22 weeks

Today marks 22 weeks into the pregnancy...18 weeks to go. I have FINALLY started feeling the baby move pretty regularly. I notice it mostly at night after dinner, but also off and on throughout the day. I have to say I was a little freaked out that I wasn't really feeling anything at first. There were little flutters here and there, but nothing all that definite. Right around 20 weeks we went swimming at a friend's house and after I got out of the pool I started feeling some serious poking around going on in there. As we have gone swimming at our house, I feel the same thing once I get out of the pool. I think she likes it when I swim and wants me to get back in the pool! haha....maybe she will be a little water bug like her mom!

At last week's checkup I met with another of the Dr's in our practice. There are four doctors altogether and you never know who might be the one there to deliver so they want you to meet them all. The new Dr. I met was really nice. He went over the results of my ultrasound and said that everything looks good and normal. That was also a nice sigh of relief. We listened to her heartbeat, which is finally slowing down a bit. It started off pretty high around 177 and is now down to the 140's. Just like anything else, as she gets bigger, the heartbeat will slow down. The Dr. also measured me and said I was measuring at 22 weeks although I was technically at 21....so just a little bigger than we expected.

The Dr's had been concerned about my weight as I started out overweight. They only want me to gain a total of 12-16 pounds throughout the whole pregnancy. In the beginning, I lost a little weight, but now I am up 3 pounds. Hopefully I can keep the pace slow so I don't go overboard. I am starting to get my appetite back, but working from home I am able to grab granola, yogurt, fruit, veggies, etc. instead of a candybar (although once in a while I do have some ice cream...still though one quart of ice cream has lasted me over a month, so I'm not doing too bad!) After the baby is born, I won't just need to lose the baby weight, but another good 50 lbs or so to get back to being healthy. I actually kind of feel excited about it though rahter than overwhelmed. I was so depressed for so long with not being able to get pregnant and then having a miscarriage that I feel a million times better now and I can visualize myself having a more active lifestyle once again. Because of my weight they gave me an early diabetes test, which was normal. I will have another one at 28 weeks just like everyone else does.

This week we will be going to The Belly Factory in Frankfort http://www.thebellyfactory.com/ where we will get to have another sneek peak at Angelica. Our whole purpose for doing this is to make sure she is a girl before we start painting the room and taking tags off of things to get ready. Although the Dr's office was fairly certain that she is a girl, they will never give a 100% guarantee. The ultrasound machines at The Belly Factory produce 3D images on a very large screen and they will give you a 100% guarantee on gender. If the baby is not in the right position to see, you can come back later at no charge. It's pretty cool what they can do now in terms of seeing so much detail so early on. I think it will be fun to see her squirming around in there and it will be nice to get the confirmation that she is definitely a girl. (If not, I have a lot of exchanges to make and will need to spend some serious time shopping!) I am sure I will post some pictures when we return.

I also have a friend who has recently taken some maternity photographs through Janet Lynn Photography in Crown Point, IN http://www.janetlynnphotography.com/index2.php?v=v1 (Click on "Galleries" at the very bottom of the screen. The first bar on the left is an example of some of the maternity photographs.) She also does excellent work with newborns, babies, kids, families, etc. I am thinking of striking up a relationship with this photographer. I am the type of person who really puts a LOT of value into photography and also in having a good relationship with just one person who I can work with for a long time. She takes pictures of newborns during their first 7 days of being born. Won't that be exciting! The week between Christmas and New Year's if she is born near her due date! After the catastrophe we had with having HORRIBLE wedding pictures, I am of the mind that you get what you pay for when it comes to photography and I definitely want to work with someone who knows what they are doing!

This week all of the kids are going back to school. I always really enjoyed going to school when I was a kid, but the first week of school was always hell for me with my allergies. I would literally have to walk around school carrying a box of kleenex all day long, looking like I was crying from tears constantly flowing down my face and having a runny nose. It lasted about 2 weeks and then I was back to normal. After moving to Beecher, my allergies got much worse. We are surrounded by farm fields which means lots more ragweed, pollen and who knows what else. For the past 3 years I have had to go to the Dr. and get steroid shots to help my allergies. I knew that with being pregnant this August, it would be hard for me to not take any medication, but I am pressing through. Just one more week to go and I should be better. Although I didn't really like getting the shots or the side effects from them, I was so miserable I would cave and get them. It is kind of nice to not have that option this year.

Well those are all my thoughts for now. I just thought I would post a quick update since I have not been that good about updating the blog that much this year. I will post more after the ultrasound later this week. Happy Wednesday! :)