15 weeks

15 weeks, 2 days (9.17.2013)

How far along? 15 weeks and 2 days.  The picture is from today, though unflattering as usual!  And yes, I look enormous.  J
Weight Gain: 13.4 lbs (Apparently I gained over 4 pounds since last Tuesday.  I am not feeling very good about that, but hope to just eat better this week, and remind myself that there is only so much I will be able to control.)
Maternity clothes? I love my Old Navy maternity maxi skirts and nice, breathable cotton shirts (wearing all Old Navy in my picture from today).  I have all the sports maternity gear now too – shirts for the Red Sox, Patriots, and even a “Future Longhorn on Board” UT shirt from Justin (all are great, cozy cotton shirts – I have become completely intolerant of almost all fabrics besides cotton).  I call these my “essential” pieces (haha!).  I am also fitting into more of the great maternity clothes that my wonderful in-laws (Pam and Glen) got me for my birthday, though I still can’t fit into the “full panel” pants just yet.  I also received four pairs of awesome, breezy, comfortable Roxy “Ocean Side” pants (with a drawstring!) from Whitney in the mail – wore the green/blue ones to work yesterday and they are fantastic!  The only non-maternity stuff I am wearing are skirts with elastic waistbands and sleep shirts, and the occasional looser or longer shirt. 
Stretch marks? No signs yet.  And my belly hasn’t been itchy like it was for a few days last week.  I have been putting Palmer's Cocoa Butter on my belly nightly, and Nivea lotion each morning.
Sleep: I have had some “restless legs” recently, but I have been sleeping better than I was last week.  I still get up about twice a night to go pee, but usually fall right back asleep.  And no more nighttime snacks!
Best moment this week: Booking my flights to Nashville for the end of October! 
Have you told family and friends? Yes, and the word has been out at work for a while now too.  In fact, pretty much everyone in the building knows by now – I look pretty obvious these days!
Miss anything? Not especially when it comes to food.  I do miss having a margarita with Mexican food.  What I really miss is being able to take Advil!  Tylenol just doesn’t cut it.  I had a headache last Friday that lasted from noon until almost midnight – definitely a migraine – and Tylenol did nothing! 
Movement: I don't think so.  Though I know the baby is moving around like crazy now, I still don’t feel it, but can’t wait for this experience.
Food Cravings: Still love watermelon and Italian food.  It is a shame that we don’t live in Boston because I would be hitting up every restaurant in my old North End neighborhood (and I would also get a meatball sub from Al’s on State Street, AND the chicken drunken noodles from my favorite Thai lunch spot, Rock Sugar, AND maybe a little treat of a chocolate éclair from Mike’s Pastry on Hanover Street, AND I could go on and on!)  I’ve had a couple Mint Oreo Blizzards from Dairy Queen that have tasted a little too delicious! 

I am going to make a serious effort this week to eat healthier versions of the food I crave – so a delicious smoothie instead of ice cream, or tomato soup instead of a big bowl of pasta.  I also want to make an effort to eat more organic and local foods.  This is very important to me – our baby shouldn’t be exposed to the high levels of pesticides (and other junk) from non-organic apples and other produce.  At the very least, I will only eat organic versions of the fruit and veggies on the “Dirty Dozen” list.  After all, our baby deserves the best, and good nutrition does start now, with me!
Anything making you queasy or sick: The smell of meat cooking is still a little gross.  I’ve been struggling with meat in general a bit lately. I really can’t stand any fat on meat at all anymore – it just turns my stomach.  So only (very) lean meat in moderation for me now (and preferably organic).
Have you started to show yet? Oh yes.  Though my belly is still not very rounded – it hasn’t totally “popped” yet – but I do look pregnant. 
Gender Prediction: I still think it’s a boy!  We can’t wait to find out.  My next appointment with the midwife is next Monday, but I think we may have to wait until the following appointment for the gender reveal.  We will let family and friends know as soon as we do!  However, we have decided that we will be keeping the name a secret when we decide – only because there are very few names that Justin and I agree on, so it will hard enough as it is – additional opinions would certainly just make it even harder!  Though for a boy, the middle name will almost certainly be David (for my dear father), and for a girl, the middle name will likely be either Diane (for my sweet mother, and Justin’s paternal grandmother) or Elizabeth (my maternal grandmother’s name, and also my middle name, and I think it is my paternal great-grandmother’s name as well).
Labor signs: Thankfully it is still way too early for this one.
Symptoms: I have been really congested, especially at night.  I think we need to get a humidifier.  I also have gotten a few painful headaches, usually during the week in the afternoons – and it hurts more when I bend over.  I’ve had a few nights with dreams that are vague but feel like nightmares – scary enough to wake me up, but I usually don’t remember what they were about.  I have heard that it is normal to get some weird dreams in pregnancy.  I also experienced some round ligament pain (lower right side by my hip) for the first time last week – before I realized what it was, I had a moment of absolute terror thinking something was wrong, but apparently this is extremely normal in the second trimester – whew!
Belly button in or out? Still in.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on with room for sure.
Mood: Trying to be positive amid some stressful stuff.  I remind myself every day of how much I have to be grateful for, not the least of which is this wonderful baby!  I have been feeling a bit frustrated the past few days by my weight – I saw a picture of someone who is 17 weeks and she looked even smaller than me – but I have to remember that every woman is different!
Looking forward to: Going to Nashville at the end of October – booked my flights last week and I am so excited!  Of course, we can’t wait to find out the baby’s gender.  I’m also looking forward to setting up our registry once we know if it’s a boy or girl – we’re going to do Diapers.com, and then either the Land of Nod or Pottery Barn.  Fun stuff!  And I’m really looking forward to cooler weather (so I guess that will be December here in Texas?).  I miss New England cold, beautiful weather so much.  I have felt much more nostalgic while pregnant – I miss the Northeast a lot.  I have also been thinking a lot about my dad, and my dear Mary Edgar – how much I miss them and wish they could be here – but I know they are watching.