17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks, 1 day

How big is baby? About the size of an onion

Total weight gain: 8 pounds, right on track!

Maternity clothes? Getting close. Definitely the bottoms and I’m getting very close to needing the tops too.

Stretch marks? Not so far!

Exercise? I still plead the fifth.

Sleep: I’ve figured out a pillow combo that works better than the others, but I’m still tossing and turning a lot and not sleeping well. Lots of vivid, weird dreams too – which I’ve read is very typical.

Movement: Still nothing definitive, just a few times where I think it’s a kick but not really sure.

Food cravings: McDonald’s Filet ‘O Fish. Apple juice. Mac and Cheese. Red sauce – pizza, eggplant parm, spaghetti. Pretty much, if it comes off a kids menu I will eat it.

Food aversions: Almost all seafood. Any kind of barbecue/chicken wings/ribs. Most meat grosses me out right now. I’ll eat hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon and some variations of chicken fingers and that’s about it.

Gender: It’s a BOY!! We are very excited and completely shocked. I have been convinced from the get-go that it’s a baby girl, so yesterday’s news was quite a surprise. We are very happy and Mike is thrilled that he now has a little sports-fan-in-training.

I asked them if they could take a peek yesterday since we will be seeing both sides of our family in the coming week and they were able to fit me in. They were so efficient yesterday – I was in and out even with the added ultrasound. I need to plan all my appointments for the day after a holiday.

Labor Signs: Nope.

Symptoms: Still very tired. I asked the doctor if this was normal and she said yes. She also said the extreme heat we’ve been having will contribute, even if I’m staying indoors.

What people are saying: Same as last week, so this time will go with one of Mike’s finer moments:

“Your belly is starting to get bigger, just like your boobs and your…oh, umm, nevermind.”

I love it when Mike says something with good intentions and it comes out all wrong. We just laugh about it and sometimes it becomes a funny memory!

Sweet Moments: Telling Mike that the baby is a boy and hearing the excitement in his voice.

(He spent the day with him mom yesterday, and said that if we could find out at that appointment, he’d rather me find out and tell him than wait until he could join me for the 20 week ultrasound.)

Make room for baby: As soon as we found out yesterday I went on the Mets site and bought the baby a little gray fleece romper. It’s the cutest thing ever and Mike was beyond excited when I told him. (I was going to surprise him, but when I got home he was already on the Mets site looking at the baby items…too cute!)

Miss Anything? A good night’s sleep! And Publix subs. That will without a doubt be my first food request once baby arrives.

Looking forward to: Feeling the baby kick! It was so reassuring to hear the heartbeat yesterday and see the baby – I’m really anxious for the kicking to start so I can get that reassurance daily.

Worst moment this week: Mike’s dad passed away Wednesday morning, July 4. It was a blessing because he was very sick and suffering, but still a very sad time. It also makes me sad that he wasn’t able to meet his first grandchild. But I know that he is looking down on us from above and will still be able to share our joy come December!

Best moment this week: Yesterday’s ultrasound. He was waving at the camera again, with all five fingers spread out, which was very neat. He’s getting big! I could really see the ears and the profile of the face. I absolutely love seeing our little guy on the ultrasound.