Week by Week: Week 15

Our Baby:

• Is now four inches long. That's the size of an orange!
• Could have the hiccups. How cute!
• Is "breathing" amniotic fluid now.
• Can sense light and pressure inside the womb now, meaning I can poke and push on my tummy and he/she will be aware of it! Or I could be sweet and gently rub my belly, you know, whatever. 
• Would have visible bones in an X-ray now because the bones are beginning to ossify. 

I (traditionally): 

• Have put on around 5 pounds at this point. 
• Can feel the top of my uterus now if I press down about 5 inches under my belly button. 
• Have some stranger pregnancy symptoms like bleeding gums, nosebleeds, rhinitis of pregnancy, skin pigmentation, or "pregnancy brain." 
• Start really noticing some heartburn by now. 

I (actually): 

• Have put on 4 pounds at this point. Considering that my BMI puts me at overweight (thanks to being super short + curvy), I'm right on schedule for what I'm supposed to gain, which is less than average. 
• Can feel my uterus (though it's much closer to my belly button than 5 inches thanks to that short thing again). Weirdly, I feel it most when I'm flat on my back. That's when it pokes up out of my body.
• Headaches. Still more headaches. They're distinctly different than my normal migraines, but about once a week I have a substantial one. 
• Have noticed a bit of pink when I brush my teeth now. I suppose that would be my gums bleeding. I'm glad it's just because I have so much extra blood in my body right now. 
• Haven't had really bad heartburn lately, but I'm positive it will rear its ugly head again soon. 
• Don't have skin-darkening on my face, but that line down my belly sure is there!
• Have struggled with rhinitis of pregnancy over the last few weeks. Stuffy nose, runny nose . . . all that mucus is a huge pain!
• Sneeze a ton now. I'm not sure it's part of rhinitis, but maybe it's associated. Either way, now I'll have sneezing fits of five or six sneezes in a row. That's never happened to me before!

I think the morning sickness is gone. In my head I'm whispering because I don't want to alert the nausea in case it's lying in wait for me. I felt a little nauseated when my big headache came on, but I'm sure it was caused by the pain in my head rather than typical morning sickness. But really, I finally felt good for an entire week!

I'm not sure if it's a craving or not, but I cannot stop thinking about sno cones. I must have a delicious paper cone filled with shaved ice smothered in flavored, sugary goodness. And it must be the best flavor in the world: Turtle Power. In case you don't know about this perfection, it's half lime and half blue raspberry. What a magnificent flavor combination! I will be on the hunt for this treasure all summer long I tell you. 

In project news, the baseboard stripping has slowed down significantly from our original projections (surprise, surprise), but I've made enormous progress on a different project. I started painting the interior walls of our house! Now, this is different than painting a single room. I'm talking about painting all the walls that run together on multiple levels of the house. It's a big job, people. Last week, I completed the main living area and half of the stairwell. This week, I'm going to finish the stairwell and the upstairs hallway. The walls on either side of the stairs will be the most tricky, for they're about 10 feet tall on either side, but I think we have a (safe) solution ready. 

Freak-Out Moments: 

Last night I had trouble falling asleep because I kept wondering if I was truly ready to have my life and my routine completely changed by the addition of a child. I found myself doubting my ability to have enough patience, trust, and courage to embark upon the journey of motherhood. And, of course, it's already too late! I'm sure these freak-outs happen to most parents on a semi-regular basis, but I sure felt guilty for wishing, even for a second, that I could stay in the complete freedom of only having to take care of myself instead of a helpless baby. I know motherhood is where I'm supposed to be right now, but I'm starting to be scared of it!

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Despite all of that, it was a great week! Now that my giant headache is out of the way it's on to another!