17 week "bumpdate"

I've always been great about documenting my kids ages and development week by week, but not so much when it came to my pregnancies with each of them...

{maternity poncho/nursing cover c/o cover me ponchos}

Sure I snapped photos of my growing belly, but I never made it a point to write down what I was craving, how I was feeling, or where my head was at, at any given point during the 39 weeks that I was pregnant with both M&E.

I've been thinking lately, that it's never too late to try something new, so with this being my third pregnancy in just a few short years, I thought I'd take a stab at documenting how I'm feeling and what's going on week by week (or maybe month by month) this time around.

At 17 weeks along, and a few weeks into my second trimester, I'm thrilled to admit that the nausea seems to finally be behind me, my energy is returning, and I finally (thank God!) have the desire to drink coffee again!!!

It's strange, because so many people have asked me if my pregnancies were different when I was pregnant with a girl vs. a boy.  They weren't really at all, except for the fact that with Max, I knew he was a boy 100% from day one and with Ella I was clueless as to what we were having until my 20 week ultrasound.

This pregnancy has been the most different thus far, and I can't say it has anything to do with the sex of the baby.  The cravings I've been having are mostly the same... carbs and sweets, all day every day.  Spaghetti and meatballs, cupcakes, french fries, and English muffins are constantly on my mind... which as you can imagine, will likely do wonders for my weight gain.

The way I have felt this time has been so different though.  I never dealt with nausea before, and with this baby, it was bad.  I was also totally lacking any form of motivation for awhile there, but I suppose growing a human while chasing 2 around, will do that to you.

Much to my dismay, I'm also feeling much bigger, much faster this time.  Chalk it up to not losing all of the baby weight after having Ella, my uterus being stretched out, or a combination of the two, but I get the feeling I'm going to be feeling large and in charge for the next several months... Thank goodness for full panel maternity pants!

I began feeling kicks and flutters very early on with this pregnancy, around 14 weeks, maybe even a little sooner.  Prior to this, those flutters weren't felt until about 17 weeks, so that has been a fun change.

Another fun change with this baby, has been getting to share it with Max and Ella.  They are so excited!  Max always makes it a point to tell me that he is being careful around my belly, and Ella's new favorite thing to do is pull up my shirt, put her mouth to my bump, and say, "Hiiii, baby!".

I had a check up earlier this week, and all was well with the baby's growth and heart rate, so now the countdown is on to find out the sex... which thankfully (no pun intended), we will find out just before Thanksgiving.  I am literally dying to know if we are having a boy or a girl.  For all of you who manage to hold out for the surprise until the end, props to you, because I could NEVER make it!!!

Aside from all of that, I'm working at continuing with light exercise at least three days a week, enjoying the final days of being able to sleep on my tummy, and looking forward to all of the shopping that will ensue as soon as we know whether this babe will be sporting pink or blue.