Pregnancy - WEEK 19 (Mar 25th – Mar 31st)

OK. Moving right along.

This week has been super busy. Trying to figure out where to move to, scheduling appraisals and inspections for our house, ohhhh, and buying unlimited new clothes and shoes for our new Baby Girl!!!!

Yes. Mama has an online shopping addiction. Spoiled thing is going to have more clothes than me before she’s even born!!!

This week I really tried to get in some walking. I’m averaging about 3 times a week, but I’d really like to up that to 5 days a week. So far I’ve done 4 days, I think, this week. At about 2-3 miles per day. And I also added some weights to the mix. Kind of a kill a bird with two stones deal, I held a few 5lb dumbbells while I was walking on the treadmill for a mile. You should have seen these batwings a’pumpin’!!!

I have decided that I need to get my eating under control. A bloggy buddy, Didi, pointed out that while allowing myself some of my cravings, my body, the baby’s body, and the placenta really need the nourishment of fruits, veggies, and protein. And I can tell you this much, my diet has sucked a big fat one for months now. I can tell a difference too. In my energy, and mood.

So, I’ve decided to start eating better this weekend. Definitely getting some sort of fruit and veggie every single day. Trying for veggies at every meal. Then I’m going to make sure I have a good source of protein at least once, if not twice, a day too. I used to cook chicken breasts and put them in the fridge for salads all the time. And I loved it! I need to get back into that. I still have 22ish weeks left of this journey, and I really want to be healthy at the end. Not only for our little girl, but for myself too!

Step One in Healthify Mommy: get to the store for veggies!!!

Step Two: shove them in my hole.

Step Three: eat a pint of ice cream.

Just kidding.

Maybe.

But, I’m not going to give up my chocolate or ice cream. I’m just going to cut down on the crap, and up the intake of the good.

Other than that, I feel great. I can really feel her move around in there. And I can’t wait till Ryan can feel her too! She’s kinda got a schedule going. She starts squirming early in the morning, then again right after I eat almost every meal. And then when I rest on the couch after work. So far I haven’t felt anything when I lay down for bed, and that’s fine by me!! I’m sure when she’s bigger, she’ll love to torment my sleep. All.Night.Long.

I am tired. But I think that’s due to the eating crap and working overtime. And stress. I think I really need to take the stress factor down. This being homeless thing, and work being crazy is going to send me to the padded cell. I decided yesterday to really live up to my belief that everything happens for a reason, and it’ll all work out for the best in the end. I can’t change things, so it’s best to just deal with them.

On to Baby Girl! The book says she’s about 6 inches long now, and weighing around 8 ounces. Apparently she’s the size of a mango. And its no wonder that I can feel her more, because her arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and the cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All this combined gives her more control over her movements!

Baby Girl is also getting what’s called a ‘cheesy varnish’. All this does is make me want a cheese ball now. Is that weird??? Anyways. What it really is, is a protective substance called vernix caseosa, and it now covers all her skin. It’s greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (downy hair), oil from baby’s body, and dead skin cells. Ew. This Vernix protects her sensitive skin from the amniotic fluid. Without the cheese whiz, she’d look all wrinkly at birth. Like, she spent 9 months in a bath tub. So I guess it’s a good thing for the cheese whiz.

Can you believe that next week is 20 weeks!?!?!? Almost half way there!