17 Weeks - Baby #2

Well, here is my first official belly picture for baby Dotson #2! I am definitely showing earlier this time around. From comparing belly pics, I'd say I am about as big as I was at 21-22 weeks with Caleb. I was going to start taking picture a few weeks ago, but just never did....so I am starting now at 17 weeks since that is when I started with Caleb's.

(although there is a glare from the flash, I love how Caleb's newborn pictures are behind me on the wall....the same spot where I took my belly pics when I was pregnant with Caleb)

and here is a side-by-side to compare my Caleb belly to my Baby #2 belly!




I'm going to do my weekly posts a little different from my posts when I was pregnant with Caleb. I have seen this little questionnaire on quite a few blogs I read, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I will update the answers to these questions weekly from here on out.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 weeks, 5 days

Size of baby: about 5 ounces or the size of a turnip (according to babycenter.com)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think I've gained 8 pounds so far. I gained 36 lbs with Caleb (yikes!) so I'm sure I will gain at least that much with this one (at the rate I'm going)!

Maternity Clothes: yes, I started wearing maternity pants at around 10 weeks just because they were more comfortable on my baby pooch. I think I started wearing maternity shirts at around 14 weeks, which is when I started to look pregnant (and not just bloated!)

Gender: we will hopefully find out on March 24th!

Movement: I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move for the first time last week (so, 16 weeks) when I was laying really still in bed one morning. I have since felt the same thing several times but I have to be laying completely still. If I'm moving around like normal throughout the day, I do not feel anything.

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping better than I was during my 1st trimester. I'm not quite so restless and not having such crazy dreams like I was. I am, however, having to get up to pee a lot already. I try my best not to drink too much close to bedtime!

Symptoms: Having to pee all.the.time. On Friday (3/11), I started feeling some achiness in my lower abdomen right under my belly and I'm 99% sure this is round ligament pain. It's been going on for three days now and will hopefully subside soon! It's not that it is painful, it's just uncomfortable...better if I'm sitting or laying down and worse if I'm up and moving around. I was exhausted beyond belief during the first trimester but now I feel pretty much back to normal as far as that is concerned. The 2nd trimester is so much better!

What I miss: um, maybe laying on my stomach and sleeping straight through the night!

Cravings: Not sure if anything really counts as a craving, but there are a few things I've been eating or drinking more than usual (recent examples: strawberries, pickles, popsicles, and juice; 1st trimester examples: chocolate milk & cheese/crackers)

Best moment this week: feeling the baby move (I think!)

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex of the baby in 11 days!