Baby Girl -- Week 21

Well, we've made it to the top of the roller coaster hill and are getting ready to start making the decent back down to the bottom.  21 weeks.  This has been *the longest* pregnancy ever.  Ever! Probably because I've known since the moment of conception (TMI??).  :)

How far along: 21 weeks 6 days

Total weight gain: ??? At my ultrasound last week they took my weight in Kilo's (hello, we're in America here, lets use POUNDS!).  She asked if I wanted it converted and I declined.  Kind of ok being in the dark this go-round.

Maternity clothes: Uh, yea.  For sure.  I still wear my regular, non-maternity comfy shorts and t-shirts around the house - so far my belly doesn't hang out ... yet ... but when that starts happening I'll be ditching those, too.  I don't want my boys seeing 'all that'. 

Stretch marks: Well, I'm not sure.  I mean, yes I have them from my previous 20 pregnancies but have no idea if there are any new ones.  Once in a while I'll decide to slap on some body cream, in case that might help a bit, but that lasts about 2 showers, then I forget again.  

Sleep: Yes please!  Ha ha, I know that's not what I'm supposed to put here but I am still tired all the time.  So the more sleep I can get the better at this point.  At night it's hit or miss - ever since Tate was born I've not slept through the night consistently.  I don't know why, never had that problem after Aiden and Brennan (once they started sleeping through the night).  And so weird, but 5 out of 7 nights I will doze off and wake up at 10:37 EVERY TIME (no lie!!) to go to the bathroom.  I just went not but an hour before that at the most!  Have no idea why it's the exact same time every night. So I go and can fall right back to sleep.  Depending on the week, 3 - 5 nights per week I'll wake up sometime between 1 and 4 to use the bathroom.  If I'm lucky I fall right back to sleep.  But pregnancy insomnia kicks in sometimes and I'll lay awake for 2 or more hours.  It totally stinks.  I don't nap every day, although I'd like to.  I can almost always fall asleep laying on my left side on the couch within 2 or 3 minutes when I do try to nap.  Yesterday, somehow, I napped for over an hour.  Usually it's just 30 minutes or less - I was tuckered out!

Best moment of this week: Telling everyone I know and meet that we are having a girl!  I still have not gotten over the shock!  I posted it on Facebook (duh, have to make it FB official, right!?! And I had to brag! Ha ha!), and we had a bazillion likes and comments - felt so good to see how excited everyone is for us!  Another 'best' moment was shopping for girly clothes with my friend.  I keep going into the closet and looking at all of those sweet outfits!

Miss anything: Raw cookie dough.  No kidding!  I very rarely make cookies, mostly because I'll do nothing but eat them until they are gone, but knowing I can't taste test the dough now kills me and makes me want it ALL.THE.TIME!  Ha ha!  So there's that. :)

Movement: Um, yes!  SHE is super active!  Not all the time, but the times she is she's dancing all over the place in there!  Just this week I was laying in bed and she started going to town.  So I stopped reading my book and watched my belly hoping I'd get to see, not just feel, her move. And then my whole belly bounced!!  Or lurched to the side, however you want to envision it. :)  Loved that!  And then yesterday my sister and I were texting, she asked how I was doing.  I told her I was doing great and so is Little Miss - she's a busy gal.  Here's her reply.

Food cravings: Not really.  I'm definitely eating more junk than I should be because it sounds good but I wouldn't say I've actually craved anything yet.  I remember a friend telling me when she was pregnant she'd send her husband to Subway to get her a Subway Round a few times a week, usually right before they were closing up for the night, ha ha!  Not had any cravings like that.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not anymore.  Back in my first trimester talking about or seeing something gross (like wet hair pulled from the shower drain) would make me gag.  Or hearing someone grossly clearing their throat would make me gag.  But now I'm pretty much over that.

Have you started to show yet: Ha ha ha!!!  YES!  And over the past week I've really popped out! There is no question, this is a pregnant belly, not just one that's holding too much food in it!  

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL!!!  Still is so surreal!  

Labor signs: No way, Jose!  Too early for any of that nonsense!

Belly button in or out: In, but totally stretched out.  Don't touch it or you'll lose a finger!  It's so super sensitive now!

Wedding rings on or off: Off. :(  I haven't worn my wedding rings since about week 15.  I think I still could but it's super hard to get them off and that worries me, so I just took them off for the rest of the trip.  I have a fake ring but it's a half-size too big and always spins, which drives me nuts, so I just go commando on my left ring finger.  Hate not having a wedding ring on, I worry what people will think.

Happy or moody most of the time: Totally moody, it's driving Andy insane!  I will be super duper happy then all of a sudden bam!  I'm p.o'd and letting people (my husband) know it!  I've mentioned I have road rage before but it's at a whole new level now.  People I normally like I can't stand to be around.  Music drives me insane - what happened to all the good stuff?  Any change sends me into a fit.  Throw in crying almost daily and I'm pretty much a basket case!

Looking forward to: Holding and meeting this sweet baby girl.  Gosh I can't wait to hold her!  18 weeks to go, I can make it!  You know it's funny, with my other pregnancies I didn't find out the gender so I wasn't nearly this antsy to meet the baby.  I loved (and still do) being pregnant so was in no hurry to get through it.  But now that I know I am going crazy having to wait!  Isn't that funny?!?  I am fairly certain I would feel the same way if this were a boy. You'd think it'd be the other way around - not knowing the sex would make me want to hurry the pregnancy along so I could find out, but it never affected me that way.  Sigh.  She'll be here before I know it so I need to remember to take my time, enjoy the pregnancy and continue to get things ready for her.

Symptoms/Side effects:  Well, heartburn, to name one. With Tate it started at week 11 and I eventually went on a prescription antacid.  This time it started somewhere around week 15/16, and it's not as bad.  Usually if my tummy is super empty I'll notice it.  And a lot of time after 9:00 at night, until I fall asleep. So far Tums still take care of it.  I haven't noticed that any one type of food starts it - I had jalapeno poppers 2 weeks ago for Aiden's birthday and they didn't affect me at all.  So I think I can mark 'spicey food' off the list of culprits.  Honestly, sometimes drinking water brings it on - how strange is that!?!

Next week I have my regular monthly check up.  I'm going to do my first glucose test, which is about 4 - 6 weeks early compared to most pregnancies, but since I have a history of Gestational Diabetes my OB wants me to checked sooner than later.  Better to get it under control early than to wait.  Fingers crossed I don't have GD and fingers crossed I don't have another 10lb+ baby!  I'm worried I'll be looking down the barrel of a c-section if I have GD, something I absolutely do NOT want to have.

Ok, Sweet Baby Girl, keep growing in Mommy's tummy - get stronger and bigger and healthier and I'll see you in 18 weeks!  Funny how I can miss you although I've never even met you.  But I do, Little Lady, I miss you!  And, I love you!