22 Weeks

22 weeks down! Finally showing some major progress as my belly has pretty much officially "popped" out and the scale is showing some weight gain.  I'm viewing all of this as a major positive considering I'm entering my 6th month of pregnancy soon.  It's also kind of a reality check that I need to get my rear in gear when it comes to exercising. 

This weekend I completed my 5th out of 6 classes toward my Certificate.  Only one more to go! This means that because half my weekend was spent in class, I spent the rest of it catching up on laundry and cleaning up the house.  Didn't have much time for any additional baby stuff this weekend.  Joey has been hard at work on our labyrinth of a backyard and there is some major progress going on back there that I should really devote an entire post to.  Also speaking of the yard, I don't know if you remember this post about Grandmother Willow, but it seems as though she has pulled through:

She's ALIIIIIVE (can't say the same for the grass)

Date: April 7, 2014

How far along? 22w (Baby is the size of a papaya)

Papaya. Just in case.

 How is Mama doing? Same old same old! Starting to do some more research on things like child care (woof) and signed up for a tour of Labor and Delivery at the hospital for next month. Also starting to read articles about labor for the first time. Of course it's scary but it's just part of the ride so I'm just going along with it. Not much I can do about that now anyway ;)

Weight Gain: As mentioned above, my first-thing-in-the-morning-no-clothes weigh in has shown an increase in +1.5.  Makes sense as baby should be nearing the 1 pound mark by now!

Sex of the baby: Girly girl. I think I might also take this part out of the survey considering we know what we're having and it's (hopefully) not going to change!

Movement: Lots of movement in the early mornings and evenings/nighttime.  I swore I could see my belly moving the other day but I still can't really feel things on the outside yet.  Book says it should be a week or two before that happens.  Baby sleeps 12-14 hours a day and most of it is while I'm at work (I don't blame you, little one).

Maternity Clothes? After laundry mania (and unpacking our suitcase from Disney... from February...) I found a lot of the maternity clothes that were missing and my wardrobe is back in full function.  I'm struggling now with what to do with my regular clothes since I'm not wearing them at the moment and they are just taking up closet space. I will deal with that next weekend I think.

Pregnancy Fitness: Was able to take advantage of the spring-like weather this week and get outside for several walks with both dogs (Dogs need to be walked separately when I'm by myself. Let's just say Doc is a handful.) I enjoy walking in my neighborhood because it's hilly and Min Pins walk fast, which leads to a pretty solid cardio workout- better than I get with Denise (sorry BFF).  Unfortunately we don't go for a very long distance because Chloe is a little... out of shape...

Passed out after a 20 minute walk...

Symptoms: A little bit of heartburn again this week.  I'm not surprised as my uterus has definitely moved up (1 inch above my bellybutton says the book) and I can hear my stomach gurgling in a place it never was before. Things are already getting cramped in there and we have a lot more growing to do! The heartburn is mild and goes away with a couple of tums. Hoping it stays that way. 

Tons of back pain this week too :( Mostly upper back, but this morning I woke up with lower back pain as well.  Glad we have the massage roller from running.

Also dealing with some gas pain.  Not pleasant or ladylike.  I've felt like a giant balloon over the past couple of days and I'm not deflating :(

Belly Button: Innie

Stretchmarks?  No new but starting to worry as my belly starts to grow. I know stretch marks are a natural part of pregnancy and are also hereditary, so I'm expecting some new zebra stripes.  Doesn't make it any easier though :(

Nutrition/Cravings? Still not loving meat but forced down a few bites of steak last night so I can get my iron.  Didn't have any cravings although one night last week I did suggest Thai food for dinner. Maybe these ARE cravings although for me, I don't feel as if the world will end if I don't eat such and such food RIGHT NOW. So. Either cravings are all overrated or I'm just not there yet.

I also had a random freakout last week (as I do about once every 2-3 weeks) where I started worrying about something and googling and finally ended up emailing my doctor.  I have been eating PB & J almost every day when I'm at work for lunch.  I read some articles about women who eat a lot of peanut butter might increase their child's chance for an allergy.  Then I read some articles that said the exact opposite.  Now I'm just confused.  Haven't heard back from the Dr. yet on that one.

Sleep: Got me a new body pillow this weekend (it's not a pregnancy pillow but it's a start).  It's honestly really annoying to have in the bed. Maybe I just need to get used to it (or get a bigger bed).

Looking Forward To:  Maybe this is lame but we're going to an open house this weekend to kick off the "Great Day Care Search of 2014". I'm looking forward to it because I have no idea what to expect and even though it's going to drain my bank account, it'll be fun to check out the places where Little Miss could be spending her time when she's not with me or her Dad.

What I miss: Can I write about cold lunch meat again? I miss it. 

Doc/Chloe: They sure do love to snuggle up to my belly.  I've started pushing them off a little bit. I don't know why I'm afraid they are going to squish her... she's surrounded by tons of cushioning.  OH this reminds me that I'm keeping a list of irrational things I have worried about and I plan to share it sometime after the baby is born. Should be entertaining.

Other: When I talk about the "book", I'm referring to "What to Expect When You're Expecting" which while I'm not using it as my pregnancy bible, has come in quite handy with following along week-by-week and learning about what's going on in there.  I realize that everything in this book is not the law, though, which is why I go to my doctors for advice on my major concerns and questions.

22 Week Pic: Ok, it's not quite 22 weeks as I took it on Friday, but I like this outfit better than what I'm wearing today ;)  I wasn't kidding about the belly was I?!