Poppin'

Week 17 brought a big ol' belly pop. It's 100% apparent that I'm pregnant now, which I love because I don't feel like I look so fat! I did finally invest in some new clothes: a couple pairs of jeans and some non-maternity shirts that are cute but and should see me through most of my pregnancy. It's amazing what a little wardrobe update did for my feeling of cuteness. I went from feeling totally frumpy to kinda cute. 

Physically, I am feeling pretty great almost all of the time with very few food aversions left over from the first trimester! I even have started adding some decaf lattes into my morning mix, which if you know me means that I am getting back to normal ;)

The only big news is the upcoming ultrasound...a couple more weeks until we find out the gender. I am SO MUCH MORE IMPATIENT this time around for some reason. I feel pretty different than I did last time, so I'm putting my money on a boy! I just want to know. Now.

Not many symptoms except for hiccups!

How amazing is a non-maternity shirt with strategically-place buttons for belly growth!?

Side Photos Are Mandatory

To sum up my week....POP! Because that's what my belly did! I'm pretty enthralled with it on most days, to be honest with you all. And so are most other people. It's kind of strange to have random people ogling my body part, but totally less weird when I think of how many baby bumps I stared down in the last three years.

I am starting to feel pregnant again after the little break between week 13's nausea and now, but in very different ways. I have noticed that I get dehydrated a lot quicker than normal, so I am trying hard to consume a lot of water. The peeing sometimes stands in my way. Twice this week I ended up with a headache which I know was from dehydration.
Another thing I have noticed is an increased amount of swelling in my hands and legs by the end of the day, especially if I haven't had enough fluids. I thought that came later in pregnancy!?
And last, but not least...it is definitely harder to haul my own body around than it ever has been. I don't know if it's me being out of shape...quite likely since exercise has been scarce. But I'm also starting to think maybe it's just the extra weight I'm carrying around that is making the difference. I don't think I'm way over the weight gain curve, but I do think I have put on more than the necessary amount. I have been back to my normal eating habits since the nausea ended, so not really sure what all of this gain is about. No one told me I was going to pack on so many pounds in the butt area ;) Oh well, all in the name of the sweet baby growing in my uterus, right?

"I'm an onion-sized babe!"