21.5 Week Belly Progression

It's been about a month since our last belly progression pic, so I thought I'd post one. Mainly I wanted to offer proof that I do, in fact, get haircuts sometimes.

17.5 weeks with shaggy hair on October 16:

 And today at 21.5 weeks looking far more chic and with way cooler lighting:

I promise the next belly pics will be in something other than a dress. I feel like it is a little hard to see exactly how the belly is progressing when I'm wearing something drapey. So next time will be jeans and a nice fitted maternity shirt so you all can be amazed at how I am all belly and so adorable and haven't gained any weight anywhere else, etc. etc. Because that is what's important here, obv.

Try to ignore that everything written to this point has basically reflected huge insecurities about how I look as a preggo mom. I am apparently working hard to overcome the emotional baggage of having gained 50 pounds with Mikayla and also having gone about 2 months without a haircut not long ago.

Also, please ignore Mikayla's Christmas presents in the background of the new belly pics. She isn't supposed to know about them and yes we are lame parents for hiding them in plain sight, and this is probably the first and last Christmas that this strategy will work, which works out since we are in a house without much closet space.

Anyway, thanks for checking in! Time to go Sabbath for awhile...

SDG

2P Popped!

Anyone wondering when in the world we were going to get around to our first belly pic of the pregnancy? Yeah, me too.

Confession: I was pregnant with Mikayla at the same time that my SIL was expecting #2, and I was completely engrossed in every developmental milestone of every week. At the drop of a hat, I could have told you how far along I was (probably in hours) and the precise size of my growing baby and which organ systems began to function that week. I wondered why in the world my SIL was neglecting fun pregnancy details like the belly progression pics.

I bet it had nothing to do with running around after her firstborn. It's not like that takes time and energy away from constantly focusing on your growing belly. (Yeah...Enter Mikayla, the most eye-opening little person in my entire life.)

So my first belly photo at almost 18 weeks will hopefully represent my eating of a little crow and a newfound understanding of second time (and third, and fourth...) mommas-to-be. Blink and you miss weeks and fruit-stages (is 2P the size of a grapefruit? kumquat? cantaloupe? Who knows!). All I know is that 2P is a lovely size to serve as a seat for Mikayla when I carry her around. (Not the last time she'll sit on her little sibling, I'm sure.)

Sunday, October 16 (17.5 weeks):

Ignoring my dire need of a haircut for a moment, I think we can agree that hello, 2P!

For the record, since I use this blog as a journal of sorts (I'm turning many of my previous entries into a Pregnancy Scrapbook for Mikayla), I have only gained about six pounds so far. I lost about five pounds right off the bat due to morning sickness, gained it back around the end of the first trimester, and now have gained another six. This is a serious improvement over my rapid and ongoing weight gain with Mikayla; I am hoping to gain about half of what I did with her, which was about 50 pounds. (Yes, seriously. What in the world.)

In other news, from the sounds I'm hearing right this second, Mikayla can apparently reach the doorknob of her room from the comfort of her crib. I'm pretty sure she can't actually, you know, get out.

Guess I'd better go check. Still no time for navel-gazing for this momma...

SDG!

Baby Belly 28 Weeks

Just in case you are not privileged to witness my expanding girth on a regular basis, behold the latest Belly Progression Photos:

For comparison, the last photo from August 11 (18 weeks):

September 29 (24 1/2 weeks)

October 21 (28 weeks)

Please ignore how tired I look in that last one, and instead focus on my, er, radiance...or something...

And you're up to date, thanks for checking in!

Week 18 Belly Progression

The long-awaited first installment of the Belly Progression Photos has arrived. Take note, those of you who cling to your belief that I am "still tiny" or "barely showing". Ha!

May 10 (4 1/2 weeks)
("still tiny", if you believe I started out tiny)

July 1 (12 weeks)
("barely showing" is somewhere between this photo and the next one)


August 11 (18 weeks)
(uh, hello Baby P!)

And, folks, now you're up to date with the Belly Progression!

So...yikes...the more times I scroll down through the progression, the more I believe I already look truly huge. What will the next four and a half months bring? And yes, there is only one in there, so far as we know.

Also - I definitely have felt the baby kick today! It startled me in the middle of a meeting, when I felt movement - against my arm, which was draped across my belly. Gas does not usually cause sensation in my extremities, so I'm fairly certain it was the baby. The midwife confirmed it at my appointment by saying she could feel movement with her hand, as she placed the doppler to check the heartbeat. So much for our mild-mannered little bell pepper...perhaps we have a soccer player in there!