21 Weeks

STATS:

How far along: 21 weeks - I feel like the first half has flown by.  I just hope the second half goes by as quickly.

Baby size:  Baby Frank now weighs about 3/4 of a lb and is approx. 10.5 inches long - about the size of a carrot.

Total weight gain: 15 lbs.  My goal of a lb per week in the 2nd and 3rd trimester to total 30 lbs at time of delivery went right out the window when I put on 9 lbs this past month.  I wasn't shocked since my stomach looked HUGE, but I was praying I only gained 6 lbs since my last Dr. visit.

Maternity clothes: Oh yes.  Not even my fat jeans fit anymore.  I can't even do the wiggle to get into them.  However, leggings and boots have  been a staple for me in Fall/Winter so it wasn't as hard of an adjustment.

Sleep:  I fall asleep so well but wake up in the middle of the night unable to get comfortable enough to fall back to sleep soundly.  I am a belly sleeper and have started propping a thicker pillow under my head & chest to raise my body off the bed a little more.  I am sure this won't last long but trying to take advantage while I still can.

Best moment of the week:  Yesterday the nursery and spare bedroom were officially completed.  All I need to do now is look for a glider and some artwork for the walls.

Food cravings:  Not craving any foods to the point where I have to eat it immediately or send the hubby out to buy it.  I am certainly still enjoying the baked soft pretzels like I have all along so far.

Symptoms:  Occasional belly pain after running or doing too much. I spoke to the doctor on Friday since my family was very concerned and she confirmed it is natural and called Round Ligament Pain since my pelvis is moving so much as the baby grows.  As long as the RLP doesn't last for hours, she said I am good to continue running.

Movement:  No baby kicks yet that I know of.  I assume all the movement is gas b/c it is much stronger than the described flutter.

Belly button:  Still in but very close to popping out.  This is quite a milestone too b/c I had quite the innie prior.

Wedding rings: Still on and doesn't seem like my pregnancy has affected my fingers yet.

What I miss: Being skinny.  I have already struggled with the weight gain and people's comments of "wow, your belly is getting big" or "are you sure your due in March" is not helping with my self image outlook.

TGIF

Well it has been an interesting week.  Randy decided that the original room we planned on being the nursery (which we called the laundry room b/c all it housed was clothes and an ironing board for the last 3 years) was to small and instead we would turn our spare bedroom into the baby's room.  So we have been busy preparing the upstairs for a complete overhaul.  The spare bedroom furniture was broken down and put in storage, we searched high and low for a futon that would fit in the small room, I steam cleaned all the carpets at 20 weeks pregnant, we made an unexpected trip to IKEA for a new bureau (as an IKEA virgin I was quite impressed), my dad painted 2 bedrooms, and the baby's furniture was finally moved in last night.

We could never have accomplished all this work without the help of my family, and I am eternally grateful to be surrounded by the most loving and giving people that would drop anything to help out.  This is especially wonderful since Randy and I aren't the most handy of people.  Lets just say, there was A LOT of tools, sweat and curse words to install a simple curtain rod!

 At least now we can say we put some love into her room. Not sure we had much love at the time of installation though. A stubborn Irish woman and a short tempered husband don't always make for the best combo haha.

Babies certainly require alot of paraphernalia and thanks to my older siblings I have been blessed with great hand me downs.  All the nursery furniture came from my brother and sister-in-law and looks brand new.

I am now on the hunt for a glider that won't break the bank.  I saw one at Homegoods that was cheap in comparison to those at Babies R Us, but it didn't match our color scheme.  This only gives me another reason to go shopping each week.  Wouldn't want to miss out on a great buy!


 


 

Gender Reveal

You've probably heard the new craze is to hold a gender reveal party and share the big news of your baby's sex with family and friends.  Of course, once we found out we were expecting and going to find out if Baby Frank was a boy or girl, my sister's wheels started spinning on planning a party around this concept.  It seems like the cake and balloon reveal are the most common ways to share the surprise and make the event even more exciting.  Honestly, I am so happy we went down this road rather than finding out by ourselves in a dark ultrasound room with an unknown technician.

Anyways, my sister bought pink and blue beads and asked each attendant to pick the color associated with their guess on the baby's gender.  It seemed like the vote was split down the middle.  Some people even came dressed proudly in the color they assumed was correct.

I was so sure the baby was a boy and even my husband jumped on the bandwagon the last week before the reveal.  All throughout my pregnancy thus far, he had been referring to the baby as "she" so I was quite surprised when he told me the night before he was now guessing boy.

19 Weeks

How far along are you? 19 weeks and 2 days

Baby size: The baby is as big as an heirloom tomato, weighing roughly 8.5 oz.

Cravings: I'm LOVING soft pretzels so I'd say more salty than sweet.

Weight Gain: 10 pounds.

Favorite moment this week: Finding out the gender so I could start shopping and complete my registry.
Fears: Delivery!
General mood: Good but my lower back begins to hurt when standing for an extended period of time.  I have already begun nesting. Things just need to be tidy anywhere and everywhere I go.
Sleep: Better now than during the first trimester when I would be awake from 2:30 -4:00 am like clock work.  I think my prenatal had something to do with it so I changed.
Exercise: I have been running 2-3 times a week at 3.1 miles each outing. I already need to wrap my belly to avoid RLP.  I plan to start doing lunges and squats on my days off as my mother swears this helps with delivery.   
Things I was surprised by: How great I've felt except for a 2 week span when absolute exhaustion took over my body.
Things I am most looking forward to: Putting together the nursery.  My sisters just bought me the bedding from Potterybarn, so I am anxiously awaiting its delivery.

Maternity Clothes: Oh heck yes.  My newly expanded hips don't fit in a pair of my old jeans.  Last week I moved 3/4 of my wardrobe to the attic since it no longer fit.   

Gender: Girl!