21 Weeks

(I think I've finally *popped*. Belly seems a lot bigger this week, and I feel like I truly look pregnant. I finally also feel far enough along to embrace this, and am feeling a lot less self conscious)

And, because comparisons are fun (and I stumbled upon this when I was looking for pictures from our San Diego trip) a comparison shot in the same shirt from, I think, 12 weeks. 

 
(Just a *little* bigger :) )

Thankfulness: I am so thankful for our healthy baby boy! Getting to see our little one on the ultrasound Tuesday and hear that all was well in there was incredible. It feels so much more real now that we know "who" is in there. 

I'm also thankful that Ed and I had a great weekend escape to San Diego last weekend. We had a wonderful time appreciating being near a natural body of water (and some relatively temperate weather), eating lots of amazing food, and enjoying "December Nights" at Balboa park. 

(Samosas at a hole in the wall indian place in Point Loma)

(Sunrise from the balcony of our room)

(Downtown San Diego view from the hotel)

Our lovely room

Great harbor view!

Our indulgences of choice - cream puffs and Martinellis :)

Breakfast at the Fig Tree Cafe

Banana Fosters french toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. So good, we brought my parents back the next day).

Art festival at December Nights

Enjoying a food truck dinner

Free admission into museums!

Quick visit to see the ocean

Baby Evan hearing waves for the first time!

How Far Along?  21 weeks! And less than a week until I hit 5 months. How did that happen?!? Life is flying by, and it's wonderful

Size of the Baby? A pomegranate. Baby appears to have grown 4 inches, but it's just because I think we're officially switched over to measuring from heels to head (instead of from his tush). At the ultrasound on Tuesday, they estimated he weighed 12 ounces, so I'm guessing that he's a bit more than the 12.7 average. Measuring right on track, though! 

Sleep? I've sort of accepted the fact that my body can sleep pretty well for 6-7 hours, but then insists on waking up. I've woken up at 4:50 most of the mornings this week, but I'm learning how to not stress about it. I slept great last night, but that was because we stayed up until almost midnight (felt so rebellious!) so it still ended up being a bit less than 7 hours total. At our group midwife meeting, they said that pregnant women sleep more deeply for less time than normal people, so I'm trying to keep that in mind as well. 

Eating? I had one day this week where I got a crazy hot flash in the morning and really thought I was going to be sick (right at the beginning of work, so that was fun), but otherwise stomach has been pretty good. This section should probably now focus on how I'm eating healthy, so I suppose I should really start doing that. I have been good about trying to get in some healthier foods like lentil curry and smoothies, but I've still had way too much chocolate/junk food. That really needs to get fixed so that I can keep my health goals. 

Exercise: I'm fairly happy with what I accomplished, all things considered. Two "runs" and even a swim! Swimming felt great, and I was happy to take advantage of the hotel pool. Only got in 4 days, but it was such a busy week, I'm glad I got that much. 

Best Moment? No surprise, seeing our boy! His official name is Evan Thomas, and we couldn't be more in love. The moment where we found out was exactly like I had hoped, and so incredibly special. It was also amazing just to see him again, and see how much he's grown. He really looks like a little baby now! 

(sharing one more time, for good measure :) ). 

Milestones: Being in the 2nd half of pregnancy feels great, and having a healthy and successful anatomy scan feels like such a critical step. It finally feels like it's time to start preparing! We bought our first set of a dozen cloth diapers last night, which was exciting. We're going with BumGenius, which get great reviews and seem pretty user friendly. This is Ed's favorite pattern:

(the aptly named "Albert" style)

Another milestone of sorts is that I got my due date changed!! I don't know if anyone remembers, but there has been a discrepancy between the doctor due date and my "real" due date (based on actual data/facts rather than a standard formula). The OB I was originally seeing refused to change it, even when my dating ultrasound validated my date. Well, now that I'm with midwives, things are different. The one I met with, who was very nice, agreed that we definitely wanted to change it to give the baby as much time to cook as possible. So, my new (old) due date is April 29th! I'll still be going with the updates on Fridays, but just know that I'll have 4 *bonus* days at the end of week 39 :). Anything we can do to keep from having to be induced is a huge gain in my book, so this makes me super happy. 

Mommy Update: As I mentioned on Thursday, this week has been incredibly hectic and pretty stressful at times, just trying to fit everything in. I'm really hoping to get my feet back under me this weekend. It's nice to feel like I am far enough along that I am supposed to look pregnant, and that I probably do look pregnant to others. I do need to start on our to-do list of scheduling childbirthing classes, booking a hospital visit, etc. So many things I put off because we had so much time, but suddenly we're 19 weeks out and there's a lot to do!

Baby Update:  Evan (yay! I can use a name!) should be starting to settle into patterns with movement and sleep, and I should be feeling more distinct kicks soon. I did find out I have an anterior placenta, which is why all the movements have so far been pretty light, but hopefully I'll start to feel more soon. He can taste what I'm eating through the amniotic fluid (hope he likes curry!). Evan now is also experiencing REM sleep and could even be dreaming in there. He's also gaining some fat! So many happy changes :)


Linking up!