17 Weeks Pregnant

I feel SO. DAMN. PREGNANT.

Baby is almost 5 inches long!

I can't imagine what 30 weeks will feel like; I think my waddle has already started.
Baby is kicking regularly now and forcing me to eat things I usually don't EVER eat (my Wendy's cheeseburger was delicious, thank you) just in order to get through the day. About 10 minutes after giving into my cravings baby does a happy dance in my belly to let me know that the craving has been sated.
I gave up on the guilt that came along with my cravings yesterday for once and for all after having Jimmy Johns (with heated meat) for the second day in a row. It comes down to feeling sick the entire day and possibly puking versus eating something that I didn't intend to eat and feeling fantastic the rest of the day. I'll take the latter... especially when I only gained 1 or 2 pounds in the last 5 weeks. I think I'm looking pretty good! And we've come a long way from me not being able to eat anything.

A side note that I think is adorable:
Last night I told Shawn that the baby can see light through his/her eyelids (which are shut now) and suggested we use a flashlight to play with baby while it was in there moving around and awake. The baby should reflexively roll away from the light... well, baby went crazy for the light and started kicking towards it and going crazy. Shawn put his hand on my belly and projected the light over his fingers and the baby just went NUTS. S/He definitely knows when daddy is home, talking or near it at all; this baby just loves daddy already. So cute.

*jabjab* Ouch!

The baby is kicking me now with an unexpected ferocity for something only as large as an orange! I know I'm the only one who can feel it right now but I wish Shawn could feel what I feel when I hurriedly grab his hand and place it on my belly; and my parents who are already so in love with their grandbaby (and fighting about which sex it will be) when I gasp or exclaim out with a particularly strong jab.
I came to blog about feeling this... it has almost been 2 weeks since I last posted! I want to share this and to record it to remember later for myself as well. It's amazing how the idea of the baby moving inside of me seemed alien at first. It still is quite strange to think about, but once I rationally accepted the fact that this is really how humans are made and brought into the world, it's become more matter-of-fact now that I have finally started to feel jabs and rolls.


Glowing and Round-faced!

I physically feel better than I have so far; the second trimester isn't my "honeymoon" period like it is for some pregnant ladies but it is definitely an improvement from how weeks 6-11 were for me. I haven't gained much more weight since my last appointment (just a pound) but my face is rounder... like my quickly growing belly! I have to wear maternity pants everyday so I have 2 pair (now 3; thanks Mom!!!) I rotate like I used to with my regular pants.
Last week I started sleeping better after Thursday or Friday. I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and maybe between 3:45 and 5 AM to get sick once if I didn't eat anything in the middle of the night. Then I go back to sleep with a very active-feeling belly and wake up between 7 and 7:30 AM (but I feel like I could sleep all day)! I have to eat first thing when I get up or I get sick again; I usually have cereal. Cereal is the only thing I have craved for the entire pregnancy so far. Other than that I have gone through a mac n' cheese phase, an egg salad phase, and now a (heated) turkey sandwich phase. I've been obsessed with turkey for a while now that I think of it...
I have been able to start cooking more again and now I cook most of our meals! Yay! Shawn enjoys that, too; he missed my cooking quite a bit I'm sure. Shawn is amazing at helping me and making life as easy as possible. He cleans everything and does all of the dishes so that when I am hungry I don't have to clean a bowl or plate and gag from hunger at the same time; there's always a dish ready for me! All I have to worry about is being comfortable, getting enough rest, and feeding us all.

Our next appointment is Wednesday. They're just going to check on me and maybe listen to the baby to check in on him or her. The next appointment after Wednesday we will finally be able to see our baby for the first time since 9 weeks! I'm so excited and I'm sure Shawn is, too. Imagine how big I'll be then... :o)