Week 24

How far along? 24 weeks
Maternity clothes? still wearing regular shorts (unbuttoned when I sit) and maternity shirts 

Stretch marks? no
Sleep: I've been waking up several times throughout the night - sometimes to go to the bathroom and other times just because.
Best moment this week: We had another prenatal appointment and everything looks normal. Baby S is measuring exactly average :)

We also broke down and did our first baby clothes shopping this week. We limited ourselves to just a few things, but man oh man were we in heaven looking at all the tiny girl clothes. Even Pete enjoyed it and picked out a cute 'I Love Daddy' onesie. He seemed so excited to find it!
Miss anything? 
Movement: tons on some days, less on others
Food Cravings: none
Anything making you queasy or sick: no
Symptoms: Just last week I started experiencing excruciating lower back/tailbone pain. I asked my midwife if that is normal for this point in pregnancy and she said 'no', but I injured my tailbone in college and she thinks being pregnant is irritating that old injury. Unfortunately, it is not only painful now, it also puts me at a higher risk of breaking my tailbone while giving birth :( I saw a chiropractor yesterday and am seeing a massage therapist on Friday, so hopefully the combination of those two things at least helps ease the pain. Fingers crossed!
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: No
Belly button in or out: Flat
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: HAPPY
Looking forward to: decorating the nursery and registering!

Our shopping purchases!

Pete's Outfit Pick

'I Love Grandpa' & 'Grandma Loves Me'

My Favorite

Week 23

How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain: 10 lbs

Maternity clothes? regular shorts (unbuttoned at times), maternity shirts and a bigger size swimsuit top
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: good
Best moment this week: spending a lazy morning in bed with Pete and Harley. We couldn't get enough of our baby girl and laid in bed watching and feeling her move! She sure has energy :)
Miss anything? sushi, vodka tonics
Movement: tons
Food Cravings: soft serve ice cream - I broke down and had some on the 4th, even though I'm lactose intolerant, and I will not be making that mistake again! I was miserable the rest of the day :(
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: No
Belly button in or out: Flat
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: HAPPY
Looking forward to: our prenatal appointment on Tuesday and decorating the nursery

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!

Week 22

How far along? 22 weeks
Maternity clothes? maternity shirts and dresses
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: good
Best moment this week: Seeing our tiny baby during our ultrasound and getting surprised with 3D images. Amazing! Before the ultrasound I was super excited but also slightly nervous. I was excited to see our baby moving around and excited to find out the sex, but I was slightly nervous that we'd find out something was wrong. I had nothing to worry about though; it couldn't have been a better day! As soon as I saw our precious little baby, tears started streaming down my face. Our baby is a girl :) and is a mover and a shaker! She was wiggling and moving the entire time; she was constantly rubbing her face, bringing her feet up to her head, and kicking. Pete thinks she's doing yoga in there! The funny thing is that during the ultrasound I didn't feel her wiggling around. The tech said my placenta is attached in the front so it is like Baby Girl is kicking a pillow, and I will feel less of her movement. I've determined she must be moving around like crazy in there because most days I feel lots of kicks and punches. 

After we left the clinic, I burst into tears. Pete, immediately concerned, asked me what was wrong. I replied with, "I'm just so happy!!!" Everything is normal and looking good. Baby Girl Swenson weighed 13 oz the day of our ultrasound and was measuring at 21 weeks, 0 days. I was 21 weeks, 3 days at the time, so she is measuring very close. They took measurements of her brain, abdomen, and heart, and they all look normal too. The doctor even called us a few hours after our appointment to confirm, and we meet with our midwife next week to review the ultrasound again because we had the ultrasound done by a different clinic. I'm sure we will have only good news. 

Baby Girl Swenson's kicks and punches were so strong this week that we saw my belly move :)

Miss anything? coffee, hot baths
Movement: yes, and lots of it!
Food Cravings: not really
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Gender: Girl
Labor signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: HAPPY
Looking forward to: decorating our nursery and buying little girl things

Week 21

How far along 21 weeks
Maternity clothes? regular jeans and shorts, maternity shirts and dresses
Sleep: good
Best moments this week: My mom and I were up late chatting as neither of us could sleep, and Baby S was moving around quite a bit. The movements were small but continuous, and I asked my mom if she wanted to try to feel. Immediately after placing her hand on my belly, Baby S let out some big kicks, punches, and wiggles. Seeing the joy and love on my mom's face as she felt her first grandchild move was priceless. 
Pete spent last week in Duluth and hadn't had a chance to feel Baby S move since last week but really wanted to feel some kicks. We were sitting on our bed and the baby was pretty still, so I suggested that Pete sing and play his guitar. Baby S must love music because he/she starting moving around like crazy. It was incredible. Pete got to feel LOTS of movement then :)
Miss anything? my old bod
Movement: There is either a lot of movement and I feel great or a little movement and my bladder kills. I think Baby S is kicking my bladder on days with little movement. ouch!
Food Cravings: none
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of garlic 
Have you started to show yet? definitely
Gender Prediction: Amanda = ?   Peter = boy   
Labor signs: no
Belly button in our out: in
Wedding rings on or off: on
Mood: Happy
Looking forward to: our ultrasound on Wednesday! We can't wait to finally know if we are having a boy or girl!

** Please take a moment to write your vote in the comment section this week. Do you think Baby Swenson is a boy or a girl?

Week 20

How far along? 20 weeks
Maternity clothes? I'm still in my regular jeans and shorts, and I have purchased a few maternity shirts and maxi dresses. 
Sleep: still good
Best moment this week: Pete got to feel the baby move, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. I told him I was feeling a lot of movement, and he reached down to feel my belly just as the baby let out a big kick (or punch). It was amazing for me to see his excitement. He can't wait to be a Daddy, and he's going to be the best! I'm so lucky to have him.
Miss anything? coffee and hot baths
Movement: I'm feeling lots of movement especially at night and in the morning.
Food Cravings: popsicles
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Have you started to show yet? Yes, and growing bigger each day
Gender Prediction: Pete still thinks the baby is a boy. I have no idea. One day I think girl and the next day I think boy.
Labor signs: NO
Belly button in our out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: Happy
Looking forward to: our ultrasound appointment next week Wednesday. We get to find out if little baby Swenson is a boy or a girl.

Week 19

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain? 6 pounds
Maternity clothes? I am still wearing my regular jeans, but I bought several maternity shirts and have been wearing them for the most part.
Sleep: Good :) Maybe too good as Pete and Kelsey recently told me I've started to snore.
Best moment this week: We met with our midwife yesterday morning, and everything is normal! Which is great news when you're pregnant. I'm measuring right on track and so is the baby. The baby's heartbeat was 150 bpm and average is 110 - 160, and our midwife said she can tell the baby is moving around a lot because the heartbeat kept moving. How cool!!
Miss anything? coffee
Movement: I felt some movement last week and haven't felt anything lately which made me very worried. However, our midwife said there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Whew!
Food Cravings: nothing really
Anything making you queasy or sick: nada
Have you started to show yet? Yes :)
Gender Prediction: Peter still thinks we're having a boy, and each day I'm more convinced we're having a girl. We find out in 2 weeks, so we'll know soon!!
Labor signs: NO
Belly button in our out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: Happy
Looking forward to: finding out if we're having a boy or a girl

Week 18

How far along? 18 weeks
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I'm thinking soon. I occasionally need to unbutton my jeans when I sit down.
Stretch marks? no
Sleep: At the beginning of the week I was constantly tossing and turning, but the past few nights have been good.
Best moment this week: starting to feel our little baby move!!! It is so incredible :)
Miss anything? bleu cheese and buffalo chicken wraps
Movement: YES!
Food Cravings: nothing really
Food Aversions/anything making you queasy: the smell of fish totally grosses me out. I avoid the seafood section at Whole Foods at all costs.
Have you started to show yet? Yes
Gender Prediction: Pete is still certain our baby is a boy, but I'm starting to think maybe a girl. I'm fairly sure having my mom constantly call the baby her little granddaughter is what is making me reconsider. Lol.
Labor signs: No
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Mood: Happy with occasional irritation
Looking forward to: our next prenatal appointment on Monday