Sunday, March 25, 2012

18 weeks.

18 weeks. 4.5 months. Holy cow. That means we are 2 weeks away from being at the HALFWAY THERE mark. That is almost unfathomable. Here are the pictures:





And 17 weeks for comparison. I know I am bigger but I think I still just look like I'm getting chunky versus the fact that I'm pregnant. Most people still don't think I'm showing or look pregnant at all. I just look like I ate about 400 boxes of oreos.

How I'm feeling?
NIGHT AND DAY from last week. Holy cow, what was that all about? A growth spurt or just torture? I am so glad that was short lived because it was HELL. Seriously, like all of the first trimester crap rolled into one week. This week I luckily was not dealing with feeling like crap overall but instead, I did have my fair share of headaches. Additionally, something totally new was hip pain. Like CRAZY hip pain. As in: I look like I already have a waddle and am 80 years old and have to have assistance getting off the couch. I know that part of that is the hips starting to move around to prepare for pushing a bowling ball out of me but it is nuts. I think I said about 400 times "I want my body back." I did do a massive leg workout on Wednesday so that might have been some of the issue. I have a hard time setting boundaries and limits for myself. I still feel like I can do everything I used to do but the reality is that I can't. I have to really force myself to slow down and that is not easy for me.  Guess I better learn since I still have 5 months of sharing my body (at least with someone inside of it...)

Speaking of not slowing down, I continued to work out this week... lifted and ran Monday/Wednesday/Friday, walked Tuesday, gardened for two hours Saturday (is this considered nesting since it is so atypical?) and also went on a walk Saturday. I didn't push myself and no long runs this week since the hip pain has been a little out of control.

I've also noticed that the pee thing is annoying in a different way. I am MAYBE peeing less but that's only because it seems impossible to fully empty my bladder at one time. So, amount is less, frequency is more. What is that all about? Oh, yeah, maybe the little sweet potato pushing the bladder all around...

How I'm changing?
Growing, expanding, hip pains, and gigantic boobs. That pretty much sums it up. I still don't think my hair and skin have gotten the pregnancy memo yet but that's ok. I'll wait. I also noticed this week that whenever I floss my teeth, my gums bleed. I know this is very common with pregnancy but I haven't experienced this until this week.  I also can tell my body is preparing more and more for baby- hip pain being one huge sign but I've also felt quite a bit of cramping (kind of like pre-period cramps) that come and go. It's totally normal as the second trimester is a period of big growth for the baby and uterus.

What I'm eating?
This week I am eating pitas, hummus, and pita/hummus sandwiches like it is my job. I'm not even kidding, I have at least one a day. I am CRAVING pita/hummus sandwiches with spinach, tomatoes, and pickles. So amazing. I have no idea what this is all about but it's pretty much all I think about every day when I try to figure out what to have for lunch... really, there's no choice-PITAS! Raw vegetables still gross me out. Eggs also still gross me out. Carrots luckily were a freak thing last week. This week I am quite fond of them again. We did make chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies this week which were incredible (and funny, enough, it was not the preggo's idea- my husband had the genius idea!)
Weight I'm gaining? 
I actually didn't gain much weight this week... I have halted the 2 pounds a week gain! I weighed 130.4 the other day and last week I was 129.6 so it was really a very minimal gain. I have never seen the 130s on a scale so it still totally trips me out but, it WILL come off.

How I'm sleeping? 
Pretty good still. There was one night this week that I was pretty uncomfortable but in general, I really can't complain.

What's the baby doing?
-The baby is 5.6 inches long and about the size of a sweet potato this week
-The bones in the baby's body continue to harden. One of the first bones to harden is the inner ear which is why the baby can probably hear sounds by now (although fuzzy, as if underwater)
-The baby continues to move around and you'll start to feel more and more movements in the coming week (I'm still feeling them randomly and it's hard to tell if it's a movement or gas...)
-The baby's blood vessels are visible through the skin and his/her ears are in the final position.
-A covering of myelin is forming around his/her nerves.
-A girls uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place and a boys penis is now very visible by ultrasound.

What we are doing to prepare for the baby?
-We went to our first hypnobirthing class last week. It was actually really good. We both left feeling like these classes are really going to help us achieve the type of birth we want, barring any sort of unexpected happening. I can totally see the benefit in these classes to both help us connect with the baby now and prepare us for the birth by allowing us tools to cope with the pain of labor. I'm excited to see what we learn in the coming weeks. 
-I bought citizens pregnancy jeans. It was a splurge. It was time. 
-We made our appointment for our 20 week ultrasound- April 10. We are going to find out the sex of the baby and have the tech write it down and we'll find out the sex in Hawaii on my birthday-April 29. The way I see it- it's going to be a surprise at 18 weeks, 20 weeks, or 40 weeks, and I am a planner by nature. I want to know the sex (although I still think it's a boy). 
-My mom and dad bought us a crib- our first actual baby purchase. We don't have it yet but it's pretty cool- espresso sustainable Australian pine, all non-toxic/sustainable materials, convertible from toddler to daybed. I'll post pictures once it gets here and we set it up.

Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)
This week I went to Babies R Us to buy baby presents for two friends who are having baby showers in the next couple of weeks. HOLY COW. Talk about stuff I don't know. There were things on the registry that I had no idea what they even WERE, much less that I might need them. It was a total enlightening experience and while I know there is a lot of baby related stuff that people just don't need, I think I have a lot of learning to do to figure out exactly what I WILL need. As I have said all along, this is a total adventure!  

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