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!"

15 weeks

15 weeks seemed so far away when I was newly pregnant... now time is just rushing by!

How far along: 15 weeks today!

Baby size: A navel orange... 4+ inches long!

Total weight gain/loss: No gain or loss so far.

Sleep: Getting a little worse... I wake up with back pain. I need to get one of those body pillow things.

Movement: I think so! Just some little flutters :) Can't wait for more!

Food cravings/aversions: I've been really into bread this week. So much so that I made a loaf of French bread last night at 10pm. And then ate half of it... :)

Pregnancy symptoms: I've been getting headaches this week, which is unusual for me. I hardly ever get headaches. I really have to watch that I'm drinking enough water otherwise the headache kicks in and it's hard to get rid of. Also, I've had a couple of almost leg cramps... so far I've been able to catch them right before they happen and stretch out my calf.

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

What I'm looking forward to: More baby movement!

Milestones: I just think that baby is getting so big! 4+ inches seems huge to me... haha... I know he/she will get much bigger, but right now 4 inches sounds really big :)

Best moment of this week: I had my 15-week appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again! It was really loud and strong (150bpm) this time, and the nurse picked it up as soon as she put the Doppler machine on my stomach. Last time I was only 11 weeks and it was a little harder to find. The baby is so much higher up now... no wonder I'm starting to get a little baby bump!

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Now that I'm feeling little baby flutters, Thomas is determined to feel them too... he keeps trying, but I think it's going to be a while before baby is strong enough to kick through my stomach! He was poking my stomach last night trying to get baby to kick back. Haha :)

13 weeks & 14 weeks

I'm a little behind, as usual. I can't believe how time is flying!


How far along: 13 weeks (on August 16th) & 14 weeks (on August 23rd)

Baby size: 13 weeks - a peach, 14 weeks - a lemon.

Total weight gain/loss: No gain or loss... finally got a scale at home.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well.

Movement: Not quite yet...

Food cravings/aversions: I've had major cravings for Panera Bread broccoli-cheddar soup with a tomato-basil-mozzarella panini... I actually went and got it two nights in a row once. And I usually pick up a cherry pastry at the same time :) Also, their fresh-squeezed lemonade is amazing. I've been craving more carbs these days... I guess baby needs more energy for all the growing he/she is doing now.

Pregnancy symptoms: I'm feeling generally pretty good, just tired.

What I miss: Nothing much...

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl! We're trying to figure out if/how much our insurance is going to cover the ultrasound... ugh. I could go on forever about how messed up and expensive medical insurance is these days (but we'll save that for another time...). Also, looking forward to feeling baby move :)

Milestones: Baby's little face can smile and squint and grimace :) Also, HELLO 2ND TRIMESTER! Yay :)

Best moment of this week: Just in general... thinking more about the baby and getting excited :)

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Thomas keeps trying to see if he can hear the baby's heartbeat through my belly... haha... don't think he's going to have much luck without a stethoscope or something :)

12 weeks

How far along: 12 weeks (on August 9th)

Baby size: Baby is the size of a large plum - over 2 inches!

Total weight gain/loss: According to my doctor's office, no gain or loss... I need to get a scale at home to keep track.

Sleep: Sleeping really well.

Movement: It'll be a while before that happens.

Food cravings/aversions: Craving salty, sour, and spicy foods still. LOVING Pinkberry frozen yogurt... I got a huge take-home container with my favorite flavors (mango and pomegranate) the other night so I don't have to keep going back! For some reason, I've been wanting eggplant parmigiana all week... but I'm kind of scared to eat it since I've read that it's one of those foods that you eat to induce labor. And I don't really want to go into labor right now, that would be bad. I should ask my doctor. And pasta... pasta pasta pasta... I want pasta! Fettuccini modo mio sounds soooooo good right now.

Pregnancy symptoms: I'm feeling generally pretty good, just tired.

What I miss: Nothing much...

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out if Baby Appleseed is a boy or a girl! I do not have the patience to wait until he/she pops out in February!

Milestones: Baby's facial features are becoming more defined, and he has little tiny fingernails! Baby is also developing reflexes this week, so if I poke my belly, he will wriggle in response (even though I won't be able to feel it quite yet).

Best moment of this week: We had told our families and a few other people about the baby already, but this week we told the rest of the world, and it was super fun! :)

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Normally when we were watching something at night, Thomas would fall asleep before it was over. Now it's me who can't keep my eyes open. Thomas was always the one to go to bed first as well, but I'm usually fast asleep before him. I think it's funny... he just thinks I'm weird because some nights I can't even wake up enough to move from the couch to the bed!

10 weeks & 11 weeks

Time is getting a little blurred with all the travelling going on... but we're finally back in Dallas, and tomorrow I will actually be 12 weeks pregnant!

So it's time for a little catch-up on 10 and 11 weeks...

How far along: 10 weeks (on July 26th) and 11 weeks (on August 2nd) 

Baby size: 10 weeks - a prune, 11 weeks - a lime.

Total weight gain/loss: No weight gain or loss so far! But I think I see the tiny beginnings of a baby bump...

Sleep: Sleeping really well... but with all the travelling across time zones I have been completely exhausted and sleeping around 12 hours a day!

Movement: It'll be a while before that happens.

Food cravings/aversions: Craving salty, sour, and spicy foods still... really loving my homemade salsa at the moment, with lots of lime juice and jalapeno peppers! I also had a random craving for salmon the other night, so I got some at Central Market and it was SO good.

Pregnancy symptoms: I'm feeling generally pretty good. Tired all the time, but I'm blaming that mostly on the travelling.

What I miss: Nothing much...

What I'm looking forward to: Announcing the pregnancy to the world, which we are going to do any day now!

Milestones: At 11 weeks, most of Baby Appleseed's organs and systems are fully formed! They will continue to mature and grow for the next 28 weeks! It's hard to believe that there is a tiny, 2-inch long, fully-formed baby inside of me right now.

Best moment of this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat at our doctor's appointment last Friday! It was SO COOL! I took a video of it on my phone, but I haven't quite figured out how to put it into a blog post yet.

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Telling his brothers together last weekend was super fun! Also, we were sitting in church the other weekend flipping through the bible index and picking out hilarious names for Baby Appleseed :)

8 weeks & 9 weeks

I'm going to squish these two updates together, because I'm 9 weeks pregnant today and I still haven't done an 8 week update.

How far along: 8 weeks (on July 12th) and 9 weeks (July 19th) 

Baby size: 8 weeks - raspberry, 9 weeks - green olive.

Total weight gain/loss: Nothing's changed so far.

Sleep: I sleep pretty well with the Unisom, but it's hard to wake up in the mornings.

Movement: It'll be a while before that happens.

Food cravings/aversions: Salty, sour, and spicy foods. I had a MAJOR craving for Pinkberry (a frozen yogurt place in Dallas) when I woke up one morning. I've also been craving tomatoes... I eat at least three big tomatoes every day, sliced with freshly ground salt and pepper. Yummy. My husband is back in Dallas already, and he's been going to all my favorite places to eat and telling me about it... and of course, then I start wanting what he had. He went to Olive Garden and got the steak gorgonzola alfredo pasta, which is my all time favorite... and he also went to Pinkberry. And In N Out Burger. I hate him. But not really.

Pregnancy symptoms: I'm feeling generally pretty good... if I let myself get too hungry, or if I eat a big heavy meal then my stomach gets uncomfortable... but other than that, the Unisom and vitamin B-6 take good care of me :) I'm still pretty tired all the time. And I got a few headaches last week... one that lasted ALL night and I couldn't get rid of it. I think I hadn't had enough water to drink.

What I miss: Nothing much... maybe being able to eat more than one piece of pizza at a time or eat greasy things like fish 'n chips without feeling gross afterwards. 

What I'm looking forward to: The end of the first trimester... I can't wait to tell the world about Baby Appleseed! We're going to a reunion for the hubby's side of the family at the beginning of August, and we're going to tell Baby Appleseed's uncles (all FIVE of them!). The hubby's parents know already, but his brothers don't. I'm also looking forward to seeing my hubby again after three weeks away from him!

Milestones: At 9 weeks, Baby Appleseed has graduated from being an embryo to a fetus! He has lost his little embryonic tail and looks a little more like a real baby. He's a whole inch long!

Best moment of this week: I think I found a name for Baby Appleseed! If he's a boy, anyways :) Which I'm pretty sure he is. I still need to put it past the hubby... but it's one that he's already said he likes.

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Well he's in Dallas and I'm in England at the moment... so he does cute things like saying goodnight to Baby Appleseed when we chat, and sends kisses to him/her. Baby Appleseed talks to his daddy in a * little tiny squeaky voice * and says goodnight too :)