25 Weeks

Stats:

How far along: 25 weeks... getting awfully close to that 3rd trimester mark!

How big is baby?: The size of an eggplant. She's about 9 inches long and weighs about 1.7 pounds.

Total weight gain: I gained about 1 1/2 pounds this week! Whoa! I think that was just making up for the week before when I didn't gain any weight, but it's still kinda crazy. That brings my total weight gain to about 15 pounds. If I keep up gaining about 1 pound a week for the rest of this (which is what I'm supposed to do), I will end up gaining about 30 pounds total. Right smack in the middle of the 25-35 pounds my doctor recommended I gain.

Maternity clothes: It was cold again this week, so I've been wearing my maternity and yoga pants... I'm hoping for warmer weather soon so I can bring back my skirts and dresses. So much comfier. I realized as I was getting ready for the gym this morning that my tank tops aren't going to be long enough much longer



Best moment of the week: Hearing baby girl's heartbeat on Wednesday, being told that she and I are both measuring the perfect size for where we're at. Also finding out that I don't have gestational diabeteas which felt good!

Food cravings: Cheerios still! I've also been craving chocolate ice cream and milk shakes this week. So yummy! I don't think of it as a craving, but I've been drinking crazy amounts of milk the last few weeks. I mean like we went through a gallon in about 3 days. I don't even think about it, but I guess I'm liking milk a lot.

Food aversions: None this week.

Symptoms: . Sleep still sucks because I can't get comfortable and if I find a comfortable position it doesn't stay comfortable long. I had my first round of heartburn last night... that wasn't fun! Don't know if it was something I ate, or if that's just a new symptom that's starting... but I'm hoping it stays away for awhile. My back hurts a lot these days and I am super tired pretty much all the time.

Movement: Some days she's a dancer, other days she doesn't seem to move much. I don't notice her much during the day, but I think that's because I'm so busy and moving around so much. She scared me the other night because at like 9 I realized that I hadn't noticed her at all which was unusual. Even when I was sitting on the couch she wasn't moving. I chugged some OJ though and she started moving. It made me a little nervous, but I was glad she responded so quickly.

Gender: Still a baby girl. I asked the doctor Wednesday how accurate the techs are on identifying gender, cause I was still a little dubious, but she said in the 10+ years she's been there she hasn't seen them make a mistake once. Still wish I would get another ultrasound to confirm it, but my OB said I would only have another ultrasound if there are concerns or complications. 

What I'm looking forward to: Getting to the 3rd trimester mark in a couple of weeks. It feels like such a huge milestone to me :)

What I miss: Sleep! I just want to sleep through the night... I guess those days are behind me for the next... what? like 8 years probably? Blah.

Next appointment: April 26th is my next appointment... after that I will be going in every other week. Holy crappo... THAT makes it feel like we're getting to the end there. I remember when she said started at 28 weeks I would be going that often and I thought how far along I would be at that point... and now we're almost there... crazy!

Really? This whole being pregnant leads to actually HAVING a baby? You're kidding!

I know people mean well, but seriously, shut up.

1) I have this friend. She hated being pregnant. Maybe hate is too strong of a word, but she just didn't enjoy it. Once she had her baby though, everything changed. She is enchanted by her child and amazed by what she created... and now keeps telling me how much I'm going to enjoy it "once she gets here". Um, hi, I don't need my baby her to love her already. As much as I may complain about pregnancy symptoms, I actually really love being pregnant. I love the feeling of this life growing inside of me and even if I don't love every aspect of it, I love what my body is capable of and all that it is doing. I have loved this little girl since the moment there were two lines on the test. Scratch that, I've loved her since before we started trying and I had this image in my head of my little baby and how much I would love her. So, sorry that it took the actual birth of your child for you to appreciate her, but I'm already in love with my child

2) I have another friend, who recently had a baby, who has all this advice for me about this baby and how I love her now, but I'm really going to love her once she's here. Again, I love her already, enough said.

3) Another friend (man, do I have a lot of friends who are preggers/had a baby in the last year). asked me whether I still had plans have a natural labor. When I said yes she told me "good luck" and "you'll be begging for an epidural within 20 minutes". This drives me nuts. It's not the first time I've been told that I'm crazy for this. I get that it's not the "norm" these days which is depressing, but that's a whole different post. I get that labor is hard. I hold no illusions that it wont hurt or that it won't be difficult. I'm not crazy. I know i might get in there and completely change my mind... but do people have to be so condescending and negative about it? Why can't they just respect that this is what I want for me and my baby. I know it might not work out, but I'd rather hope for the best case scenario but also go in with my eyes open. Even Drew has doubts that I'll be able to do this naturally. He things that I won't be able to tolerate the pain.

All this doubt from outsides has me doubting myself, and I hate that. This is supposed to be about me and my baby, but I feel like this is taking away from that. Maybe I can't do this naturally... maybe I'm really not strong enough. I hate doubting myself, but with so many people telling me I can't, how am I supposed to believe that I can?

4) This guy I work with keeps telling me I'm too small and I must not be taking good care of my baby if I'm this small. What? I've gained the appropriate amount of weight according to my doctor and as of today she is measuring at exactly where she should be for how pregnant I am. How dare you assume that I am "too small" or in any way compromising the health of my child!

5) On the flip side I have several women at work who keep telling me how big I am and joking that I won't be able to walk soon. These are also the same women who find it socially acceptable to touch my belly without asking permission. Sure, call me fat all you want but then try to love on my baby. Righttttttttttttt


I needed to get this out there. To vent my frustrations at the "experts" who apparently know me, and my baby, better than I do. I get that (most of) these people mean well, but I wish people could just keep their thoughts to themselves. I do have plenty of people in my life who are amazing. The teachers, parents and friends who tell me how fantastic I look. My wonderful husband who cooks dinner most (OK all) nights as I'm passed out on the couch during one of my marathon naps. The coworkers who offer help when I'm having a rough day or tell me how excited they are for me. Those are the moments when I feel really good about myself. Regardless of those around me, I love this little girl, and I wouldn't change anything about my pregnancy or this baby. She's perfect and I'm prepared to do everything I can to keep her safe, healthy and happy. Despite it all, nothing else matters except her.

Sometimes I wonder...

I took a half-day at work today because I had a doctor's appointment this morning (24-week glucose test- I passed, yay!) When I got to school, around 10:30 a third grader came up to me and asked if I had had my baby this morning.


What?!?! Um, yeah, I popped out a kid this morning then rushed right over to school because I didn't want to miss a full day of school.

I worry about my students sometimes

"Should You Be Doing That?"

On Friday I spent a bunch of my prep period at work standing on a chair stapling projects to the wall outside of my classroom. Parent-teacher conferences are coming up and I wanted kids to be able to show off some of their work.


During my time up on that chair I must have been asked at least 10 times if I should be up on a chair like that. Those who weren't asking just told me that I was making them nervous.


But did any of them offer to do it for me?


Of course not! So here's my advice. If you're not willing to do it for me, don't tell me I can't/shouldn't be doing it. 6 months pregnant or not, stuff still has to get done.


Personally, I think it's fine. I have great balance, I'm not taking any risks like leaning way over or trying to reach too high. Whatever, I get that it makes people a little nervous, but it drives me nuts that so many people walked by and commented... yet none bothered to offer help or to take over the job for me.

24 Weeks

Stats:

How far along: 24 weeks- today marks the 6 month point!

How big is baby?: The size of an ear of corn... I don't really like this produce comparison because it makes me think she's super skinny and I want to picture all her chubby little baby fat. My app says she's about 8.5 inches long and 1.5 pounds!!! 

Total weight gain: Everyone keeps telling me how I've "popped" this week and how cute I look (which has been great for my self esteem). Shockingly, I haven't gained any weight this week... I weigh exactly what I did last week, but I feel like my body has changed a lot in that time. At this point I've gained 
a total of 13.8 pounds. 

Maternity clothes: This warm summer-like weather has me breaking out some skirts and dresses. Love it, they fit way better than my maternity or non-maternity clothes and feel super comfy. I'm hoping it stays nice out so I can keep wearing them. 

Best moment of the week: Getting to see my best friend's baby! K was born Tuesday morning and Drew and I got to go visit her on Wednesday. She is the sweetest, tiniest little peanut and I love her already. I loved holding her and it was hilarious because the entire time I was holding her my little girl was kicking her like crazy... either the two are going to be BFF... or mine's going to be a bully. I'm hoping for BFF. 

Food cravings: Cheerios still! I've been craving junk food this week. Nothing really in particular, just wanting high-sugar, high-carb crap that I don't really need. I've done pretty well not caving, but damn do I want it! 

Food aversions: None. Though the pork chops we had for dinner the other night smelled nasty to me... but I still ate them because I was hungry. 

Symptoms: Still the stuffy nose. It's definitely more from a cold than pregnancy since 3/4 of my students are sick right now, but it's a pain in the butt. Sleep still sucks because I can't get comfortable. This week also has been the start of mid-night bathroom breaks. I was so lucky to have avoided it this long, but I knew it was coming. As the belly has gotten bigger my back has started to hurt more, but it feels a lot better after I workout. 

Movement: I love feeling her moving during the day and when I lie down at night. My best friend had her baby Tuesday morning and her husband texted me at 3:30am with pix. As I was lying there desperately trying to fall back asleep I realized that this girl is a party animal and rocks it into the wee hours. I can't believe I sleep through that every night, but it felt like she was tap dancing up in there. 

Gender: Baby girl. 

What I'm looking forward to: Hearing her heartbeat again on Wednesday. Also looking forward to a name decision and room decorating... I just feel like these things will never happen.

What I miss: Sleep! I just want to sleep. It actually makes me miss the debilitating fatigue of the first trimester... I just slept soooo well those days. 

Next appointment: Wednesday is my 24 week appointment... I get to drink the kool-aid... sorry, is that an inappropriate reference? 

Observations from today

• Going with the obvious today; it was 84 degrees out today. Eighty-freaking-four degrees. Okay, for those of you who are all "no big deal". Please remember that I live in MAINE. You know, the frozen tundra of snow and ice. Okay, so I exaggerate... a little. It's just 84 in March... pretty sure it hasn't happened before. I mean we don't even get into the 80's everyday during the heat of summer. I could insert a sarcastic joke about the joys of global warming here... but I'll leave it to your imaginations. '

• 5th graders LOVE tri-folds. Not sure why... but any time we have a project or presentations my students are all "can I make a tri-fold?" or "I have extra tri-folds I can bring in for my group". What the heck? I don't want your ginormous, free-standing poster taking up 87% of my classroom.

• I was told like 8 times today how "cute" and "great" I'm looking. I feel like a whale. Should I be happy that others think I look good, or assume the worst and think that they're really just placating me because my whale status at 6 months freaks them out and they feel true pity for my eventual girth at 9 months? Here, you judge, this is what I worse today:

Her Bubble!

My baby girl has got herself some 'tude already. I mean some serious attitude! Which may have me a little worried... since she's about negative 4 months old right about now, lord only knows what she'll be like as a toddler...or worse as a teen, but I swear this girl already knows what she wants and how to show she is displeased.


The evidence?


This girl is very protective or her personal space bubble. Never mind that she is actually IN my personal space bubble, she gets very offended if something invades her space. Any time we are in the car, she sits there kicking at the seat belt the whole time. I wear it as low as possible, but since she's riding so low, it appears to still be in her space. Any time I lean against the counter or cross my arms over my belly this girl gets some serious kicking action in to make sure I know she's not happy about the invasion of space. She even pulls it some time if Drew or I poke her, cause how dare we invade on her bubble. 


hil-a-rious. Makes me laugh every time... but also makes me cringe to think what I'm in store for. 

23 Weeks

Stats:

How far along: 23 weeks 

How big is baby?: The size of a papaya- about 8 inches and 1.2 pounds... so exciting to finally measure her size in pounds instead of ounces.

Total weight gain: I gained half a pound this week which brings me to a total of 13.8 pounds. I feel good about my weight gain, but it amazes me how people feel the need to comment about the size of my belly. Everyone keeps telling me that I'm too small for 5 1/2 months, but I feel like my belly is average size and the doctors said a few weeks ago that everything was perfect.  

Maternity clothes: Still fitting into nonmaternity tops and some nonmaternity pants. I actually was able to fit into a pair of khakis this week that haven't fit since like week 10. I think the baby has moved up higher in my abdomen so there is a little more space for my pants to button.

Best moment of the week: We MAY have agreed on a name. Still not telling anyone because it is subject to change, but we came up with a first and middle name combination that we both really like. Now we are waiting a few weeks to see if we still like it and if it still feels right. I feel really good about this name, I'm hoping I still feel that way in a few weeks.

Food cravings: Still loving my Cheerios! Yesterday I had a major sweets craving all day. All I wanted was junk food. I resisted for most of the day... until we went to McDonald's for dinner so I could have a Shamrock Shake... don't even want to know what is in that thing, but it was soooo good. 

Food aversions: None. Love it!

Symptoms: Stuffy nose! Yuck, I can't smell anything and can hardly breathe. I think I may also have a cold, but the stuffiness has lasted for a few weeks now. My back pain has started coming more often which makes sleeping difficult (for me AND Drew). I've also noticed lately that if I move quickly I get this funky pain in my lower belly that stings for a couple of seconds. I'm assuming it's just all the muscles and ligaments streaching beyond their capabilities.

Movement: I love when she gets grooving. It's such an amazing feeling and reassures me that all is good in there. She's getting stronger and stronger... last night she kicked so hard that my belly pushed out at least a good inch or more. Everyone keeps asking me if it hurts, but it really doesn't. Maybe it's just because I like it so much, but it's more of a nudge or bump than a kick.

Gender: Girl, girl, girl!

What I'm looking forward to: Starting on her room... hopefully soon. Her crib should be in any day now. Also looking forward to a final decision on a name... hopefully the one we've picked will be the one we stick with, I really love it.

What I miss: Sleep! Between my back pain and stuffy nose I'm not sleeping much. When I am sleeping, I'm snoring and tossing and turning, so poor Drew's sleep is suffering too. I feel bad, but I can't seem to do anything to make it better.  

Next appointment: March 28th- Glucose test- blah!

Looking to Win!

Neely at A Complete Waste of Makeup is doing a Starbucks giveaway. I may not be able to have coffee, but I love thier smoothies!



I find it funny, cause I enter all these giveaways on blogs all the time... but I never win :( Maybe this baby in my belly will be a good luck charm!

It's Ok Thursday

This week I'm saying "It's Ok"

1. That I actually sat down and counted the school days left until my next day off (in case you're wondering, it's 20, not including today)
2. That I'm too cheap to actually go out and buy maternity clothes, so I'm squeezing the bump into old "fat" clothes or clothes that barely fit
3. That I've looked at our baby registry like 3 times this week because I keep feeling like I've forgotten things that I should put on it... and cause the cuteness makes me happy
4. That I really stress that the ultrasound tech was wrong, and "she" is really gonna be a "he". Not that I would care if the baby is a boy... but I don't want to stock up on pink and think of her as a girl, when she's not.
5.  That I took a 2 1/2 hour nap Tueday night, woke up for about an hour... and  then went to bed for the night... this whole creating a human being thing is rough on a body!

Talking Advantage

I have a hard time saying no to my little brother. A ten year age gap and lots of babysitting him when I was younger gives him this pull over me.

My mom takes advantage of this.

I could give 100 different examples, but I will stick with Monday night:

My little brother called me saying he needed a ride home after school Tuesday afternoon because he had a hockey thing...that got over at 2:30. On a normal day that would mean he would have to wait around for me because my students don't leave until 3 and I usually can't leave until 3:30ish (unless I'm being a slacker... which seems to happen more and more these days). Tuesday though, is the day I have my children's circus group* which means I can't peace out until like 5... not to mention that taking the kid home means my drive home takes at extra 20 minutes or more depending on traffic. Right, cause I have nothing better to do.

Once he discovered he would have to wait around for 2 1/2 hours, he called around and found a friend who could drive him instead. Sweet, one less thing to deal with. But, of course, it couldn't end there. As he's thanking me for agreeing to take him home, my mom asks from the background which days I have my group every week.

I know where this is going.

My mom has a newish job that is about 45 minutes away from home... my dad just got a brand new job that is an hour in the opposite direction. Guess who they want to pick up the slack? I don't mean to be ungrateful or unkind, but I did NOT have a kid when I was 10. I have my own life and responsibilities that do not include making sure a 15 year old has a ride home in the afternoon. I wouldn't mind if it was every now and then when the schedule is tight... but if past precidence pravails, this will be come a weekly or more thing as soon as it happens once.

I really hate that she tries to take advantage of me... and I hate myself more for feeling like I can't say no.

*nothing funnier than a pregnant klutz trying to teach kids how to unicycle, juggle, and work devil sticks... all things that I can't do myself

According to my husband...

Our conversation last night:

Me: Mmmm, I want corn on the cob... when is corn in season?

Drew: not for a long time. Doesn't matter though, you can't have any until after July

Um... why?

Because preggers can't have corn on the cob

Right

No, seriously they can't

Oh, but I can have regular corn?
It has to do with all the chemicals and stuff they spray on them

The husk protects the corn

Not from the stuff it sucks up while it's growing

Yeah, okay

No really, Google it

Google your face

Seriously, I work with this stuff, I know what I'm talking about (FYI, he works in the pricing department of a supermarket chain... with no actual contact with the food)

And then he tickeled my food until I cried mercy and admitted that he was right, he's always right... except I just mocked him on my blog, so I'm pretty sure I win... now if I can just find some corn on the cob, life will be complete.

Useless on my own

I came to two realizations yesterday while Drew was gone. He left at 4 in the morning (which felt like 3 because of the time change) to go ice fishing in east gish (aka Northern Maine) with his dad and grandfather and got home around 6:30ish. Here is what I discovered about myself:

1) I am useless on my own. I came to this realization around 2pm when I realized that I hadn't gotten dressed, eaten anything or done anything more productive than take the dog for a walk... in my pjs. I tend to do this when I'm home alone with nothing on my schedule. I KNOW I didn't eat enough yesterday, which is probably why I was so tired, but I did enjoy my relaxing day... which leads me to realization number 2;

2) I would be a horrible stay at home mom. I joke with Drew that he needs to make more money so that this could be an option for us... but I have a feeling it would probably be bad for me. Granted, when there's an actual kid in the picture I might change my ways. However, based on my current lack of motivation/time management. Me as a SAHM would mean that the kid and I would sit around in our pj's all day, the house would be a mess, and we would both either starve to death or get ridiculously fat off "easy" meals and snacks.

On a related note; my dog is worse than me. I had to wake her up yesterday morning to go for our first walk. Then, almost 9 hours later, I had to wake her up again to go for another walk. Those 9 hours in between walks? Yup, she slept that whole freaking time! What a bum!!!!

We used all the good baby names!

Lesson learned.


Don't name the dogs in your life names that you would want to name future potential children.


I've wasted used my two favorite girls names on dogs, and now Drew and I can't agree on a name.

Lexi as a puppy.

Rewind about 5 years ago. I was a senior in college and my parents were getting a golden retriever puppy. I worked hard with my sister to convince my dad that Alexis, shortened to Lexi, would be the perfect puppy name. At the time I was not thinking about kids, hello I was 21... looking back I realize that Alexis would have been perfect for our little girl.

Zo as a baby

 Fail #1

3 years ago? I did it again. As a wedding gift (and might I add the best wedding gift EVER) Drew bought 3 years ago? I did it again. As a wedding gift (and might I add the best wedding gift EVER) Drew bought me our adorable little peanut. About 30 seconds after seeing her sweet little face, I knew Zoey was the perfect name for her.* Zoey would be another perfect name for our little girl.


Fail #2

Loves her!

So here we are, at 22 weeks pregnant, eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little girl... but with no idea what to call her. We don't agree on any names! We have VERY different ideas about names and they... well to put it politely they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Which means we both have several names that we are in love with, and that the other one hates. 


This stinks! I want to name my little girl. I want to call her by name when I talk to her and put letters up on her (not even begun) nursery walls. I have a feeling this little princess won't have a name until the day she is born...and maybe a little after.


*Side note: back in high school, Drew and I watched some show with a girl named Zoe in it, and agreed that if we ever had a daughter, we would name her Zoey with a y. I forgot about this as I named our puppy.

Zumba is my ego boost

I love Zumba. Pre-pregnancy it was my easy workout. I used it to stretch out and have some fun after boot camp classes that had kicked my butt. These days? Yeah, it's pretty much my regular workout. Can't do boot camp since it's too intense and would make my heart rate too high, but I still love Zumba so I've been doing it right along.

Not gonna lie, it kinda kicks my butt. Not like boot camp used to, but in an exhausted, sore kind of way that makes me feel a little lame. Not only am I rocking the gym with my baby bump, but I'm getting winded way easier than ever and I usually need a nap after class.


BUT


I'm still doing better than like 3/4 of the class. Today in class, as I was feeling a little lame for my beet-red face and short of breath breathing, I looked around, and realized I was doing better than most of the women in there with me. There was the woman in the back who was half doing all the moves. Or the other woman who sat down through half of a song because she was too winded. There was the skinny woman who put her hands on her knees at the end of class and said that she was done for the week.


I may not be in the shape I was before (both my fitness level AND physical shape), but I'm still proud of myself for making it to the gym as often as I do. I do Zumba twice a week, hit the cardio/strength training another 2 days a week AND walk the dog at least once, sometimes twice a day. Not bad, right?


I complain and feel bad about the weight that I've gained, but at the same time I know it is for the most beautiful of reasons and that all my hard work to stay in reasonable shape during pregnancy will make it that much easier to get my body back after she's born. I may not have a perfect body, but I'm pretty damn proud of all it's doing these days. 


On another, related, note. I've noticed that Zumba seems to put the baby to sleep. I'll be standing there before class with her kicking all around and dancing. During the first song she starts to kick less and then the rest of class she doesn't budge. A few minutes after class ends though she picks it back up. I don't know if the motion of my body puts her to sleep or if she's just in there listening to the music, but it's pretty cool. 

22 Weeks

Stats:

How far along: 22 weeks- (just realized the other day that the 2nd trimester ends in just a few weeks. This whole thing is going by crazy fast! 

How big is baby?: The size of a spaghetti squash. A student told me the other day that my baby is getting fat... pretty sure he meant me since this peanut is still under 1 pound. 



Total weight gain: I gained a little more than a pound this week, bringing me to a grand total of 13 pounds. The pregnancy app I used to track my weight gain tells me that number is excessive. However, my doctor, pregnancy books, and other apps all tell me that 10-15 pounds at this points is healthy so I'm choosing to ignore the advice to "slow down". Meh, I workout several times a week, eat reasonably healthy and feel pretty good about where I'm at. 

Maternity clothes: Bought a cute dress the other day that's not maternity, but has plenty of room for the growing bump. I'm hoping this nice weather continues so I can start breaking out some of my dresses and skirts that have plenty of bump room. I like my maternity and yoga pants, but I would like a little more variety in my wardrobe without having to fork over the cash

Best moment of the week: Just feeling good this week. Not too tired, not too big, still enjoying the excitement of knowing it's a little girl and being able to refer to her as "her" and not "it" anymore. 

Food cravings: Had a major craving for Cinnamon Toast Crunch the other day. So yummy. I still look forward to my Cheerios everyday. We got our Girl Scout cookies delivered the other day, so of course I woke up this morning craving my peanut butter patties... and may have devoured like 6 of them before heading to Zumba this morning.  

Food aversions: Meh, nothing really. Food and I are friends... maybe too good of friends. 

Symptoms: Hungry all the time. I'm starting to get a little more back pain. I find that I get tired really easily these days which isn't helped by my tossing and turning, wake up every 30 minutes sleep habits! 

Movement: Loving the feeling of her little feet tap dancing in there. She's pretty active, but it kind of stresses me out some days when I realize it's 3pm and I haven't felt her move. I know though that she is still moving in there, but I'm just not noticing or feeling her because I'm so busy and moving around so much. Usually once I sit down and put my feet up she starts grooving again. I also realized that a lot of little movements that I've been attributing to stomach grumbles are actually probably her, so she's moving more than I was giving her credit for.  

Gender: Sweet little baby girl! We registered at Babies R Us on Sunday and it was so much fun to pick out all kinds of girly and pink things! 

What I'm looking forward to: Still can't wait to name this princess... however, it looks like it's gonna be awhile since Drew and I can't seem to agree on a name. I can't wait for her crib to arrive. We bought it last Sunday and it said 7-14 days until we get it. Granted, we have no place to put it yet as we haven't cleaned out her future room... I just want to have it and feel like we're getting somewhere. 

What I miss: My clothes!!! So many things don't fit, so I miss being able to pull things from my closet and know they will fit. 

Next appointment: March 28th.

Oh hey Maine

Oh hey Maine, just want you to know that you're crazy. 

When I can see both of these in one day... I know I live in a messed up place:

If you can't tell from my blurry, sitting at a stop sign, picture. It is 68 degrees out right now.

Yet still walk the dog when I get home and see all this.

Maine, not sure what kinda of crack you're on right now... but please decide. My thermometer says "woo hoo it's summer" but the view outside says "brrr, bring your hat!" 

21 Weeks

I'm a day late with my update this week. Would love to blame it on the fact that I had to go to Canada Wednesday through Saturday this week for my grandfather's funeral... but let's be honest, they've been late the past couple of weeks anyway. This has been a crazy week between our gender scan appointment, 9 hours to Canada, funeral events, 9 hours back home and missing 3 1/2 days of work... I am exhausted and discombobulated and not looking forward to going to work tomorrow and trying to get everything back on track. 


Stats:

How far along: 21 weeks

How big is baby?: The size of a banana this week. The doctor said Tuesday that she is 12 ounces long and measuring perfectly for this week. 



Total weight gain: I gained 1/2 a pound this week bringing my total to a little under 12 pounds gained total. The doctor said Tuesday that my weight gain was perfect and right on track so I'm feeling good about it. I also have a clearly defined little bump right now that I feel cute with. I still feel big, but I just feel so pregnant that big isn't bothering me. This is a nice place to be. 

Maternity clothes: Love my 2 pairs of maternity pants and yoga pants. I still fit into one pair of my pre-preg dress pants. I still have lots of shirts that fit, but plenty of others that have bit the dust. 

Best moment of the week: Seeing my little baby! The last time I saw here she was a (very cute) indistinguishable blob, now she is this miniature human being in there. I saw her sweet little face, arms, legs, fingers, belly. She was so beautiful and I'll admit that I teared up a bit seeing her little perfection.

Food cravings: With the unexpected trip to Canada this week, I didn't really get to eat what I wanted or when I wanted... it was a little frustrating to always be hungry and not always able to eat something. I did have a major chocolate craving Thursday night which my mom fixed by buying me a $6 pint of Ben and Jerry's... yeah, Canada is crazy. 

Food aversions: Squishies! That's what I call chunks of tomato, onion or other various vegetables in my food. They've always grossed me out and half the casseroles we ate this week were full of squishies... thus why I was often hungry up there. 

Symptoms: Some back pain and a lot of tiredness... not sure how much of it was pregnancy and how much was a total of 18 hours in the car over the span of 4 days... yuck! I'm also always hungry... even if I just ate 10 minutes ago. I swear this baby is part tapeworm.  

Movement: I love feeling this little one as she gets stronger and stronger. She is totally a little dancer and loves to move. At the funeral Friday she wouldn't stop moving! I love the way it feels when she moves and find myself looking forward to it all day long. I can feel her best when I'm lying down... so I often lay down for a little so I can hopefully feel her for a bit! 

Gender: Girl!!! I just love being able to say that. I would have been happy either way, but there is something about a sweet little girl that I can dress up and put in pink that just makes my heart melt. I also love finally being able to refer to her as "her" rather than "it". 

What I'm looking forward to: Picking a name for this little girl and starting to pick out her nursery and all her other stuff!

What I miss: Um... not really anything. I mean I miss my "normal" sleep, but I wouldn't trade her for any amount of sleep! 

Next appointment: March 28th. I'm excited to get to hear her little heartbeat again, but I'm not looking forward to the glucose test.