Week 21

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!