24 weeks!

How far along? 24 weeks! 

How big is baby? He's a pound and a half this week! 

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 8 pounds. 

Maternity clothes? Yep.

Sleep: I have good nights and bad nights! No severe sciatica in the middle of the night since the last episode, so that's a blessing! 

Best moment this week: Nathan and I getting to hold the new baby next door ;) 

Movement: I'm feeling this little boy pretty regularly :)

Food cravings: Carrot cake! 

Food Aversions: Nah.  

Gender: A sweet little boy!

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Pregnancy Symptoms? Pubic bone pain and being exhausted. 

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to hold my pee when I sneeze! Embarrassing. 

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers and NY!

Upcoming appointments: Glucose test in 2 weeks... yuck!

Weekly Wisdom: Work gets hard when you're pregnant.  

Milestones: Baby's lungs are working hard to be able to breathe when he's done cooking! Surfactant is being produced this week!

Bump Picture: 

23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks and one day!

How big is baby? At this point depending on the app, he could be an eggplant, a pomegranate, or a spaghetti squash. However, they all can agree that he is over a pound! 

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 7 pounds total. 

Maternity clothes? Yep. Almost exclusively. I'm having to venture into maternity scrubs now... Uh oh! 

Sleep: I slept terrible last night. But I also have some sinus stuff going on, so I don't think that was all baby ;) 

Best moment this week: Nathan and I getting to see (and feel) all of his little movements! My belly just dances around at bedtime! 

Movement: I'm feeling this little boy pretty regularly :)

Food cravings: French fries! 

Food Aversions: I don't really have any. 

Gender: A sweet little boy!

Labor Signs: Not yet!

Pregnancy Symptoms? Goodness gracious. I had the worst symptoms ever last night! What I've researched and come to the conclusion that I was having was either pelvic girdle pain (PGP) or some serious sciatica going on. In the middle of the night I had just this obnoxious sore feeling in my left butt cheek (sorry!). I got up and it took a serious turn for the worse where I was almost doubled over in pain and considered calling 911. Shooting pains up my left side and down my leg. I read quickly while trying to half asleep balance on my right foot, and found that if you bring your knees up it can relieve the pain if it is PGP. So I did, and it did. Worse pain than kidney stones, and I hope it was worse than labor, because... flip. Other than that terrible symptom, I've had a sore pubic bone (another reason I'm going with PGP), sore nipples, sinus issues, and constipation. Ahh, the miracle of pregnancy. 

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to sleep... period. 

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers!

Upcoming appointments: Glucose test in 3 weeks... yuck! 

Weekly Wisdom: Sweet, caring husbands can definitely make your day go from terrible to tolerable very quickly. My sweet Nathan took care of my sick self yesterday and I have to say, I would have been a mess without him. 

Milestones: Baby reacts to our voices and to light! We experimented with a flashlight on the belly ;) 

Bump Picture: Later today! 

:)

My view nowadays <3

(I have shorts on, but this ginormous belly makes it hard to see that). 

Baby Hiccups :)

I felt some baby hiccups just now! 

I can't sleep (stressed about work). So I was laying in the bed trying to sleep and felt what kind of felt like a heartbeat, but it was a weird pulsing sensation. No pain, but pretty regular. I kind of freaked out and immediately thought it was Braxton Hicks or real contractions starting WAY too early. And then I realized; that feels almost like a hiccup.

I went online and was relieved to read other ladies' experiences with the same thing. I love experiencing new baby stuff, even if it freaks me out a little bit sometimes! 

I can't wait until Nathan can really feel our little Bub from the outside. He felt a little kick the other day, but nothing like I am experiencing. And I guess he won't experience the same feelings, but this little guy is slam dancing or karate chopping in there! I love to feel him move around. 

The other day he must have been sleepy because he didn't move much and I got a little worried/sad. But since my doctor told me not to really start counting yet, I just let it go, and sure enough he picked up with a mighty force the next day!

I love this baby more than I can express already, and he's not even here yet! 

I'm praying for alternatives for jobs, which is why I guess I can't sleep. Nights are really getting old, and they are getting harder to handle with this pregnancy. Also we have a new charting system at work which seems to be putting everyone off (myself included), and that's really pushing me out the door as well. I am praying hard for more weddings! If we could get a few more we would be okay through my maternity leave. I am just praying for guidance and for God to open a door for us that will work with our new and growing family. 

Anyway, just venting. I was so excited to experience "The Hiccup" that I had to write it down just in case I forgot about it later (which is also becoming a problem... Memory!) 

I have also put on what seems to be about 4 pounds since my last appointment, which was about 4 weeks ago, so I guess I am on schedule. It's still bizarre that you're being told TO gain weight when in the back of my woman's mind I want to LOSE the weight already. Pregnancy is a weird, weird thing. 

But after the 19-20 weeks of not so great feelings (nausea, exhaustion, insomnia, etc.), I am actually starting to like it!

I guess I will go and lay back down with my husband now that I got that written down! ;) 

21 weeks!

How far along? 21 weeks and 1 day! Mother's Day! 

How big is baby? The length of a carrot :) 

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 5 pounds! 

Maternity clothes? Yep. Almost exclusively. 

Sleep: I slept like a rock last night! 

Best moment this week: Nathan getting to feel a wee little kick! 

Movement: I'm feeling this little boy pretty regularly :)

Food cravings: French onion soup. 

Food Aversions: I don't really have any!

Gender: A sweet little boy!

Labor Signs: Not yet! I feel some tensing every once in awhile which all my apps and books say are Braxton Hicks contractions, but no real signs thank goodness! 

Pregnancy Symptoms? I have some really sore hips and a super sore back! 

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to sleep on my belly/back!

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers!

Upcoming appointments: Midwife next week! 

Weekly Wisdom: Maternity dresses are ultra flattering. 

Milestones: Over halfway! 

Bump Picture: Here is our another's Day photo! 

20 weeks!

How far along? 20 weeks and 3 days! Halfway there! 

How big is baby? The length of a banana :)

Total weight gain/loss: I've gained about 4 pounds total. 

Maternity clothes? Yep. Almost exclusively. 

Sleep: It's getting hard to get used to side sleeping! I'm a back sleeper, so that's throwing a wrench in my sleep schedule.

Best moment this week: Feeling LOTS of movement! 

Movement: I'm feeling this little boy pretty regularly now :) 

Food cravings: Fresh, light things. Salad, seafood, etc. 

Food Aversions: I don't really have any!

Gender: A sweet little boy!

Labor Signs: Not yet! I feel some tensing every once in awhile which all my apps and books say are Braxton Hicks contractions, but no real signs thank goodness! 

Pregnancy Symptoms? I really don't remember what it felt like to NOT have sore boobies. 

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to sleep on my belly/back!

What I am looking forward to: Baby showers!

Upcoming appointments: Midwife in a few weeks, but everything looks PERFECT on the ultrasound of our sweet boy :) 

Weekly Wisdom: Nothing is as cool as feeling that baby doing acrobatics in your belly. 

Milestones: We are halfway! So much closer to meeting our baby! 

Bump Picture: Here is a really unflattering "tanning my belly" photo.