Lima Bean: Week Nineteen

How far along: Nineteen weeks as of Wednesday, February 19, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 6 inches long from head to rump (the size of an heirloom tomato) and weighs about 8.5 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: I finally washed my new maternity jeans so I could start wearing them.  Other than that, I have three pairs of non-maternity pants I can wear with the belly band.  And leggings.  So, my wardrobe is quite limited.  In desperate need of warmer weather so I can wear dresses!
Movement: Still feel movement, and it is getting stronger and more frequent. 
Sex of baby: We will find out in less than a week!  I still think it's a girl.
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: A glass of nice red wine would be great right about now.
Cravings: Salads with lots of dressing, hummus.  Relatively healthy this week.
Symptoms: Mostly just feeling really tired at the end of the day.  By 8:30 when Henry is down for the night, it is all I can do not to go to sleep myself.  Unfortunately, there are always things I need to do when he is asleep, so I don't end up getting to bed before 10:30 at the earliest.
What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan.  Soon!

Lima Bean: Week Eighteen

How far along: Eighteen weeks as of Wednesday, February 12, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 5.5 inches long, the length of a bell pepper, and weighs almost 7 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: Still no pants, only a couple of tops.  I have to say, I pulled out my bin of maternity clothes this week and thought, "Ugh!" when I saw them.  I am already tired of them and I haven't even worn them yet.  I think they wore out their welcome during Henry's pregnancy.  Will have to buy a few new things, especially for the warmer months.
Movement: Yep, and I love it!
Sex of baby: I had a dream this week that I was holding a boy baby.  In the dream, the baby was supposed to be Henry, but since he is 19 months old, that doesn't make much sense.  So, perhaps Lima Bean is a boy?!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Oh, what I would give for a deli sandwich or pre-made chicken salad.
Cravings: Cinnamon-flavored things: cinnamon rolls, cereal, and coffee creamer have all made it into the lineup this week.
Symptoms: Tiredness, bad skin, some sharp waves of abdominal pain that I think is round ligament stretching.
What I'm looking forward to: This doesn't have anything to do with Lima Bean, but warmer weather so I can get outside, take Henry for long walks, and get some exercise!  I am so tired of the snow and winter weather.  This winter seems as though it will never end!

Loving Big Brother

A couple of times a day, Mark gives Lima Bean a kiss by kissing my stomach.  Yesterday, he did this while I was sitting on the couch with Henry.  Henry saw Daddy lift my shirt a bit and kiss the baby.  He must have thought this looked fun, because he proceeded to copy Daddy.  He lifted my shirt and gave Lima Bean a big ol' wet smooch!  Then, seeing the reaction he got from Mark and me, he did it again and again and again!  After giving the baby a kiss, he would look up at Mark, give a huge grin, and clap his hands!  I thought I would die from the cuteness.  It was the absolute most adorable thing, and I even teared up in my emotional pregnant state. 

A few photos of the adorable big brother, who has been a little neglected on this blog during all of the Lima Bean posts.  Not to worry, though, he is definitely not hurting for attention from Mark and me!

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Seventeen

I had no memory of wearing this sweater in the 15 week picture until I uploaded it.  Ah, well: at least you can see how much bigger the bump is two weeks later!

How far along: Seventeen weeks as of Wednesday, February 5, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 5 inches long from crown to rump and weighs about 5 ounces, as much as a turnip.
Maternity Clothes: I tried to wear a pair of maternity jeans this week, but they were too baggy because I stretched them out so much last time.  They literally wouldn't stay up.  So, still wearing regular pants.  I can wear one pair as is, and the rest I have to wear with a belly band.  I have plenty of long tops, so no need for maternity shirts yet, although I have a couple that are shorter that I have worn.
Movement: Still feel movement, and it is getting stronger and more frequent. 
Sex of baby: We will find out in less than three weeks!
Sleep: Fine.
What I miss: Deli sandwiches and soft cheeses.
Cravings: Finally feeling like Mexican food!  It was so funny--it's all I wanted during Henry's pregnancy, but this time, I have craved Asian-inspired and Italian food.  This week I made honey lime enchiladas and they were outstanding.  Still have that "sweet" undertone I have been craving, though.  Also, deli sandwiches.  I want a turkey sandwich!!  I already have my order ready for my first post-baby lunch: Boar's Head spicy chicken, pepper jack cheese, honey mustard and onions on sourdough.  Mmmm...just have to wait approximately 23 more weeks!
Symptoms: Tiredness, bad skin, some sharp waves of abdominal pain that I think is round ligament stretching.
What I'm looking forward to: The anatomy scan.  Soon!

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Sixteen

How far along: Sixteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 29, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is 4.5 inches long from crown to rump, the size of an avocado, and weighs about 3.5 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: I have worn two sweaters so far.  I can still fit into four pairs of pants, two that are made of extra stretchy material and two that are normally too big, and still are too big, actually (although I suspect not for long!)
Movement: Still feeling Lima Bean a couple of times a day.  Mostly when I am going to bed at night, probably because I'm relaxed and still.
Sex of baby: We will find out in four weeks!
Sleep: Just fine.
What I miss: Over easy eggs, soft cheeses.
Cravings: Salads, mint oreos (to counterbalance the salads), barbeque chicken.  This baby is all about dishes with sweet undertones.
Symptoms: Mostly just horrible skin and a little extra tiredness.  Some days are worse than others, even if I get the same amount of sleep the night before.
What I'm looking forward to: The "big" ultrasound where we see Lima Bean again!

Other notables: I had my 16 week appointment this week.  Mark had a work obligation, so I took Henry on my own.  He has gone to every appointment so far, because I keep scheduling them on days I don't work!  He does great because I always bring crackers for him to snack on and he gets fawned over by everyone at the office.  We heard the heartbeat again (152 bpm) and I had a pretty long discussion with my doctor about attempting a VBAC.  For now, that is the plan.  Henry's C-section was the result of a multitude of circumstances that all aligned to make it very hard for me to have him normally--my water broke, so I had 24 hours or so from then to give birth; I wasn't dilating on my own so I had to be on Pitocin; Henry's cord was wrapped around his body, so the increased Pitocin contractions were squeezing him too much and causing his heart rate to decelerate.  Anyway, all that to say, my doctor thinks the C-section wasn't because of my physical body structure, which was great to hear.  I know VBAC rates aren't great, but I am hoping I can achieve it.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Fifteen

How far along: Fifteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 22, 2014. 
Size of baby: Lima Bean is about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs about 2.5 ounces, the size of an apple.
Maternity Clothes: Nothing except one maternity sweater I purchased from Ann Taylor Loft.  It is not long at all, though, and I doubt I will be able to wear it past 21-22 weeks.
Movement: Finally feeling a little bit of movement again!  It is very infrequent, not even every day, but the pulsing sensation is back.  It is always a big relief to feel Lima Bean moving and shaking.
Sex of baby: Leaning towards girl.  We will find out in about five weeks!
Sleep: Just fine.
What I miss: Sodas and over-easy eggs.
Cravings: Oreo desserts.  Milkshakes, McFlurries (which I would never usually order), you name it.  I am going to have to rein in the eating or I will gain too much weight!
Symptoms: Fatigue is getting better.  I still try to get over eight hours of sleep a night, but I don't feel the need to nap all of the time like I used to.  Skin is still bad.
What I'm looking forward to: Hearing Lima Bean's heartbeat again at my 16 week appointment.

Hidden Hiller Chronicles: Week Fourteen

How far along: Fourteen weeks as of Wednesday, January 15, 2014.  Officially out of the first trimester and into the second!
Size of baby: Lima Bean is stretching out.  She is 3.5 inches from crown to rump, about the size of a lemon, and weighs about 1.5 ounces.
Maternity Clothes: No, but I had a heck of a time finding something to wear to a client meeting this week.  I work for an awesome law firm that allows us to wear jeans, which I do nearly every day.  So, I have a closet full of business casual clothes I never wear unless I am taking a deposition, going to court, or meeting with a client.  I tried on every suit I own the night before the meeting, even the ones that are normally too big in the waist, and none of them fit!  I ended up wearing a top with an elastic bottom that kept the suit pants up while unbuttoned!  I made sure it wasn't noticeable first, of course.  But I am thinking I will need to invest in a maternity suit.  I hate spending the money on something I won't wear for long, but I know I will need it at some point during this pregnancy.
Movement: No movement yet.  Hopefully I will feel Lima Bean in the next couple of weeks!
Sex of baby: Thinking girl, but we'll see. 
Sleep: Sleeping fine.
What I miss: Having dressy work clothes that fit!
Cravings: Sweet foods.  Chocolate chip cookies, mango, strawberries.  I found a recipe for honey sesame chicken and literally drooled thinking about it for two days until I finally made it.  It was just as delicious as it looked.
Symptoms: Fatigue, bad skin.  Eating sweets probably isn't helping my cause.
What I'm looking forward to: Warmer weather so I can wear dresses.  Unfortunately, with the way this winter is going, I don't think I will get my wish for quite some time.