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!

Baby Dale Bumpdate: Week 16

Happy Wednesday! Crazy how time flies… I was 17 weeks along as of yesterday! It is funny because the first few weeks (weeks 3-8) of the pregnancy seemed to move so slowly as we waited for our first ultrasound and happy news. Since then, time has flown! A few more weeks and we will be at the halfway point. WOWZA! I am trying to savor every minute, because I know baby will be here before we know it! :)

Here is a recap of week 16!

Week 16: March 7 – 13

Baby is now the size of: an avocado!
Weight Gain: -1 lb.
Belly Measures: +3 inches

I’m Feeling: feeling great! I had a quick appointment with the doctor, where she found a strong heartbeat right away and answered a bunch of my questions! I also started putting together a baby registry for our shower, so it was fun to research what baby gear is going to work best for our little house (multipurpose and compact/foldable stuff for the win).
Physical Symptoms: my morning sickness has been minimal again this week. I only got sick twice this week, just like the past two weeks. However, twice a week is a heck of lot better than twice a day, so I’ll take it! The coolest thing I’ve noticed this week is that when I wake up in the morning, the right side of my abdomen is very hard and bulged out much further than the left side. At first I wondered if it was just a full bladder pushing the baby to one side, but then I had a few mornings where my bladder was empty and the baby was still hanging out on the right side (regardless of which side I was sleeping on when I woke up). So it seems like our little one just prefers to hang out on the front right side while I am sleeping! It usually only lasts a few minutes after I wake up before my abdomen goes back to normal.
Movement: I haven’t felt anything this week, which makes me think last week’s flutters may not have been the baby.
Sleep: I have been sleeping fairly well, though I wake up a lot to change position or use the restroom. According to my tracking app, I should be getting my energy back soon, but I have yet to notice a big change. I’m still pretty tired!
Food Cravings: nothing new this week. Still loving lemon, citrus, and fruit!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? still occasionally battling with the toothbrush, even changing toothpaste to see if it helps. It doesn’t, but I am feeling better anyway, so I have just become resigned to the fact that it may make me queasy.
Miss Anything? nothing I can think of! I am very content this week.

Can’t Live Without: I know I say this all the time, but Walker! He’s my whole world, and I adore him.
Best Moment This Week: hearing the strong heartbeat on the doctor’s doppler! It was only for a few seconds, but it’s such an encouraging sound. Since I can’t feel the baby yet, any moment to see or hear a healthy baby is incredible! Also, Walker surprised me with a prenatal massage appointment on Saturday (which was beyond magical), and we attended the Wisteria Festival in Sierra Madre, a fantastic street festival and tour of world’s largest Wisteria vine! Wonderful weekend!
Looking Forward To/Excited About: so excited to finally feel the baby moving (for real and for sure)! It could be any time over the next few weeks when I start to feel regular quickening. Eeeeee! I am also still looking forward to finding out the gender at our 20 week scan at the beginning of April, of course! So many exciting things ahead!! :)

Notes: I am still hovering just below my pre-pregnancy weight, but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about and normal not to gain weight until later in the second trimester. So bring on the food!

Baby Dale Bumpdate: Week 15

Happy International Women’s Day, all! I am proudly sporting red today in solidarity to honor the revolutionary love and sacrifice of bold, beautiful, and inspiring women all over the world. I have been beyond lucky to have been surrounded by strong, capable, smart, loving, hard-working, inspiring women for my entire life. They have all taught me to be (and love) myself, fight for what is right, support my neighbor, and fiercely love others with an open heart.

My mother-in-law said to me the other day that one of her favorite things about being pregnant and giving birth was feeling so connected with other women. This is so unbelievably true, and I feel like my experience so far has only been the tip of the iceberg. Whether it is commiserating with and learning from moms that have been through it, or the extra love and support pouring out of mamas and non-mamas alike, I have never felt more connected to the women in my life. I am in awe of how amazing each and every single one of them is.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by the best examples of motherhood, from my absolutely unbelievably wonderful mom, to my magnificent nana and mother-in-law, to the beautiful friends I have grown up with becoming new mothers all around me. I hope that I can follow their examples and be a good mama to our little one on the way. Whether we have a boy or a girl, either way I want to raise our baby to appreciate and support the incredible, strong, talented, motivated, powerful, loving superwomen in this world.

And now onto a recap of week 15!

Week 15: February 28 – March 6

Baby is now the size of: an orange!
Weight Gain: 0 lb.
Belly Measures: +3 inches

I’m Feeling: pretty normal! My appetite is back and symptoms have decreased, so I really feel a lot like my old self.
Physical Symptoms: As if the universe heard me celebrating the demise of my morning sickness last week and decided I was getting too cocky, I ended up with a couple isolated incidences of getting sick at the beginning of the week. I think it was just a reminder that even though I’m feeling better most of the time, these symptoms may take a while to taper off entirely (or may decide to stick around for a while). However, other than those couple moments, I really have been feeling so much better! My belly is looking more bump-like every day (though it is always smaller in the morning than in the evening due to ab muscles that give up throughout the day, as well as water retention… and finally food intake as well I’m sure!). In addition, I noticed this week that my belly button is starting to get wider and shallower. Also, I felt quite a few aches in my abdomen as my uterus expands to make room! Baby is growing! :)
Movement: I think maybe I felt the baby move for the first time on Friday (March 3)!! I am still not sure because I haven’t felt it since, but it felt a little like champagne bubbles popping or like that really annoying muscle twitch you get in your eye when you are tired (but in my abdomen obviously haha!). Many people also describe quickening as feeling like butterflies, and it felt a little like fluttering as well. Time will tell if that was really what I was feeling once I feel it again. Either way, once I thought it might be the baby moving, my heart started racing so hard out of excitement! I could feel my pulse beating throughout my body and it was distracting me from really feeling everything as it was happening. Next time I won’t let myself get so darn excited!! :) It is still really early so it could have been my imagination, but we shall see!
Sleep: I bought a pregnancy pillow this week and immediately got a better night’s sleep! The pillow is enormous, but there are a bunch of ways I can wind it around myself for support. I have definitely been more comfortable while I sleep.
Food Cravings: nothing new this week, just the same lemon, citrus, and fruit flavors… and the colder the better!
Anything Making You Queasy or Sick? just the occasional teeth-brushing session per usual.
Miss Anything? the margaritas at Puebla Taco looked amazing on Friday, but maybe just because I crave cold citrus!

Can’t Live Without: the Snoogle pregnancy pillow! It has allowed me to finally get a decent night’s sleep. It will never replace Walker as my favorite thing to snuggle, but it is pretty great.
Best Moment This Week: Walker and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival at Descanso Gardens on Sunday and walked around for 2.5 hours! It was so gorgeous and such a cleansing, peaceful experience to enjoy a breath of fresh air.
Looking Forward To/Excited About: looking forward to my doctor’s appointment next week! I’ve been doing lots of reading, so it will be nice to get some of my questions answered! I am also SO excited to find out the gender… only 5 weeks to go!

Notes: nothing noteworthy this week!