23 weeks

How far along: 23 weeks

Baby’s size: A bunch of grapes??  Seriously??  That seems more than a little ambiguous...  Thankfully, I was also able to find that the baby is about the size of a chinchilla, so that clears things up...

Total weight gain / loss: +19.2 ("Bunch of grapes" may be a really vague size, but I'm almost positive I've never seen a 19 pound bunch of grapes, which leads us all to of course wonder where the rest of that is going... womp womp)

Maternity clothes:  Almost always... still able to stretch the school t-shirts over my belly on Fridays for now though!

Stretch marks: None yet (fingers crossed)

Sleep: When I'm out, I'm OUT.  The only problem I have with sleep right now is that I can't seem to get enough of it!

Loving: Knowing that baby can hear sounds pretty well by now.  I've started playing music when I get ready in the morning.  The other day, Mike tried talking nice and loud to baby, and got two firm kicks "hello" in reply.  :)

Loathing: Chores.  I don't want to cook, clean, or do laundry.  So sometimes I don't...

Missing: We went to Bobby McKey's dueling piano bar for Lara's birthday last weekend, and it was SO much fun - I was really wishing I could take part in the drinkery though!  I settled on splurging on a chocolate milk instead.  They delivered, but I wonder if the waitress has ever actually had someone order a chocolate milk before (it's a 21 and over only bar) ... her look told me probably no... ;)

Movement: Baby Deal's kicks and flips are getting steadily stronger and more regular - there's definitely no more wondering "was that the baby??" - which is really fun.  Still not strong enough to be felt from outside the belly (much to Mike's disappointment), but I think we may be getting there soon.  

Cravings: Medium rare steak - because I can't have it.  Milk - because it is a miracle instant cure for heart burn.  Our gallon of milk used to last about 2 weeks until the expiration date, when I often used to have to end up dumping the rest when it would go bad.  Now I'm CRUSHING a gallon a week.

Aversions: Fish. Sushi.  Ew.  So funny that these were cravings earlier in my pregnancy.  Seriously this grosses me out now.

Labor signs: Hell to the no.  It has crossed my mind though that I am far enough along now that there are technically miracle preemie babies who have been born at this stage and survived - amazing.  It's like - a real, live little human in there.

Symptoms: Heart burn, exhaustion, sore feet and achy back and hips after a long day.  Pregnancy brain:  I made this delicious beef and broccoli crock pot meal yesterday, and get a text from Mike while I was at yoga asking if I knew the crock pot wasn't plugged in.  "Yes, babe, it's the latest fad in crock pot cooking trends.  You let your raw food sit at room temperature on the counter all day and then do a quick flash cook of your spoiled food on high for a few minutes when you get home before you serve it up!"  We went to Red Robin for dinner...

Exercise:  Yoga twice a week (I almost missed last night because of a brief moment on the couch where I was just going to "rest my eyes for minute" - we know how that ends - but I managed to get my butt up and run to class about 5 mins late, and I'm glad I still went).  I also went with a short jog/walk with Mike on Tuesday when it was really beautiful out.  Oh, and I walked up the stairs in my school one day this week (trust me - it counts).

Belly button: Same as always. Edit: I was trying on maternity clothes with Jessica and she pointed out that my belly button IS in fact changing and looking more stretched out, or as she put it (repeatedly), "Oh my God! I can't stop looking! It looks so WEIRD!" Thanks, Jess, I get it.  Gotta love sisters - no holding back! (To be fair, I would do the same to her). ;) 

Wedding rings: Well, I said before that they've always been loose... hmmm, seems to be fitting pretty well today when I just looked down to check it when answering this question.

Mood: Do you mean my mood when I think about the fact that the weekend is here?  Fantastic!  My mood when I find out my crock pot meal has to be thrown away?  Pretty crummy.  My mood when I watch Simone Biles perform a stellar floor routine? Blissful.  

Husband: Is starting to get really protective over things like me lifting even semi-heavy-not-really-so-heavy things.  Which is really cute.  But sometimes annoying.  ;)

Can't wait for:  My prenatal massage tonight!  Hubby gave me a gift card for Christmas that I finally scheduled and these tired, achy muscles seriously CAN'T WAIT!

22 weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

Baby’s size: Spaghetti Squash (those things are freakin' BIG!)

Total weight gain / loss: +18.4

Maternity clothes: I've been stocking up, but did manage to strettttchhh a school t-shirt on this morning - don't think that will be possible much longer!

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Mostly good

Loving: Really feeling truly pregnant and starting to feel more of a connection to baby as it gets bigger.

Loathing: The discomfort that's starting to set in.  Being in one position too long really starts to make my back, shoulders and hips hurt.  Time to book a prenatal massage! ;)

Missing: Medium rare steak.

Movement: I can definitely identify the difference between baby and tummy growls now haha.  They are still pretty far and few between though - I feel baby move maybe once a day, often a few days between though.

Cravings: Milk and ice cream.  They soothe my acid reflux better than anything else (and - yum - I can't help it if baby loves ice cream)

Aversions: Fish :(

Labor signs: Nope

Symptoms: Heartburn, being very tired (who the hell told me 2nd trimester was supposed to be a boost of energy!?!?), achy back and hips, BABY BRAIN -- The other night I was getting changed into a sleep tee, sweats and slippers for bed and had already laid them out in front of me; I started changing and got lost in thought... when I finished changing I looked down and realized I was in my sleep tee and dressy-ish black flats (which had been right next to my slippers), totally pantless.  Ummmm yeah, pretty sure that's not what I intended to actually wear to bed - Mike of course got a fashion show before I changed again though.

Exercise: Yoga and prenatal workout DVDs 

Belly button: Still there :)

Wedding rings: No change

Mood: Same as every week; overall good, but easily moved to emotion

Husband: Rubs my back and feet when I need it :)

Can't wait for:  When the baby flutters turn into real kicks and nudges - although I may regret that soon when I'm getting jabbed in the ribs all the time.

21 weeks

How far along: 21 weeks

Baby’s size: Length of a banana 

Total weight gain / loss: +17.2 (gahh im only halfway through!!!)

Maternity clothes: Yes, and just splurged on a little online shopping as I realized I'm now wearing the same things pretty much on repeat on like a 5 day cycle!

Stretch marks: None yet!  Belly is definitely stretching though - I feel like it gets bigger every day!

Sleep: I slept pretty good at nights this week. I hit a hump after school pretty much every day where I'm exhausted, but have been trying to fight through it without a nap so that I can sleep well at night.

Loving: Honestly, it's even more fun knowing the gender and having people try to guess or get it out of me than I thought! ;)

Loathing: Last night's salmon dinner.  I love fish, particularly salmon.  It was cooked perfectly.  Made it almost half way through before thinking I was going to absolutely vom if I took another bite.  I finished my veggies and traded the fish in for a bowl of ice cream - oops! :)

Missing: Energy.  I really want my energy back!

Movement: I've definitely felt that strange vibration of early movements a few times now.  Although I can better identify what it is when I feel it now, they are pretty few and far between - maybe every couple days.  When complaining that I want to feel the baby more, Mike told me to be careful what I wish for and assured me it's a sign of a calm, easy baby, so here's to hoping he's right! lol

Cravings: Food.  All the time.  Ice cream (Sweet Frog in particular).

Aversions: Delicious, perfectly cooked salmon apparently.

Labor signs: Nope.

Symptoms: Tired, heartburn (not as bad/often as before though), aching back and hips when laying in one position too long.  Really am mostly feeling good though.

Exercise:  Still keeping up with yoga, and this week I bought a few prenatal workout DVDs to add to my routine - tried the lean lower body one the other day and it was HARD!  Legs were definitely feeling the burn!

Belly button: Still there, still normal.

Wedding rings: No change.

Mood: Mostly good, but those emotions are definitely still there and ready to come out at a moments notice.

Husband: Hung the curtain rods in the nursery this week - it's all coming together and I love it!  He also got his transfer to the reserves officially put through this week - yay!  Now he just has to talk to his new unit to approve his leave for August drill, since he may be a little busy that weekend.  ;)

Can't wait for:  Today I dealt with several student behavior issues in school, so on that note - I can't wait for THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!  Get here soon, June!