hump day bump day – NichofTAIme

Look at that! We’ve made it to week 22…only 18 weeks (or so) to go! I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, thanks to moving and being “in my feelings.” While my emotions now seem to be in check, my body is going through many undesirable changes.

How are you feeling today?
Hot. In addition, I feel hungry. I always feel hungry.

Any symptoms/aversions/cravings?
I’m still dealing with skin issues, but I have been using Lush’s Dark Angels cleanser to remedy them. Additionally, I’ve experienced an achy back and swollen feet. I’m still working on solutions, but it has been rough.

Any dreams lately?
I keep having dreams that I am ruining someone’s date. First, it was my mother-in-law. Then, it was my sister and my friend.

Other rants/raves/comments?
I can feel the baby moving A LOT! It’s a pretty awesome feeling! On a heavier note, I’ve had two unwanted belly touches. If you know me, you know how hard it was for me to not wear my disgust on my face. I failed. I honestly don’t care, either. It’s my body and I don’t like people invading my space like that–especially if you are one step away from being a stranger.

Here are a few things going on internally, according to my Ovia Pregnancy mobile app (my absolute favorite):

-My baby is about the size of an ear of corn–8 in, 1 lb

-My baby’s vital organs are virtually fully developed!

My [poorly] censored photo lol. As huge as my belly may be, I have only gained four pounds so far!

My day will be a whirlwind of editing, so I decided to get this post out as quickly as possible (before more work, the dogs, or my pregnancy brain take over). Before I begin, I must wish my parents a very Happy Anniversary. Jon and I have a little surprise for them that we hope they enjoy! Moving right along, let me jump into this week’s update!

Getting to 18 weeks is pretty awesome. It’s just one more week until we know if we’re having a little boy or girl…Well, not exactly. We’re going to get the results and check all of our baby’s body parts next week, but we won’t know anything pink or blue until our gender reveal party. With moving, my family’s camping trip, and my soror’s wedding, “ain’t nobody got time” to do that in August. We probably won’t know anything until the first week of September.

All of that aside, we are still excited about all of our baby’s accomplishments this week! According to the What to Expect app, baby is the size of a sweet potato (5.5 in, 5 oz)! Speaking of the What to Expect app, Jon is pretty weirded out by the Heidi Murkoff videos I watch each week. I can’t really blame him. She does have a way of comparing an 18 week-old fetus to “the chicken breast on your dinner plate.” Since we’re talking abut gross stuff (LOL), I should mention that our baby has started to accumulate his or her first poop. Our baby also has little finger and toe prints that I can’t wait to put into his or her baby book! I think the best development is that our baby can hear us! We have lots of fun talking to the baby about all types of things. I’m not sure if or when I’ll buy a pair of belly buds…only time will tell.

As for me, I feel great this week. Jon and I think we had some type of food poisoning over the weekend. It was just bad in the Nichols household over the weekend. I started feeling better last night, but I messed myself up a bit. I now have acid reflux because of last night’s dinner, which I don’t regret. There’s a new Jamaican restaurant by the field where Jon’s 8U soccer team practices. Before I try any ol’ thing at a Jamaican restaurant, I try a patty and cocoa bread. If you mess up something that is rarely made in-house, I know I can’t trust your curry. They took a while to get Jon’s jerk chicken platter (he’s super adventurous for such a picky eater). After 15 minutes or so, we were given our food. Everything was piping hot, even the foil that wrapped the cocoa bread. When I broke Jon off a bit of the cocoa bread to taste, I realized they had toasted and buttered the bread. It was a simple step, but it made a world of a difference! It was the best patty I had ever eaten! Then, the acid reflux began.

From the beginning, I have been craving spicy foods. I’ve noticed that my tolerance for spicy food has gotten higher. My mouth can’t really judge the amount of spice in a dish, but my body still knows full well. I am hoping I can get over this spicy food craving, but it haunts my every thought. I always want fire sauce for my chalupas, Tabasco in my gumbo, and pepper on everything in between. Honestly, my husband’s love for spicy foods doesn’t help. Our baby is going to be born with a scotch bonnet pepper in his or her hand.

I definitely spent a little longer on this post than I had planned, but I got to share a great deal of this week’s shenanigans with you. I hope all of my readers (particularly Anika) enjoy this weeks’ bump picture. Jon shot it after an engagement session.