New symptoms: Ohhhh the back pain. Part of this is definitely due to pregnancy, the other part probably has to due with the big 13 month old I'm lugging around during the week. It certainly doesn't help the back, that's for sure. Then there is the heartburn. I think it's back and here to stay. I have a long list of foods to avoid and ways to prevent heartburn, but it's tough. And SO annoying. It makes me just not want to eat, which is not really a good option. So I guess I just get to deal with it for a while! On the upside, the baby is moving like CRAZY. Lots and lots and lots, and getting much stronger. Sometimes it looks like there is a wave ripping through my belly, it's crazy! And thankfully, I'm still at the stage where these kicks are not yet painful, so we will see how much longer that lasts. What else... oh, I am now convinced that I have been having infrequent Braxton Hicks contractions. I wasn't really sure what they were supposed to feel like (you can read about it in a book, but not really sure how that will really feel). But if I have a busy day (lots of walking or activity), my stomach gets really tight, and feels almost like the baby is pushing her body out as far as she can. It seems to happen mostly when I'm out walking, although sometimes it happens at other random times throughout the day. It's not painful at all, but definitely noticeable!
About baby: Baby weighs more than 2 pounds by now!! She is also about 15 inches long, head to toe. Not sure how that is all fitting inside me, but apparently it is! Baby's eyes are no longer fused shut, so she can open and close them at will. Now baby needs to keep on adding fat to her skinny little body! I can also feel her higher and higher up, close to my ribs!!
Weight gain this week: One and a half pounds. (Which I'm thinking at least half of that is the 8 slices of chocolate cake I had over the weekend. No, I'm not kidding. And no, that did not help the heartburn situation.)
Total weight gain: Ten and a half pounds! And unfortunately for me, I feel like I am looking larger all over, and not just more pregnant. Waaaaaaaaa. I wanted to be one of those cute pregnant people the whole way through. Oh well, at least I can hide out in another country. And I'm not yet at the point where I will stop taking pictures, but it may get there, just to warn you. Either that or I will need to sharpen my photoshop skills. :) But for now, here you go... just lie and tell me I look great. :)