16 weeks

How far along are you?: 16 weeks, 3 days. I've started my second trimester and have a little less than 24 weeks to go!

Baby is: The size of a dill pickle, which actually sounds pretty good right now...

Movement: I think there has been some movement! I was just shy of 15 weeks the first time I felt something but assumed it was far too early. But then I continued to feel the same thing for the next few nights around the same time and I'm almost positive it's been baby!

Weight gain: So far, 6 pounds. I was surprised by the number at my 16 week appointment because I spent the first several weeks not eating anything at all, but I guess those Oreos in my cupboard have "helped" with that ;) I'm also starting from a lower weight than I did with both Ezra and Uriah, so going into my second trimester I'm now at my usual weight and my doctor is pleased with "my color" and gain - I think being at 122 pounds was too low for me (my lowest weight has been 121 when Uriah was 6 months old and I was sent to the ER for back pain because my body couldn't handle lugging around all 21 pounds of him. 128 is much more natural for me. Though I will admit, when I was 128 pounds before I was pregnant with Uriah, a significant amount of that was muscle (I could do pull ups!) and that is certainly not the case now!)

Stretch marks?: This might be the only week I leave this question up here because, YES I HAVE STRETCH MARKS! Uriah did a number on my stomach (and then some!) and Ezra only added to the mayhem. Of course I am trying desperately hard not to make my stomach any more horrendous than it already is, but at this point, I don't know that a few extra stripes would even be noticeable.

Maternity clothes?: They are slowly making their way back into my closet. At 14 weeks I lost the ability to button up my jeans... They were my least stretchiest pair with a high waist, but I still felt a little heartbreak when I couldn't quite close the gap. I have one more non-maternity pair of pants hanging in there but for the most part I've accepted the stretch panel. I'm even wearing maternity leggings! Told you - acceptance! Love, even! Leggings can still stretch over the bump pretty easily, but my stomach has been so sensitive this pregnancy that anything tight or laying right across my midline just hurts. Dresses have been a lifesaver for that reason so far, too!

Currently craving: So far this pregnancy my cravings have mirrored my cravings with Ezra, which had me thinking girl for a long time ;) I have been eating a lot of turkey sandwiches and cereal or granola. Not too many sweet things have sounded good to me - ice cream made me sick for the first several weeks and chocolate is only just now making an appearance in my diet. I have occasionally been cravings meats, which is odd for me, and salty things like Thai food and chips. For the most part, once my appetite came back, my meals looked very similar to what they were before, just in larger amounts - I have been eating a lot!

Aversions?: The smell of salsa has made me sick since I was pregnant with Uriah, now the smell of pizza sauce, too. Emptying leftovers is Stephen's job and the occasionally poopy diaper has me gagging but not too much else has made me sick. Not specifically or continually, at least. My aversions have just been showing up at random times to random things.

Sleep: I have gotten up to pee at least once a night every. single. night. since about five weeks pregnant. Other than that, I've been able to sleep pretty well. There was a week or so that I struggled getting back to sleep after coming back from the bathroom, a little bout of pregnancy insomnia, but luckily it didn't last long. I've yet to have any crazy dreams and Stephen has been around most mornings to (lovingly!) get the kids up and going as I take my time waking up. I have been so TIRED this pregnancy!

Feeling: Sore! I think this question is here for the emotional aspect, but I'm going to go ahead and take it literally - I'm feeling sore. My lower back has been hurting for the last few weeks and the thought of it continuing on (and getting worse!) over the next 24 makes me want to cry. I will lay down on the floor to play with the kids and get stuck in a position that I can't move from, tears automatically welling up in my eyes from the pain. Or when I walk or sit or stand or stretch or move just slightly one way or another... It hasn't been fun. Oh and my boobs are sore too. So sore.

Working on: Getting our house ready! We just put the kiddos in bunkbeds to make more room to play, but also because at some point, baby number three will be joining their sleeping porch and we're going to need to make room! I've also been looking into the mini crib we want to get for our room, how to rearrange some extra furniture to be able to put the rocker in our room for the first few months and the dresser I want to replace theirs with. It might seem a little premature, but I've been feeling stressed about getting some of these things done or at least decided on before Stephen leaves for Africa. I feel like I can't do them without his help or input and if I wait until he comes home, that's just two months before the baby is born and that would make everything last minute! So I've felt like I've had to cross a few things off my list before he leaves. I've got one more month! ;)

Thinking about & anticipating: Boy? Girl? Boy?! Girl?! I will be thinking about this and anticipating it and placing my guesses for the next five months! I am so excited that we've decided to wait until the birth to know the gender of this babe but man alive is waiting for that day going to kill me! For the longest time I was convinced it was a girl - I was craving the same things I craved when I was pregnant with Ezra and my sickness was of the same kind and intensity. I even found myself referring to the baby as "she" and "her" without pause or notice. With both Uriah and Ezra, though, I had a "gender revealing dream" and I kept waiting to have one again so I could place my bets off of that. Well, last week, I had it! Or, at least I think I had it ;) I was laying down with Ezra for a nap in our beach tent and I couldn't tell if it was something I had actually dreamt, or just something I day dreamed and imagined myself while trying to fall asleep, but in this "dream" I was holding the baby and I asked Stephen to hand me HIS blanket. Stephen gave me the baby blanket we've already picked out and I took it from him, wrapping it around the sweet little babe in my arms that didn't have a bow on its head. So, now I'm convinced it's a boy.

Recent baby purchase: After our emergency ultrasound at 8 weeks, we went out and bought a baby blanket to celebrate the baby's health. In terms of "stuff", we don't need a whole lot for the babe, girl or boy, but I had been eyeing baby blankets online since we found out we were pregnant. My two take theirs everywhere and I was excited to have another "blankey" in the house. We went with an incredibly soft gray and white striped one from Pottery Barn. Since, I have restrained myself on making any baby purchases. Oh! Except I found a set of organic cotton jammies at Target from the Cat and Jack brand and I just couldn't resist! ;)

What are you most looking forward to?: My answer for this question was "getting to hear the baby's heartbeat at our 16 week appointment!" But that was yesterday and now I feel like I should come up with something new to say ;) It was such a treat to heart that heart, though. At our last appointment, the doctor couldn't locate the heartbeat and I spent three agonizing minutes waiting for a sound to come from the doppler. But there it was, beating away at 152 bpm! Now I'm looking forward to next month and our anatomy ultrasound! It will be so hard to see our babe and not find out the gender! Grateful that we get to do this before Stephen leaves for Africa, though!

Favorite moment this week?: Uriah and I were sitting in the living room together and as he was talking, I felt the baby move. I told him I could feel it moving and that I think it must like the sound of his voice (because baby can hear us now!) He got so excited and sheepish at this idea so I asked if he would tell me a story and I would see if the baby moved at the sound of his voice again. He so sweetly placed his hand on my belly and started to tell me a Uriah original of one of his Uriah the Trapper stories. I felt the baby move two more times while he sat there and told me his story! He was feeling so loved! And he is so excited to be able to feel the baby move himself (just a few more weeks!) I can't wait to share that with him!