18 weeks

Do you like my fake smile here? Doesn't it just scream "hurry up husband and take a good photo!"?

No? How about this one:

**Since tomorrow is 19 weeks, I figured I would get this up here. The photo has been holding it up until now...even though it was taken last week, the memory card and I seem to never be in the same place at the same time. Will add later. **


Nausea
Gone, gone, gone

Skin 
Doing a-ok

Weight/Clothes
Doing ok - I think. The whole breathing/eating thing is being impacted by the organ shift that occurs during pregnancy. My clothes are still doing ok and I can still make most dress pants work with a belly band. I have been trying to invest in some cute things that will work for Spring and Summer both while preggo and postpartum.


P.S. I found these links to be super helpful in showing just how squishy everything gets inside during pregnancy. Interactive diagrams! Woot!


http://www.umm.edu/pregnancy/000088.htm
http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/your-beginning/make-room-for-baby/interactive/


Cravings/Aversions 
Meh. Not so much. I just can't eat a lot. See stomach being squished above. I suspect that the height of my uterus may be higher up than most books/sites are saying at this point, mainly because it usually rests in a higher spot to begin with.


Mainly at this point I am disinterested in food. I don't know what sounds good half the time, but healthy stuff is appealing again to me, so I am trying to stick to that.

Cramps/Pain
Random stuff here and there, stretching, pulling, etc. I ordered a prenatal yoga DVD and fully intend on getting a real schedule of workouts going, so hopefully that will stretch and ease muscles.

Sleeping
Difficult. 


Rampant heartburn is making things uncomfortable. I am popping Tums like they are candy at night before bed. I had never had one before being pregnant - I don't think they taste all that bad. I just have to make sure to not spill any on the bed because the dog is SUPER interested in whatever I am eating.


I also am generally just sleeping lightly. I wake up about 6-8 times per night, sigh and try to go back to sleep. Lame. I am trying to bank sleep before this baby gets here!


Mental State
Still enjoying being pregnant, though the resurgence of energy has made me kick into full out planning mode. 


We are planning and trying to purchase some things...but how can you do that when most things that moms and dads live or die without depends on the baby and their preferences...who won't be here until I actually.need.the.thing. Gah! Driving me to minor insanity. 


(p.s. minorly = not recognized by merriam-webster, but majorly is. Though they are both slang. Curious.)


Being a lifelong, semi-professional procrastinator makes this whole thing even more hard to comprehend. What do you mean there is no deadline? I mean, I have a due date, but how accurate is that? Self imposed deadlines do not work for me usually, because I know that it is an arbitrary date picked by me as a motivator...sigh. But, I am trying to fight against it this time! We shall see, we shall see.


Also, pregnancy brain seems to have dissipated in terms of forgetting things, but is in full force in the sense that I can think about little else than preparing and planning while possible. Other things are seeing to slip by the wayside, as is the ability to talk about anything else, though I am putting a concerted effort forth not to be too wrapped up in myself. Selfishness = not cute. 

Heartburn

See above. Ugh. Tums are my friend.

Nasal Issues

Better and better.

The Girls

Still doing fine. No weird leaks yet.

Fetal Movement

Sporadic at best. Sometimes I feel things every couple of hours and other times only when I really, really concentrate on it. Still so faint, but definitely there.

18 weeks, 6 days along

...and I will be providing a more current update soon... like tomorrow. It's a good thing I decided to go this route instead of a typical pregnancy journal - there is no way I would have stuck to that.