23.5 Weeks!

FINALLY an update on the baby and me! I can't believe Sunday was the first day we started documenting my belly growth...but it is my goal to document our life more, so hopefully this won't be the only update.

Anyway.

Let start near the beginning??

8-17 weeks: Nauseous all the time and the only thing that would help was food and putting my feet up. I got so sick of eating! It became a chore, but I had to continue eating to function and continue working. And I never threw up!...Well, I did once...Magic foods for my stomach were Grilled Stuffed Burritos from Taco Bell, fresh crisp salads with cucumbers and tomatoes and meat and Costco dressing, sweet potatoes, chips, fries and oatmeal. Food aversions were mainly sweets - the thought of brownies (once my favorite food) and ice cream would make me queazy. I also couldn't eat eggs some morning or OJ. But food in general didn't sound good. I also started growing a lovely winter coat all over my body. Super duper sexy. Its not too bad, just blonde fuzz, but its all over! And its hilarious! Other than the typical - being nauseous and tired and dizzy and having psycho dreams and feeling crazy and lazy all day, I have had a wonderful pregnancy which I am so grateful for.

17-21 weeks: The nauseous and dizzy stage ended! It was amazing - right when the second semester started it just disappeared. Occasional head aches started kicking in and when I would exercise, afterward it would feel like I got hit in the crotch with a baseball bat from my hips separating. That has been the most bizarre thing to me so far! I could also start to tell the difference between kicks and my bowels. It's so sweet to feel the little kicks and bumps throughout the day.

Holla! Three sexy pregnant ladies at Christmas!

21-23.5 weeks: So far I have gained a total of 21 pounds -officially heavier than Ryan as of this morning. According to all charts, I am way ahead of the game on weight gain :) I know most of it was due to the fact that for 10 weeks all I could do was stuff my face to feel semi-OK, so it is nice to be in control now and slow down so that hopefully I'm not too much over the 25-35 recommended weight gain. Exercise makes me feel so wonderful (besides my hips, still) and I try to go to the gym or speed walk everyday. I don't really crave anything besides milk and Lemon Butter Salmon from Gurus.... My belly button has started to feel like my little guy is poking it from the inside with tooth picks. Yes - Ouch! Pregnancy is so strange. I rotate in between three different elasticity and stretch mark oils daily. I know that there is reeeaaallly nothing I can do to avoid stretch marks, but it makes me feel good knowing that I am doing all that I can do. Up until last week, I could be stubborn enough to not get up in the middle of the night to pee and just hold it... unfortunately my body will not go back to sleep now unless I empty the bladder. Its just once for now! Also, up until last week I could sleep on my back. So sad I have to sleep on my side now but it is much more comfortable on my hips. No linea nigra, just a nice fuzzy belly so far. At my last midwife appointment we had our half-way-ultrasound and they confirmed that indeed, we were having a boy. It was so cute, he was licking his hand! Its so crazy that we could see all of that! They also discovered that my placenta is on the front of my uterus. Which pretty much all means that Ryan won't be able to feel any kicks for another month or two.... but we think he has already felt him... At our appointment, we also found out that our baby boy is totally healthy and growing well AND his head size is average (which I was totally relieved about - I hope he continues to have Ryan's head size and not mine). We were so grateful to hear that I am totally healthy and baby is totally healthy - I worry too much about something going wrong! That's another thing that I have been working on besides eating well and sleeping more, relaxing and being stress free and positive. I can't be sending bad vibes to my baby!

Ryan and I went iceskating a couple of weeks ago with Fred and Holly.... that probably wasn't a good idea, being 22 weeks pregnant...

That skirt makes my belly look nice and full! It was nice being asked at church when I was due and not if I was pregnant or not. Heres the bare belly - just for Ryan.

23 weeks

I plan on continuing to work at the Salon and Multiling until I go into labor. I am the only source of income right now while Ryan is in school, preps for the MCAT AND applies for Medical school and I have found that staying really really busy helps me not stress about the baby too much, so I need to work as long as I can. Hopefully I don't have to stop until my estimated due date - May 26th! I plan on delivering with Midwives in the American Fork hospital (which has a birthing tub AND a bed for dad in each room - yeahya!) and I am planning to deliver medication free. I feel super awesome about everything so far, I love the midwives I have met with and I can't wait to start taking my Hypnobirthing classes.

That's pretty much all I can think of thats happened so far! I am looking forward to having a sweet little boy in my arms the end of May and to finally see what he looks like - we are beyond curious.