18 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Still don't know. Honestly, I'm not really obsessing over every pound. I certainly have a limit that I will try to stay under, but regardless of what happens during this pregnancy, I will have a lot of work to do unless this baby comes out weighing about 50 lbs.

Size of Baby: Baby Todd is the size of a bell pepper.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, most of the time.

Sleep: It's been okay. Friday night I had my first acid choking episode of this pregnancy. Ugh. I hardly slept a wink until 6 am. I'm just praying this isn't an ongoing issue like it was during my first pregnancy. My sleep for the rest of the week has been much better.

Movement: Not much this week.

Cravings/Aversions: I've been craving Chinese food and big chewy sweet tarts...not together though!

What I Miss: Not really anything at the moment. 

Gender: We find out in 1 week! I'm so excited!! This topic has been on my mind so much this week...just because our ultrasound is coming up soon and we went to a gender reveal party for some friends this weekend. Honestly I will be really happy either way. I just want a good sleeper this time around. ;)

Mood: Good, excited, content, and productive. Nesting is starting to kick in and it feels really good to not be the lazy slug I was during the first trimester. 

Symptoms/Medical Concerns: I'm in that wonderful part of pregnancy where I feel really good. If it weren't for the growing baby bump, I almost forget I'm pregnant sometimes. If I'm on my feet a lot, they get pretty sore and swell a little, but it's nothing too bad. 

Differences from Last Pregnancy: I feel pretty similar to how I felt with Claire...some people are theorizing that means it's another girl, but who knows? 

I guess the major difference right now is that I'm not teaching during this pregnancy. I cannot overstate how much of a difference this has made for me. Being on my feet all day as a teacher was rough and while I'm certainly busy now, I have much more control over what I'm doing. The school year I was pregnant with Claire was by far the most stressful working experience of my life, thanks to an asshole supervisor who went out of his way to punish me and the other pregnant teacher on my team for being pregnant and needing to take maternity leave. He lasted all of a year at my school. Add in the regular stress of teaching and doing sub plans for maternity leave and it was a nightmare (one I still have actual nightmares about). The swelling and blood pressure issues all of this caused nearly landed me on bed rest. All that to say, it doesn't escape me for a second how blessed I am to be home with Claire this time. I am so so so thankful. 

Best Moment this Week: This weekend was super jam-packed, but it was fun to spend time with Cam, Claire, and our friends!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Next Wednesday!