Elyse Love ~ 22 Weeks

22w3d

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm just hoping that my weight gain is remaining average. I really don't feel like I'm gaining any weight anywhere other than my belly; and I guess as long as it stays that way I don't have anything to complain about!

Gender: We're having a precious little baby girl...Elyse Ann. Now that we have a gender it's amazing how many decisions we can actually make....and of course just how many decisions there are to make overall!

Movement: YES!!! A ton of it! She's definitely got those times when she's sleeping and not moving around as much, but otherwise I feel her move all the time. I'm still waiting for the movement to be strong enough for Nick to feel it, but of course he has to be patient enough to wait for her to move for him! ha!

Sleep: I know that most of you won't believe this, but the last few nights I've actually slept without my Snoogle and seem to be sleeping better. I like to sleep on both sides during the night and it was just so hard for me to turn over with the Snoogle all wrapped around me! So...I've gone back to my regular pillow with a pillow in between my legs and that seems to be working for now!

What I miss: Being able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want it...I realize that everything I put in my mouth can impact Elyse so I'm much more conscious of that right now. Of course that doesn't mean that I don't have some cookies & milk for a snack every once in awhile! I also miss being able to move easily...it definitely seems to take more for me to go from laying down to standing up or from sitting in the floor to standing up. I have a feeling that is going to get even more difficult as time goes on!

Cravings: This week I've got my big appetite back again. I'm really trying to watch what I eat and try to balance my "junk" snacks with plenty of healthy options as well. Peanut butter & animal crackers, fresh fruit, and homemade popcorn are some of my go-to snacks...they seem to satisfy my hunger without being full of too many calories.

Symptoms: I really don't feel like I have any pregnancy symptoms except for my growing baby bump...and it's definitely there. I hate to even mention the symptoms I don't have for fear of jinxing myself and having them arrive! This has been such an easy pregnancy so far that I really can't help but hope that the last half is just as easy!

Maternity Clothes: I'm basically to the point where my baby bump is apparent in almost EVERYTHING I wear. From t-shirts to dresses to blousy tops, my bump seems to make itself known. I'm still holding out on purchasing hardly anything that's truly "maternity." In the past few weeks I've realized that I'm gonna have to purchase a few pairs of maternity jeans & also some maternity dress pants because there are a few pairs of pants that I can't even wear with a Bella Band! As long as my tops continue to work, I can handle a few new pairs of pants!

Best Moment this week: It's been a pretty basic week. I'd say the best part has been getting the fabric in the mail that is serving as the inspiration for our nursery. I absolutely LOVE it and I can't wait to see the gorgeous bedding & curtains my mom puts together for our baby girl! It's going to be absolutely perfect for her and I just hope my vision looks as great in the nursery as it does in my head!
Baby To-Do List: In the past few weeks I really feel like we've accomplished quite a bit. We've got the furniture all ordered (crib, chest of drawers, dresser/hutch combo, chair, & ottoman), made some big decisions on the bedding, chosen a pediatrician, organized shower mailing lists, and have registering in mind for the weekend! I know there is still so much to do, but I feel like we're at least making progress!

And of course, here's the belly photo...