18 Weeks!

18 weeks! Wahoo-- I remember when I thought I would never be that far along.... 

May 1st-8th

Here is what we have been up to this week:

Weight Gain:  I am sure I gained some weight this week but not sure how much.  It was teacher appreciation week and everyday we were provided with a delicious lunch and tons of desserts from the PTA... pure bliss. this combo with my appetite returning = I'm sure I'm packing the pounds on!

Maternity Clothes : yup

Sleep: noticed the past couple of nights I'm back to not being able to sleep thru the night w/o a bathroom trip; still some abdominal cramps when going to bed, leg cramps before I fall asleep and during the night, and I have noticed its more uncomfie to sleep on the belly (see more below)

Best Moment of this week:  had our 2nd gender ultrasound (@ the doc's office-- the tech was a little odd- and she could not for the life of her see what she wanted.  She didn't know we already found out either hehe.  After nearly punching the pee out of me with the wand trying to "get the baby to move" she finally let me go to the restroom to see if that would give the baby more room.  lets just say it wasn't the best experience.  She kept saying things like, "I think I know but I'm not ready to tell you..." and "this sure is a stubborn baby"... etc.  She finally told us she was 75% sure it was a girl and we were a little relieved.  (still have no idea how we would have reacted if she said, BOY!) haha.  Our little girl looked great, we got to hear her heartbeat that was at 154 (i think). She wasn't too acrobatic this time but she did have her little ankles crossed and had her legs folded under her bottom.  her hands were up by her face again.  She seems to enjoy being like this :) She was just as adorable as always and really to the human eye we didn't think that she looked that different from the week before. 

Movement: She's a movin but I can't feel it.  I found out at the ultrasound that I have an anterior placenta so the tech said I probably won't feel movement until around week 24 ... :( sad day! I also learned that you can not control where the placenta is because where it is, is where your egg attached. I found that very interesting!
 
Food cravings:  Oh yay! I looove food again!! And anything!! and I can eat larger portions!! Specifically I have had a huge sweet/sour tooth and love all things like: sour punch straws, air head extreme sour belts, fruit chews, etc! 

I could probably eat all of these in one sitting... no joke! my kids have caught on to this and made a comment of "are they good for the baby?" and I ensured that the baby too LOOVES them :) they wanted to know how I knew and I told them that if I loved them, then baby loves them too! They got a huge kick out of that! 

What I miss: nothing :)

 

Symptoms: the abdominal stretching/cramping when I'm heading to bed is still there, acne-- OMG sooo bad on my back and my face is even breaking out in the oddest of places- like my cheeks, and the bridge of my nose. this is not fun! I have also noticed that sleeping on my tummy is less comfie.  I have never been a tummy sleeper but I have woken up a couple of nights a little uncomfortable because I was on my stomach so I guess with all the tossing and turning I have been doing I have ended up like that! ha

oh and that vertical line on your belly (whats it called?) is starting to show up on my tummy... 

Gender: have had 2 "gender scans" ... one told us 99% sure it is girl, the other told us 75% sure it is a girl... are we safe to say its a girl now!?

What I'm looking forward to: feeling the little princess moving around :) ...

 Baby bump: 

I think I now am understanding why K doesn't enjoy taking these pictures of me... I had a lot of fun as you will see this week haha...I think I have that energy back and I actually put on makeup for once so I was feeling "pretty" ha... one of those days. (oh and it was my 1st MOTHERS DAY!!... post to follow)... sorry I couldn't choose just one.  :)

I guess I will have all the fun since K wants nothing to do with it ;)

{oh... and I have some bare belly pics but I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet... haha}

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The Baby in Week 18:  Your pregnancy back pain may have you tied up in knots (see below), but your baby's getting ready to bust a move. At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, he now may be large enough for you to feel him twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching his way around the womb. Plus, he's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and his own unique set of toe and fingerprints.

Your Body in Week 18:

Oh, my aching back! If you've uttered those words more than once this week, here's why: Your uterus, now about the size of a cantaloupe, is causing your body's center of gravity to shift, pulling the lower back forward and pushing the abdomen out (so now everyone can see that you’re pregnant!). On top of all that, joint-loosening pregnancy hormones are wreaking havoc on your muscles and ligaments, adding up to one big ouch!