Welcome back to the week by week tale of our pregnancy! We had a great week. Life was a lot more normal this week than it had been for us the two weeks prior, and we were able to accomplish a lot, which always feels good. Here's what happened in week 17 of this pregnancy:

How Far Along: 17 weeks 6 days (Picture taken at 17w 3d)

How I'm Feeling This Week: Wonderful. Didn't need a nap, had lots of energy, and I can't recall even 1 episode of morning sickness! Hooray!

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Only 1 or 2. Not big ones, completely normal.

Food Cravings: Hmmm, where do I start?! This week I wanted ice cream with chocolate chunks in it, and a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. So, I found the perfect ice cream for my craving, Breyers Mrs. Fields Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It was AWESOME! And I picked up a package of the Reeses Peanut Butter cups, cut each cup in half, and enjoyed 3 of the halves on 3 different days. It's all about self control, right? While I was taking a picture for this post, our 3 yr. old found the half that I had set aside for myself and scarfed it down with a happy grin. It was funny and cute, and I didn't mind sharing.
Also, we were sent a box of Mrs.Fields cookies as a free gift from ordering our toner for the soap business, and I enjoyed a shamrock cut-out cookie almost every day for a few days in a row! 

Usually, I think store bought sugar cookies taste like Play-Doh, but for some reason I like them when I'm pregnant. Go figure!

Aversions: Not even one this week! I'm feeling more normal as each week goes by. Except for the other pregnancy symptoms...

Pregnancy Symptoms: Still some breast tenderness, but not so bad this week. Also, a little constipation, and vivid dreams. Really, outside of my short cervix and being on pelvic rest, this pregnancy is being easy on me.
But, OH MY WORD! Pelvic rest, for those of you who don't know what that is, it is a complete I-don't-know-even-the-right-words for it. It means no sex, and no "fun" of any kind for me. We've been on this for 5 weeks already, and have 20 more weeks to go! For a couple with a healthy private life, this has been HARD! But, if it gets us a full term pregnancy, it'll be totally worth the wait. 

Doctor/Midwife Appointment: None this week.

Weight Gain So Far: I was really good at getting my eating back on a health-focused track this week, staying within my correct calorie range, and it totally paid off! Even with enjoying my cravings, I lost 2 pounds since last week. Which means that now I'm at the weight I should be for the week of pregnancy that I'm in. I had begun to add too much weight too fast, and calorie counting helped me know what my body needed. Nick and I use My Fitness Pal on our iPhones, and we bought a smart scale that syncs up to the My Fitness Pal app. If you'd like to see my diet, you can look me up and I'll add you on my friends list. I'm listed as horseopeaceranch.

Starting Weight: 119 lbs.
Last Week's Weight: 129 lbs.
Today's Weight: 127 lbs.
Goal Weight Range For This Pregnancy:  High: 154 lbs.      Low: 144 lbs.

Regular or Maternity Clothes: All regular still. Although it won't be long now until I'll need to swich to maternity at least on my bottom half.

Starting to Show: Still not much. See for yourself in the pictures!

Boy or Girl: Not sure! Anatomy scan is scheduled for week 20, and Nick will find out. I'm hoping to wait to the end to find out! Weird, I know, but since my husband and I talk about EVERYTHING, I have a feeling I'll know the baby's sex before the end of this pregnancy.

Baby Movement: This baby was on the go this week! In the last few days I felt this baby move twice as much as I'd been feeling previously. I'm talking, like, 6 or 7 times a day at least. It's such a great feeling.

Size of Baby: Up to 5" long and weighs 5 ounces. About the size of a turnip.

Pregnancy Thoughts this Week: I thought a lot about how dangerous a time it is in the life of both mom and baby during pregnancy and birth. Not trying to think of the worst, but just knowing that so many things can go wrong so quickly. I'm thankful for Nick, who is going through it all with me. He keeps me level headed and makes pregnancy so much easier for me.