Hello to all our friends and family! Things are picking up faster each week in this pregnancy, and we are so glad to share all of the exciting (and even not-so-exciting) stuff with you. 

How Far Along: 19 weeks 6 days

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Two or three this week, but nothing to be concerned about. I want my body to have a few contractions, so that it gets practice for delivery day.

Food Cravings: Fruit and yogurt. As if it is going out of style! I really enjoy yogurt, but at around $4/quart, I'm usually too cheap to get more than one or two quarts a month. So, this week I took the plunge and learned how to make my own homemade yogurt. It was as easy as everyone says, and I made a little over a gallon of yogurt for only $4. Talk about a steal. I have been eating it to my heart's content.

Not So Fun Pregnancy Stuff: Gagging EVERY time I brush my teeth. Leg cramps once in a while at night. Feeling fat instead of pregnant. A ripping pain in my abdomen when I cough or sneeze laying down.

Midwife/Doctor Appointment: We had one scheduled with our midwife for this week, but she changed it to next week. Next week will be a huge week for us! We'll get our consultation visit with our OB, have our first ultrasound for this pregnancy and find out how baby is doing, plus hoping to find out his/her sex, have a midwife visit, and I'll be halfway through the pregnancy. Wow. That'll be a lot to report, so check back in to get the full scoop!

Boy or Girl: Will know next week! Eek! If you haven't already done so, leave us a guess here for a boy or girl, and you could win a free bar of soap!

Total Weight Gain So Far: 9 pounds. You know those 3 lbs. I gained and then lost last week? Yeah well, they came back to stay this week.

Regular or Pregnancy Clothes: Regular. Bought a few summer dresses last week on sale at my favorite consignment shop, and they have enough room to grow into during the pregnancy, but since they're not maternity, they'll be usable later when I'm not pregnant.

Starting to Show: Yes, I think. Haven't had a cashier or a stranger comment that I'm pregnant yet, so maybe it's only visible to people who know?

Baby Movement: Lots. And lots. And lots. Very active baby. A few nights ago we felt the baby moving all around for over an hour straight. (I'll admit it was just after I ate some ice cream. With hot fudge sauce.). At one point I felt something super hard and asked Nick to feel, and he said it was the baby. It moved when he gently pressed on it. I didn't think we'd be able to feel a solid little body yet. I don't remember feeling firm baby parts this early in my previous pregnancies. Size of Baby #3: A mango. About 6" long from head to bitty bottom, and around 8 1/2 oz.

Pregnancy Thoughts This Week: All sorts of baby scenarios! Last week got me thinking about multiple births (for some reason I never even considered that a possibility in our previous pregnancies), and then I dreamed one night this week that we had twins! I've also been thinking that I don't care if our baby is born as Siamese twins, has extra body parts, has a medical condition, has Down Syndrome, it doesn't matter. I love them fiercely, and can't wait to meet him/her. As a side note, if you are pregnant and having a hard time taking your prenatal vitamins, I highly recommend Bellybar's Chewable Prenatal Vitamin. They taste fantastic, and are only $15  for a month's supply. I've tried a few other brands of prenatal vitamins, and either they were too big to swallow, tasted so bad I nearly threw up after taking them every day, or were so expensive, that when I found these, I haven't looked back since! I also feel fantastic taking these, whereas with other brands I couldn't tell any difference. If you go to their website, you'll find Bellybar makes CHOCOLATE prenatal vitamins (why didn't I know this before?!), as well as other prenatal supplements. And no, I'm not receiving any compensation for mentioning this product. It is just something that has really been a help to me in this pregnancy and I wanted to pass it along to the next Mom. :)  

If you'd like to read the previous pregnancy posts:
-Baby #3: Pregnancy Week 14
-Baby #3: Pregnancy Week 15
-Baby #3: Pregnancy Week 16 
-Baby #3: Pregnancy Week 17
-Baby #3: Pregnancy Week 18