Week 19

Today starts week 19 of this pregnancy.  I can't believe we're almost at the halfway point... in some ways this pregnancy seems to be flying by, and in others it seems to be going very slowly.  If the baby cooperates we will be finding out the gender in a couple of days.  I'm not even focused on the gender part of the ultrasound right now, I just want to hear that the baby is healthy and thriving in there.  The first half of pregnancy can be so stressful, and even though I've felt a few kicks in the past couple of weeks, nothing is regular and forceful yet like it is at the end of pregnancy.  Once I hear the baby is healthy, I will be ecstatic to find out the gender and start planning names and calling the baby a "he" or "she"... something I was never able to do while pregnant with Jace.  As far as gender, I don't have a really strong feeling for what I think I'm having... I'd say I'm 65/35.  I have had only one gender in my dreams, so maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something because it knows I won't trust my gut instinct consciously.  We'll see.  :)

The baby is about 6 inches long from crown to rump right now, so about the size of a large mango (with legs), and about 8 oz on average.  I've definitely gained more than 8 ounces though!  I've been feeling really good and my appetite is in full swing lately.  I've been craving anything spicy... I can't get enough jalepenos.  I've been obsessing over supersonic breakfast burittos from Sonic, tom yum noodles, fruit, bean burritos, toasted tomato sandwiches, jalepeno cheddar cheetos and rice based casseroles.  The only things that I have aversions to are pizza, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and breaded/fried chicken.  With Jace all I wanted were sweets (pancakes, doughnuts and ice cream), thankfully sweets don't do much for me this time around.

The only negative side effect of pregnancy I've been noticing lately is round ligament pain and some soreness and pressure already, which I hear is pretty normal after you've already been pregnant before.  After a long day on my feet I feel much further along than I am, and my feet will also be swollen.  I've had occasional leg pain as well.  Other than that,  I can't complain... the second trimester is treating us pretty well so far.

I'm definitely not able to fit into my regular jeans anymore, I've been wearing some Seven maternity jeans, and they are amazingly comfortable... but I haven't had any luck with any other maternity jean brands and can't afford ordering more pairs of those that I'm only going to wear for a few more months!  (I got the pair I love for $5 at the thrift store but they cost $200 otherwise)  So other than that I've just been wearing skirts, dresses, leggings or yoga pants.  Depending on the day I will vary between chubby looking and full term.  I think it depends on the position of my uterus, what I'm wearing, and how much I've eaten so far that day.  For example, the pictures below show how in one outfit I just look a little chubby and in the other I look 7 months pregnant!  And yes, I'm making a point to take plenty of belly pictures this time around, since I never really took any with Jace and regret it now.