20/21 Weeks

First, props to my awesome friend Natalie for taking pictures of me every week with her fancy camera... so much better than what I could get with Jordan taking them in my dark living room with our point and shoot! Second, that first shot my back is arched because I look much larger than I really am. And don't make fun of my pose like Jordan did. I realize I am holding nothing. There is just not a better way to show off the bump unless I wrap my hands around it... otherwise I just look like I have been eating one too many donuts. 

Last week we had our "real" gender ultrasound appointment. Baby boy could not have looked better which was music to my ears! I am not showing very much yet, so there was always that concern looming in the background that he wasn't growing right. However, he is actually measuring 6 days ahead of schedule. I am trying to forget that little fact because I don't expect to deliver early or around my due date... or at least I am trying to tell myself that I am not planning on it.

Cute little nugget

Creepy baby. Funny that we caught him right on and you can see just the one eyeball.

Kicking, punching, wiggling... I can finally feel some solid movements from the little one. I think I could start feeling little flutters at around 14 weeks, but I was never sure if it was just gas. The movements have been getting stronger, but I am the only one who could feel them. About a week ago, we were laying in bed watching a movie and I felt a solid KICK. I had Jordan put his hand on my stomach to feel, but of course he stopped moving. I just sat there watching my stomach for a minute and sure enough, he started kicking so hard that I could actually see my stomach move. As soon as Jordan felt it he said, "What is he doing awake?? It's past his bedtime!" Of course he was just kidding, but it was still pretty funny.

Speaking of bedtimes, I have a fun, new pregnancy symptom - Pregnancy Insomnia. It's the WORST. I can't fall asleep and I can't stay asleep. I don't get how I could be so completely exhausted yet can't sleep! It's so frustrating! I don't have a lot on my mind, I'm not uncomfortable... I just can't fall into a deep sleep. And when I don't get enough sleep, I get other fun symptoms like extreme nausea and headaches.I have been trying to sleep in a little bit, but it's kind of hard when I am supposed to be at work from 8-5.  When I first got pregnant, I realized that my sleeping would be changing when the baby came, but I didn't realize that I was going to be so completely exhausted before the baby even got here! It's crazy to think that I will probably never get to sleep soundly ever again... or at least probably not for the next 20 years. That's kind of tough to swallow.  I am going to try exercising since my only form of exercise right now is my thumbs changing the channel on the remote... but if anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE pass them my way! I am trying to steer clear of taking any sleep aids (although my doc says it's ok) because I don't want to become dependent on them.

Ever since we have been back from Austrlia, I feel like I must be constantly eating. Like to the point of where if I don't eat every 1.5-2 hours, I get terribly sick and start gagging.  I never get hungry, I never get full. I get nauseas so I assume it is time to eat. And if I overeat, I get SUPER bloated and uncomfortable and can't eat for a few hours. Besides eating small, frequent meals, anyone have advice on how to curb that appetite? It's like I have to try to find this impossible perfect amount of food to eat in order to feel good.

I also picked up my first pair of maternity pants. Holy cow, good maternity jeans are hard to come by! I feel like I got the cutest pair I could find (reasonably priced), but since I have been used to designer jeans that fit perfectly, it is hard to go back to jeans from Old Navy that are all bunchy on my bum and sag down. I am going to try to find one of those belly band things, but since my jeans were already kind of tight and worn before I got pregnant, I don't really see the point. And since I will be pregnant in Spring/Summer, I don't want to invest all of my money into pants I will literally only be wearing for like 3 more months!

I probably won't be one of those lucky girls who LOVES being pregnant. But when I feel him kicking, get to see him on the ultrasound or peep into our spare bedroom and see his little bassinet waiting, I am reminded why I thought this was good idea in the first place and know it will all be worth it in the end! I think as time goes on and things start to become more "real" it is easier to get excited.

Besides preparing for baby, there isn't a whole lot going on around here. Work, school and BYU sports pretty much consume our lives. We are very much looking forward to Jordan graduating in April... yet I am a little anxious to see where that is going to take us.