Nineteen!

This is a few days late but the end of last week was really, really busy and I had a packed birthday weekend which I will write about later. However, I don’t want to miss a weekly update even if I am currently closer to being 20 weeks pregnant :)

How far along? 19 weeks

Updates on baby:  (Thanks to BabyCenter) Your baby’s sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don’t be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Total weight gained: I went to the doctor on Friday so I finally got weighed again. I am finally above my pre-pregnancy weight by 5 pounds! I am feeling SO MUCH BIGGER lately… I really feel like my belly has popped a bit. But I guess it is about time since I am almost halfway through.

Maternity Clothes? Yes!

As I said above I have definitely been feeling like my body is changing lately and by changing I mean growing like crazy! It is so strange that I have gained 7 pounds total in the past 4 weeks… my body has never, ever changed that drastically before. Even put the weight gaining aside and I feel like there are still lots of changes just in my shape and proportions. It has been a bit hard at times to grow out of clothes and watch my middle expand, but when I reflect on all is going on in there and when I feel our baby kick me from the inside I love my body so much more than ever before. It feels like it has so much purpose now; a larger purpose than looking good in a bikini and it is actually really empowering and inspiring. However some things are strange. Something I have been noticing lately is the difference in my blood flow. Your body produces a lot more blood during pregnancy and apparently at this point in the pregnancy it really increases. Thus I have leg cramps just about every day and my veins are popping out like crazy. It is like my skin has become translucent! It looks kind of creepy… but again all of these changes are there to support our little one as it grows.

That whole paragraph was a bit off topic, but I feel like the maternity clothes section is the place to talk about all the ways my body is changing :)

Last week was a bit rough because I was definitely starting to notice a difference in how my clothes fit me. I just no longer felt that my shirts and shorts flattered my body and although I have lots of cute dresses that still work well I needed some practical every day things. So when I received some birthday money in the mail I decided the first place that it should go is to some new clothes. I went to the Gap Clearance Store for a little bit on Saturday just to take a peek and ended up walking out with 3 bottoms and 6 tank tops for 30 bucks! Only one pair of the shorts is actually maternity… it has the big elastic panel and looks funny but is is SO comfortable. I got one pair of jean shorts which had an elastic waist and a cute skirt with an elastic waist and I just bought one size up in these. All the tanks are normal Old Navy and Gap tanks that are just a size up and they look so much better on my growing bump (and the rest of my growing mid-section). I feel so much better after getting just these few things. So my advice to any pregnant readers out there is to not put off buying new things when you feel like you need them because it is very much worth feeling confident and comfortable. It only took a few items which I feel really good in right now to make a big difference in how I view getting dressed each day. I have decided I can’t stress about if they will fit in 4 weeks because my body is changing… fast… and it will continue to do so.

Sleep?  I am still loving my sleep and appreciating every second but I have definitely noticed an increase in my energy lately which has been great!

Eating:  This has become more enjoyable lately. My doctor said I should continue to try to wean myself from the nausea medicine. I plan to try to do this the week between vacation and the start of school when I don’t really have any plans in case it back fires. I still don’t feel like I have the desire and love of food that I used to but my appetite has significantly increased which I take as a good sign.

Exercise: Still walking a pretty good amount but it has been approximately 1,000 degrees lately so I can’t walk a whole hour or I get too hot. I am really planning on getting into more of a workout routine once I start school, i.e. when I am no longer working 9 hours a day and I get a free gym membership :)

Movement? Still convinced that there is nothing better in the world than feeling my baby moving. I fall more and more in love with each flutter, kick and turn.

Food cravings? Anything and everything sweet and cold. If you have any good recipes which combine these two qualities I would appreciate them :)

Food aversions? I should probably just take this opportunity to become a vegetarian because most of the time I just don’t want any meat. Also, I used to love leftovers but I am noticing lately that when I try to eat anything which isn’t fresh it doesn’t taste very good. A bit annoying since leftovers are so convenient!

What I miss: Nothing really that I can think of. I LOVE being pregnant. It has been a really good week :)

What I am looking forward to:  OK get ready… we have our 20 week ultrasound on FRIDAY MORNING! That means there are less than 4 days until I get to see our little one moving around in my belly, hear its heartbeat loud and clear and possibly find out the gender. Remember that time when David and I thought we wanted to wait until the end to know the gender. Well, you see, as it gets closer and closer and Baby H. moves in me more and more we really, REALLY want to know if it is a boy or girl! I mean, who doesn’t?!? And why wouldn’t we find out?? We are currently trying to remember why we ever wanted to wait and we keep having a hard time remembering what our motivations were. So I guess you will have to wait and see what we decide on Friday. But either way I am super excited for the ultrasound.

Sorry this was years long. Lots of things are changing and happening lately! I just love it. I finally feel pregnant… like for real! And it is so crazy and amazing. I am so blessed.