21 weeks!!!

i think this week is a real turning point for me!  i believe my belly finally POPPED and i am feeling some pregnancy side effects.  we returned from a great weekend in washington where we looked at homes, jarad had a great interview and we did some serious exploring.  i came back tired and really emotional that the move is getting closer and the thought of being away from my family, especially as we start our own.  but aside from that i am experiencing some lower achy back pain, increased appetite and round ligament pain as my stomach grows!

we had a check up at the doctor this week and everything is looking normal.  i had gained some weight, my belly is measuring 21 cm (they say anything plus or minus 3 cm of your pregnancy week is considered normal, so i am right on track), the baby's heartbeat was 155, and the doctor said my uterus is sitting just above my belly button.  they also gave me instructions and the drink for the glucose test which i will do in the next few weeks.

last week jarad was able to see my stomach twitch when the baby moved or kicked, but was still unable to feel her.  but the highlight of this week is that he finally felt her kick and move!  it was a special moment for him to feel her and now we can experience all of her kicks, punches and dancing together.  she has also been very active this week.  i still feel her most often at bedtime, but also in the morning when waking up.  this week i would feel her throughout the day every now and again while working at my desk.  when i feel her move it's a nice reminder to slow down and stop and enjoy these moments.  wilfed has also been acting very strange this week.  at night he will be in his bed, but be very alert and watching me.  i feel like he is protecting me from afar.   but the sweetest moment was one night he crawled into bed in the middle of the night, went under the covers and cuddled into my side and rested his head on my belly (this was a first!).  i also taught him a new trick to kiss my belly when i say "wilfred, give baby kiss kiss."

the below picture was taken on tuesday and i feel like since the beginning of the week, my belly has popped and i am bigger!

today my mom and i went to buy buy baby where we really educated ourselves on strollers.  we ended up picking the city select jogger and britax car seat.  the reason i chose this one and it was harder to chose a stroller than it was to pick out my car, is because this stroller can convert into a double stroller easily.  so you can have an infant and a new born or two infants in this stroller.  this is ideal for us since we plan on trying for #2 shortly after.  here is me today (saturday) and i think and feel bigger than a few days ago!

baby is the size of a pomegranate

this has been an off week with traveling, but i am getting back into my work out routine and trying to eat well.  i am waking up in the middle of the night hungry, and i think this is the start of the weight creeping on.  in addition to keeping up with my appetite, an unusual thing i have noticed is that i am starting to get freckles on my belly (which i never had before).  also you can start to see a lot of blue veins in my cleavage and also on the sides of my stomach...attractive right!?!?  however, i still don't have the dark line down my belly that some woman can get as early as 9-10 weeks pregnant. 

weight gain this week = 2 pounds
total weight gain = 3 pounds

weekly milestones...

~eyebrows and eyelashes have grown in
~senses are continuing to develop
~bone marrow is making blood cells by now, a job previously done by the liver and spleen
~baby's intestines are absorbing small amounts of sugar that are ingested from the amniotic fluid
~baby can blink