Week 19

How far along: 19 weeks

Best moment this week: Hmm, nothing too exciting going on with the pregnancy this week.  Anthony Davis won a gold medal... that was a great moment for Kentucky fans and the world in general.

What's new with baby: Baby is the size of a mango, six inches long and weighing half a pound!  This week sensory nerve cells for taste, sight, smell, touch and hearing are developing in the brain.  Books say wee Wheeler is a mover and a shaker right about now, and I keep feeling bubbly flutters especially at night... but I am still waiting to feel the first kick.

Mom is feeling: Good.  In some ways I can't believe this Thursday marks the official "halfway" point in the pregnancy because it has only recently starting feeling more real, but at other times April (when we found out) feels like forever ago.  I get crampy in the evenings.  I found out this is called round ligament pain and normal after an active day... I would hardly call sitting at my desk all day "active," but it doesn't take much these days to wear me out.  I continue to be extremely thankful for how easy and fun this experience has been.

Weight gain: 7 pounds

Wardrobe: I'm wearing a mix of my regular tops and borrowed maternity tops to work, usually with my normal skirts or capris using the belly band.  As soon as I get home I switch into sweats and a baggy t-shirt... just like I always have, except now I don't feel as much like a bum about it, "comfort for the baby" is a great excuse to dress schlumpy.

Cravings: Nope.  Thankfully this baby hasn't caused any of those crazy pickle cravings pregnant women stereotypically get.  Why am I thankful for this?  Well, I think it would be hard for me to name a food that I despise more than pickles.  The whiff of a pickle can make me gag. (This is not a pregnancy thing.  I have always reacted to the scent of pickles with complete disgust.  I find it to be one of the most pungent and repulsive food odors.)  If Chick-fil-A accidentally puts pickles on my "#1 with no pickles" order and I don't realize it until I'm home from the drive thru, I'm ashamed to admit how upset it can make me.  Even when I remove them, the vinegary stench and flavor has oozed into the golden bun, ruining my entire sandwich.  If this baby made me crave pickles... I would question who it's mother was.

Missing: Nothing.

Name news: Some fun facts about our names according to the Social Security Administration baby name database... in 1982 Jennifer was ranked #1 and Matthew was ranked #3 in popularity.  I win!  I know a lot of people with popular names who say, "Well, I was one of 5 Ashley's in my class so I'm naming my baby Bucket so he will stand out, but just in case there's another Bucket in his preschool, I'm going to spell it Baawquet." I do see the appeal in something a bit less ordinary.  However, when I look at our preliminary lists most of the names are, well... ordinary.  And the more I ponder names the more I'm ok with that.  I never disliked Jennifer, it was nice to fit in.  It was nice to not have anyone wonder if I was a girl or ask me how to spell it.  I've concluded that "popular" names are popular for a reason, they're good names and I don't mind if we end up using one.   

Scared about: Someone stealing my idea and naming their baby Baawquet now that I've put it out there. 

Excited about: Two more weeks until I can stop calling the baby "it."  Although to be honest, I usually catch myself saying "he or him" if I accidentally use gender specific pronouns... could it be a mother's intuition?  Can't wait to find out!!!