22 Weeks: A Papaya

August 14, 2014

Photo Thoughts:
Baby bump is definitely there!  I think this papaya is freakishly large.  Drowning my belly in stretch mark creams this week. 

How I'm Feeling: Feeling good! The belly is definitely growing, and so I'm starting to feel more "legit pregnant."  I've also started feeling some faint movements (more on that below), and that is so exciting and fun!

Baby/Bump:
Baby boy is the size of a papaya (about 10-11 inches ish).  I'm pretty sure that these measurements have now switched over to including head to feet, whereas before, they were just head to bum.  Also, the papaya I bought seems totally huge to me.  Anyway, back to baby- his face is fully formed now and he is starting to sleep in cycles.  I hope he's smart and makes those sleep cycles happen at night time- fat chance, right? 

I can't figure out how to make this app call my baby a "he" instead of a "she" now

The belly is definitely growing... and quickly now.  It is a little weird though how the size seems to vary by the day or time of day.  Also, certain clothes seem to make it look more bump-y than others (see a super bumpalicious outfit below).  One day this week, I had a dull pain on my belly throughout the day, and I'm guessing they might have been "growing pains."  And then the very next day, in the same spot where I felt that dull pain, I was feeling a strange burning/itching sensation... it almost felt like a sunburn.  And then the next day, I could definitely tell that my uterus had all of a sudden grown to be just above my belly button finally.  So crazy!

Symptoms: Minimal still. I guess the growing pains mentioned above are new. And I'm still dealing with the acne, but now that I was cleared to use some topical medication, things are definitely improving. 

Weight: +2.0.. which takes me to a total of 12.  I'm guessing that with the belly expanding quickly like it has this week, the el beez may start adding up quickly from here on out...

Stretch Marks: None yet (well none that I didn't already have from puberty).  But with the rapid belly growth, I've been slathering on the belly creams.  I know there is no evidence that they really work, but I figure it can't hurt.  The fact that I already have them is a pretty good indicator that I will get them again... but maybe I can at least take an active role in somehow minimizing that...

What I'm Loving: I'm loving feeling a little more like a real pregnant lady now that I finally have a recognizable bump! I'm also love love LOVING feeling some movements finally!

What I'm Stressing About/Worries: The house hunt has gotten super stressful this week.  I must have looked at 20 houses this week.  Just about everyday after work, I would meet our real estate agent to check out some house possibilities.  It's just so frustrating because 1.) everything is SO expensive in this market right now, and 2.) things are moving SO quickly, that by the time you get to see a house, there is often already an application/offer on it.  I'm starting to get pretty worried about our scheduled move out date since we don't yet have anywhere to move TO.  I know it will all work out, but I'm just ready for it to work out NOW. 

What I'm Missing: David was drinking a glass of red wine on the couch next to me last weekend, and the smell of it made me want a glass of my own so badly. 
 
Sleep: Still sleeping really well.  I still have to fall asleep in my "modified stomach position," but each morning I now wake up on my left side.  It's pretty convenient that my body just seems to know that I need to be sleeping that way all on its own.  My hips are starting to hurt some from sleeping in that position.  Counting down the days until we get our king bed from storage so I can get a pregnancy pillow to help with this. 

Exercise: Totally had almost NO time for workouts this week with all the house hunting I've been doing.  Maybe next week...

Movement: Yes! Finally! I had been feeling a few little and faint "gas bubble sensations" for the past week or so, but I wasn't ready to officially label that baby movement... it just seemed a little questionable still to me.  But this week, I felt a few much bigger movements.  On Monday night, I was laying in bed, and I could feel the baby moving.  I put my hand on my stomach, but it was hard to tell if I was feeling the sensation from the inside or if I was actually feeling it through my stomach.  David was on his phone in bed next to me, so I told him to put his hand on my stomach to see if he could feel it.  I felt a movement and asked him if he felt it.  He said, "that was YOU moving!" It wasn't of course, but I told him to wait and sure enough, the baby moved again, and he felt it again.  His face was priceless.  His eyes just got big and he said, "I need to tell him to stop kicking his mom!"  I haven't felt any big movements since then that I can detect from the outside, so I'm glad David got to feel those ones. 

Most of the time the movements still feel like gas bubbles, but sometimes there are bigger ones.  It's hard to describe it, but most of them (as gross as it is to describe it this way) totally do feel like gas bubbles.  I've also felt a few movements that I think might be more like baby rolls, and those feel a lot like when you're on an elevator or a roller coaster and your stomach has that dropping sensation- it makes me feel almost motion sick for a fraction of a second.  Another way I can describe what the movements feel like is that they sometimes feel like a muscle twitch.  It is SUCH a strange sensation, but so totally cool!  I can't wait until he gets stronger and I start to feel bigger, more consistent movements. 

Boy or Girl: Baby BOY!

Highlights of the Week: Baby movement and belly popping!  We also went to a baby shower for our friends Nary and Gerald who are having a baby girl (due just 5 days before us)!  It was fun to see them and compare pregnancy notes!  We also discussed the possibility of an arranged marriage ;-)