22 weeks

Baby is the size of a papaya! (Although your daddy says he's never seen a papaya that small)  She is 11.5 inches and weighs just about a pound!
Baby can perceive light and dark. She is also listening to mama's heartbeat, the gurgle of her stomach, and the sound of her voice.

How far along? 22 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Just look at that belly!  Full-on maternity clothes with the exception of workout clothes.  Although I think I may need to start raiding Andrew's old Marquette shirts soon.
Stretch marks? Let's hope not.  I'm getting itchy though so I know we're heading into a growth spurt.
Sleep: sleep feels non-existent.  I wake up numerous times during the night because my hips hurt and I have to switch sides.  I've been known to sleep with an ice pack under my right side for my back and a pillow under my left side so I can sleep slightly on my side since I'm not supposed to sleep on my back anymore.
Best moment this week: our baby party and telling everyone that we're having a little girl!  We had the best time at the gender reveal and we're so lucky and thankful that so many friends and family come celebrate with us.
Miss Anything? life without back pain!  I live with an ice pack attached to my back now.
Movement:Every day or two I feel a few little pops and bubbles.  She's more active after we go for a long walk or at night.  I went to an Arbonne party the other night and she gave me a big jab which felt more like a big POP in my belly.  I can't wait until she's big enough to feel her movements on the outside so Andrew can feel her.
Food cravings: no unusual cravings, just the usual sweet tooth, but I had that before ;)
Exercise:
Only 1 jog this week.  I might have to hang up the running shoes until after baby.  It's getting a lot harder to run and I can feel the extra weight with every stride.  While I love running, it's just getting too hard.
Moms Into Fitness 2nd trimester strength and cardio 2 times this week.
Pregnancy Bar Method DVD: only did this once this week.  Just wasn't feeling it.
We've done a lot of walking this week.  The girls and I (and sometimes Andrew) walk 3 miles every morning.  It's been cooler this week, so we've managed to get out a few times for an extra 2 mile walk later in the morning.
Anything making you queasy or sick: overdoing it.  I walked, then ran, then walked some more on Thursday and then just felt yucky for the rest of the day.
Have you started to show yet: The belly keeps growing, but I hope that just means she's getting big and strong!
Gender: Pretty little lady! We're so excited to have a little girl, although we both thought that she was a little boy.  We're still getting used to everything pink
Labor Signs: nope
Symptoms: Back pain, stomach aches
Belly Button in or out? in, but I can tell it's getting pushed out.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: both.  I'm super excited to have a little girl and to be able to call her "she" and not "it" or "he," but it's been an emotional week.  Lots of crying this week because I'm having a hard time being at home, alone.  I'm starting to really miss IL again and having family close by.  I miss my friends and my family.  While I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom, I'm realizing just how tough it will be, especially without my support system close by.
Looking forward to:  Spending the weekend with Andrew and checking some things off of our before baby bucket list.
Andrew is off to Florida next weekend, so I'm heading back to Geneva for the weekend to see my bestest friends and spend time with my family.  I just can't take another 3 days sitting at home by myself with no Andrew coming back home at night.
Oh and my mom is coming this next week to help me paint the nursery!  And no, there will be no pink in this nursery.



Dearest baby girl,

I'm so happy to not just call you "baby" anymore!  Although we still do.  And much to everyone's surprise, we do not have a name picked out yet and we won't until you arrive.  We haven't discussed names much at all.  Picking out a name is not as easy as buying clothes or picking out a nail polish color, it's a big deal.  And you, my littlest lady, you need the most perfect name because, well, it will be with you for the rest of your life.  So for now, we'll keep calling you "baby" and "baby sister" when we talk to your big sisters.

Well, sweet pea, this past weekend was pretty big for you!  Your grandparents, your great grandparents, your Uncle Chris, your Auntie KTK, your Aunt Katie Miner, our Marquette friends, and our new Madison friends came to our house to celebrate you!  Everyone is so excited to meet you.  Your daddy busted his butt making yummy food for everyone.  And then we light some very fiery red sparklers to let everyone know that you are a sweet little girl!

We finally picked out a paint color for your room, and it's not pink.  It's just a light gray, nothing exciting, but I don't think you'll care.  Your Gma Marcia will be coming up next week to help me paint your new room.  Your daddy put up a closet organizer for you this week too.  Now we have lots of space for all of the little dresses that you will be wearing.  I also bought you a ErgoBaby Performance carrier this week. (It was 50% off on Zulily.com this week!)  So now only do you have a stroller to cruise around in, but soon a carrier.

We are still getting used to calling you "she".  Sorry, but we were pretty convinced that you were going to be a boy.  As much as I wanted a little girl at the beginning of this pregnancy, I convinced myself that we would have a boy first and got used to all things little boy.  So now I have to get used to little girly things again.  In fact, we were so convinced that you were going to be a boy that we had to have the ultrasound tech double check that you are in fact a girl!  But we are super excited that you are a girl!  

Keep growing, little one.

Love,
Your mama