Baby Bump: Week 21

How far along are you? 21 weeks

How far are you measuring? At my 18 week gender appointment, Audrey was measuring almost a week behind....here's hoping for a petite baby!!

How big is your baby? According to babycenter she should be about 10 1/2 inches long and measuring almost a full pound....holy cow!! However, since she was only 7 ounces a couple weeks ago, who knows? Though I do think she's gone through a major growth spurt because last week there were days that I was incredibly hungry even though I was eating filling, nutritious meals!

What major developments is your baby going through right now? Her movements are becoming stronger, and according to babycenter, her fluttery-like movements will soon turn to full-fledged kicks (they already have started!!). Also her eyelids and eyebrows are now present.

Heartbeat: 158 bpm (almost 2 weeks ago)

Weight gain: +10.3 lbs

Maternity clothes: I'm wearing maternity clothes most of the time...Some of the maternity clothes that I received are a little big for me, so I went back to wearing my regular pants with the Bella Band. I also have one pair of jeans that are pretty much completely stretch jeans, and I can still wear them regularly (no Bella Band or anything!). And they were still comfortable at the end of the day. We'll see how long that lasts.... :)

Stretch marks: No, not yet :)

Movement: On Thursday at school (generally I only feel her at the end of the day when I'm being pretty still), I felt her KICK! Not fluttery, bubble-like sensations, but a real kick! And later that same night while Michel and I were watching TV he felt her kick, too! They were strong little kicks! It was the most awesome feeling ever, and I'm so glad that Michel was there to feel it. We both felt her kicking again this morning, too! I'm sure there will come a time where she's kicking me while I'm trying to sleep, and maybe it will be a little less exciting, but right now I love feeling her move and kick! It's so....indescribable! 

Sleep: I generally still get up twice to go to the bathroom, and Audrey does not like me sleeping on my stomach AT ALL! I can get her kicking me pretty good if I try to sleep on my stomach! I must be squishing her, and she's letting me know it :) So I sleep on my side now.  

Gender predictions: It's a precious baby girl!! Audrey Grace Zoutendam

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. I feel much more restless on my side - like I'm not getting a good sleep.

What I'm most looking forward to: Six more weeks of school until summer vacation!! Once summer vacation starts Michel and I can get our nursery set up, and my sister is going to come spend a few days with us and help me create some Pinterest and Etsy-inspired crafts!!!

Best moment this week: Michel being able to feel his daughter kick for the first time, and seeing him so excited by it! And also having a girl's day yesterday with my mom, sister, and niece shopping in First Monday and getting a ton of awesome things for Audrey, and her nursery!

How are you feeling: A little bit old lady-ish to be honest. I get some bad back pain that really feels like it's more in my butt (sorry if TMI). I looked it up online, though, and it's actually a common place to get back pain during pregnancy. It's called posterior pelvic pain. I used to think it was exercise-induced, but I was pretty lazy/exhausted after work this week, and only worked out twice, and I didn't even work out that hard. The days that I wasn't working out is when I had the worst back pain. I can usually just wait it out/sleep it off, but I walk like an old woman (slowly) when my back is hurting. Also, our mattress is sooo comfy, it's seriously difficult for me to sit up now. Again, I look like an old lady when attempting to sit up in bed :)