WEEK 18

I know the photos overlap the sidebar, but oh well!

How far along? 18 Weeks

Total weight gain? 4 lbs as of my last appointment - we have another appointment week 19.

Maternity Clothes? I am not necessarily wearing maternity clothes. If you look at most, they are frumpy and ugly. I mean who designs these things? Even Jessica Simpson and Heidi Klum's maternity lines are slightly awful and seem geared toward mid-30s. Luckily, I love Target! Target has a whole line of really cute ribbed tanks and regular tanks, and fitted shirts that are all SUPER LONG and comfy! Needless to say, I bought about 20 some odd shirts from Target. Their tanks even have cute designs too, long enough to cover my growing bump and unbuttoned pants. hehe

Stretch Marks? None. Thank goodness!

Sleep: Sleep is GREAT! I have been sleeping like a rock.

Best moment this week: Well last week I got to feel the baby and this week Henry got to feel the baby!!! It is wonderful every night us laying together, trying to be as quiet as possible, Henry's hand pressed against my belly and feeling the little movements and flutters. It's my favorite part of the day. <3

Miss Anything? Take a wild guess.....ALCOHOL! And ordering my steaks and prime rib medium-rare. I have actually stopped ordering most red meat, other than burgers, because I can't stand them well-done. Takes all the flavor out and feels like I am eating rubber. 

Movement: YES!! Refer to Week 17 for my first experiences with movements. This week Henry got to feel the baby move, as stated in the "Best moment of this week". I feel subtle little flutters, mostly on the left side, especially at night. 

Food cravings: Fruit. Fruit. Oh, and Fruit. Anything lemon this week is my addiction. I have made two batches now of homemade strawberry infused lemonade. YUM! Henry loves it too.

Anything making you queasy or sick: So I have noticed lately when I eat red meat, it makes me sick later. The sight or thought doesn't make me queasy or sick, but EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I eat it, I get nauseous later in the day. Pork and Chicken it is. 

Gender Prediction: Baby Boy. However, for the first time I really started accepting the fun ideas of having a baby girl. I don't mean to sound awful, but I am team blue all the way. This week though, I saw two little girls riding around in this Barbie Corvette my sister and I use to have, and then Instagram photos of all these little ballet recitals. Oh how I would love to have a little ballerina princess! haha

Labor Signs: Too soon

Symptoms: Baby bump is the most obvious. The best symptom ever, baby movements! Then there is the hair and nails growing like crazy. 

Belly Button in or out? Innie

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. This has been an amazing preggo week!

Looking forward to: Reveal Party and more baby movements!!!

Baby Names? Still have to be Henry the 3rd for a boy. Ok Adaleine, the one we thought we were settled on has officially been scratched off the list. No way, Jose. The new names, as seen on the board, are Coraline, Heidi, Claire, Adelaide, and Hayden (couldn't fit this one on there).  Thinking about having friends and family vote at the Reveal Party. 

Thoughts: It is an amazing bonding experience getting to feel the baby move with Henry. I am thankful the time between me feeling it and him feeling it was so short. He is really "involved" with this pregnancy, which sounds odd to say. You read all these things about how the dad doesn't really get to bond or get involved until the baby is born. Henry is rare I guess? He loves talking to the baby, putting his hand on my belly whether it's laying in bed together, driving in the car, sitting watching TV or just walking around town. He gives the baby and my belly a lot of attention that I don't hear a lot of other women admit to or talk about. The best is laying there together and hearing him say, "I felt that!.....And that!". He is going to be such an amazing dad. I can't wait until we get to kiss all those little fingers and toes!

**NEW** About the Board: I have a lot of people asking me how I get my board the way I do, inspiration, chalk, font, etc. So, I decided to add this section each week. I always use Crayolas Sidewalk Chalk for big lettering, then Staples brand writing chalk for finer lettering or outlining. Plus, sidewalk chalk has SO MANY COLORS! However, this week was 100% sidewalk chalk. I wet the board down with a damp rag, and then write away. It makes the colors go on bolder/thicker when it's a bit wet.
Then when editing I increase the "saturation" to make the colors even more bold.
The fonts this week are: Desdemona, Academy Engraved LET, and Harrington.
I pull up word, type what I want in the fonts chosen, then eyeball it onto the chalkboard. :-)

**NEW** Pregnancy/Maternity Fashion: Again, another question I keep getting.
This is post-working out so forgive the outfit. The fold-over yoga pants are Victorias Secret, and then the tank top is a regular tank top from Target. Their tank tops are UH-MAZING! Super long, super cheap too!