I was reading this on a blog yesterday by a man who documented his wife's pregnancy from 17wks to birth. I love the way he writes about these common situations and how it feels to be on the other side. Enjoy :)

"According to Cole I am following the formula of male gripes and hurt feelings at this stage of the pregnancy, because I have started to form the beginnings of deep DEEP bitter resentment for her fortress and impenetrable barrier of pillows her naked legs are all wrapped around at night. For weeks now, just a tiny sliver of her face is left exposed for fresh oxygen and is about as much as I see of my wife in bed. Now this isn't to say that she hasn't been about as horny as a 13 yr old boy after pawing thru a stack of porn. I have to watch my back around this house like a virgin ass in a prison shower. This Pillow Palace is piled up each night and until the morning rolls in I feel like my wife might as well be sleeping in another room. I know, I KNOW, big deal. Some of you readers are like... DUDE, stop being a vagina about it. Well I'm sensitive, so BACK OFF!!! I only mention it because it's one of those things that someone can say to you that first week when you find out your wife is pregnant. They could say: "About 15 or so weeks in, she's going to start sleeping with every pillow you all have in your house, and probably go out and purchase more, and stack them all around her so she is immersed in soft pillowy protection."

Speaking of this, hubby is not happy with the fact that I informed him we are purchasing the SNOOGLE this weekend! (Maybe we can get one for him, too?!)

BOY OR GIRL??

We are getting SO close to finding out the gender of our precious little one (hopefully!). I thought it would be fun to see if we could prove some old wives tales wrong (or right). So, here it goes:

Heartbeat abover 140 BPM: girl
Mother's age at conception (both #'s even): girl
Breakouts; it is said that little girls steal their mother's beauty: girl
Morning sickness: girl
Carrying (fairly) low: boy
Chinese gender chart: boy

For the record, everyone thinks I'm having a boy except Nycole! *hi Nycole!* Mom says I'm carrying like she carried her boy, and Becca (who is never wrong) said boy right when I told her I was preggo! :)

Take a look at this tale: You can find out the sex by going off of your parent’s kids and the order. If you are the first born, you will have what your mother had but starting with her second child. If you are the middle child, you will have what she said, but starting with the third child. If you are the last child, you will have what your mother had in the exact order. I think this tale only works when the parent’s had three kids.

So, I am the middle child. *If* I have 3 kids, this would give me boy, girl, girl.

Here's another one: If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have another extra girl hormones in you. Your pregnancy will make you smile and be more happy if you are having a boy because there’s a little penis inside you.'

HAHA!!! :) I don't think I'm more moody...I'm always moody, but not more so. Good thing Andrew doesn't get a say in this! :) Soo....Imma say boy for this one.

Anyhoo, let's move on. I'm not obsessed with finding out. I'm not. Ok, I am. Fine. Whatever.

How far along?: 18 weeks
How big is baby?: bell pepper! 5 1/2 inches long! 7 ounces!
Weight gain?: I'm going to wait till my appointment for the real reading on this one. For now, I'm choosing not to believe what the scale at home is telling me.
Maternity Clothes?: Still kinda stuck in the middle. My maternity pants are kinda big. Regular pants-WAY too small.

Stretch Marks?: Don't want to talk about it.
Sleep?: How is it that we become these co-dependant creatures? I need my Andy in my bed to sleep well. And latley, because of homework, that hasn't been happening.
Best moment this week?: Methinks I felt a short case of baby hiccups!!!
Movement?: Flutters have turned into jabs. But I like it.
Food cravings?: Nothing new.
Aversions?: I watched this show about parasites from uncooked pork. Eeew. But, still chicken.
Gender?: It's either a boy or a girl.
Belly button in or out?: Hairy.
What I miss most?: Same. Sciatica and pimples could go away forever.
What I'm looking forward to?: Buying nursery stuff, naming baby. Milestones: Hiccups! And kung-foo kicks! I forgot to mention that we are officially signed up for Childbirth classes (and shhh! Andrew even said he was excited!)

Other life happenings:

Beautiful Becky came to visit me.

We walked a 5K for this amazing cause.

Andy and I went to a James Otto concert


My sweet baby niece turned two and I can't believe it.

Baby S is a mover!

This week has been so much fun in the pregnancy world! Since last week, I have been feeling little movements in there and even one really good kick! It's great because it's kinda like daily assurance. Before the movement, I was feeling so good each day I would think 'Am I supposed to feel this good? Is everything ok in there? Are you still in there, Baby S?'...and now, I'm reminded constantly of my whirling and twirling little one in there. The movement has become more frequent and stronger over the past few days and it's really exciting for me. Just to know he/she is getting so big that it's getting tighter in there. We are getting closer every day to our next appointment that will end the mystery (hopefully) to the gender question. Maybe at that point we can really start talking about names. Boy names are very hard. I'm wondering if the name will ever hit me as the right one? Right now, I don't want to settle on anything. I think I have a list of 1,032 girl's names that I could be just fine with tomorrow.

How far along?: 17 weeks
How big is baby?: baby turnip :)
Weight gain?: Up 6 pounds total.
Maternity Clothes?: Yeah. But they are still kinda big on me. I don't like wearing baggy clothes, so I'm stuck somewhere in the middle at this point.
Stretch Marks?: Yeahhhh and not happy about it.
Sleep?: Pretty good (if the cooler is on full blast). Peeing once a night. Don't want that to increase! *fingers crossed*
Best moment this week?: Baby S moving in there! I knew it right when I felt it. I was worried that I wasn't recognizing the movement. But this felt different than anything I've ever felt!
Movement?: Increasing daily! :)
Food cravings?: Nothing new.
Aversions?: Chicky Chick Chicken.
Gender?: Aaack. Who knows?!
Belly button in or out?: Wiiiide.
What I miss most?: Clear skin, pants that fit.
What I'm looking forward to?: Gender! Starting the nursery.
Milestones: Well it would have to be feeling movement. (and moving up a bra size. whoops. did I say that?)

IT'S A..........

We didn't find out the sex of the baby after all :( We got a different Dr. this time and he said he didn't want to waste an ultrasound since everything was going normal. Good heartbeat and good vitals. He said it would be better to wait until next appointment so that he can hopefully give us a 100% gender reading. PHOOEY! Andrew was so disappointed. We wanted to know in the worst way. But I understand. And I was happy to hear the healthy heartbeat at 156 BPM. Only 2 more pounds gained and my 3 hr glucose (TORTURE) test was normal. I'm declining the next one. I'm not kidding. It was torture. Call me dramatic, but you do not keep food away from me for 5+ hrs and then stick me 5 times. No. No way.

So week 16 was a good one! Momma and I went to the Rose Bowl Swap meet in Pasadena. It was a blast! Got a few things, walked A LOT, and met Kathy Griffin! Yeah, the real thing. She was shopping like all the rest of us in her sweats and no make-up. So, we shook her hand and told her how much dad likes her...wonder if she got the hint WE weren't her biggest fans?! Oh well.

On the baby front, some big things happening. I made a decision on the crib and dresser that M&D are buying Baby S, and it's not white! I just changed my mind and since it's a convertible crib, thought a 12 year old boy probably wouldn't want white furniture. So I went safe for boy or girl and got the dark wood. I'm really excited. And the dresser already came in! Thanks Grammy and Grampy! Andy wasn't involved too much in furniture color, but he will definitely have an opinion when it comes to decorations and colors...if it's a boy :) On another note, I have been feeling a lot of tightness in my belly in the evenings lately. It feels like I'm being stretched. Even the loosest t-shirt is too tight. I know I have a long way to go, but I must be growing a bunch. Another new development is that I have felt baby S kick!!! 2x for sure, but could be more, but I think they are not really strong enough for me to notice. Andy is so excited and can't wait until he can feel it too!