19 week update

There hasn't been much change in my belly since last week, and I do wonder when it's going to actually POP! It's funny though because I was wearing a dress that would make anyone "look"pregnant, and a woman at the salon this past weekend asked me, "So when are you due?" I looked at her with disbelief, because no one has asked me that yet, and I happily replied that I was about 5 months along and due in November. She said that it was quite the gamble to ask but she did anyway! It made me really, really happy because I truly don't feel like I look undeniably pregnant yet. I know it's different for everyone, but some of my friends are just adorably big right now and they're either behind me in our time frame, or right ahead. It's funny to me to WANT to be bigger, who would have thought that me, someone who has felt throughout her life that bigger was not indeed better, would be so at peace with all of this that I'd be hoping every week to expand?! I love it. I love the sense of true body acceptance I've grown to have. Like I've blogged before, it was hard in the beginning but now it's easy for me to see myself changing. I adore that my little one is growing every single day and literally going through changes at the same rate. Every change in my body is so worth it, and my focus isn't on myself anymore. I am grateful for this gift that I find to be truly peaceful and amazing.





My BIG anatomy/gender ultrasound in in THEE short days. You know...the one I've been talking about in every pregnancy update?! I am beyond excited. Every time I see a little boy I am filled with emotions imagining life with a little version of Hank, wearing Suns jerseys during the games side by side with his papa, being one of "my boys." But every time I see a little girl I am filled with the same emotions about having an adorable little darling to buy the prettiest dresses for and share a lifetime of mother-daughter fun, all the while her being the cliche "Daddy's little girl." haha! It's weird. I usually feel so in sync with the world- I have strong intuitions about everything, but I don't have much of one now. I go back and forth with thinking I do, and at this very moment if I had to put money on what we are having, I'd say a girl. I've thought this more than I've thought boy, but I don't put much weight on this feeling since it does go back and forth. Either way, I am going to be blown away on Friday when we (hopefully) find out the gender. Immediately my mind will be able to imagine HIM or HER, with a name, rather than just "the baby" or "little one." Planning with commence, registering, shopping, etc. The fun is about to begin! At the same time, it's highly possible that the baby won't cooperate and we'll have to come back to find out! I don't know if my patience can't handle it, but I'm also trying to be realistic about it in case that does in fact happen. Three days and we will see.

As far as food, I still haven't had any cravings or anything. I've actually switched from almond milk to regular milk (I LOVE Horizon's organic skim milk), so that's a change. I've found that throughout my pregnancy so far I haven't had much of an appetite which is weird, so I'm curious to see if that changes at the end of the 2nd trimester and into the third. I sincerely hope so. Food doesn't sound gross or anything, but I'm just not super excited to eat like I usually am, but obviously I force myself to, hungry or not.

As far as how I've been feeling, still amazing. I love being pregnant. I feel more centered, happier and at this point in my pregnancy, more energetic. It's hard for me to believe that next week marks the half way point. It seems that time has gone by so quickly, and when the summer is over and I am back to teaching for a short while this pregnancy will be over in the blink of an eye and little baby H will be here! We are still looking for our "perfect" house. We thought that we found it, but we were too late and someone has already snatched it up. We are waiting to see what happens with it this week, but we've already found some great contenders and will be going back out tomorrow morning with our realtor. My hope is that we are somewhere by September the latest so I can get the nursery going in time for the baby's arrival. I don't feel stressed or rushed about it though, but ask me again if we still are in our current house come the end of summer! haha.

Oh, and I almost forgot the "fruit and veggie" update.



Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Well, I'm off to the gym. I hope all of you are having a beautiful day. Again, I'd love it if you'd click this little brown box to vote for me, it takes a minute. I've already met SO many new Moms from being listed in this directory and I'm enjoying it so much- I appreciate you doing this for me. I won't mention it again for a week or so, so don't worry that I'll make a big deal every post. They just reset the count so we have to start all over again. I typically hate having my readers do stuff like this, but it's such a positive thing that I hope you understand! Love you!