22 weeks

I've been traveling for work the past two days, so I'm a little late in getting this update out. But better late then never, right?

How far along: 22 weeks

Baby's size: A Papaya

Baby's settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It's not hard to figure out when! All I have to do is pay attention to when all her kicks and somersaults start and stop. This weeks she is starting to make more sense of the world as she develops the sense of touch. In fact, her grip is quite developed by now too - but the umbilical cord is probably the only thing she has to grab onto in utero. The sense of sight is also getting more developed. She can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even though her eyelids are still fused shut.) Her eyelashes and eyebrows are well formed now too, and even more hair is sprouting atop her cute little head - but at this point it has no pigment, so it's bright white!

Symptoms: By the end of the day my back and rib pain is pretty much driving me crazy. I constantly feel like there is not enough room inside of me for all my organs AND a baby! One positive is that it is forcing me to have better posture. It's extremely uncomfortable to slouch over; feels like my ribs are digging into my stomach. Problem is sitting up straight, or even leaned back, all the time is more work for my aching back! I pretty much daily get a side-ache on the right side of my ribs - I'm guessing it must have something to do with the way she is positioned in there - but that seems strange with how much she moves around!

Sleep: Mostly sleeping on my left sides these days because of the pain on my right side. Makes cuddling with hubby pretty tough ...

Total Weight Gain: I've hit the 15 pound mark!

Maternity clothes: Went shopping with my mom over the weekend and came home with a bunch of goodies - both maternity, and some that will just work as maternity. Found a dress to wear to the wedding hubby is in in two weeks!

Best moment this week: My baby bump is really starting to show! I was at a work conference this week and everyone was just oohing and awing over how cute I was! I'm loving this stage of pregnancy.

Movement: Still feeling her move off and on every day. They are still mostly pretty small movements, and come and go so quickly that it is hard to let others feel her. I tried to have my dad feel her last weekend, but as soon as I got him to come over she stopped moving. Hubby has been able to feel her several times though, just takes patience sometimes!

Food cravings: I have yet to experience the stop-everything-gotta-have-it food cravings!

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs:

What I miss: Buttoning - or even zipping - my pants. Sleeping on my stomach. Sitting with my legs scrunched up to my stomach. Slouching, or even just leaning forward in my chair without feeling like I'm going to suffocate. Bending over without at least a little discomfort. Lifting heavy things ...

What I'm looking forward to: Starting our baby registry!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestones: 5 months! How crazy is that!?

Emotions: I am feeling like there is SO MUCH TO DO! Need to research and pick a car seat, stroller, crib ... need to lineup a daycare ... need to figure out my maternity leave ... need to start a baby registry ... and the list goes on and on!