18 weeks!

18 weeks! I am so blessed to be here! Thank you, God, for another week!! This week, I have felt lots of little flutters. It was hard to tell at first if it was really the baby I was feeling or just air bubbles. But, the more I feel them, the more I realize it's BGK (Baby Girl Kirby)! She seems to be quite active! It went from feeling like bubbles to feeling like someone is tickling me with a finger from the inside. Or like a butterfly is in there and the wings are fluttering against my inner stomach. Pretty cool!

How I’m Changing

Total weight gain: 4 lbs (no change since last week -- woohoo!)

Maternity clothes? oh yes, getting quite a little bump

Stretch marks? not yet -- fingers crossed!

Sleep: the moment I hit the pillow, I am out!

Best moment this week: feeling lots of flutters

Miss Anything? some days i miss xanax :-)

Movement: more noticeable flutters

Food cravings: pei wei lettuce wraps... what else??

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: girl!!!

Symptoms: swollen feet, round ligament pain, heartburn, frequent potty breaks... same ole same ole

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: probably a little more moody than happy

Looking forward to: feel full-fledged movement and kicks

We went to the mall today, and I stopped in Motherhood Maternity to get some clothes. They have a fake bump to try your clothes on with, to see if they will still fit in the bigger months. It was pretty surreal! But kind of cool!

Warning: not a real bump!

Baby Kirby Week 18 Update:

Your baby's the size of a sweet potato! She's about 5.6 inches long and about 6.7 ounces now and she keeps on growing rapidly. (That's why you're probably feeling so hungry.) Can you believe she's yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing? And she's twisting, rolling, punching and kicking, too -- and she's big enough that you might be able to feel her doing it! She’s working her muscles and practicing all kinds of moves. Over the next few weeks, you should make sure to start sleeping on your side. That’s because baby (and your uterus) are getting big enough to press against large veins in the back of your abdomen, which can reduce the amount of blood going to your heart, making you feel lightheaded, or worse, lowering your blood pressure. Of course, your veins aren’t the only things that are prone to pressure -- you might be too! Not only are you super busy, but you might be having some not-so-fun symptoms, like swollen feet or hands, backaches, leg cramps and nosebleeds. And the stress and discomfort might be keeping you up at night around week 18. Be sure, in your hectic schedule, that you plan some time to unwind. (Great excuse for some pregnancy pampering! Can you say prenatal massage?!) It’s important to give your body and your mind a break for a little while. That just might help you get the sleep you need, too.