16 Weeks, Heck Yeah!

**This is a pregnancy-related post, so please feel free to skip this post if you're not up for it. God bless.**

Hey all, happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I can't believe that summer is almost over already...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying that out loud! Everyone knows that when summer hears that, it just hurries up even more. 

First of all, my beauuuuuuuutiful niece was just born! And by just, I  mean like...an hour ago! Her mama (T's sister) was a champ, enduring almost 20 hours of labor, 90% of it epidural-free! What a rockstar. Adelyn Grace was born at 12:22 EST, and we are all overjoyed to welcome her into the family! 

(I would show you a picture, but my SIL does not know about my corner of the blogiverse, so I will  keep those to myself instead.)

Onto more fun things, T and I had a very nice/relaxing weekend. We even went on a long-overdue date night, and had a great time eating good food and talking face-to-face (what a treat, right?)!

Yes, that is bacon on his martini. He claims it was delicious!

The universe threw us a bone and gave us some lovely fireworks to end the night with (a local festival, perfect coincidence)!

Also, I thought I would let you know that I am FINALLY a celebrity...

That's right, ladies and gentlemen! Coke has FINALLY acknowledged me. What a great day. (Not my Coke by the way, it was my Dad's...but still, rad)

Beyond that, not too much to report. With nice/relaxing comes very little news, and honestly, I'm okay with that. Our next few weekends are JAM-PACKED, so I was more than fine with taking this one slow. Are you the type of person who likes a jam-packed weekend, or you more the easy-going homebody type? In our house, Tim is the former, and I am the latter. Ah, those opposites, I tell ya.

Baby stuff!

Why doesn't anyone tell you that stripes make you look wider?! Oh wait, they do. Oh well!

How far along?  16 weeks, the SECOND TRIMESTER, and baby is the size of a dill pickle...4-4.5" long (again, so says my app)! 

Clothing? Finally being "out" at work has helped immensely...I don't have to hide in baggy clothes anymore! In almost exclusively maternity pants/skirts/leggings (don't judge too harshly!) but 95% regular tops. We'll see how long that belly holds my shirts down. ALSO, did a major closet clean-out (nesting already?) and got rid of THREE HUGE TRASH BAGS full of stuff (donated to my sisters, ha!) so...guess that leaves some room to shop! (T will be thrilled)

Stretch marks? Nothing new!

Sleep? Not great. Ever since I got my body pillow, my hips/knees are more comfortable but I wake up with a migraine. IDK if it's the angle I'm holding my head at or what, but...need to find a solution. Add that to 2/3x nightly bathroom trips and you've got a tired mama.

Best moment of this week? My 16-wk appointment on Monday! Of course I got all worked up beforehand like I always do, but everything was great. I went over all of my symptoms (as T rolled his eyes I'm sure) and my wonderful Dr. assured me that everything looked great. My uterus felt like the perfect size, the doctor assured me that I am not too fat (yet, ha!), and the best part...I got to hear that beautiful heartbeat swishing away (and a few kicks to the Doppler, too)!!! Praise God!

Worst moment of this week? Got all worked up last night (yes, one day after my appt.) because my stomach was very sore and I started to freak out about pre-term labor. I know, I know, silly. I'm feeling better today and repeating "Jesus, I trust in You" over and over again to calm these crazy fears!

Miss anything? Nada, (more than) content!

Movement? YES! After a long chat with the doc, he confirmed that yes, what I was feeling was most certainly the baby. The flutters occasionally progress to very deliberate little taps, but we are mostly still in the flutter zone for now. But it is the most amazing feeling in the world. I never thought I would get to feel this. It's a miracle, really.

Symptoms? Fatigue, migraines, breast tenderness, lower ab stretching/RLP, a growing belly, backaches, ab spasms (different feeling than the flutters...has anyone had this?!), some acne (joy), achy joints, becoming full really easily, and a (darkening) linea nigra! 

Food cravings? Had a strange craving for chocolate pudding at the grocery store the other day. Compromised by getting rice pudding because it had more protein. Win? Also LOVING my cheddar&horseradish potato chips from TJ's...always a slam dunk.

Gender? Honestly, after my SIL had a girl and I was SURE it was a boy, now I'm all mixed up...

Labor Signs? No siree (just craziness that makes me think I do).

Belly button in or out? In, but shallow, and getting kinda ugly.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Mood? Happy happy happy, and feeling very blessed. BUT ALSO, noticing an increased amount of rage at dumb stuff...for example, people who walk too slow on the sidewalk. Or noisy L trains that interrupt my "This American Life" podcasts in the morning. You know, super rational.

Rituals? Nighttime lullaby, holy water on the belly in the morning, holy oil on the belly at night. And staring at the ultrasound pictures/watching the videos as often as I can!!!!! Along with routine bedtime chats.

Milestones? Confirming that I am definitely feeling baby kicks, my dream come true!!! Also, officially becoming the only pregnant person in my family following the birth of my niece...time to soak up all of that motherly wisdom!

Looking forward to? MY FIRST REAL STRONG "OW THAT KINDA HURT" BABY KICK (nothing painful yet, but bring it on peanut!), and my 20-week appointment (GOSH that sounds so far along, doesn't it?!) and next ULTRASOUND on Sept. 4th...I truly cannot wait.

God bless ladies.