Week 22 Pregnancy Journal

How Far Along? 22 weeks

Size of Baby: A spaghetti squash (11 inches).

Gender: A girl!

Weight Gain: Up a total of 4 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight -- but since I lost a few pounds in the first trimester, up 7 pounds total from that lowest point.

Maternity Clothes: Depending on them for sure, but I love when I can still wear my normal wardrobe. I've always been a fan of longer tunics with skinny jeans or leggings, so they are currently a go-to.

Nursery: We are beginning to clear out the current guest room to turn it in to our new office ... which means a nursery is officially in the works!

Movement: Yes yes yes, and loving every bit. The mornings are my favorite -- baby girl seems to be an early riser like her mama, and I just adore those first few minutes of waking up and feeling her yawn and stretch along with me. Not that she is necessarily yawning and stretching, but I like to picture it that way.

Symptoms: A belly that is noticed in public. It's funny seeing people's reactions -- it's like they can't see my pregnant belly without smiling and giving me these "awww!" looks with puppy dog eyes. And I love that. My belly button is getting shallower (the skin around it is so smooth since it was on the inside before). No stretch marks to date! Also, very vivid dreams -- one crazy one that Ian and I helped our (male) dog Drake to deliver a puppy. Right.

Sleep: Still sleeping like a baby. I took my Snoogle pregnancy pillow down to Columbia for the five nights I would spend down there -- totally necessary. :)

Cravings: None really, although I did inhale three fun-sized Snickers bars from Ian's stocking Sunday without an ounce of regret.

What I Miss: Wine time and mimosas with my family during Christmas. Oh! And the smoked salmon that is always a part of our Christmas brunch. I made two separate grocery store stops over the holiday break for the Fre alcohol-removed wines. Also, this past week I developed a bit of a cold (runny nose, sneezing) and I was pretty limited in what I could take for it. Neti pot to the rescue!

Best Moment This Week: My family members got to experience Baby Girl moving around, and that was such an amazing experience. Having their hands on my tummy and feeling her move at the same time that they did was so miraculous. Also, this week was the first time that I watched my belly move ... amazing experience to say the least.

Looking Forward To: My 32nd birthday is today and I can't imagine anywhere else I'd rather be. I love my husband, I love my family and my friends, I love our sweet dog Drake, I love blogging and the thoughtful people it's led me to, I love our home, I love my job ... I love life. Above all, this wiggly, growing baby girl brings me joy every single precious minute. I feel like I struck the lottery. So, I'm just looking forward to this year and everything, everything it will bring.