To Be 19 Weeks Pregnant

I am just about at the halfway point. That seems unbelievable to me. It seems like just yesterday I was finding out I was pregnant, and it takes so so long to get out of the first trimester and start to "show" and really feel pregnant. 20 weeks is technically the halfway point, but with Josh, I delivered at 38 weeks. Therefore, that would make 19 weeks the halfway point. I have a local wedding 6 days before my due date, so I am hoping to hold out until after the wedding.

I definitely have a pregnant belly to me. To a stranger on the street, I may still be in the "Is she or isn't she" stage. I keep looking for those cute pregnancy clothes that I see people wear that show how cute and pregnant they are. For me, I can't seem to wear those clothes the same way. T-shirts seem to just hang and not accentuate the belly. Maybe it will be a little better when I am a bit more pregnant. I am getting out of the phase where I am able to wear the belly band. My suit pants don't zip at all anymore, and the zipper is hurting, so I am going to have to ditch the pre-pregnancy suit pants. The only issue is that I am still lacking in the options of clothes as my maternity dresses are still too big. I think I just have to get through another 2 weeks and then I will be able to really start wearing some of the dresses.

Felling the baby move is still infrequent for me. With Joshua, I didn't feel him move for real until 21 weeks, at 19 weeks now, I am not worried. The woman who did my ultrasound said that the placenta is lying high, so that may be why I don't feel the kicks really yet. Speaking of ultrasounds. I had the biggie on Wednesday. Everything looks great. The baby was cooperating, so we were able to find out the sex. IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how thrilled I am about that. I was crying happy tears at the ultrasound. I asked the ultrasound lady if she was sure, and of course she said it is not 100%, but it definitely looks like a girl. Then, the doctor comes in and highlights the ultrasound for us afterwards, and I asked him if it was really a girl, and he said, "Yes, those are girl parts". I am on cloud 9. Of course, I was psyching myself up to have 2 boys. Prior to the ultrasound, people kept asking me what my instinct was about having a boy or girl. The honest answer is that I really didn't know. I didn't have a hard feeling one way or another. I really wanted a girl, so that I have one of each, but I kept thinking that it would just be a boy. Plus, most of Keith's family are boys and Keith said, "I make boys". So, I didn't know what to think really. When I was pregnant with my son, I had a few dreams about having a boy. With this pregnancy, I didn't have a lot of dreams about the sex of the baby which would give me a telltale sign. Most moms want a little girl. There is just something about that. I am extremely excited. Now, onto the hard part, names!

To Be 18 Weeks Pregnant

I don't think I "popped" yet. I definitely am starting to "show" , but to me, I don't think it has fully come out yet. With my first pregnancy, this was around the time I popped.

I had a blood test today for a modified sequential screen. Basically, it is a little more sensitive of a test than the first trimester test. I had an AFP test when I saw the OB 2 weeks ago. He called me with the results today and said it was good news which means I tested negative for Spina Bifida. I asked the nurse who was drawing my blood what the test today was all about. Basically, since I had the AFP at the doctor's office, this test was probably not necessary. Lovely. It is so fun to get blood tests just for the hell of it.

I am pretty sure I started to feel the baby move. I remember the inital feelings last time around and not realizing it was the baby moving when I felt the first inital flutters. You would think I would know better this time. However, I think it is hard in the beginning anyway, because you don't know if it is the baby or your stomach growling or doing something similar. I think I have felt it a few times, but it is not consistent, and that is how it feels in the beginning.

Next Wednesday is the BIG ultrasound day. As long as the baby cooperates, we will find out the sex. I can't wait to find out. Wednesday can't come soon enough!

To Be 17 Weeks Pregnant

Getting out of the "feeling fat" phase. Finally.

At work, I am still wearing my regular suits with the belly band. On the weekends, I am in maternity pants. My suit pants are starting to feel uncomfortable, so I am not sure how long I can last with the belly band. I have gained a lot of weight in my butt and thighs, so to me I look so heavy on the bottom. Yuk. I guess once this is all over, that will be the first place I start to focus on with exercise. If I nurse the new baby like I did with Joshua, that will help to take the belly weight off. That was the best exercise ever!

To Be 16 Weeks Pregnant

My belly is starting to take shape.

I haven't popped yet, but I am slowly starting to move from the "I feel fat" phase to the "I am pregnant" phase. My belly is still pretty small, though. With my last pregnancy, I popped between 17 and 18 weeks. They say that you really start to show earlier with subsequent pregnancies, so we shall see how the next week or two goes.

I have moved into maternity pants on the weekends. During the week, I am still wearing my regular suit pants with the belly band. At this point, I am still wearing regular shirts. I have also, for the most part, switched to maternity underpants. TMI? I am having cravings. I didn' t have cravings with Joshua at all really. They aren't weird cravings, they are just cravings for different types of food at different times.

I had my 16 week doctor's appointment yesterday. I have gained 3 pounds since my last appointment and my blood pressure was normal. My doctor got the report from my last delivery and said that we can try a VBAC. Of course. anything can happen. The one thing is that I can't go past my due date. So, if I don't go into labor by October 23, then I will have to have a C-section. I asked the doctor if we can at least keep the baby inside for October 17th so I can go to Kathleen and Plevan's wedding, but he said he had no control over that. Oh well. At least I tried.

I scheduled my BIG ultrasound for May 27th. At that appointment I will be able to find out the sex. I am so excited. I do want a girl so that I have one of each. However, I bet it is a boy and then I will have 2 boys plus Keith plus PJ and be completely outnumbered. We started throwing around boy and girl names. We haven't really agreed on anything right now. I am sure it will come together when it gets closer.

To Be 15 Weeks Pregnant

Still in the feel fat and don't feel necessarily pregnant phase.

Last weekend as I mentioned in my last post, I put on maternity pants for the first time this pregnancy. I am still a little small for true maternity clothes, but none of my regular pants fit. My regular tops still fit ok. Last week I took a 14 week picture and compared it to my 14 week picture from my pregnancy with Joshua. I think I do look the same. They say you pop out sooner with your second child. I think that is true as I noticed my pants started not fitting earlier. However, as far as truely "showing", I think I am still where I was last time.

When Joshua was 6 weeks old, I joined a "new moms" group. Basically, it was 8 of us who had our first babies at the same time and got together once a week for "support". It was a nice network and great way to actually get me out of the house. Almost 2 years later, I am still friends with these great women. It turns out that 2 of the other girls are pregnant again too. What is even funnier is that one is due the day after me, and the other is due 3 days after me. It is nice to have local friends to go through second pregnancy with right now.