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!

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!