Sweetness Of Life: Week #26 Pregnancy Update!

I think it's been far too long since I've done a pregnancy update! I'm now 26 weeks along and can't believe how fast the time is going. So far, my pregnancy journey has been amazing, beautiful and exciting even though there have been some challenges and uncomfortable experiences as well ;) I'm sure that is to be expected. I can't believe that in a few short months Woody and I are going to have a little baby in our lives. A precious little being that we created together. It's the most amazing feeling!

How far along: 26 weeks!

Baby's size: The size of a cucumber! (15 in, 2 lbs)

Total weight gain: I think around 20 pounds

Stretch marks: No new ones!

Sleep: I've heard about lots of pregnant women suffering from insomnia, but fortunately I've been pretty blessed with good sleep! I'm kind of like an old grandma about it though ;) If I don't go to bed by 10 or 11, then I don't feel good the next day. I usually get up around 7 or 8. I tend to get up and pee sometimes during the night, but I'm usually able to just fall right back asleep again. Often times I wake up for a minute in the middle of the night and find that I'm holding my belly. Cute, huh?

Best moment this week: Oh wow, this should probably be "Best moment the last several weeks!" So many good things happening lately! Woody and I took our trip to Hawaii about a month ago and had such a beautiful time! We went to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, spending a week on each island. We visited family, saw some friends, had some romantic alone time, hiked, swam, played, ate good food AND I finally started feeling the baby move around...like, A LOT! While we were there I also started SEEING the baby's kicks and bumps from the outside. And Woody got to see and feel the baby move for the first time. Such magical moments!

Miss anything? I had my 29th birthday recently and had an awesome potluck gathering at my house with tons of beautiful friends. I did have ONE small glass of wine, but I was totally missing throwing back beers with everyone. I also kinda miss wearing anything I want. My clothing options are becoming a bit limited!

Movement: So much movement!! It's so exciting! Feeling the baby move around inside of me has brought me to this whole new level of awareness and connectedness to the baby. It all feels more real now. And it's been so fun to see how the baby reacts and responds to different things...my voice, my touch, Woody's voice, different foods I eat, music, laughter... it's so sweet and magical! ;)

Food Cravings: Interestingly enough, my food cravings may be a thing of the past. Previously I was experiencing very specific food cravings that were all across the board. Now that seems to have mellowed out and sometimes I can't even decide what I want to eat! While we were in Hawaii I was definitely craving lots of smoothies, ice cream, frozen yogurt, salads and papayas (I ate papaya, goat yogurt and granola for breakfast pretty much EVERY morning.) I also had a random craving hit for a barbecued pulled pork sandwich! I ate one and it was amazing ;)

Anything making you queasy or sick? Actually yeah....as I type this I am curled up on the couch under a blanket cuz the last few days I have had some super gnarly tummy issues going on. I won't go into details but, it has been pretty intense. I don't know if I caught a virus or if it was possible something I ate, but it has not been fun! I also had a day when I was in Hawaii where I was sick all day. Aside from that, there have been moments of uncomfortable belly sensations probably just due to the fact that baby is growing and started to squish my organs!

Gender: Well, it is a mystery until the birth but, it sure is fun to guess! Woody has been thinking it's a boy since the beginning. I felt like it was a girl at first and now it feels more like a boy. When I first started feeling the baby move around inside of me, I got a real clear image of a boy. We shall see!

Symptoms: Hmm...let's see. For the most part I've been feeling so good, it's been hard to notice any symptoms! Aside from the obvious growing belly, I do experience occasional gas and bloating, lower back pain and I get out of breath pretty easily but, all those things are pretty minor. Oh, and I have been having strange dreams! I had one where I was giving birth but, I was outside of my body watching myself. I remember wondering...shouldn't I be IN there?

Happy or moody most of the time: It seems that my mood swings have mellowed out too. But, I don't know...we might have to ask Woody and see what he says! I feel like I have been super happy and balanced lately. I think that so far months 5 and 6 of pregnancy have been my favorite :)

Looking forward to: My dad coming to visit from Wisconsin tomorrow! Baby shower next month! And finally meeting the sweet little soul in my womb :)

And now some belly pictures and some photos from Hawaii ;)