16 Weeks 3 Days

How far along? 16 weeks 3 days

Baby's size and development ? About 5" long and 4 oz.

Changes in me? Well, apparently my uterus is approaching my bellybutton—and geez, do things feel tight in there. I don't know how our bodies manage to reconfigure all of our little goodies like major organs and such to make room for such an eventually large item as a full-term baby and placenta. Wow!! Needless to say, I'm feeling the stretch. :o) My muscles ache and I have been getting more "butterfly" feelings.

Maternity clothes? That's an official maternity top in the photo above. Oh my goodness, it is so comfy. I think the time has come for some sort of belly band or waistline adjustment gadget. I do OK in my pants but twice I have ended up wearing home Gayle or Lorri's flannel pajama pants after dinner at their place. Ha ha!

Sleep? Yuck. Still yuck. But we are working on it. I bought another pillow designed for sleeping on your side, and it ended up making me feel worse. I kept waking up with earaches because the neck ridge and firmness of the pillow were smashing my ears. I went back to my regular pillow and that is better. We will FINALLY be getting a king size bed soon (I have been dreaming of this moment for so long...) and our new bed will have a pillowtop cushion that is going to help absorb my hip and shoulder pressure points. Hallelujah. I will have much more space, too, so we got me a 2nd body pillow (navy blue...I call it "Midnight Blue.") I decided to get a 2nd one so that when I roll over in the middle of the night, I don't have to wrestle with the covers as I bring my body pillow with me to the other side. So, soon and very soon I will be in a KING SIZE BED sandwiched by Sleepy Pickle and Midnight Blue. It will be wonderful. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Ha!

Best moment this past week? I have to say it might actually be when that photo was taken. When Dan was out of town last weekend, I had a plan to have a slow cooker meal ready so that he wouldn't have to cook on his first day back. In case you are new to this blog, I DO NOT COOK but luckily my husband DOES. And he LIKES it. However everyone enjoys a break once in a while, right? Unfortunately among other grand plans I had for surprising him, preparing dinner didn't happen. So this weekend, before we left for dinner at Carmen and Lorri's, I took a little time the to prep some vegetables for a roast to cook all day today. Better late than never, right? :o) It made me feel very happy to do this for him....And it turned out great. Tonight Dan had the night off and we enjoyed an italian flavored beef roast with potatoes, celery, tomatoes, and carrots.

Movement? Nothing since the twitching I felt two weeks ago! However at my last massage session while I was on my stomach (for the last time I think!) there were some butterflies and again today a few tiny flutters. I'm anxious for more aggressive bonks and nudges, just so I know he's there. :o)

Symptoms? Everything is pretty much the same as before: Lots of annoying mucus. Frequent urination. Fatigue. Some constipation. Acne. Headaches.

What I miss? This week in particular I missed beer. Work days have been tough as my body is getting increasingly uncomfortable sitting at my desk all day long. I came home Friday and was so jealous to see Dan sipping an ice cold beer. When I complained that I can no longer unwind with a beer, too, he made me a chocolate milkshake. I think he could tell by the enormous grin on my face as I sucked it through the straw that it was helping me unwind. ;o)

What I'm looking forward to? 10 DAYS. 10 DAYS PEOPLE! 10 DAYS UNTIL WE FIND OUT IF BLASTY IS A BOY OR GIRL. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Emotions: Crabby....I'm ashamed to say. I have the miracle of life happening inside of me and I have been soooo crabby! But also full of love. I have never loved my husband more. He is so supportive and patient with my crabbiness. And I am so honored to be growing his child. It sounds SO corny to write that, but it is true. I have a deep emotion of pride and love because of it.