Somersaults.

I swear this baby is doing somersaults in there today. Yowza. It feels like he's actually swimming around rather than just kicking me. And the light taps he used to give me have turned into giant thumps. It is a miracle, a joy, a comforting reassurance, an exciting feeling -- but it's also awkward and uncomfortable (something I feel no expectant mother wants to admit.) At least he's having some fun in there!

Registering Rant.

How far along?: 19 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: Well this morning the scale said I was down 1.5 lbs. (good grief!), but all week long I've consistently been at +0, so....0 this week, +2.5 overall. I have a feeling this is going to be unacceptable to my doctor next week (I should be around 10 at this point...)
Maternity clothes?: On occasion. I heart my Gap tank tops.
Sleep: The last two nights have been brutal. To quote Bobby Lewis from our juke box, I was "a-tossin' and turnin' all night." (Are you singing this song in your head now too?)
Movement: Currently my favorite question of this survey :) Yes, and getting stronger and higher (right around my belly button now.)
Food cravings: No real cravings, but I love me some ice cream!
Gender: I'm getting tired of putting "his/her" everywhere. So from now on, I'm going to choose whatever gender I'm "feeling" that day when talking about my little lady (it's a Girl day.)
What I miss: Don Pablo's frozen strawberry margaritas.
What I am looking forward to: The big ultrasound on Tuesday!! Can. Not. Wait.
Best moment this week: Dinner date in Hershey on Saturday with the husband. Random little italian place. Lovely meal (including a mustard-sauce on my pasta...and I hate mustard usually. Weird pregnancy thing?) Ah, the romance :)
Weekly Wisdom: If I wake up in the middle of the night, for any reason, I will not fall back to sleep until I get up to pee. I'll think to myself "I don't have to go this time." 15 minutes later, I'm still awake and reluctantly hopping out of bed. A minute after I return to bed, I'm out like a light. This was a good realization to come to.
Milestones: Um, I started my registry! Holy cow. It was intense. 2+ hours, and this is just Round #1. The colors and shapes and ANIMALS (see below) all over the place are enough to give someone a seizure. There were many things I was not ready to look at quite yet (umbrella strollers, bouncy seats, etc.) My mom and sister were very patient with my inability to commit to many things. I do feel relief, though, that things are underway. One more thing to check off my list!

And now, as promised, my Registering Rant:
Why do baby item manufacturers insist on cramming animals down my poor child's throat? Maybe Baby Reeder will be terrified of them like her mom. Or allergic like her dad. Sure, we'll teach our children animal sounds and all that jazz, but must they have to sleep on/ride in/play with/bathe in/wear/bounce around on something with a giant giraffe's face? Animal overload, in my opinion. There are/will be very few animal-related items on my registry (at times, unfortunately, you have no choice whatsoever.) Fish and bugs are borderline okay with me. Rant over.

Expanding belly.

Baby Reeder at 18w6d

Well, here we are. 19 Weeks. I can hardly believe it. I wish I could say "Oh it's just flying by" or "This pregnancy has gone so fast" but those would be lies. Granted, time doesn't stand still anymore like it did the first 4 or so weeks I knew I was pregnant. But December 23rd still seems too far away. I'm so anxious to meet this little lady or fella.

Seeing my pride and joy on the ultrasound screen next week will probably make me even more anxious - putting a face (or at least a profile) to these kicks I'm getting will be exhilarating! We haven't seen the baby since 8w5d, back when we were green olive-sized. Barely could see the little gummy bear on the screen. Baby R's now 8.5 oz. and 6 in. long (and a mango on the fruit scale!) I am counting down the hours until the husband and I get to watch him/her dance around in mama's belly. Tuesday morning. 8:30 sharp. :)

(Edit: Apologies for the pixelated pic. I blame our home computer. Will try to replace it soon. Also, this was taken pre-walk with Grandma Connie, so please forgive the appearance.)

Is it August yet?

Happy Monday! A few random thoughts today (warning- none are very exciting):

- We safely made it home from our road trip to Hershey, PA. It ended up being an incredibly random weekend in the middle of nowhere, but we had a decent time nonetheless. It was so nice to get out of town and spend time just the 2 of us (well, 3 of us. Baby Reeder was fairly cooperative while we were gone.)

- However, the car ride was not fun. 3 stops for each 7 hour drive. My legs were so achy and the hands/feet were very swollen, but it wasn't completely unbearable. My kind husband stopped when I needed him to, although I could tell it was taking every ounce of his patience to stop just for me to pee and walk around (I reminded him that this was doctor-mandated, not me just being a brat.) I am not really looking forward to the future road trips we have planned when I'm further along...

- There's a counter at work where people put free stuff that anyone is welcome to take (most often it is food.) This morning there was a handheld breast pump on the counter (in a box, but I don't know if it's been opened.) Excuse me while I go throw up.

- I can feel my uterus. The pregnancy books say I could have felt it for weeks now, but they lie. I just discovered it this weekend. Things are getting hard in this growing belly!

- I'm being pressured into going to Babies R Us to register tonight (well, Round 1 anyway). Isn't it too early to be doing this? I told myself I'd be strong and wait until mid-August to go. It's likely I'll cave, though, because I don't have a.) enough reasons to not go and b.) willpower when it comes to my munchkin.

18 weeks :)

How far along?: 18 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1.5 this week, +2.5 overall.
Maternity clothes?: Yes, although these maternity capris I'm wearing today are GOBS too big.
Sleep: Ugh. I'm not getting up a million times a night to pee anymore and I'm not waking up for hours at a time in the middle of the night like in the 1st trimester, but I am so damn uncomfortable that I'd almost go back to that. Twice now I've been woken up by hip pain.
Movement: YES! Every day :) Teeny tiny little thumps on my lower abdomen.
Food cravings: The thought of food makes me sick today....
Gender: Leaning towards boy, but I don't claim to have "mother's intuition" or anything.
What I miss: Being able to get through an entire workday without being ready to cry by 3:00. (Wait. Has that ever happened?)
What I am looking forward to: CHOCOLATE! Sooo looking forward to this mini-vacation with my hubby :)
Best moment this week: Being interrupted while trying to concentrate on things by a certain little one bumping into mama's stomach.... :)
Weekly Wisdom: Apparently peeing right before an hour-long meeting doesn't mean you can expect to be able to make it through the whole thing without it filling back up. Which reminds me: gently pushing on certain areas of my stomach directly affects bladder pressure.
Milestones: Exactly 5 months from my due date tomorrow!

1 redeeming quality.

Being at work is apparently one of the few times that I sit still and quiet for long periods of time. I know this because Baby Reeder seems to be most active while I sit at this darn computer "working". Right now, this is the one and only redeeming quality of being in this dreadful place. I feel the most delightful (and yet, slightly uncomfortable) pokes from my abdomen as I sit and stare at this screen. I'm starting to think the baby is on to something; it's as if my little munchkin is saying "Mom. Seriously. I hate being here, too. Let's go back home to that big comfy couch and catch up on the DVR, ok?" Oh, honey, I would if I could.

It's been such a pleasure this last week to get daily reassurance that things are okay in there. Just 2 more weeks until we get to see how much he/she has grown! Baby R's up to a sweet potato in size now and can hear everything I say (guess I should watch my "college language" now, eh?) I'm beaming with pride already!

The crib!

My handy husband finished putting together the little one's furniture this week! The beautiful crib and dresser arrived last week and are now resting comfortably in Baby Reeder's nursery. I already find myself peeking into the room, longing for my little one to fill that empty crib. Soon, that room will be overflowing with diapers and toys and clothes; for now, it's just overflowing with hope and excitement.

In other news, I am now 99% sure that I'm feeling the baby move!! I feel it when I'm sitting down and taking it easy. In fact, my munchkin is moving around as I type this :) It's a faint little feeling, but enough to surprise me every time. I can't wait for him/her to start giving mama a beating in there (and for daddy to be able to feel it, too!)

Houston, we might have movement.

How far along?: 17 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: Zip, zilch, nada this week. Still +1 overall.
Maternity clothes?: thisclose to needing them full-time, I'm afraid.
Sleep: This subject makes me sad. Moving on...
Movement: I'm very hesitantly answering....maybe. I'm feeling what I think they describe as "flutters" (this of course coming a week after the doctor told me not to expect anything for a long time.) I feel it in the same spot consistently, very low in my abdomen (right where baby should be) and just barely on the right side. Feels like something is bumping into my stomach from the inside. The consistency is what's making me think this is truly Baby Reeder and not just hunger or gas pains. So, again....maybe. (!!!)
Food cravings: Brownies (which I took care of last night) and PB&J (which I had for breakfast.)
Gender: I realized recently that when I think of the baby, I think male. So, apparently, I'm thinking boy.
What I miss: Emotional stability.
What I am looking forward to: Next weekend's getaway with the husband (though not the 8-hr car ride.)
Best moment this week: I have 2 of them: #1 - my bathroom break with my niece (see below) and #2 - thinking I feel the little one moving (whether I really am or not, it's a fantastic feeling!)
Weekly Wisdom: None this week, sadly.
Milestones: Getting the nursery furniture set up!! Pictures to come soon :)

So during Friday night's softball game, I took my niece on a potty break (yes, for both of us, lol.) While we were in there, she randomly asks me "Is that Uncle Kenny's baby?" Great, my 3-year-old niece is questioning the paternity of my child. Oh, heavens. I explained to her that yes, he would be the daddy and I would be the mommy. Makes me wonder what kind of reputation I have going on the playground...

Of course, this is the same girl that moments later excitedly exclaimed "Aunt Sarah, you're wearing big girl panties!" when it was my turn to go. So I guess I shouldn't be too concerned, right?

Pregnant or just fat?

Ah, the question every unknowing stranger must be asking themselves - what is going on with that girl's stomach? You can judge for yourself. (Although, if your answer is "just fat", keep it to yourself. I don't want to hear it.)

Baby Reeder at 16w5d

Some other things you might be asking yourself: when is she going to learn how to pose without all the awkward shirt twisting - and - why does she look like she's half-asleep? I promise to practice opening my eyes and standing straight before the next shot.

Let's talk about weight, shall we?

It seriously worries me that I'm not gaining weight. I realize this is an irrational thing to worry about. The doctor told me less than a week ago that all was well with our little one, but I'm worried nonetheless. The belly is growing, so I'm sure baby is growing.

Baby Reeder should be the size of an onion this week, weighing in at a whopping 5.9 oz. Plus, according to my husband, I have roughly half a pound of amniotic fluid now (yes, husband, I looked it up. 15.35 fluid oz = 1 lb, so it is roughly half a pound!) So really, when you take both the weight of the baby and this, it almost equals the 1 lb I've gained. That can't be enough, right?

I promise I'm eating. Just ask my husband. Though it doesn't help that I've had trouble keeping some of it down the last few days (I guess I overdid it this weekend...) It's hard to imagine gaining 1 lb a week, as I should be right now, but somehow I'll get there I suppose.

Friday. *sigh*

Friday is a magical day. I was told this morning that I looked "so cute" by a coworker. Apparently, horizontal stripes aren't the devil when you're pregnant. See, I think I actually look pregnant now, as opposed to just fat. You can make your own conclusions if you see me in person, but I'm going to pretend that I do.

Starting to feel good again, which is lovely. Sure, I have to eat non-stop (I repeat, non-stop) in order to feel this way, but I'll take it over queasiness any day of the week! And I'm still uber tired, but I'm sleeping better (i.e. fewer bathroom breaks at 3 a.m.!!) so it's okay. And yes, the swelling is ridiculous, but manageable. And there are a few other issues that fall into the TMI (Too Much Information) category that I'm not going to go into which are plaguing me. But all in all, I'm a happy little pregnant lady :)

Wow, I'm like a pregnant ray of sunshine today, huh?

Still pregnant.

Yep. Still pregnant. Heard the heartbeat again yesterday. This whole "being pregnant" thing is incredibly surreal. And I'm in love with it (like, obsessed.)

Side note: I had a glazed doughnut, some OJ, and a handful of Skittles all within 2 hours this morning and got an instant headache. I'm worried Baby Reeder hasn't inherited the Vonderhaar sweet tooth. I'll have to look for his/her extra dessert stomach on the u/s in a few weeks.

How far along?: 16 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: +1 this week, so now +1 overall. Hooray! We're finally on the plus side! (is it weird that this excites rather than terrifies me?)
Maternity clothes?: I think they should cost half as much as regular clothes (even though they often have twice the amount of fabric.) I'm suffering enough through pregnancy pains; why must my wallet suffer, too? I'm growing a life, for crying out loud!
Sleep: Eh, still ridiculous, but bathroom breaks are less frequent. Oh, and the husband and I learned this week that 72 degrees is waaay too hot for a pregnant lady to be able to sleep comfortably, even with the ceiling fan going.
Movement: Getting closer....but no.
Food cravings: Nada. Still battling some food aversions (which is why I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast today.)
Gender: Hoping we don't accidentally figure it out at our u/s in 4 weeks...
What I miss: Wardrobe variety. I rotate the same 4 skirts and a handful of shirts.
What I am looking forward to: December 23rd.
Best moment this week: Hearing my little one's heartbeat again. It doesn't get old :)
Weekly Wisdom: From a coworker - "You have to give in to all of your cravings, otherwise the baby will be 'marked' at birth." (And she means birthmarks.) OK, crazy lady, if I must...
Milestones: Going to work each day. Honestly, this is worth noting.

16 week check-up.

Another visit to the OB is behind us. The little one is excellent. We are both growing well (me and baby). I'm right on track with my weight gain; I gained 1.5 lbs this month, so I'm up 3 lbs total since 8 weeks (only +1 over pre-pregnancy weight, however.) Baby Reeder's heartbeat is going strong, in the 150's this time. So happy to hear my munchkin again :)

I told my OB I was very anxious today. Now that I'm feeling well, but not yet growing consistently (I swear I look the same as I did 3 weeks ago), I sometimes wonder if there's still a baby in there. She assured me that's normal and that might continue until I start to feel him/her swimming around. She tells me not to expect to feel the baby move until closer to 22 weeks, so we're a far cry from that comforting feeling. But I get to see my little one via ultrasound again on August 4, so that will help alleviate fears until then!

Oh, and good news! I got the go-ahead to sleep on my back. As long as I have a blanket or something underneath one side so I'm at least at a 15 degree angle, I'm good to go. It's already not really comfortable for me on my back, but at least I won't worry anymore when I wake up that way!

New "symptoms".

(First of all, I don't think "symptoms" is an accurate way to describe pregnancy-related issues. Makes pregnancy sound like some kind of epidemic. I need to come up with a better word - suggestions are appreciated.)

We have some new pregnancy "symptoms" to deal with this week:

- Stretching cramps: Baby R must have hit a growth spurt (how cute is the tomato?) because I have all sorts of stretching pains in my lower abdomen this week. Not cool.
- Aching thighs: So not cool. They ache just like my hands do when they swell (which is becoming a daily occurrence,) but I refuse to call them "swollen" as well.
- Belly interference: No, it's not big enough to be getting in the way. But this morning, I was lying on my left side like a good little girl and the alarm went off. I had to stretch to reach it, rolling almost completely on my stomach, and BAM! Instant discomfort. So no more 2nd alarm for this girl....

How far along?: 15 weeks, 0 days
Total weight gain/loss: As of this morning, I'm officially back to where I started pre-pregnancy.
Maternity clothes?: Still just shirts (mostly b/c I can wear whatever I want to work...)
Sleep: Trying my hardest to stay on my side. I sleep with 37 pillows now (barricading me from the husband, I'm afraid.)
Movement: Nope, but dealing with the stretching pains.
Food cravings: My grandma's yellow crumb pie (crossing my fingers that this gets back to her before the picnic on Sunday, lol)
Gender: Will I really get a "feeling" one way or the other at some point? Because I'm currently clueless.
What I miss: The 1st trimester, when I didn't actually throw up.
What I am looking forward to: My 4-day birthday weekend (hooray 25!) , followed by Tuesday's OB visit.
Best moment this week: Ordering our crib!
Weekly Wisdom: Do what you can to stay comfortable now; you will lose any opportunity to ever be comfortable in about 10 more weeks.
Milestones: Making it to July!