22 weeks

Well I may have missed a few weekly updates due to the holidays but last week marked 22 weeks. I am continuing to feel good; I managed to escape the holidays without any case of the flu, cold, sinus issues, or migraines so I’m thankful for that. I was nervous about getting sick on our vacation to Punta Cana but I stuck with familiar foods and felt great the whole time. I am definitely feeling changes to my body in terms of being more hungry more often, I find myself not getting full as easily and getting hungry every few hours. I am trying to keep healthy snacks accessible so I don’t binge on the chips and cookies I’m really craving! I also have just started to feel out of breathe more easily. Just this weekend I noticed when getting up from sitting on the floor or getting out of the car that I’m a little huffy and puffy. Ironically my 22 week email update said exactly that for last week – that I may start to feel winded more frequently as she’s beginning to take up more space inside me.

We are also excited to see baby girl again next week at our doctor’s appointment. During the first full ultrasound they couldn’t get her to turn spine up, which our doctor likes to see to verify full spinal development, so we get to have another one in hopes they can see her in that position this time. I am excited because that means I get to see how much she has grown in the past 5 weeks and to double check that she’s really a sheJ (I don’t know why I’m so paranoid about this)!

Christmas and post Christmas shopping treated baby girl well. She got a few gifts from Grandma’s and Grandpa’s this year and I cashed in on some post Christmas sales as well. I am excited to see the new Spring stuff being put out in stores now as those will be the first clothes she will fit into. I must admit her half of the closet is getting pretty full and I probably need to refrain from any more purchases until after the baby shower(s)J.

Another big highlight in pregnancy life this past week is that Jimmy got to feel her kick for the first time! He was starting to get jealous as I was the only one that could feel her and he had put his hand on my belly several times when I’ve told him she’s kicking but he hadn’t been able to feel her. But last week we were sitting at my parents and she was moving all around so I put his hand right where I was feeling the most movement and sure enough within a few seconds she gave him a strong kick and he looked up at me – I knew he had felt it and his face lite up. It was so precious for me to see his reaction to the feeling of his little one inside of me. I love feeling her move throughout the day and she’s definitely moving around a lot.

I truly can hardly believe I am almost 6 months and that before we know it our little babe will be joining our family!

Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

And since it's been a while since a photo - here you go.

22 weeks pregnant; taken on Dec 29th 2010