16 and 17 weeks

Your Baby: Week 16

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

How far along? 16 weeks
Weight gain/loss: Up 10 pounds. Where the fuck is it all coming from?
Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Pants for sure and regular pants + the bella band. I bought under the belly maternity jeans on sale at old navy that are comfortable but still a little big in the belly area and don't stay up as well as my full panel work pants. I had to buy some work appropriate maternity shirts because most of my work clothes are way too fitted and don't stretch.
Stretch marks? No, I'm dreading them more and more with the passing weeks though.
Sleep? After the belly got solid it got a lot harder to get comfy, but I'm doing better. I still wake up a lot either to pee or because of crazy dreams, but I'm definitely getting more sleep than I was a couple weeks ago. Not looking forward to the pillow barricade that I will surely need to keep from rolling onto my back after 20 weeks. le sigh.
Best moment this week? We went to a wedding last weekend (it was an outdoor ceremony that was WAY too hot for a pregnant lady but I sipped on water and got through it. The rest of the night was really fun and we got to see a bunch of friends we haven't seen since college. I wasn't too obviously pregnant in my new dress from Motherhood, and some of our friends who hadn't heard couldn't tell until I pulled my dress tight around my bump to prove it. That definitely felt good. I've been feeling huge lately and that day I was swollen from the heat. As much as I think I'm carrying this child in my chin, everyone else is oblivious to it and I got tons of compliments. It was a nice ego booster.




Food cravings: Last week it was sugary cereal with milk. Cinnamon toast crunch was like my crack.
Gender: My gut feeling is still leaning more towards boy, but I really have no clue anymore.
Belly button in or out? In, but starting to feel weird when I touch it since the ute has climbed up to meet it.
Movement? Definitely! It's so cool! Sometimes it's a squirmy squishy feeling and sometimes it's a kick/punch feeling. Nothing consistent yet but I love when it happens.
What I miss? Real coffee, red wine, BEER.
What I'm looking forward to: Consistent movement and finding out the gender.
Weekly wisdom: Idk, I'm really bad at this portion, I'm figuring this shit out as I go along. The best I can come up with for this week is: "You are not as fat as you imagine" (yep, I just stole some weekly wisdom from the sunscreen song)
Milestones: Kicking!

Your Baby: Week 17

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

How far along? 17 weeks
Weight gain/loss: Looks like 12 pounds. Speaking of weight, the numbers on the scale absolutely terrify me. To be honest I had a slight panic attack last week, only to feel normal and healthy and pretty again over the weekend. Perspective is a great thing. It's just crazy to gain so much weight so quickly, and I still wonder where it's all coming from.

I eat pretty damn healthy, and while I'm more hungry more often, it's not like I'm relieving every hunger pang with donuts and twinkies. I have fast food or take out a couple times a week, either for lunch or dinner, but that's no different than what I've always done. I don't eat dessert more often than usual, I eat BETTER quality foods than I did pre-pregnancy, and while I give into my junk food cravings it's not in excess.

The only thing I can think of is how much pregnancy makes me hate some of the healthy staples I used to love. (Ok so I never really loved salad, but I ate it for lunch two to three times a week) Any raw vegetables instigate my gag reflex to point where I can barely have lettuce and tomatoes on a burger or crunchy peppers and onions on a pizza. Cooked vegetables are touch and go, and if I do manage to eat them I usually have to trick myself into eating them with butter, dressing or cheese. (hence the pizza example)

I'm also hating chicken that isn't fried or otherwise altered in some unhealthy way. I can't stand to handle it raw, and grilled or roasted just has no flavor and feels so dry. Even when it's not! It just tastes different than before I was pregnant.

So there you go, my only explanation is those two huge staples of a healthy diet completely out the window and replaced by carbs, fruit, red meat and dairy.

Maternity clothes? Same as last week.
Stretch marks? Same as last week.
Sleep? Same as last week.
Food cravings: Starbucks iced chai tea lattes!! Zomg.
Gender: Same as last week, although I must add that I REALLY WANT TO KNOW!!!! AHHHH!!!!
Belly button in or out? Same as last week.
Movement? Getting ever so slightly more frequent, but still nothing consistent.
What I miss? Real coffee, red wine, beer, cold lunch meat.
What I'm looking forward to: Consistent movement and FINDING OUT THE GENDER. I have no idea how people hold out the entire pregnancy, it's driving me up the wall.
Weekly wisdom: Meh, I should write something about not letting people get under your skin so you don't get an eye twitch that won't stop, but I have yet to figure out how to do this. It's like a freaking rave in my eye.