19 weeks

This week it was just me and the dog.  Bobby had to travel for work for the first half of the week, was home for one night, and got up super early the next morning for another trip.   :(   I need husband hugs, like now.

How far along? 19 weeks and 6 days.

Baby's size? The Duffster is 8.5 ounces now and 6 inches long from his head to his bottom… and the hair on his head is starting to sprout!

Weight Gain? I was up to 12 lbs for most of the week, but when I weighed myself this morning I was back down to 10 lbs.  So we’ll take the average and say I’m up 11 lbs.

Maternity clothes? I’ve been buying way more stuff than I really wanted to.  But I just can’t stand wearing the same things over and over again.  This week I bought “regular people” clothes though.  I found an empire waisted dress in the juniors section of Marshalls that was pretty cute and flattering.  And then I also bought mint shorts a size up from my pre-pregnancy size and they are super comfortable!

Stretch marks? No.  Thank heavens.  I think I’m starting to see the faint beginnings of that weird line that appears below the belly button though.  Why does that happen?

Sleep? I desperately want to sleep on my back.  It’s far and away the most comfortable for me right now.  But apparently the added weight of my uterus would be pressing down on the main vein that takes blood and nutrients to my baby if I slept this way.  Soooo, I continue to shift from side to side all night long.

Best moment this week? Daddy brought home the cutest little baby clothes from his work trip to New York.  Just the thought of him walking through the store to pick out itty bitty articles of clothing made my heart burst.

Movement? Kicking away!

Food cravings? Certainly NOT craving guacamole.

Symptoms? Occasional back aches, dry skin

Gender? Check back next week to know for sure!

What I miss? My husband!  COME HOME BOBBY!!!!

What I'm looking forward to? My mom will be coming with me to the 20 week anatomy scan with Dr. Lowe on Tuesday.  All of my friends have said they loved their Dr. Lowe appointments, so I’m excited for that.

Emotions: Well, I’ve obviously been a bit lonely because my husband has been away.  But I’m still a very happy and thankful girl who thanks the Lord daily for this miracle baby in my belly.

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks and 5 days.

Baby's size? He (we are in full-on assumption mode that it is a boy) is 5.5 inches long from his head to his rump and weighs 7 oz.

Weight Gain? 10 lbs.  This is getting real.

Maternity clothes? This goes against everything I thought in the beginning of this process... but I LOVE maternity clothes.  Well, not all maternity clothes of course.  Most things are absolutely hideous.  But when you find that perfect item, try it on, and it makes you look cuter and slimmer and more comfortable than your regular clothes - well, it just feels like a gift from heaven.  I've embraced the stretchy waist band and the extra long top.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep? I am able to sleep just fine.  I just have to switch sides constantly through the night to avoid aches and such.

Best moment this week? Nursery progress!  We now have a dresser/changing table and a bookcase for the babe.  OH... and the CUTEST darn stroller in the entire world.  Here is Lia wishing she could take a ride in it.

Movement? Not only can I feel him moving around from the inside, but Bobby can now feel the baby's kicks from the outside!

Food cravings? I'm still not craving anything.  But I did finally notice that I am eating tons of strawberry flavored things.  Strawberry Starbursts, strawberry yogurt, strawberry Nutri-grain bars, peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches, and of course, actual strawberries.  Again, these are all things I've always liked.  And I'm never like "OMG, I need something strawberry flavored!"  This was just something I happened to notice that I was eating a good bit of.

Symptoms? The crazy emotions of last week seem to have subsided for now.  This has been a rather easy week.

Gender? Like I said, we are totally assuming it's a boy.  April 2nd will finally put this matter to rest once and for all.

What I miss? My shorts that no longer fit.  There was a warm day or two this week where my cutoffs would have made for a much cuter outfit than my old stretchy cheerleading shorts.

What I'm looking forward to? This is looking way forward... but I just can't wait to hold him.  I want to kiss his beautiful face and touch his soft skin right now.

Milestones: I'd say that cracking into the double digits for weight gain is a milestone.

Emotions: So happy.  And already so proud to be his mama.

17 weeks

This week of my pregnancy can just go down in history as The Week of Tears.  Unexpected, illogical, I’m-not-even-sad-so-this-is-really-weird tears.  Here’s a sample of the madness: On Thursday, Bobby and I were both home for lunch and the fan was on in the living room.  It was making me chilly so I turned it off.  Bobby says “No babe, I’m hot.”  And I just started pouring tears. 

Ummmm….. what?!?

Pregnancy sure knows how to make a woman feel like a crazy person.  So through my sobbing I had to try to convince my poor husband that he didn’t do anything wrong and I have no idea why I’m crying.  What a mess.  The sweet way he wiped my tears away and gave me hugs kind of made the whole ordeal worth it though.  :)

When I got back to work I saw a friend who works in another building.  He asked how I was doing and said I looked great.  Aaaand, I started crying again.  Luckily, his wife just had twin boys a year ago.  So he was pretty familiar with the whacked out hormones thing.  But still!!!!  So embarrassing!!!

In other news, baby love is kicking away inside my belly.  It's pretty unusual (from what I have read) to feel this much action this early.  But we know from the ultrasounds that he is a mover and a shaker... so I can't really say that I'm surprised at how much I feel.  The doctor says that thin women are more likely to feel stuff earlier anyhow.  And I bring that up mostly because it made me feel really good that she considered me thin.  I certainly don't look thin if you ask me.   :P

Speaking of which, just for the sake of documenting this whole process, I am up 9 lbs now - and my butt no longer fits in my pre-pregnancy shorts.  So there goes my shot at that illustrious "You're ALL belly" status that I really wanted to attain.

16 weeks

I’ve been waiting for week 16 since the beginning of time.  Just about everyone I know found out the gender of their baby at their 16 week appointment.  I’ve had my mind made up that Little Duff is a little boy ever since my first ultrasound.  There is this crazy Ramzi Gender Theory that says when you look at your first ultrasound, if the baby is on the right and the yolk sac is on the left… it’s a girl.  And if your baby is on the left and the yolk sac is on the right, it’s a boy.  So… I guess that was all the convincing I needed.

So Tuesday, March 5^th rolled around and I had this overwhelming feeling that the doctor would not be able to tell us the gender with certainty.  And unfortunately my weird instincts were right.  Here’s what happened:

The doctor (or I guess I should say “the midwife” because that’s what she is - but it’s just easier to say doctor) kiiiiiind of lets on that she thinks it’s a boy.  But she was irritatingly non-committal about the whole thing.  Lady, I just want to be able to tear the tags off of the baby clothes I bought and breathe a sigh of relief!  Oh, well.  The wait continues.

Pregnancy update:  Still feeling great!  I’m still up 7 lbs.  Every once in a while I have a stress-filled, tearful moment that my clothes don’t fit anymore; but that’s all part of the process, right?

15 weeks

How far along? 15 weeks and 4 days.

Baby's size? Little Duff is now about 4 inches long and weighs 2.5 oz!

Weight Gain? This is getting harder and harder to divulge.  I’m up 7lbs now.

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of pants for work and a cute top from A Pea in the Pod.  I don’t plan on wearing either anytime soon.  But I imagine there will be a morning in the future where I just can’t find a single thing that will fit… and I’ll be glad I have these waiting for me.

Stretch marks? Still no.  :)

Sleep? Great!

Best moment this week? See next question

Movement? YES!!  On Tuesday morning I was sitting at my desk at work and felt 3 distinct taps from within.  I immediately teared up because I assumed it was the baby moving.  And then I waited to feel it again.  And then waited some more.  I eventually felt one more about an hour later… but that was it for the rest of the day.  So then I figured the entire experience had really just been some digestion thing.  Then Friday morning rolled around and I was rummaging through my closet for something to wear to work and I felt a little goldfish swimming around!!!  And I felt it pretty consistently for the next hour.  Pure magic!  And again, I could do nothing but cry and thank the Lord for this amazing experience.

Food cravings? I’m basically always in the mood for soup.  But all the same soups I’ve always loved; so I doubt that counts as a craving.

Symptoms? Nothing other than the old “getting fatter” symptom of pregnancy.  ;)

Gender? NEXT TUESDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

What I miss? Right now, nothing.  I am pleased as punch.  I was missing my ride on Space Mountain last week at Disney World though.

What I'm looking forward to? March 5^th!  I kind of got spoiled with having ultrasounds about every 2 weeks.  I feel like I haven’t seen my baby in years.

Milestones: I’m like, 4 months pregnant you guys! 

Emotions: Overwhelmingly ecstatic and thankful for this miracle.

14 weeks

Hey, so remember last week when I said I forgot to weigh myself, but hoped I was still at the 3 lbs mark?  Well, I weighed myself this morning... and I've gained 6.  So, yea.  That's double.

MOVING ON...

This week has seriously just flown by.  I can't even remember anything noteworthy.  Except for the fact that I told myself I would start being active several times a week, and so far have only followed through once.  I went for a bike ride at Quiet Waters Park after work on Wednesday.  I meant to go for a walk today, but didn't.  And tomorrow's goal is to swim laps.

I bought more baby clothes this week.  Boys baby clothes.  I don't know why I'm doing this.  The people at Baby Gap are going to laugh right in my face if I have to come back in and return it all.  I also had a major moment of weakness and bought two pairs of non-returnable baby Toms.  But seriously, how do you resist something this cute?  I figure my baby girl could still possibly wear these colors... or I could give them away if I had to.

13 weeks

Happy Valentines Day my tiny lovebug!  Today felt like the right day to publicly announce your existence.  We were showered with tons of well wishes and even found out that an old friend is also expecting a baby right around the same time!  So we will have a buddy to go to Mommy and Me with.  :)

We’re also happily in the second trimester!  I’m fairly certain I already feel my energy returning.  Thank goodness!  We have a big weekend ahead of us: attending a wedding in Orlando and also visiting Disney World!  I can hardly wait!

This week I also remembered that I have several pairs of pants and jeans tucked away in my closet that are a size up from my normal pre-pregnancy size.  I can actually button up the waist and sit comfortably!  Amazing!  I look a little sloppy in the leg and butt area because the pants are still too big for me in those spots.  But it saves me from wearing that darn belly band thing at work, so I deal with it.

I’ve been sleeping great, thanks largely in part to the Snoogle pillow that Amanda lent me.  It keeps my dog from crowding me off the bed and kicking me in the back all night.  So that’s a big win.  I forgot to weigh myself this week, but I’m hoping I’m still right at the 3 lb. mark.  13 weeks… 3 lbs.  That’s ok, right?  It probably shouldn’t be as big of a concern to me, but I can’t help it.  I really don’t want the weight gain to get out of control.  I still feel great and baby is doing great!  So that’s what matters most.

So now I’m just counting down the days until Bobby and I find out if this precious blessing is a boy or a girl.  18 days!!!!!!!