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!