How far along: 23 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Bunch of grapes (Little over a foot tall, 1 1/4 pounds)
Milestones: BB's lungs are developing and he continues to put on fat (can't wait to see those little chubby cheeks!). He is very aware of my movements now and is getting used to outside sounds.
Best Moment This Week: I had a very busy week, but was happy to make it though everything in one piece! We held a fundraising luncheon at work on Thursday and I had to be on my feet a lot, but I can say it went a lot better than Waypoint Wonderland. The only downfall was that I got pretty dehydrated since there weren't refills on the beverages, so my kidneys were a little tender the next day. On the other hand, the dessert served was a pineapple upside-down cake, so at least I got to enjoy that! I got a lot of comments on my belly from coworkers at the event - most of them were astonished to see how much I've popped. The dress I was wearing accentuated my roundness and I had just eaten, so BB was definitely sticking out a lot more!
What I’m Looking Forward To: Tomorrow is my 24 week appointment, so I'll get to hear little BB's heartbeat again. I'll also get measurements taken, but otherwise, it sounds like it will be a quick visit this time. At my last GP appointment on Feb. 14th, I saw that I've gained about eight pounds, so it will be interesting to see how much has changed after another two weeks.
What I Miss The Most: It's been getting harder to hug Leif properly with BB between us, but at the same time, it makes for a sweet little family hug. I can't say there's much I miss at this point since I've pretty well used to all of the lifestyle changes I've had to make.
Symptoms: BB is still kicking away, some days more than others, but I've noticed him traveling around my belly way more than usual. I've also had some intense round ligament pain and side stitches, but at least they away when I rest. My nose is still giving me trouble, especially at night, but my doctor said that chronic congestion is common during pregnancy. I also noticed that my belly button is shrinking! I've always been a deep innie, so at this point it's quite shallow and I'm curious if it will eventually go outie.
Cravings: Sugar, sugar, sugar! Doing my best to limit my intake, but still eating an average of 1-2 desserts a day. I was having some salivary gland pain, which I get from time to time, and my doctor recommended sucking on lemon drops to clear up any saliva that's backed up. Little did I know how much I love lemon drops until I found myself downing way more than I needed for medical reasons lol. Been enjoying teriyaki chicken, burgers, cookies of course, and hummus with pita bread, but pretty much anything goes down smooth nowadays!
How far along: 22 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Corn on the cob (12 inches, one pound)
Milestones: Little BB is not so little anymore, he just hit a foot in length and weighs a whole pound! I remember when he was just the size of a blueberry. All of that growing contributes to him sleeping 12-16 hours a day. BB's inner ear is developing, and his sense of hearing continues to improve each day. I read that due to his ability to hear better, he may start reacting to sound stimuli more than he used to. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was the case because whenever Leif and I play video games, I think he goes crazy from the music!
Best Moment This Week: Leif and I have made more progress planning for the future and will be able to take care of a lot of our medical bills with our tax refund, so that's a relief! We've also been doing a lot better about cutting frivolous purchases and finding ways to lower ours bills, so the baby fund is coming along slowly but surely!
What I’m Looking Forward To: Along with financial planning, we also have a lot of organization to do as well! I'm looking forward to changing up the layout of our room a little to fit the baby essentials. We already have a couple decorations, but will probably keep it pretty simple for now. I'm planning on creating a little diagram of the room layout changes and will have Leif help me with moving things. We also need to make space for baby bottles and utensils in our kitchen.
What I Miss The Most: I've been waking up a lot more throughout the night and find it hard to fall back asleep sometimes, but luckily I was able to catch up on some sleep this weekend. Unfortunately, I had an incident last week where I was so tired at work that I made some errors on a grant I was working on. Thankfully, my supervisor is very understanding, but I still feel bad that I dropped the ball.
Symptoms: Boy, has BB been kicking hard! His kicking episodes are still on about the same schedule, but I've noticed him starting to become especially active in the evening. Some of his kicks are even making my belly sort of tender and I can see it ripple sometimes. And... he seems to have a liking for bouncing on my bladder.
Cravings: Still eating a fair amount of peanut butter cookies, but I'm also back on peanut butter crackers. My coworker made a cheesecake with BB and me in mind and he definitely approved with a cluster of jabs!
How far along: 21 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Carrot (10.5 inches, 3/4 of a pound)
Milestones: I had to double-check the length of BB because it seemed like he grew multiple inches over the last week! It's true that his length did significantly increase from last week, but that's because after 20 weeks, the baby is measured from finger to toe as opposed to head to rump. His skin is still transparent and wrinkly with room for expansion once he starts putting on fat. Putting on fat is really important at this stage because it helps fuel brain development and regulate his body temperature. So that means I should put special emphasis on increasing my fatty snacks and desserts intake, right? Just kidding.
Best Moment This Week: One morning this week, BB was super active when I first woke up, it seriously felt like he was having a dance party in there. It's so sweet to experience his movements first thing in the morning, and I've noticed that sometimes BB responds to my touch. If I put pressure on one side of my belly, he'll give it a little tap - he's so clever already! The first time it happened, my hand was just resting on my belly, so I consider that our first high-five lol. 😛
What I’m Looking Forward To: Plans are coming along for my baby shower! I have some amazing friends who are putting one together for me the second Sunday in April (more details to come). It's going to have a forest/animal kingdom theme and there will be a few games/activities. A bunch of people have offered us some baby items in good condition, so we're grateful that we won't have to put a lot of things on our baby registry and can hopefully focus on asking for gift cards and donations to the baby fund.
What I Miss The Most: I'm pretty hungry every couple hours, but can only eat somewhat small meals because of the pressure on my stomach. It can be distracting having to eat so often! Also, even though I'm normally a fairly cautious person, I feel like I've had to slow down even more to make sure I don't slip on the ice, bump my belly, or get sick from touching my face or not washing my hands enough. I feel like my belly has become a magnet for disaster! I've only really bumped it once or twice on a door handle, but a couple times, some boiling water splashed onto it when I was straining food, so I just continue to learn from these mishaps.
Symptoms: My belly continues to grow and grow! Still pretty thirsty all of the time, so I'm trying to keep pace to avoid dehydration. Still feeling little (and sometimes really big) movements throughout the day and getting a little stomach and back pain from time to time. I've also had a few days of extreme fatigue, but I read that BB will experience a major growth spurt during these next few weeks, so it will likely take a lot out of me. Otherwise, everything's been going well!
Cravings: Peanut butter cookies are still at the top of my list! I'm picking up a pie tonight for a friend's birthday, so I'm pretty excited about that too lol. Still eating a lot of the same old healthy staples like oatmeal, bananas, apples, almonds, pea milk, and veggies, so it doesn't make me feel so bad indulging my cravings for sweets!
How far along: 20 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Banana (6.5 inches, 10.5 ounces)
Milestones: BB's movement is really picking up, I can say that I feel at least a few movements almost every hour, especially if I'm sitting with my legs crossed for whatever reason. His skin, brain, and other organs continue to develop a little bit at a time. At this point BB can experience REM sleep, so he may be having dreams already!
Best Moment This Week: The ultrasound was so wonderful! Leif and I were practically speechless the entire time since it was a lot to process. When little BB first appeared on their screen, he was gulping, but it looked like he was saying "hello" to us! He had his fists up by his face most of the time and wouldn't stop wiggling around, making it hard for them to get pictures at times! Everything checked out great and BB is developing as he should. The only issue is that my placenta is a little low - it's supposed to be 2 cm above my cervix, but it's only 1.6 cm. It's not too far off and might move up as my uterus continues to grow, but just in case, my doctor is monitoring me a little more closely. I'll have to have an additional ultrasound at 28 weeks to see how things are progressing, and based on a little research I did, it looks like I may be required to have a c-section if it the placenta ultimately isn't high enough. We'll see what happens! I'm just grateful and feeling blessed that everything else looked good. We weren't overly surprised that it was a boy - Leif and I both had very specific dreams that it was. I'm really looking forward to raising a little boy and Leif reminded me that I always used say "I'd love to have a little Leif around!"
What I’m Looking Forward To: Now that we know it's a boy, we've been really trying to hammer out some names and thinking about what it will be like to raise a son. I'm looking forward to everything we'll learn throughout this process and the different skills and interests we and the rest of our family and friends can share with sweet little BB. Knowing what his face looks like makes me so much more excited to snuggle him and hold him in my arms. From this point on, he'll start putting on fat and will start looking cuter and cuter every day!
What I Miss The Most: Even though it's not that pronounced yet, my movements are starting to get more restricted, and I've already developed a little bit of a pregnancy waddle when I walk. Luckily, all of this has been gradual, so I'm adapting as best as I can. I find that getting in and out of the car takes a little longer and I have to be careful turning over in bed. Essentially, I'm just slower now, but I only have approximately 19 more weeks to go!
Symptoms: I've noticed that my belly bump is becoming more defined and a lot of my regular shirts ride up or hang off me, so I pretty much exclusively wear maternity tops in public at this point. Otherwise, there aren't many new symptoms this week. I've been experiencing a somewhat chronically stuffy nose, but I'm not sure if that's the pregnancy, the weather, or both.
Cravings: Still loving my sweets, especially peanut butter cookies! We've also been making a lot of turkey tacos with lots of guacamole, which have been delicious. Despite my best efforts to drink plenty of water every day, my OB said I should be drinking more. I normally get 8-10 cups a day, but she said it should be more like 10-12. I had been having some cramping and she thought it could've been from dehydration. So not exactly a craving but still something I'm going to be consuming a lot of!
And now for some ultrasound pictures and a couple videos!
