy.  I was so anxious for that.  It was another reminder of how God has been SO good to us!  

Movement?  Yep, we've got a certified mover, as our ultrasound tech couldn't get many good shots at first cause the baby was moving so much!  The tech said that the baby is not only a mover but a stubborn mover :)  Brad was too funny, during the u/s he asked the tech if babies that moved a lot in the womb would move a lot after birth, and she said "not necessarily."  However...I might disagree with her :)

Symptoms?  Nothing too much right now.  Definitely experiencing heartburn more.  I think the biggest thing I've noticed lately is how my body is changing.  I can still fit in all my clothes, but hips look bigger, I have a minimal waistline, etc.  I'll be honest, it's been a little hard to deal with, and I'm not sure how much my diet has had to do with it.  No, I haven't ate that incredibly healthy, but I haven't been eating terrible foods for the last 20 weeks straight, either.  I think it's just part of pregnancy, but I will tell you...I am SO motivated to lose the weight afterwards!  

Cravings?  Hmm.  This Thursday all I could think about ALL DAY was eating a corn dog.  Random. 

Gender?  Yes, we know!  And I am SO EXCITED to meet this little one!  

What do I miss?  Regular clothes.  Wine.  Alcoholic beverages [margaritas, mojitos, etc].  That's about it, ha!

What I'm looking forward to? Honestly, I'm content where we are. There's a part of me that's holding my breath to get to the 24/25 week mark which means viability (if I were to go into labor there's a chance the baby would survive).  However, I have learned time and again, especially after this ultrasound, that there is literally nothing I can do for this pregnancy to make it happen "better" or the way I want it to.  It was so amazing seeing the baby's limbs and rib cage and looong fingers (taking after Daddy) and knowing that the Creator of our Universe literally knit this baby in my belly and He is the one who gives and takes away life.  I'm trying to trust that with all my heart and find peace in that.  

19 weeks

How far along?  19 weeks, 6 days

Size of the baby? A mango!  Brad's favorite fruit.  The Bump says he or she is 6 inches long and weighs 8.5 ounces.

Maternity Clothes? None yet, just the Belly Band and a couple maternity tanks cause they're nice and long (the one I'm wearing in the photo above is a Liz Lange tank from Target and I LOVE it)

Stretch marks? I don't think so.  I don't inspect that often, but the last time I did I thought I maybe saw what could be some?  But then when I looked again it just looked a little like veins under the skin, which is pretty common in pregnancy.  So who knows.  I've switched to using Bio-Oil on my tummy.

Weight?  I'm up a total of 8lbs as of 3/29.  I feel like we had a growth spurt in the last week or so, though, so who knows what I've added since.  Here's a funny, random story - before I got pregnant I always thought that I wanted the kind of belly that was round and higher up on your torso.  Why, I don't know.  I just felt that since I have a long torso that I would have one of those bellies where it would be way down low and I just didn't want that.  Well, the Lord is either really good to give us the things we hope for, or He has a sense of humor and did in fact give me the big round belly I wanted.  I told Brad last night that I was a little sad that I didn't have one of those cute, tiny bellies.  I can't tell you how THICK I feel in my middle these days.  I am loving this belly cause it's something I've wanted for a long time and more importantly cause there's a sweet baby in there, but I am surprised at how big I am so far!  [However, my diet has not been so great.  My meals are pretty healthy but my night snacking is what's getting me in trouble...]

Sleep?  It's pretty good.  I wake up a fair amount, do a lot of tossing and turning.  Also still feeling pretty tired easily.

Best Moment of the Week?  Hmm...nothing that really sticks out.  I think just feeling good that I'm feeling good, and feeling lots of movement from the babe.

Movement?  Yes, lots of it.  At least it feels like a lot to me, I don't have anything to compare it to?  I notice the most amount of movement at night, especially when I'm in the bath.  Strange thing this last week, I swear it felt like the baby was jumping up and down on my cervix or something, cause I was certain I was going to go to the bathroom and find a little foot or something!  [Yes, that is a lot of info but the moment really freaked me out and I want to remember it, haha!]  I actually called my doctor's office and the nurse laughed and said it was just fine, it was probably the baby stretching out in a different position :)

Symptoms?  I think the biggest one is just how tired I can get.  That's not really in my normal nature to be a tired person, so I notice it more.  I've felt more sciatic pain, but that's only noticeable after I've been walking or cleaning for a couple hours.  Skin is pretty itchy.  Oh, and I have a couple small dark spots on my face, I think they call it melasma in pregnancy or something?  

Cravings?  Still Coke.  Dried Mangoes!  Any sweet baked dessert.   

Gender?  TOMORROW!  If you read this, please say a prayer for me and my nerves.  I'm excited for this appointment but really praying we have a healthy baby!  

What do I miss?  I think I'm missing regular clothes.  I'm wearing regular clothes, but it's just so different now.  I can't just get up, pull on some pants and a shirt and go.  I have to think a little more about what will not only fit well but what will fit well and look good.  We're going to Tampa this Friday for a week and they have a J Crew Outlet there, which is hands down my favorite place to shop, and I'm SO sad that I won't be able to get any cute summer clothes :(    

What I'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to tomorrow's big ultrasound!  I think I'm ready to move onto the next stage of pregnancy - the planning and figuring things out, like a name!  We haven't really talked much about a name cause it's just not in my personality to really focus on things that are unsure, so in my mind, why spend a lot of time discussing names when you don't know what you're even working with for a gender?  So that will be nice to start discussing more.  Also just to be able to look more to the future and start buying things here and there.  

I'll have one of everything, please

One of the things that's surprised me the most about the second trimester is how incredibly hungry I've been.  I knew it would happen cause pretty much everything you read says you develop a deep hunger due to the baby growing, but I still can't believe how hungry I always am.  Honestly, it's a miracle I haven't gained more!  Here's what I ate today:


7am - Had a couple bites of a Bavarian Cream donut
7:15 - Morning decaf coffee w/ French Vanilla creamer
[At this point I was dying for the rest of the donut but the night before I had ate a small bowl of ice cream and then ate 2 packages of fruit snacks in the middle of the night (ha) so I resisted...]
8:00 - Ate an apple on the way to work
8:30 - Ate an onion bagel with Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese (must be like the Light variety?) and a tomato
10:30am - Ate a Nature's Valley Peanut Butter Granola Square and drank a little Coke
Noon - Ate a big bowl of quinoa, black beans, Rotel tomatoes, corn and a little bit of cheese
2pm - Ate some Quaker Oats Mini Rice Cakes
2:30pm - Ate another apple
4:30 - Snacked on Dried Mango
Dinner - A brat, brussel sprouts and some french fries
Dessert - Maybe 1 Cup (or a little more) of chocolate ice cream


The thing that always is amazing to me is how, about as soon as I'm done eating, I'll be hungry again.  This kind of hunger reminds me of when you're PMSing, except that usually only lasts a couple days.  This has been going on for a couple weeks!  And the other thing about how tough this is - I don't really ever want any kind of healthy food, I really just want sweets.  Does that mean this is a girl??


I think at this point, as long as I'm balancing this crazy diet with some moderation and exercise (walking almost every day, Zumba once a week and am going to look into modified Spinning), then it should be okay.  But holy cow...if I keep this up, I'm going to look like Jessica Simpson at the end!

18 weeks

How far along?  Currently am 19 weeks today, but this is my 18 week update :)

Size of the baby? Sweet Potato!  5.6 inches.

Maternity Clothes? Still wearing the Belly Band.  I've officially decided I don't like my Gap maternity pants.  I made some purchases this weekend and bought about 5 or 6 dresses that I can wear over the summer (mainly maxi dresses and one shorter dress), a maxi skirt, and I bought a couple of the Liz Lange Target Maternity tanks, which are amazingly soft and long.  

Stretch marks? Nope

Weight?  I'm up a total of 8lbs so far.  At my last appt I had gained 3lbs in 3 weeks so hopefully I will steady out on this pound-a-week trend.  But not if I keep waking up in the middle of the night to eat a lemon bar, which is what happened last night... 

Sleep?  It's pretty good.  I wake up a fair amount, do a lot of tossing and turning.  Also still feeling pretty tired easily.

Best Moment of the Week?  I got to hear the heartbeat at my appointment last week, which I always look forward to and love (and even remembered to record it this time!)  I also made my first baby purchase this last weekend...I bought a little onesie set from Target that's Newborn sized, and I practically tear up every time I look at it! 

Movement?  Yes, I think we've got a little mover on our hands!  I'm not kidding, this baby moves all the time.  It must be in a really good position for me to feel it cause I feel it usually a couple times an hour, if not more at certain times.  I always get movement after I eat something sweet and always when I'm in the bath.  Makes me wonder if we're not having a little girl ;)  Also, Brad was able to feel it for the first time last night!  

Symptoms?  Starting to feel more symptoms...definitely tired more easily, like I mentioned.  My back hurts a little by the end of the day at work, not sure if that's from the weight of my belly pulling it?  Headaches and heartburn...the two nasty "H's".  

Cravings?  COKE.  Tomatoes.  Tacos.  

Gender?  NEXT TUESDAY!  

What do I miss?  Nothing really this week.  It's pretty much a guarantee that I always miss wine :)      

What I'm looking forward to? I'm mainly anticipating our big ultrasound this next week.  Obviously it will be SO exciting to find out what we're having, but I'm honestly not even thinking much about that - I'm just praying they tell us we have a perfectly healthy baby.  I think that once I hear those words I can breathe a little more, start making baby purchases, discussing names a little more.  I'm also looking forward to the halfway mark next week - 20 weeks!  SO hard to believe it's almost here!