Lucy Love ~ 17 Weeks

Today we're 17 weeks and 5 days...but let's just pretend it's the beginning of 17 weeks.

17w5d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: No idea...but my appetite has definitely been increasing, which I figure also means my weight will be as well. I feel like I've been eating like a horse these last few days. My goal at this point is to keep my snacks healthy; i.e. a piece of fruit or 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich. I guess we'll find out true weight gain in a couple of weeks at my dr's appointment.

Gender: Your guess is as good as ours, but we've started planning our gender reveal party for July 27th! We sent out the invitations this week and I bought all the paper goods yesterday along with an adorable platter to put the cake on. Hubby is still convinced we're having a little girl, althought he has started calling the baby by our chosen boy name every once in awhile. I'm still completely undecided but lean towards boy...for no other reason than various old wives' tales!

Movement: Nope, not yet! Thankfully the doctor reassured me I may not notice the movement until closer to 20 weeks...so I'm trying to wait patiently!

Sleep: Is still great, but I've definitely been getting up more often to use the bathroom!

What I miss: Cold turkey sandwiches, caesar salad, raw cookie dough..this definitely hasn't changed. But at least I got my cold turkey sandwich fix last week!

Cravings: Still no crazy cravings...and honestly I hope that continues. I'm trying to snack on fresh fruit; peaches, nectarines, bananas, and little cups of peaches or red grapefruit. I've really been trying to keep my eating habits the same, but allow myself to eat more at meals if I still feel hungry. I want to watch what I eat, but I also know that healthy weight gain is important for Lucy!

Symptoms: Really just my expanding waist line. See below... I have started to notice just a little bit of back pain if I sit or lay down in the same position for an extended period of time. This has definitely started to go away, I wonder if the baby was positioned somewhere right on a nerve that was causing this pain. I have also had a few instances of round ligament pain. Mainly when I go from leaning forward to leaning back or sitting to standing really fast. Thankfully those are few & far between and go away quickly!

Maternity Clothes: Let's just say that Bella Bands are in full force...and thank goodness for them! I'd definitely have to be buying new dress pants/jeans if I didn't have those precious bands! Thankfully those should work for quite some time so I shouldn't have to purchase any additional pants unless I just get the itch to buy a pair of maternity pants! I've already decided that leggings, dresses, and tunics will be my best friends in the summer!

Best Moment this week: We mailed out the invites for the gender reveal party on Monday and our friends and family are already excited about it! We've already had several RSVP's and I'm definitely getting excited! I keep waiting on that first little movement, but I know patience is key!

Baby Gear Advice: This week, what about baby furniture...I'm really just curious what you guys all chose. Hubby & I have narrowed down our options to two and if I'm being honest we've probably already made our decision, but I'm curious as to what brands you chose. Did it come fully assembled or did you almost get divorced during the assembly process? ;o) Was it the quality you were expecting? How many furniture pieces did you end up purchasing, crib, dresser, hutch, 5-drawer dresser, etc.?

Let's hear it from all you moms & moms-to be...I'm loving all this advice! The suggestions for strollers & baby monitors have been so helpful!

And just for all of you who are dying to see a bare belly photo...here's the one for this week, complete with my chopped off head! Thanks Hubby! ;o) Just kidding...I told you the belly photo was an art form!