Week 18

Symptoms: All I can say is that holy cow, second trimester is so much better than the first! I have had more energy this week and have actually had a desire to work out! Woot woot! I currently love yoga. It makes me feel so good. I've always been a stretcher since I was little but now I know how to do that while gaining strength. It has also helped me with some minor back pains I've been experiencing, and with the power of position thinking. While I'm doing yoga I meditate and focus my mind on this little baby growing inside of me. I focus on the love I have for our little caterpie. I also want to start getting my mindset ready for labor...even though I have NO CLUE what it's going to be like. I can do all the reading I like but I have never experienced labor. It's a bit frightening to say the least. But hopefully, I can take some of my yoga practices and utilize them during that whole process. HOPEFULLY!

Cravings/Aversions: Absolutely love chicken noodle soup!! I even made a double recipe of homemade soup this last week and John and I, mostly I, ate it up in 2 days. I don't even remember how I made it because I combined several recipes to accommodate for what we had in our cupboards. But I will definitely be making it again. If I didn't have homemade soup I went to the store to get some of that Progresso stuff that I mentioned last time. I also have been enjoying peanut butter M&Ms. I mean I always go through phases with my candy but it's been years since I've been through a peanut butter M&M phase. Thankfully, I'm over the soda phase. As good as it tasted, I just am not a huge fan of how root beer makes me feel...super burpy. Maybe it was the fact that it was just disgusting anyways..but this last Sunday during the passing of the sacrament they had good bread (you know? the squishy white stuff), and then they had not so good bread....sunflower cardboard crap. I got the sunflower stuff...Maybe because I'm pregnant and just don't care I immediately spit it out. I got a few crumbs in there so I technically partook of the bread but seriously guys....don't EVER bring that stuff to a sacrament meeting. I understand food allergies and gluten free bread, but this was just plain awful.

Best Moment(s) of the Week: Having people finally realize that I'm pregnant when I say I am! There's a bump there for sure. It's like in the last 2 weeks or so it's just popped out. I mean...I've always been a bit chubby and that's hid that bump quite well, but now ..=)

Also! I think I have felt this little baby move a little bit. There were definitely times I felt that was not just my intestines or something moving. It was super exciting for me and reassuring.

This wasn't this week but during week 17, I played my last concert with the Idaho Falls Symphony. It's been so fun this year working with such wonderful musicians. We performed Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which is one of my all time favorites. We also had 2 soloists come in and play concertos--one a beautiful harp concerto by Handel that made me actually want to like harp music, and then Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. It was fun to hear the Rococo Variations and reminisce about the time I played it during college.

Yesterday, we went to go see The Avengers. It was super good but I  somehow missed the punchlines of most of the jokes...I don't know even really know why (well once because I ate some particularly crunchy popcorn) so one moment I'm enjoying the movie and the next people are laughing...I didn't hear the line!! Darn it!!


SOOO Our Little Caterpie is technically a full 19 weeks and 2 days old but here are the facts about week 18.

Our Little Caterpie is the size of a sweet potato

• Can you believe she's (or he) yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing?
• And she's (or he) twisting, rolling, punching and kicking, too — and is big enough that you might be able to feel her (or him) doing it!
• WE FIND OUT WHAT THE SEX OF THE BABY IS MAY 12th!! Put your votes in! Is it going to be a girl or a boy???