Baby Dale Bumpdates: Weeks 21 & 22

Happy Wednesday! I know I slacked off last week and forgot to post an update, but that just means you get double the fun today. Enjoy the recaps of weeks 21 & 22!

Week 21: April 11 – 17

Baby is now the size of: a carrot!
Weight Gain: 1 lb.
Belly Measures: +4.5 inches

I’m Feeling: it was a momentous week! Not only did Walker feel the baby move for the first time (yay!!), but we also started transforming the guest room into the baby’s room! We got rid of the guest bed, as well bought a vintage rocker and hamper for the nursery. Very exciting to see our little home making room for baby!
Physical Symptoms: finally passed my pre-pregnancy weight! However, despite that seemingly low weight gain, I have noticed that I have actually gained a steady 0.5-1lb a week since week 17, which was my lowest weight in the pregnancy. These numbers are very normal for the second trimester (and baby was a perfectly healthy 13 oz at the 20 week scan), so I am finally feeling good about my weight gain progress. Because of morning sickness and healthier habits, it seems like I was losing weight in other places, while gaining normal baby weight, therefore essentially maintaining my weight for the first trimester. I feel like the past few weeks have been an indication that I will gain weight much more quickly as I move into the second half of my pregnancy.
Movement: I felt the baby moving around a ton this week, especially after meals and in the evenings when I am relaxing. I started to feel the kicks from the outside as well, which eventually led to Walker getting to feel the baby kick!
Sleep: sleeping like a log!
Food Cravings: no specific cravings other than the usual, but my appetite has definitely increased!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? another sick-free week! Wooooooo!
Miss Anything? not our guest bed! The room is starting to show the first signs of becoming a nursery!

Can’t Live Without: Craigslist! Besides managing to sell off our old guest bed in one day, we scored a beautiful vintage rocker for the baby’s room for practically nothing.
Best Moment This Week: Walker feeling the baby move for the first time!! We were sitting on the couch, watching TV after dinner and our nightly walk with Bo. The baby was being very active, so I thought maybe if we could get the timing right, Walker might be able to feel something. He put his hand on my belly, and after a minute or so he thought he felt a kick (and was able to point to the spot on his hand where he felt it, which lined up where I felt it inside). But he was still not sure, so he kept his hand there for a few more minutes. Then, he/she decided to give him a few good, hard kicks right in the center of his palm, and he looked up at me with wide eyes! There was no mistaking those kicks! Such an amazing and emotional moment for both of us. It felt so special to finally get to share with him the movement I have been feeling!
Looking Forward To/Excited About: our baby shower! Can’t wait to surprise family & friends with the gender of our little _____!

Notes: Walker felt the baby move for the first time on Thursday, April 13, at 21 weeks and 2 days along.

Week 22: April 18 – 24

Baby is now the size of: an ear of corn! Our little Cornhusker!
Weight Gain: 2 lb.
Belly Measures: +4.5 inches

I’m Feeling: grateful and spoiled! Invitations went out for our baby shower, and immediately we started to get boxes showing up at our doorstep! We have started stacking them in the nursery until after the baby shower, so the room now looks like a storage room. Baby Dale is already so loved! Seeing the stuff start to accumulate also makes it feel a little more real… soon there will be a little boy/girl using all of that stuff. So exciting!
Physical Symptoms: my belly is getting so big! The measurement around the middle is the same, but I look completely different in pants than I did last week (and I did manage to finally get my hands on some maternity jeans at the end of the week). I think my belly has really started to fill out below the belly button, since our little Cornhusker is growing quickly. He/she is supposed to cross over the one pound mark this week, but something tells me he/she did that last week, given his/her weight at our 20 week scan. Grow, baby, grow! Otherwise, I have been feeling great!
Movement: the baby moves around a lot all day, mostly in the early mornings, after meals, and in the evenings.
Sleep: once again, I have been sleeping very well, especially thanks to less restless legs over the past couple weeks!
Food Cravings: still citrus, citrus, citrus! That and a sweet tooth for anything fruit related (or fake fruit like Fruity Pebbles)!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? I got sick one morning this week after brushing my teeth, but was fine otherwise.
Miss Anything? the reality of the cost of infant child care has hit me hard this week, so now any time I spend money, I get a twinge of guilt while a little voice in my head tells me I should be saving more money now instead of spending it on (fill in the blank with something non-essential). I miss being able to buy myself a (decaf) latte without feeling guilty! Something tells me this feeling will never go away until the baby graduates from college…

Can’t Live Without: my little family. My sweet hubby and silly pup bring sunshine to my day! I can’t wait to add our little bundle of joy to the mix. He/she is a lucky guy/gal to get to enjoy these two as much as I do.
Best Moment This Week: we had a wonderful, indulgent pre-baby weekend. We filled our time with things that may not be as feasible (financially or time-wise) when our little one arrives. Saturday was Record Store Day, so we went to a couple of record stores looking for the special releases on our list. Then I had a prenatal massage, which was AMAZING. We spent the rest of Saturday barbecuing with family. Then on Sunday, we went out to lunch at an amazing new restaurant, followed by seeing The Graduate on the big screen for its 50th anniversary. Music, food, and movies… life is good.
Looking Forward To/Excited About: we have a few very exciting weekends coming up! We have another movie and a concert next weekend, followed by an out-of-town wedding the weekend after that. Then one weekend to relax before it is time for me to head to the east coast for the baby shower! Eeeeee! Lots of fun things on the horizon!

Notes: nothing noteworthy this week!