Hey guys! Happy Thanksgiving week! So, as it turns out, I got really busy last week with all sorts of things, and my resident photographer, aka my amazing husband, was out on business all week long, so I decided to go ahead and combine weeks 21 & 22 together in one Pregnancy Journal Update!
How pregnant am I? 21 weeks began Saturday, November 15, 2014 & 22 weeks began on Saturday, November 22. So as I write this, I’m 22 weeks and 2 days.
How big is baby? At 11 inches and almost 1 pound (about the size of a spaghetti squash), Baby Jack is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.
Curtsey of BabyCenter.com
If you could see inside your womb, you’d be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he’ll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. (Thank you, BabyCenter.com)
Weight Gain: I’ve gained about 14 pounds since we discovered I had a bun in the oven back in July.
Body & Changes: My baby bump is most definitely out and about for everyone to see. While most times I love my growing belly, signifying the new and beautiful miracle of life that’s growing inside, there are other times where I just want to scream and cry over my new size. And guess what? I’m only going to get bigger! I’m not used to gaining weight and things not fitting, and having a hard time bending over and feeling so out of breath. It’s all for the good, I know this rationally, but inside my not-so-rational mind that is alive and well, I get all… yucky feeling. I know I’m not alone in this experience, but it really is uncomfortable. So between the excitement of a growing baby in my belly and the discomfort that comes along with it, I am just all over the place with my emotions and feelings towards the changes in my body.
Clothes: Still fitting in non-maternity jeans but I’m way more comfortable in the maternity ones, along with maternity shirts. I’ve said it a million times, but I just like the way the maternity shirts flatter the growing belly. They’re just SO much more attractive.
What I’ve been eating: Still enamored with cold orange juice. Sometimes, there’s really nothing better at all than an ice-cold glass of the stuff. It’s like the elixir of life.
I also love pizza more than ever, which is a lot, since I’ve always been a lover of the pie. Oh, and pie. I love pie too. Apple pie. Blueberry pie. Peach pie. All the pie. And still, all the cheese. I love cheese….
Any Movement? SO MUCH!!!! Best feeling ever. I’ve been told by so many women to really treasure these moments, because one of the things that they say they miss the most about being pregnant is the feeling of their child in their belly. It’s just so special.
Sleep: I have been sleeping like a rock, only waking about 1 or 2 times for the bathroom, and 1-2 times for my cat, Marcus, who just absolutely LOVES climbing up and laying down for a good sleep RIGHT ON MY NECK/UPPER BACK. It’s adorable. It’s cute. He’s warm and fuzzy but man oh man… The level of annoyance I feel at 3 a.m. when he is snuggling up with me there is high. Very. High. But here’s the weird thing: I sleep great, but I am more exhausted than ever during the day now. Like right now, for example. It’s 10:33 a.m., and I am having one of the single most difficult times ever keeping my eyes open. I feel myself drooling, which is awkward, and I feel like my head is swimming too. That may be partly due to the cedar that’s in the air here, but my goodness, I just want to sleep. So badly.
Emotions: Everywhere. I still cry at the drop of a hat. For example: We all drove down to Bay City visit my husband’s grandparents. While there, we found a litter of brand new baby kitties. They were SO LITTLE, way too cute and I wanted them all. Then we saw their daddy, the handsome Tomcat, and I wanted him too. He let me pet him and play with him and it made me so happy. Way too many feels. On the way home, I was thinking about all the kitties, and how deeply I care for them right now. It’s a weird sensation, since I’m not usually like this with random animals that I don’t know or own or… whatever. It was at that same moment we passed a field, dotted with beautiful, shiny and healthy black cows. For some reason, this got me, and it got me good. A combination of cute cuddly cat memories and a field of gorgeous cows was enough to make me just cry, and cry, and cry. Yeah… I’m obviously insane. And yes, this is real life.
#129241016 / gettyimages.comPurchases: I received my Sephora Favorites Superstars box in the mail last week and I am SO FLIPPING HAPPY. I just did a product review/gift guide for it. CLICK HERE. Yeah, the products are THAT good.
What I miss: I can’t wait for that glass of red wine that I’m promised in a few months… that’s for sure. Oh, and energy. I miss having energy.
What I’m looking forward to: We’ve got a LOT going on, and a lot of changes here in our lives, and I am really looking forward to new adventures. I will probably be making an announcement in the near future, but until then, enjoy this cryptic message. Mwahaha.
Best Moment of the Week: I have 2. First, seeing my long time friend for the first time in years, meeting her husband and her 2-month baby boy, Braden.
Second, I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with my husband’s grandparents. It was really important to him, and at first I wasn’t excited to go, because of my lack of energy and overall lack of feeling good. But the trip was wonderful, and I truly enjoyed getting to know them. It was really awesome. Plus, it was fun to see our kiddo sit on his uncle’s new Harley. Just sayin’.
All in all, it’s been a great couple of weeks, and while I’m just beyond exhausted, I have so many things to be thankful for. With the season of gratitude and thankfulness upon us, it’s important to look at all you have, thank God and bask in this blessing we call life. Living in thankfulness and being thankful should be an every day thing, rather than something we just do annually, but the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons really do act as a nice reminder of what attitude we need to put on every day.
To see all the bump photos, and links to the rest of the Pregnancy Journal, CLICK HERE
