18 weeks & 19 weeks

How far along: 18 weeks (Sept. 20th) and 19 weeks (Sept. 27th)

Baby size: 18 weeks - a sweet potato, 19 weeks - a large mango

Total weight gain/loss: +3 lbs

Sleep: Some nights I wake up to pee and can't fall back asleep for a couple of hours. But other nights I sleep like a rock even if I have to get up for a bathroom trip.

Movement: Yes, lots! I'm starting to figure out patterns of baby's wakeful and sleepy times.

Food cravings/aversions: I'm loving spicy things... especially the "jungle curry" from our favorite restaurant - Royal Thai. And the salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks... Thomas got one for me one night on his way back from grad school... it was so good that I cried when I finished it! Crazy pregnant hormones. I wanted more. Anything chocolate tastes SO. GOOD. right now.

Pregnancy symptoms: Round ligament pain, abdominal muscles stretching... sometimes I feel like I just did 100 sit ups. Starting to get more uncomfortable and realize my limitations... I have to sit up straight, I can't lie on my stomach anymore... or flat on my back, I can't jump up quickly anymore... and so on. My back is starting to hurt more the further the baby bump sticks out. Oh yes, and the crazy pregnant hormones have arrived (as evidenced by the crying-when-hot-chocolate-was-all-gone story above)... bring on the waterworks. Poor Thomas.

What I miss: Sushi, and the occasional glass of wine or a cold beer.

What I'm looking forward to: My 20 week appointment next week :) I love going to check-ups and hearing baby's heartbeat and making sure everything is healthy.

Milestones: Baby's ears have developed enough to be able to hear my voice!

Best moment of this week: We had our anatomy scan ultrasound on Monday (26th) and we got to see our baby moving around and being oh-so-cute! We also found out that baby is a BOY! I knew it :) We are so excited to be having a son! We did a gender reveal post over on the Congdon Chronicles.

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Before we found out that our baby is a boy, Thomas wasn't really too interested in picking out names... in his own words because "We don't know if it's a boy or a girl or even an alien yet"... such great faith in our reproductive capabilities. But now that we know it's a boy (and not an alien baby) he really wants it to have a name so we [correction: I] have long lists that he keeps veto-ing. I am determined to sift through every boy name in the universe so we don't miss any... whereas Thomas is quite happy to name the baby one of the very first names we came up with. It is one of our top names, but there are SO MANY other names out there... how can we possibly pick the RIGHT one out of millions??? I'm feeling the pressure. And getting off track.
OH, and on Sept. 23rd Thomas felt the baby move for the first time... I had been able to feel him move from the outside for several days, but this was the first time that Thomas was there at the right time. It's so fun now that we can both feel him moving :)

16 weeks & 17 weeks

I'm behind once again...


How far along: 16 weeks (Sept. 6th) and 17 weeks (Sept. 13th)

Baby size: 16 weeks - and avocado, 17 weeks - an onion

Total weight gain/loss: And the weight gain begins... +1 lb.

Sleep: OK... still need to get one of those body pillows

Movement: Yes and getting stronger every day... I love feeling the little pokes and flips and wriggles :)

Food cravings/aversions: Hmmm... the "bad" food cravings have begun... chocolate gelato, for one. I let myself have a small bowl every other night. I've gotten back into cooking, and have made some yummy stuff recently... I need to do another food blog post over on the Congdon Chronicles!

Pregnancy symptoms: I got my headaches under control... my midwife told me to eat more protein and sure enough that was the problem. I've been have round ligament pains (ligaments stretching) and cramping every now and then - I think the cramping is Braxton Hicks contractions beginning. The cramping woke me up one morning and was quite painful so I called my midwife and she told me not to worry unless they continued for longer than an hour or two. But they went away... I just lay down and drank lots of water. Other than that, I've just been dealing with the usual pregnant sluggish digestive system*yay*... lots of fiber and nutritious food for me!

What I miss: Sushi, and the occasional glass of wine.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out whether Baby Congdon is a boy or a girl! Soon!

Milestones: For baby - he/she has mastered the sucking, swallowing, and blinking reflexes! For me - the baby bump really started popping out over the past couple of weeks!

Best moment of this week: Well I got to have another appointment since I switched over from my OB-GYN to a birthing center with midwives... and I heard baby's heartbeat again. That's always reassuring and exciting :) I also just felt a big sense of relief about switching over... the midwives are more invested in each patient and I felt much more comfortable. (I'll probably write a whole post about why I switched over and chose natural childbirth etc.).

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: I called to set up our birthing classes (Bradley method), which start on October 29th... we meet as a couple with a small group and instructor for ten Saturdays, two hours each time. I told Thomas and he was in shock... "Why on earth do we need THAT much time?!"... I replied by saying "You're not the one who has to figure out how to get this baby out of me, and manage the pain without drugs! I'll take all the time and help I can get!"