Wednesday, October 13, 2010

17 Weeks

Today I am 17 weeks pregnant with our next little bundle of joy! I've been following a couple of other pregnancy blogs and apparently the thing to do weekly is to answer the same questions and post a belly profile picture. I'm thinking I'll start doing this as well. The only problem is that I'm definitely NOT one of those cute pregnant girls like the ones on the blogs I follow.

Turns out I'm fat. I've always been some form of fat and although, I'd like to blame it on some thyroid issue or my genes, I think it is safe to say I've earned it. It's that one thing I've never liked about myself but also never been very good at changing. Sure I've done the yo-yo thing where I lose a little and then gain it back but I've NEVER been one of those cute little girls that you see shopping in Forever 21. It just isn't me. It never has been me and I'm convinced it never will be me, especially now... turns out three pregnancies will, shall we say, change things. These are changes I would NEVER trade though!

So what does being fat have to do with being pregnant you ask? Well I don't get to flaunt my cute little prego belly around. The problem with being fat and pregnant is that the round little belly is there... somewhere but I can't see it and neither can the world around me. It's hidden, very well! Instead of looking pregnant I just look fatter than usual. When I was pregnant with Case I don't think I got my first pregnancy question from a stranger until I was about 3 weeks from my due date. I was at Subway and I could have kissed that lady; however I restrained myself because although I could have blamed my outburst on pregnancy hormones I thought it might still be inappropriate.

One thing you can find lots of on the internet are cute prego bellies. One thing you can't find much on the internet are fat prego bellies. So I'm taking one for the "fat team" and putting it out there. Here is the first of my fat prego belly pics.

Pregnancy Play-by-play

How Far Along: 17 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Johnston (I've got to think of a nickname for this baby!) is the size of an onion!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Am I really going there? About 4 lbs but somehow this varies by time of day... tomorrow morning it could 6 lbs or I could have lost weight... who knows!

Maternity Clothes: I finally marched into Motherhood Maternity with my FAVORITE maternity jeans, which are worn out in the legs...my chunky friends will understand this, and said, "I want these!" She found the darker less flattering version that doesn't have cool pockets but I'm sure they'll be more comfortable once I get them broken in. I can still fit in my regular pants but man oh man maternity pants are a pregnancy perk!!! I don't like stuff tight on my belly anymore. I'm pretty sure I can hear the baby saying, "momma, unbotton those pants, I can't breathe!" It's ok little one... neither can momma!

Gender: We will have our ultrasound on the 18th. Less than a week away. We're planning to have this top secret info put into an envelope to open when the time is right. It's a fun way to do it and it drives my husband TOTALLY crazy!

Movement: I thought I felt baby move a few days ago but I'm pretty sure tonight there was movement. I guess I should remember what that feels like since it wasn't even a year ago that I was feeling it!

Sleep: I'm pretty tired but sleep doesn't always come so easy or maybe doesn't always last is a better description. I've have lots of sinus stuff to help too:-(

Cravings: Right now my craving is shredded lettuce with cottage cheese, green olives, a little ranch and a little French. I don't know if that is weird because it's something I'd eat even when I'm not pregnant. My other craving is regular Coke. I buy it without the caffeine and I like it but nothing compares to a McDonald's Coke with lots of ice!!! I do limit this so the Caffeine Police can relax!

Symptoms: Still struggling with nausea off and on. I am occasionally taking Zofran to combat it but not needing to rely on that nearly as much at this point.

Best Moment this week: Feeling baby kick! There is nothing cooler than feeling your baby moving inside of you. I know men always say that they're glad women have the babies but I can't honestly say that I am too! The pain is nothing compared to this incredible feeling! I LOVE being pregnant!!

5 comments:

... said...

I'm so excited for you! You look gorgeous...and let me tell you, I was not one of those cute little ladies with the Bhudda belly...I was the fat, sweaty, bright red, huffing/puffing lady with bloodshot eyes and cankles the first time around (I gained 60 lbs with the first - I was told girls will do that to you!). I stopped shopping at Motherhood and went to a tentmaker. Thanks for telling it like it is! :o)

Mandee said...

You look fantastic Bev! I gained 60 with both of my boys. I've just come to terms with the fact I'm going to gain a lot of weight when pregnant. And you know what? All pregnant women are beautiful. Large, small, round or bumpy...creating a life just emits beauty.

Anonymous said...

Aww! Congratulations! That is so exciting!!!

Sarah said...

You are a beautiful pregnant women! Honestly, you are so pretty and extremely photogenic. Every time I see pictures of you I think about how good you look.

Thank you for sharing your weekly updates with us :-)

S. Garrison said...

I see your cute baby belly! And you are so brave for sharing your photos. I only put one pic out there at it was at 20 weeks when I was clearly prego! I love the idea of sharing the weeks though - I think I am going to steal that!