19 weeks!!!

this has been one of my roughest weeks yet.  not because of the pregnancy but because having the stomach flu while pregnant is miserable!  i was really sick for 2 days and on the 3rd day jarad started to not feel so well and bowie was showing signs of improvement but still off.  so i took a shower, washed my hair and did 8 loads of laundry and started to disinfect.  i still didn't feel great, but i was the healthiest one at the time and that was not saying a whole lot.  i was very dehydrated, i was so thirsty but couldn't keep anything down.  i ended up losing 3-4 pounds, so after all of this, i am 6 pounds down from my pre-pregnancy weight.  while writing this now, i fully have my appetite back and am making up those pounds i lost during the flu.

it is a very weird and strange sensation to feel this little guy dance and move around so much when i was sick.  i spent a lot of time laying down, which is when i feel him the most.  so i felt him all the time and being nauseous on top of it was crazy.  of course it was very reassuring to feel him being so active.  i feel like i have been sick at least 75% of the time this pregnancy, and not with morning sickness but with colds and now the flu.  i think my family has spent more than our fair share of time being sick this year, so i am hoping this is the last of it!  i have upcoming travel next week, so i am anxious to get our house healthy and back to normal.

i am excited to be nearing the half way point in my pregnancy.  i still feel very nervous and fragile and had to cancel a doctors appointment we had last week due to us being sick.  i have an ultrasound this week, so hopefully it will ease my mind once again!  i am blessed to have easy pregnancies, but this time around some things feel very different.  for example my heartburn/acid reflux came early on, i have developed some nasty varicose veins, when i am sitting and twisting my body sometimes i get this really weird pop sensation inside (and it is not coming from the baby) and i am still shedding my hair like crazy (it stopped when pregnant with bowie).  who knows, each pregnancy is unique and different and beautiful.

baby milestones...

~developing a waxy coating that will protect from amniotic fluid
~beginning to sprout hair
~building better coordination with arms and legs as neurons make connections with muscles
~measures about 6 inches long and weighs about 8.5 oz, size of zucchini
~proportionate arms and legs, fat layers under skin and facial features are forming
~baby is awake for about 6 hours a day
~uterus may have reached belly button this week