Baby Dale Bumpdate: Week 20

Week 20 was one of the best weeks yet! Not only did we find out that Baby Dale is healthy and developing as expected, but we also found out the gender!! Unfortunately for you, we still have some family & friends to surprise, so for the time being, any indication of gender from my journal entries has been replaced with blanks or both pronouns in my blog posts. Sorryyyyyy! But just a few more weeks and we will be able to share our news. In the meantime, here is a recap of the wonderful week 20!

Week 20: April 4 – 10

Baby is now the size of: a cantaloupe!
Weight Gain: 0 lb.
Belly Measures: +4 inches

I’m Feeling: over-the-moon happy! Besides the fact that we hit the epic halfway point milestone this week, we also had our 20 week scan, where we found out that Baby Dale is healthy, developing as expected, and A _____!!!
Physical Symptoms: I can proudly say that this is the first week that I have had absolutely NO morning sickness! Wooooo! I am feeling great… and getting BIG! My belly has grown a lot over the past two weeks. I am also starting to experience a little “pregnancy brain” as they call it… I have been losing track of what I am doing in the middle of doing it! Space cadet!
Movement: I have been feeling the baby move a lot this week! At the scan, the ultrasound tech told me I have an anterior placenta, which is why I may not have felt any of those early flutters (just the full on movement and kicks last week). This is because the placenta is positioned in front and acts as a barrier, making it harder for me to feel the subtle early movement. By the end of the week, I could feel the baby moving and kicking a ton throughout the day! So exciting!!
Sleep: slept like log this week. I have been very tired, so even when I have a good night’s sleep, I still want more!
Food Cravings: my appetite has grown over the past few weeks, which is great! Same old citrus cravings… especially OJ!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? thankfully, no! It has been a queasy- and sick-free week.
Miss Anything? not even at all… too happy to think of anything but the wonderful things with which we are blessed! :)

Can’t Live Without: once again, technology! It was so incredible to see every little detail, measurement, and movement of our babe. Not only did it make us happy beyond all words, it was also a huge relief to see he/she is developing well.
Best Moment This Week: easy… THE 20 WEEK SCAN! We had been excitedly awaiting this moment for weeks now, so it was very emotional and wonderful when it was finally time. We were inexplicably nervous going in (in a good way!), just because of all of the anticipation we had built up. When we got in the room, the ultrasound tech asked us if we wanted to know the gender. We said YES, and she replied, “Well then let’s go looking for that rump!” The baby was very cooperative, so she found the money shot right away… and there was no mistaking that Baby Dale is a _____! The ultrasound tech spent the rest of the scan showing us every organ, artery, finger, and toe. It was absolutely thrilling… and fascinating. I am so in love with our little one already. I could have stared at him/her all day!
Looking Forward To/Excited About: getting the baby’s nursery going! I have had an eye on Craigslist for some of the vintage finds I have planned in my head, as well as fine tuning the registry as the design becomes clearer. Somehow even just seeing the Moses Basket bassinet in the spare room makes me SOOOO excited for our little babe to get here!

Notes: at our 20 week scan on April 6 (which took place at 20 weeks 2 days), the baby was measuring measuring 20 weeks 6 days, four days ahead. The ultrasound tech said it may move my due date up a couple of days, but nothing significant. The baby was 13 ounces and had a heartbeat of 150 bpm!

Baby Dale Bumpdate: Week 19

I exactly halfway through my pregnancy today: 20 weeks! It is so crazy how the time flies. Baby Dale will be here before we know it. In the meantime, I am trying to savor every minute of the pregnancy… and week 19 was certainly a very special one. <3

Week 19: March 28- April 3

Baby is now the size of: a mango!
Weight Gain: -0.5 lb.
Belly Measures: +3.5 inches

I’m Feeling: so thrilled! I felt the baby move for the first time (for REAL!), and have felt it a little every day since!! I also bought our first baby item this week: a bassinet! It’s getting real!
Physical Symptoms: started the week with a few abdominal growing pains, but by the weekend I was actually feeling the baby move and kick! I felt great this week, with a only a couple mornings of sickness after nights without much sleep. Me getting sick is definitely related to how tired I am… I don’t understand the science behind it but the correlation is absolutely there. Also, my belly REALLY popped this week. I think it may be time to finally invest in some maternity jeans!
Movement: I FELT THE BABY MOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON SATURDAY!!! At first, I just noticed that the baby was putting pressure on a new organ or something, as I felt pressure in a different area than usual. Come to think of it, I felt that same thing in the couple days before that but just figured the baby had shifted. But when I stopped what I was doing to really focus, I could actually feel the baby moving! It felt like a fish swimming around, brushing against the uterine walls and doing somersaults. I wasn’t 100% certain that was what I was feeling, but I was pretty sure. Then later in the day, after walking around all morning and then finally kicking my feet up to relax, I felt the baby move again, this time accompanied by little kicks! Those felt like little muscle twitches or someone lightly poking me from the inside. SO AMAZING… and a very strange sensation! I was just so happy that it happened when I was home with Walker so we could celebrate the moment together!
Sleep: I lowered my Benedryl dosage to a half pill before bed. It helps me get to sleep without making me groggy in the mornings. However, it means I have woken up very early some mornings and have been unable to get back to sleep.
Food Cravings: besides the usual citrus cravings, I craved (and devoured) about ten tons of pickled ginger this week!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? just a lack of sleep can cause some issues in the morning.
Miss Anything? sushi! I went out to eat with coworkers and wanted some serious spicy tuna. At least I got to have ginger!

Can’t Live Without: Walker & Bo! I love my little family so much, and these two made my weekend so special (as they always do). Baby Dale is going to be one lucky babe to hang out with these two boys every day.
Best Moment This Week: feeling the baby move, of course! It put us in the best mood, and we had a wonderful Saturday enjoying our growing family with a trip to the farmers’ market, long walks in the sunshine, and delicious home cooking.
Looking Forward To/Excited About: our 20 week scan!! We are so close! Just a few more days until we get to see our little peanut and find out it is a boy or girl! Eeeeeeee! I am so happy that it is a long anatomy scan, because I can’t wait to just stare at our little one for as long as they will let me! :)

Notes: felt the baby move for the first time on Saturday, April 1, at 19 weeks and 4 days along.

Baby Dale Bumpdates: Weeks 17 & 18

I was a real dud last week… not only did I forget to take a picture of my bump, but I didn’t bother to post an update either. Oops. But as they say, better late than never! So without further ado, here are recaps of weeks 17 and 18!

Week 17: March 14 – 20

Baby is now the size of: a pomegranate!
Weight Gain: -1.5 lb.
Belly Measures: +3 inches

I’m Feeling: productive! After tons of research on everything from newborn sleep practices to the smallest folding stroller on the market, I am mostly done with the baby registry! It really ended up being less about the actual STUFF and more about exploring how our life and small home was going to work with Baby Dale in it! It was a lot of planning, but it was a blast. Now that we’ve wrapped our heads around the physical supplies and theoretical new routines the baby will bring, it makes me SO excited for the baby to actually get here (though I certainly don’t want to wish away the pregnancy)!!
Physical Symptoms: I have been noticing an odd pattern with what’s left of my morning sickness. Every week for the past four weeks, I have only been sick twice a week… but it always happens on the same days! Tuesday mornings, and then a second time on Tuesday night or Wednesday/Thursday morning. Then I am fine until the following Tuesday! What is THAT? So strange! The only thing I can think of is that maybe it hits me harder when I am tired (and I always get a rough night’s sleep on Sunday nights into Monday, then pay for it on Tuesday). So odd! I have also had a constant eye twitch for most of the week… but that could be from being tired from insomnia.
Movement: nothing again this week. Hopefully soon! I can’t wait!
Sleep: I have had some pretty rough insomnia this week. I can’t fall asleep for hours, and then when I do, it is a very restless sleep with vivid dreams. The only time I am sleeping hard is from 4-5am through when I SHOULD be waking up!
Food Cravings: nothing new this week – same old citrus cravings!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? just brushing my teeth on some mornings, perhaps made worse by post-nasal drip.
Miss Anything? on a week with so little sleep, I miss caffeine… especially on my long commute! Zzzzzzzz…

Can’t Live Without: advice from other parents! I have been so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful new and not-so-new mothers (and fathers!), all of whom are more than willing to share their experiences, tips, tricks, and must-haves!
Best Moment This Week: our wonderful friends James & Kristen called us this week to share some fantastic news… they are pregnant with baby #2 and due just a few weeks after us!! We could not be happier for them and are so excited to experience this adventure with them! It will be so amazing to have our babies be so close in age! They mailed us the gender results and asked us to host a gender reveal surprise at a James’ birthday party next week! It’s such an honor to play such a fun role in their journey… and they are going to be OH SO HAPPY when they find out it’s a boy!!
Looking Forward To/Excited About: our 20 weeks scan! Mainly, I want to see the baby and make sure he/she is healthy. However, I am also so pumped to find out the gender!! Eeeeeeeee!

Notes: nothing noteworthy this week!

Week 18: March 21 – 27

Baby is now the size of: a sweet potato!
Weight Gain: -1 lb.
Belly Measures: +3 inches

I’m Feeling: I understand why they say the period between finally feeling better after the first trimester and feeling the baby moving is an odd few weeks in a woman’s pregnancy. On one hand, it is a relief to finally feel (mostly) better but, on the other, morning sickness was at least a constant reminder that you are pregnant and your body is working hard to keep baby healthy. Then, once you feel the baby moving, you will always feel them until he or she is born, which is comforting. Now that I am in the middle, I sometimes go hours without thinking about being pregnant, which is so weird. I feel mostly normal (albeit a bit larger), but instead of that being completely a relief, I am getting more and more antsy to see the baby (or just feel it!), hear the heartbeat, and know everything is going alright in there.
Physical Symptoms: I think I have figured out that the only times I get sick anymore (usually the morning) is when I am really tired. I have no idea why, but it seems to be the case. In addition, I checked in with my doctor and started taking a Benedryl before bed. Not only has it cleared up my nasal congestion (which I think was also contributing to me getting sick in the morning), but it has helped me sleep soundly instead of the insomnia I was having. DOUBLE WIN. Other than that, I have had some minor aches as my uterus is growing. Even though the measurement around the belly button has seemingly stalled out over the past few weeks, the area below that has been getting larger by the day!
Movement: nothing yet! Soon I hope!
Sleep: finally conquered my crazy insomnia thanks to Benedryl! Now I am almost getting TOO much sleep!
Food Cravings: finally satisfied my craving for Fruity Pebbles at our party on Saturday! :)
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? seems like just brushing my teeth when I’m overly tired makes me get sick! Weird.
Miss Anything? once again, nothing really in particular this week!

Can’t Live Without: Benedryl! I was VERY hesitant to take any medication while pregnant, which is why I’ve held out this long. But after speaking with my doctor, I’m SO happy I did. Sleeping and being able to breath again has improved my quality of life so much! Plus, I spoke with a few other moms that also took Benedryl during their pregnancies who now have healthy babes, so that eased my fears.
Best Moment This Week: hosting a big BBQ this weekend and celebrating many things with good friends. The best part was surprising James, Kristen, and Lyla with a big box full of blue balloons and seeing their fantastic reaction when they realized they were having a boy! So fun! :)
Looking Forward To/Excited About: watching a gender reveal surprise this week made me soooooo excited for us to find out if Baby Dale is going to be a boy or a girl! While I am still leaning towards girl, Walker has gradually switched over from thinking girl to boy. As long as we have a healthy little peanut, though, we will both be so happy!

Notes: nothing noteworthy this week!