19 weeks

How far along:  19 weeks  (1.8.15)

Total weight gain/loss: 7 lbs

Maternity clothes:  maternity shirts are definitely more flattering to my belly, but i'm happy to wear regular shirts too as long as they're long enough.  it's so easy right now to dress the bump, but holy cow do i dread trying to find something to wear on sundays.  this would be easier if it was summer and i could just throw on a different maxi skirt every week.  

Sleep:  my dreams really haven't been that bad lately.  i'm still taking my unisom each night and i love how it knocks me out.  the other day i took it right before we put the kids to bed.  then i was reading my book in bed and literally could not keep my eyes open.  it was 8:30 on the dot.  ; )  last night i woke up around 3 for no apparent reason.  i went to the bathroom just because and then it took me a bit to fall back asleep.  not at all bad though.  i try to fall asleep on my side but i know i move around a ton while i sleep and spend a good amount of time on my belly (with one leg up to prop up my belly a bit) and i always, without fail, wake up on my back each morning.  i think i sleep on my back for the last hour or two and always have memories of feeling my baby kick.  it's a mostly sleepy, but somewhat awake dreamy sort of state where i'm aware of the sun rising and that i'm on my back and i have my hands on my belly to feel by baby.  i really love it.  also, i've been waking up around 7:30 lately but some mornings as late as 8:30.  i always wake up feeling well rested and excited for a new day.  hallelujah for this!  i'm positive this is the most sleep i've ever gotten on a regular basis, especially at such regular and consistent hours.  even as an eight year old, i stayed up later than this and got less hours.  but this whole getting at least 10-12 hours of sleep and waking up naturally and well rested at 7:30am?  a 100% new concept for me... i never thought this was actually attainable by a real person.

Best moment this week:  i can't say that there's been one moment or thing in particular, but it's been a good week.  

Movement:  i'm loving it.  even though so much of what i feel is terribly uncomfortable...  it's the same as last week.

Food cravings:  i have probably eaten several pounds of sugar this week.  it's not that i crave it so much as i just think about it and it's already there at my fingertips.  i finished off the box of see's chocolates, finished the box of enstrom's toffee, and start to finish downed the box of my mom's chocolates... which i felt really bad about last night when honey asked where they were and looked so heartbroken when i gave him the look that they were gone.  he was incredulous.  "how did you already finish them?!  it was nearly full two days ago!!!"  i still feel bad.  anyways, food is starting to sound super amazing to me, but when i think about it, i just want it right that second... not in an hour or two.  we went out to texas roadhouse on friday night with my mother in law and nate and mark and my steak was to die for.  so was the corn and honey's potato soup that i ate all of and even mark's salad that i finished off for him.  we went out monday afternoon to chili's (we met honey to go to the visa place for pictures and paperwork and stuff and thought we'd grab a little lunch with a giftcard) and i got a chicken alfredo pasta that was wonderfully creamy.  they messed up and added cajun seasoning when i'd asked them to leave it off but i ate as much as i could handle anyways (mostly the outside and underneath noodles with no spicyness on them) but the server was so apologetic about it and offered to bring me something else.  i asked for a small salad (salads have sounded sooo appealing lately (but only with crunch lettuce... not spinach salads like i normally prefer) and it was great.  and she ended up not charging us at all for my pasta so that was a pleasant surprise.  and that night, honey and i went out for a VIP night at a bad daddy's (burger restaurant chain his clients are doing) opening in aurora and i chose a create your own burger.  it was great.  i did a regular burger and bun with white cheddar, pineapple, and bacon... with lettuce and tomato and a special sauce.  the sweet potato fries were good but didn't taste a whole lot like sweet potato.  the snickers shake sample they brought was good but i didn't like the chunks of peanuts.  the strawberry lemonade was great.  but the very weirdest part of the whole night was that i was craving wings so we chose that for our appetizer.  and i ate two of them and loved it even though they were so spicy, my lips were about to burn off (i have zero tolerance for spicy).  there was just something about the tender, saucy chicken with crispy skin and cool and creamy dressing...  it wasn't necessarily a pregnancy craving (i would have survived just fine without wings), but it's definitely something i wouldn't have eaten had i not been pregnant.  there's only one place i've ever loved wings and it was this restaurant we went to a few times when honey was selling alarms in pittsburgh.  at no other time have i really desired wings.  anyways...that was a lot of eating out for us (it was all free with giftcards and VIP credit otherwise we wouldn't have) in a short amount of time, especially considering we'd just gotten back from costa rica where almost all of our meals were eaten out, but it's nice not to cook or clean up and even nicer to see a whole slew of options, pick one, and be able to eat it within ten minutes.  y'know what's been absolutely amazing lately?!  eggs on toast.  that is hands down, the most delicious part of my day.  every day.  i think about food and eating all the time and i know it's only going to get worse.  also, my body doesn't ever feel full for satisfied.  i just have to tell myself to stop my meals after a normal amount of food because i know seconds or thirds isn't going to help at all.  i'm not necessarily hungry all the time... my body just feels like it needs to be eating all the time.  as i've been writing this post, i've been eating costco sugared mangos and baby carrots with hummus.

Symptoms: occasional nausea, occasional headaches 

Gender:  i'm going to be floored if this is a boy.  i'm excited at the possibility of getting to dress up a little girl (since abigail has major clothing preferences and chooses most of her outfits) again, but having a boy would be so wonderfully convenient and so fun for brady so i'm kind of torn.  it'll be a win either way.

What I miss:  being able to stand up straight in the morning and being able to bend over and/or pick up my kids without trouble.  this doesn't have anything to do with pregnancy (i think it's an inflamed disc in my back or something?) but i definitely miss it.  it's been going on for almost two months... holy cow.  in my head during the day, i feel like i'm bending over weird because i'm pregnant and have a big belly, but then i have to remind myself that it's actually just because i'm in so much pain and soon enough things are going to get really tricky with my mobility...

Milestones:  the last week of not knowing what we'll be having!  hopefully...  ; )
Theme: the week of constantly stuffing my face with chocolate and sugar
What's different this time around:  i still get morning sickness if i'm not careful.  so i'm being super careful about taking my vitamins and unisom/b6 every night.  

Extra:  i'm trying to work through the clutter and mess that has built up the past several months and it's kind of overwhelming.  there are piles of misc papers, toys, etc, in my bedroom, bathroom, closet, kitchen island, laundry room, etc.  everywhere i look, there's crap!  and now i'm trying to undo months of neglect.  yesterday i cleaned out my car (it's never been that disgusting ever ever ever) and did a few loads of laundry.  i felt accomplished except that i looked around and realized how i'm just barely scratching the surface.  sigh.  so i'm trying to press forward while i'm feeling good!

1.9.15 at 19 weeks 1 day

1.9.15 at 19 weeks 1 day