Pregnancy Update {22 Weeks}

I've passed the halfway point in the this pregnancy.  With other pregnancies, I remember a sense of panic setting in at 20 weeks, thinking about how much time I had left.  It's different this time. I am determined to enjoy each day that I'm able.  Plus, I've got older kids to keep me busy.  Keeping up with their school and activities doesn't leave me a lot of time for counting down the days.

How far along? 
about 22 weeks

Gender:  

Before the big 20 week ultrasound, I asked for gender guesses on my Facebook page. All seven of us at our house were thinking girl and many of you guessed girl, too.  This is the photo we sent out to some of our family and friends after we found out for sure. 

 

There was no hesitating or wondering.  The tech said, "Let's see if Baby will cooperate...oh, it's a girl!" 

With all of us leaning toward girl, I had almost convinced myself it had to be a boy.  We had come to an easy consensus on a boy name, too.  We are having a much tougher time agreeing on a girls' name.

The ultrasound photo below holds very special meaning, but I'll get to that in another post.

Maternity clothes? 

It's fun to be creative with what I'm wearing.  My belly is not overwhelmingly big (yet) so I'm working with a mixed closet of maternity clothes and stretchy "normal" clothes.  

Sleep: 

Brian and the kids gave me a body pillow for my birthday.  It's not the kind designed specifically for pregnancy.  It's just the long, flexible kind you can find at Walmart or Target, specifically during back-to-college season.  It is so helpful when finding a comfortable sleeping position.  I can lay my head on it, put it between my knees, and push it under my belly for support...all at the same tine.

Feeling:

I feel excellent right now (aside from a head cold I'm battling this week).  I am reveling in the ease of the second trimester.

Movement: 

I started feeling her move around 16 weeks.  By 18 weeks, Brian and the kids could feel her move, too, if they were patient.  Now you can see my belly move from the outside!  

Food cravings:

Still loving my fruits and veggies.  I ate apples with peanut butter for awhile and most recently I've been on an orange kick.  On Monday, I cooked a huge pot of minestrone soup for dinner.  Everyone ate a bowl, though some people only barely choked down the kale.  That's fine with me because now I get leftovers for lunch all week. I'm also looking forward to baking the sweet potatoes I bought at the grocery store.  

My only guilty craving is steak burritoes (or steak burrito bowls) from Chipotle, and I can't even feel too guilty about that.  Quite by accident, I was able to indulge by Chipotle craving twice last week! 
 
Anything making you queasy or sick?

Morning sickness is long in the past so the only things that make me sick are getting too hungry or getting too full.  It's a delicate balance! 

What I miss:    

I miss the option of staying up late.  I rarely did it, but at least I could.  Now I turn into a pumpkin after 10 o'clock at night.

Belly button in or out? 
Out, and trying not to feel self-conscious when it shows through my clothing.
 
Wedding rings on or off?

On, and they are still a little loose.  I hope they stay that way! 

Milestones: 
I've lost my lap! Our cat, Tigger, doesn't mind, though.  He likes to hug my belly.  

Exercise:

I still run about four miles a day, six days a week. I'm so much slower than I used to be, but Brian reminds me that at least I'm out there doing it at all.  I have a 5K race this weekend and my goal is to have fun, not set any speed records.

Contractions:

Not yet.  I expect the Braxton Hicks to start soon.  I think I started feeling them around five or six months when I was pregnant with Alaine. 

Labor signs:  
No, and I hope it stays that way for months to come.

Birth plans:

The midwife practice has grown since my last pregnancy.  When Alaine was born, there were two midwives.  Now there are five!  It's unfortunate that I don't get to know each one as well as I would like, but it's wonderful because there is guaranteed to be a midwife on call when I go into labor.