Bumpdate: 22 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 4 lb

Baby Size: A Papaya (10.5-11.8 in, 12.7-20.8 oz)

Now that she's got more developed eyes and lips, he's looking even more like a newborn. She's sleeping in cycles -- about 12 to 14 hours per day (hint: they're probably those times you're not feeling any kicks!).

Symptoms: The other day, I think the baby was laying on a nerve, because all of a sudden I had shooting pains down the back of my leg. I was in tears and I could barely walk. I thought I might have to go to the emergency room, but I laid down with some ice for awhile and it eased up. Heartburn has been making itself known this week. The papaya enzymes seem to help a lot, especially if I take them right after I eat.

Movement: This little girl likes to move! I feel her after eating and usually if I sit still for any length of time.
 

Gender: A pretty little princess!

Maternity Clothes: I have a select few non maternity clothes that I can get away with wearing. Comfort is really important these days! This baby doesn't like anything pushing on her. I've been cramping if I wear something too tight around my tummy!

Cravings: I really can't think of anything that has sounded good this week. I craved so much fruit with Taelyn, but this time around I have to make sure I eat fruit every day! It's the same way with milk, I craved it with Taelyn, but I can't drink it by itself too often this time around. I know I 'm getting plenty of calcium with all the other dairy I consume.

Sleep: I still have been sleeping pretty good. I've been getting a few naps in during the week as well. My dreams have become very real and very wierd. My husband and I really like the show Breaking Bad and the other night, I had a dream that we were being chased by the cartel. We had to make a stop at a hispanic grocery store for tortillas and it took my husband 40 minutes to come back out. He said they had way too many tortilla options to choose from...haha!

Best Moment This Week: My husband is so sweet and caring that the other night he woke me up to ask if it was okay that I was sleeping on my back! I love all the little things he does that make me feel special : )

Taelyn: About every other day Taelyn will put her hand on my tummy and ask if she can feel the baby kick! I can't wait until she can...it's so exciting!

Bumpdate: 21 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 3 lb

Baby Size: A Pomegranate (10.5 in, 12.7 oz)

As her digestive system preps for the outside world, she's manufacturing meconium -- the tarry black substance you'll find in her first dirty diaper (ew)! If it's a girl, she's already got a lifetime's supply of eggs in her womb -- about six million of them!

Symptoms: Nothing too different from last week. I've noticed that carrying Taelyn is almost impossible and it is becoming harder for her to sit on my lap. I'm having occasional braxton hick's and what my midwife might be real contractions. She told me to watch them, but nothing to worry about.

Movement: She is very wiggly in there! She kicked twice while we listened to her heartbeat today! I think we might be getting close to Aaron and Tae being able to feel her!
 

Gender: A pretty little princess!

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes are definitely needed these days. I might try out some thrift stores out this weekend and see if I can find anything good!

Cravings: Cheese, cheese, anything with cheese!

Sleep: Sleep has been better! I think I have gotten used to not sleeping on my stomach and I feel I'm sleeping more comfortably.

Best Moment This Week: We had our midwife appointment this week and it went well! I'm measuring 23 weeks and she could feel the baby's bum : )

Taelyn: She talks about the baby so much and has been asking what we are going to name her. She is always wanting to buy something for her when we go to the store.

Bumpdate: 20 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: 1 lb

Baby Size: A Banana (6.5 in, 10.6 oz) During the ultrasound they told us she weighed 14 oz!

She's got working taste buds. Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before.

Symptoms: I had a scary slip and fall this week! Luckily nothing was hurt though. I started having braxton hicks occasionally and it's really weird because my whole stomach tightens up! I'm still having the round ligament pain and now my back has started hurting.

Movement: She moves so much!
 

Gender: It's a sweet little girl and we are so blessed and excited to add another little princess to our family!

Maternity Clothes: I have found some pants! Woo-hoo! After going to 4 different stores (2 of which didn't even have maternity clothes) I found some cute dress slacks that are super comfortable. An added bonus was that they were 50% off!

Cravings: Popcorn, chocolate milk, anything salty!

Sleep: Sleep is the same. If I get up too quickly at night when I have to use the bathroom I end up pulling those round ligaments and am in pain for awhile!

Best Moment This Week: Having our ultrasound! My mom came with us and it was so exciting to finally see our precious cargo on the big screen. She was moving around so much and we even got a quick glimpse of her sucking her thumb!

Taelyn: She was so excited to see her baby sister today. Before we got to the gender, the ultrasound tech asked her what she wanted and Tae replied "a sister". She is going to get what she wanted! It was so sweet to be laying on the table during the ultrasound and holding Tae's hand the whole time!

Bumpdate: 19 weeks!

This was taken at 18 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: -2 lbs

Baby Size: A Mango (6.0 in, 8.5 oz)
 

Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth. Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.

Symptoms: Swelling seems to be better this week. I've been trying to down water and it seems to be helping. I'm feeling more tired this week and I'm trying not to do too much. I've also noticed that picking up and/or carrying a 4 year old is starting to get very hard! 

Movement: I've been feeling a lot more movement! It seems to happen after I eat and when I am resting!
 

Gender: We will find out next week...stay tuned!

Maternity Clothes: I got another new shirt this week, but I can't seem to find pants that I like. We might go out this weekend and try again. I tried to wear a pre-pregnancy shirt to work today and oh my, that was not going to work!

Cravings: I'm so excited that my husband and I are going out to get waffles Saturday morning! I have also been craving salt and vinegar kettle chips...I think this goes along with my salty craving.

Sleep: Oh deep sleep, how I miss you : ( This is probably why I have been so tired lately. I have not slept well and wake up several times during the night.

Best Moment This Week: Taelyn is going to spend the night with my parent's on Friday and my hubby and I are going to have a great date night. It has been about 5 or 6 months since our last date night!

Taelyn: We have the bassinet in our room and the other morning, Taelyn came in and looked in it. She then said, "when the baby gets here, I will wake up every morning and bring the baby a stuffed animal to make her happy!"

Bumpdate: 18 weeks!

Tried to upload a picture of my bump, but blogger is not being my friend today....

Weight Gain/Loss: -3 lbs

Baby Size: A Sweet Potato (5.6 in, 6.7 oz)

Can you believe she's yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing? And she's twisting, rolling, punching and kicking, too -- and she's big enough that you might be able to feel her doing it!

Symptoms: And the swelling begins....with my first pregnancy, I had pretty bad swelling in my legs, ankles, and feet mostly towards the end of my pregnancy. This week I have noticed that my ankles have been swollen at the end of the day. I'm trying to drink more water to try and combat this, hopefully it helps. I've been hungry more often this week!  

Movement: Occasionally fluttering!

 

Gender: Two weeks away from our ultrasound!

Maternity Clothes: Maternity wear is out in full swing. I will still wear some pre-pregnancy pants unbuttoned with the bella band. I've been wearing pretty much all maternity shirts because my shirts seems shorter and tight around my stomach.

Cravings: This week I have noticed more cravings! For one, I've been wanting Belgian waffles. I need to find someplace local that has awesome waffles! I've also been craving (and eating) tomatoes sliced up with mayo and salt and pepper. I know it may sound weird to some of you, but this is something we grew up eating in our family and it is so good! Another craving this week is yogurt parfaits. I've been eating them for breakfast....just yogurt, blueberries, and granola....yum!

Sleep: Sleep is harder this week. It has been really hard for me to sleep comfortably without being able to sleep on my stomach. I toss and turn most nights and this is leading to me being tired during the day.

Best Moment This Week: I'm going to cloth diaper and I was super excited to find a cute one at Target for 70% off this week. I plan on buying lots more when we find out the gender!

Taelyn: We got the body book from my sister and also a few more from the library. She has been wanting to read them every night. She asks lots of questions and just sits there and listens intently. It is so amazing to watch her learn!

Bumpdate: 17 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: -3 lbs

Baby Size: An Onion (5.1 in, 5.9 oz)

Her rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone. And she's growing some meat on those bones -- putting on some fat. She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord, too.

Symptoms: Round ligament pain is still bothersome. My midwife suggested taking calcium and magnesium supplements. Going to the bathroom a lot more than normal. I wake up 1-2 times a night now. I have an incredibly itchy tummy and always have to remember to put lotion on.

Movement: Occasionally fluttering!

Gender: We will find out in less than 3 weeks!

Maternity Clothes: I went and bought a few maternity tops yesterday. I don't really need tops, but they were cute. I couldn't find any pants that I liked : ( Might try and go this weekend.

Cravings: Anything really! I've noticed I have wanted salty things this week, which is weird because I don't normally like a lot of salt.

Sleep: Sleep has been alright (other than the bathroom trips)! I am having a hard time not sleeping on my stomach and can still manage if I hike my knee up towards my stomach so I am partly on my side. I do tend to toss and turn more.

Best Moment This Week: Had an excellent midwife appointment this week. Baby sounds healthy with heart beat at 156. Had blood drawn to check my thyroid again (I have hypothyroidism).

Taelyn: Well, it happened! I was downstairs on my Kindle and Taelyn was supposed to be sleeping. She came to the top of the stairs and asked "Mommy, how did the baby get in your tummy?" It was pretty late and I was surprised to say the least, so I replied by saying "Because that's just where it grows". She came back with "Yeah but, HOW did it get in your tummy?". Haha....one smart girl, huh? I told her we would talk about it later which she agreed too. My sister will be lending me a book, so I think we will have a little talk without going in to all the details : )

Bumpdate: 16 weeks!

Weight Gain/Loss: -5 lbs (I seem to be at a stand still)

Baby Size: An Avocado (4.6 in, 3.5 oz)
 

She's listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears. She's growing hair, lashes and eyebrows. And she's forming taste buds!

Symptoms: I've finished my antibiotics and besides a little cough and some congestion, feel so much better than last week! I've been having some "growing pains" and they are especially painful if I sneeze or need to cough. I've noticed my skin has seemed pretty dry and itchy lately and I normally have fairly oily skin.

I have a few friends that are pregnant and due about the same time as I am. I keep hearing about all this morning sickness and I want to say that I am INCREDIBLY thankful that I didn't have any of this. I couldn't imagine being sick every day for weeks or months on end....no fun!

Movement: Occasionally fluttering!

Gender: Can't wait to find out in 4 more weeks!

Maternity Clothes: I am making a point to go and buy some maternity pants this week. The bella band works alright, but I don't like making all the adjustments throughout the day. I currently have two pairs of maternity pants (one being jeans) and I can only wear jeans to work on Friday's.

Cravings: This week I have been craving big fresh salads....I want avocados, boiled eggs, cheese...all the yummy stuff!

Sleep: Sleep has been SO much better this week. I thought I would have a really hard time getting up and going back to work this week after being off almost 2 weeks for Christmas break, but it wasn't that bad at all.

Best Moment This Week: Feeling better and getting back to my normal self. I'm so glad that I feel up to cleaning and cooking again!

Taelyn: We got to see my new little niece again for Christmas, she is 7 weeks old now. Taelyn was, at first, really nervous around her, but now she is so sweet. She will hold her and put her paci back in if it falls out. She will also just come up to her and rub her head or kiss her cheek!