23 weeks 3 days

23 weeks: She is the size of an ear of corn and weighs about 1.5 pounds. Her hair is growing darker and her fingernails are almost fully formed. Her lungs should be almost fully formed but not yet ready to function. By week 24, though, she will be considered a viable baby! Still, we hope she stays in an "bakes" for many more weeks to come!

Cravings/Aversions: Still crab Rangoon; specifically wanting cold ones at breakfast time. Also had a big craving for sweet and sour chicken last week so Carl took me out and I got a huge portion that lasted 2 meals! As my trip to St Louis approaches, I am craving things that I know I can get there: Lion's Choice roast beef sandwiches, Imos pizza and toasted ravioli, arrancini from Bommarito's, and Krispy Kreme donuts. I think I'm going to eat my way through the city. No real aversions right now.

Symptoms: My pelvis is starting to hurt. I don't know if it's loosening up or just experiencing pressure from the little one but it hurts and sometimes I waddle. I also think I have carpal tunnel! Who knew? Apparently it can happen during pregnancy due to some swelling and is more common at night when your feet are up and swelling can move out of your lower extremities. For quite some time now my hands have been falling asleep and causing pain at night time. Only recently did I read about the cause. Otherwise I still get tired or nauseous sometimes but otherwise I'm ok. My blood pressure is still good. In a little over 2 weeks I will have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes so cross your fingers I don't have that!

News this week: Carl felt her kick!! She was particularly active and he rested his hand on my tummy and could feel her move and then he felt two big kicks! I was so happy I cried! It just made me very emotional to see him feel her. It makes it seem more real. I feel her pretty much every day now. I love it. It is so funny when she gives me a hard kick and surprises me and I literally jump. I love everything this baby does.
Carl and I went to a cloth diaper class last weekend and we are pretty excited about the concept of cloth. It just seems like a better all-around option. We ordered a couple of diapers and a wet bag (to put the dirty diapers in) as samples so we could get a better idea of what we liked and I'm going to try to attach pictures.

Diapers and wet bag:

 

Bump Updates:

 

 

 

22 weeks 1 day

22 weeks: Wow! It's been a long time since I updated. Baby girl is the size of a papaya. In the next four weeks, she should double her weight! She is getting so big. If w could see her now, she would be wrinkled because her skin grows faster than the fat underneath accumulates. But she will be plump and soft by the time she is full term. Her tooth buds are forming as are her taste buds.

Cravings/Aversions: I want some crab rangoon! The craving started the other morning and hasn't gone away. I don't actually want Chinese food, just the crab rangoon. I have been eating more cheese sandwiches like I did in the first months. I like American cheese on white bread with a little mayo. For some reason they hit the spot and they are good for when Carl's not home and I'm too lazy to make real food. Iced tea tastes weird to me again so I'm drinking lots of flavored water and juice. I love anything tart and lemon. I love lemon-ices and fresh lemonade. I picked out two varieties of cranberry juice for this week so maybe I'm just drawn to anything tart.

Symptoms: Nothing too new this week. I have my second cold of this pregnancy and have a cold sore again. I never had them before and I told Carl if I ever get another cold sore I'm going to immediately think I'm pregnant! When they say your immune system is diminished when you're pregnant, they mean it! I feel terrible and there is next to nothing I can take. On a positive note, baby girl is kicking. It is not consistent, some days I feel it and some I don't. I can feel her kicks getting stronger and I felt one from the outside today. I can't wait for Carl to feel! Otherwise, space is growing tighter. I get winded easily and  this cold isn't helping. Climbing the stairs makes me winded right now.

News this week: We got our crib not too long ago. We have been waiting and waiting for it to be back in stock and once it was, we raced to get it. So now her room has a glider, a dresser, and a crib. Those are really the only major furniture pieces we plan on getting for her room. Next I think we plan on choosing some decorations to create a "theme" for the room. This baby girl is so lucky to have a daddy who is so involved. I am so glad that Carl is with me through every step of this. He really takes an active role in each decision we make and he wants to do the best for his little girl. It is really so sweet. In other news, we are looking at daycares and it looks like cloth diapers are back in the picture. Several daycares say they have never used cloth but are willing to give it a try. Carl and I have ordered some samples to look at and hopefully also take to whichever daycare we choose to give them an idea of what we are talking about. Most seem to think we are doing the old-fashioned prefold diapers with the safety pins and diaper covers. We want them to see what our diapers would really be like. I am excited to further explore the cloth option and can't wait for our samples to arrive.

19 weeks 1 day

19 weeks: Baby is the size of a mango now. Baby should be approximately 10 ounces but from an ultrasound 2 days ago we know that our little one is approximately 11 ounces. At this stage babies are growing at slightly different rates so Baby Curtis might differ from the average. I read somewhere that baby may start sleeping now.  Interestingly enough, at the end of our ultrasound it looked like the baby was tucking it's chin and hunkering down into a sleeping position.

Cravings/Aversions: Not really craving anything on a regular basis. I'm pretty spoiled though because Carl lets the baby and I choose dinner any time we go out. He says I'm the pregnant one so I get to choose what we eat. I will say that last night we went to Joe's Crab Shack and I ordered some spicy citrus steam pot thing. I thought there was going to be no way I'd finish. I did! It was awesome. The crab and shrimp soaked up the flavors of lime and tabasco and it was heavenly! I'd go back tonight and do it again if it wasn't a little pricey! I'm going to be thinking about that meal for awhile. I am eating twizzlers as I type this but that's nothing new. I have always loved candy and pregnancy hasn't changed that. It doesn't really count as an aversion but I'm sick of sprite. I try to avoid caffeine and so it's what I normally order when we're out but it's getting old!

Symptoms: Heartburn! It's striking every night and it stinks. I guess I should just start eating tums for dessert. I am also getting random waves of nausea. I get hot and dizzy and then nauseated and it just comes out of the blue. I am feeling the baby more now. I think I felt it roll over or flip. It felt like when your stomach drops on a roller coaster ride except it wasn't in my stomach. I can also feel little kicks or punches but they happen so fast it's almost hard to know what I really felt. Can't wait until they are strong enough for Carl to feel his baby's movements.

News this week: It's a girl! We had an elective ultrasound around 17.5 weeks and found out we are expecting a daughter. That was confirmed at our anatomy scan 2 days ago. We are thrilled. She's going to have us wrapped around her finger. The elective ultrasound was cool because we saw her moving around in 3d. She was very still until the sonographer gave me a drink of very cold water. Once the water hit my stomach the baby started dancing. The anatomy scan was cool too. No 3d but we could see the baby's brain, spine, the 4 chambers of the heart, and her 2 kidneys. The sonographer could even see her bladder filling so we know her kidneys are working. We have to wait for the radiologist to read it and get back to our doctor before we hear any more details but it seemed like all was well. When we tried to look at her face she crossed her arms over it so she might be a little shy. She is already the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. 
Carl and I have worked on our baby registry this week. I thought a wedding registry was hard but this is worse! There is so much to choose from and we have to weed out the things we don't really need. For the things we do need, it's just hard to know how many we might need. There are swings, bouncers, and play mats. Does a baby need all of these?! We are trying to keep things pretty minimal for the most part. But it is fun to look at all the cute baby stuff!
Here are some pictures:
Baby girl in 3d:

 

 18 week bump, haven't taken one for 19 weeks yet:

Baby's face (too small to see much detail yet):

 

 

 The girl parts:

 

 

Side profile of baby (you can see her little spine!):

17 weeks 3 days

17 weeks: Let's see, baby is the size of a sweet potato by the end of this week. Not sure what that means as sweet potatoes range in size so greatly. More specifically, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and 5 ounces. The baby's ears have almost moved into their final position. It's bones are beginning to harden and its heart is getting stronger and pumping about 25-30 quarts of blood a day.

Cravings/Aversions: I have been craving St Louis style pizza and have even dreamt about it! Also wishing for some Thai food. No longer want lunch meat. Carl and I went to a place that makes hot sandwiches so I could eat one without feeling bad but I couldn't even finish. I don't feel too sad about that.

Symptoms: Nothing too exciting to report: mostly just same old, same old. I have developed some dizziness which I guess is common.

New this week: I have begun taking bump pictures. I hate feeling so fat but I realize that some day I am going to want to remember this and show these pictures to Sprout.

16 weeks 1 day

16 weeks:  Baby will be the size of an onion by the end of the week. I'm not crazy about onions so this isn't my favorite week. Lol. Baby is starting for form baby fat so I guess it's already gearing up to be soft and chubby. Baby can hear now and may be startled by loud noises like dogs barking. But a baby exposed in the womb to those noises are more likely to be used to them a birth. So hopefully the baby will be able to sleep through any noise the dogs make. Baby's eyelids are still sealed but it may be able to perceive some light. And it's fingerprints are forming!

Cravings/Aversions: I am craving marshmallows right now. And artichoke dip. Not really sure why but both sound so good all the time. I have been eating a lot of Cheetos too. No new aversions thankfully.

Symptoms: I have more and more growing pains. Getting up quickly normally makes me catch my breath because it tugs in my abdomen. I am still super congested and have a difficult time sleeping because I can't breathe. I have definitely hit the stage of being hungry all the time, especially in the morning. I feel like I am getting quite fat. Not loving that but it's a part of the deal, isn't it? I ordered a maternity swimsuit today so hopefully I can swim some this summer to keep cool and to feel weightless. I have read that pregnant women usually like the pool.

New this week: Well, I think I might have felt baby a few times. I feel a tickle-type sensation in my lower abdomen. It is very exciting and I can't wait until I feel it more or until Carl can feel it too. I know baby is moving around a lot in there because I've had to chase it with the Doppler. This morning I was using the Doppler and I swear I could hear it kicking. I was listening to the heartbeat and then I'd hear loud thuds like when someone taps on a microphone. Pretty sure baby Curtis was kicking up a storm. I can't wait until we see the baby again. Can't wait to see it kicking and moving around. And hopefully then we will know if it's team pink or team blue!

14 weeks 3 days

14 weeks: Baby is working up to the size of a large navel orange this week. Pretty big right? I bought one for a recipe this week and it was amazing to hold it in my hand and know that the baby inside of me has gotten that big. It's not a little tadpole anymore. Baby can grasp and could even be sucking it's thumb right now. The tiny bones in it's ears are forming and soon it will be able to hear.

Cravings/Aversions: I love juice of all kinds. I like sour things lately like lemon-flavored things, pineapple, and sour candy. Still think iced tea tastes strange. Craving breakfast sandwiches most mornings (like an egg mcmuffin) but haven't given in yet mainly because I don't have time.

Symptoms: Well, I'm not sure if this is pregnancy related or lack of physical fitness or both but I mowed the lawn yesterday and I'm pooped. Our mower is a push mower with no power drive so it's all man power. It felt good to get some physical activity but I am so sore and tired today. Next time I will drink more water and take more breaks. My skin is not so good lately. It's like I'm back in my teenage years. I'm having a lot of round ligament pain so when I laugh or sneeze or get up too fast I have a pulling sensation in my lower abdomen and it can be quite painful. I have been having nosebleeds which seems like one of the less common pregnancy symptoms. If you ask Carl, he will tell you I'm not sleeping well. Lol. Poor guy, I've been tossing and turning and kicking and his sleep is suffering because of me. I think I'm going to be using Benadryl pretty frequently during this pregnancy. I'm getting a bit of a belly these days and I think I'm going to have to start documenting the progress of the "bump" soon.

New this week: Mother's Day was this past weekend. I wasn't sure what to expect this year because I'm a mama but my baby isn't here yet. Carl surprised me Saturday with the most thoughtful gift. He picked out the cutest flower gift bag and matching tissue paper. Inside was a bottle of perfume. I had mentioned wanting this perfume one time last Fall. I can't believe he remembered. He also bought me a baby name book so maybe we can pick out some potential names for Sprout. We had a great weekend together. And he was so thoughtful to make me feel like a mommy. I have a great husband! Sunday we celebrated with Carl's family and then worked together on the yard.  It was a very nice weekend but too short.

13 weeks 3 days

13 weeks: We made it to the second trimester! Mom and dad are very relieved about that. Baby is the size of a lemon this week. A lemon seems smaller than a peach but I guess it's meant to indicate the length of the baby rather than the overall size. Baby has fingerprints and is growing hair now. Movements are more fluid and less spastic now.

Cravings/Aversions: I sort of love banana moon pies lately. Actually, anything artificially banana flavored sounds good. I also really like fruit snacks. Dairy makes me nauseous lately and iced tea has an off taste.

Symptoms: My nausea has come back somewhat but fortunately, so has some of my energy. I don't feel like I have to pass out as soon as I get home. Carl and I have been trying to take walks lately with the dogs and that feels pretty good. It definitely doesn't hurt me to walk.

New this week: I have been listening to Sprout's heartbeat pretty frequently as I have been nervous since the accident. Just want to make sure everything's ok in there. The heartbeat is getting stronger/louder and easier to find. It is also moving higher in my abdomen so I can tell Sprout is growing as is my uterus. Still haven't felt any movement though I hope to soon. It can take longer for first time mom's to recognize the feeling. I can't wait to feel my first little flutter. I asked Carl today if I look chubby or pregnant. After much hesitation (I'm sure he thought it was a trap) he said I just look chubby. I think I'm at the stage where it would still be rude to ask if I'm pregnant because I could have just eaten a big lunch. Can't wait to find out baby's sex though not sure when that will be. We don't see the OB again until May 20 and no idea when our next ultrasound is. I am very tempted by the independent ultrasound places that let you see your baby in 3D and will check gender for you. I am an impatient mama.