Baby Bump | 18 Weeks

I feel so pregnant! Weird, right? Lately I’ve been having dreams about and thinking about the earliest memories I have and what life was like for me when my parents first had me. I have the unique opportunity to imagine my parents in a very similar situation since I was their first. It’s like a weird nostalgia has hit me and stronger than I’ve felt before. Not only that but I feel like I can actually remember those days more vividly and instead of being only sad the way nostalgia usually makes me feel, I’m fuzzy and happy feeling.

This week has found me progressively more normal! With the exception of the occasional baby brain moments and momentary nausea, I feel mentally complete like I haven’t felt in months. Yesterday I actually had a productive day! I can look in the mirror and observe my belly without it being clouded by some strange inner fog. I eat a meal, feel full and a few hours later, presto! Hungry again!

I am really looking forward to getting the things moved out of the guest room so I can start making it the actual baby room! With the halfway point quickly approaching, I feel like we need to really get on that. So many things happening in the weeks ahead, so just keep praying I constantly improve and will be able to handle it all as it comes at me.

The bump: 

Baby’s Size | Bell Pepper
How far along | 18 weeks
Sleep | Pretty irregular. Some nights I only get up once and sleep so well and other nights I’m up constantly. Also I’ve been getting to bed at inconsistent times. I’ve been a nerd and played video games with my husband until 3 in the morning and also crashed at 9, two nights in a row. Still having CRAZY dreams. Last night’s is still vivid in my mind. We were living in a very distopian world and someone stole my mattress. I will spare you further insanity.
Clothes | In bed I stretch my arms up and get annoyed because my belly is no longer fully covered. I’ve been wearing high waisted shirts and dresses and finally feel like I’m allowed to, not like I’m trying too hard to look pregnant. lol.
Cravings | Still downing the onion rings and freeze pops. I got a great batch of strawberries from Whole Foods last week and have enjoyed those, as well as a grapefruit yesterday. Forgot how much I loved those! I really wanted mac and cheese and lemonade from J. Alexander’s after eating there last week. Steven convinced me that the kraft boxed version was a more practical choice.
Food Aversions |Things heavy in garlic used to be so yummy to me but now I’m feeling pretty eh about them. As well as pretty much anything I’ve been sick after eating.
Symptoms | Feeling better this week! Basic swelling in my hands and feet and aching in my hips.
Doctor’s Appointment | My doctor says she isn’t at all concerned about my weight. Whew! She says a lot of it is probably fluids since I’ve been so swollen. Next appointment is the ultrasound!!!
Movement | Just the last few days I’ve had real movement!!! It’s wonderful. From the afternoon into the evening, I feel little thumps and flutters. I can pretty much tell where baby’s feet are (near my bladder haha) and now I cant wait until I can feel them on the outside too!
Belly Button | Innie.
Gender | Still waiting! Less than two weeks until our ultrasound. It is now officially scheduled (although we might be rescheduling it to a time that is better for Steven to take off work) and then another 2 weeks until we reveal :) So excited about it.
Best moment of the week | Sunday night when I felt the first strong, unmistakable kick! ahhh!
What I’m looking forward to | Still daydreaming about bathtime and singing lullabies. I’m really looking forward to knowing the gender. Also can’t wait to get the guest room emptied so I can make it baby room!!!
What I miss |Knowing I could do things like ride roller coasters and go wind surfing if I wanted to. I know that’s random but it’s sounded so fun lately. As well as skydiving and other crazy things. Also I miss curling my hand into a fist without the pain of swollen fingers. :P