22 Weeks

My 22 week pregnancy update, which I wrote over a week late and am just now posting almost 4 weeks later as I am now nearly 26 weeks. Oops! Much of what I wrote about already happened (baby shower and a fully tiled bathroom!), and I look forward to providing updates soon.

How far along? 22 weeks
Total weight gain: 10-11 pounds
Maternity clothes? Wearing a mix of my own clothing and a few maternity tops borrowed from my neighbor.
Stretch marks: No. Still using Mio Tummy Butter daily and recently added the Mio Tummy Oil to the regimen. Skin is feeling great but the belly has a long way to stretch yet.
Sleep: Sleep has been great! Thankful for this!
Best moment(s) this week: 1) Finding out Baby J is a GIRL at our 20 week ultrasound!!! I was so convinced we were having a boy so it took a little bit for the news to really sink in for me. I am still half expecting the ultrasound tech got it wrong and we will be surprised in that delivery room. 2) Receiving the car seat in the mail. Whoa this really made things feel real! 3) Also spending a weekend with my best friends in sunny Arizona was just what the doctor ordered, a break from the Seattle gloom and house projects.
Miss Anything? I can thankfully say that since my last bump update we have heat, can do our laundry at home, and finally got wi-fi hooked up! Yay!! Still missing my full energy but feeling a bit of it coming back.
Food cravings: Still loving fresh fruit and canned peaches. A sweet treat or two is consumed almost daily. My baking is out of control!
Food aversions: None. All food is great but smaller, more frequent meals are a still a must. I get too uncomfortably full with large meals, as I experienced on multiple occasions this weekend in Arizona. I’d also say I’m still so surprised how difficult it has felt to get myself to eat as well as I did pre-pregnancy. My preference for carbs often dominates – but I make it a goal to have at least one really good meal each day rich in vegetables and lean protein.
Have you started to show yet? Yes, enough that some people have commented. So I think I can stop answering this question each week now. Also it’s likely a given each week that my boobs have grown, too. :/
Symptoms? Overall feeling the best yet. Still getting aches and pains (I strained my calf walking 3 miles – like limping for 3 days). But I am back to exercising at least 3 times per week which has helped my SI joint pain significantly – I have been aiming for 30 minutes on the AMT (an elliptical/stair climber combo machine) twice per week during my lunch break at work and 3-4 miles of running once per week, in addition to getting walks in with the pups.
Belly button in or out: In. This surprises me as I thought it would pop out a lot sooner. Maybe because I have a deep belly button and I am carrying the little babe very low.
Wedding rings on or off: On. Though my fingers definitely get more pudgy than usual in response to flying or hiking.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall so very happy and loving getting to start shopping for little girl things. Seriously the cutest things are made for girls. I also know that mood swings are still common. I get tired more easily which leads me to be more cranky, especially related to house projects. The dust and disorganization drives me nutty but I so enjoy seeing the progress being made. Husband continues to be a superhero as he has to do much of the work completely on his own since I can’t do a lot to help. I was reading in my pregnancy book that I may be noticing (or my partner may be noticing) that mood swings are getting better, to which Justin laughed out loud! Haha – maybe those will get better next week. 🙂
Looking forward to: My baby shower coming up in 2 weeks in Palm Springs. I look forward to spending President’s Day weekend in Palm Springs every year. Also we are so close to a fully tiled bathroom and it’s so gorgeous!