Baby #2: 18th to the 22nd week

18-22 weeks!

• real full fledged kicks in my lower abdomen! if you're wondering what these feel like at 18 weeks, to me with hand on abdomen, feels like someone inside is trying to push through your abdomen. you literally feel the up and down poke like motion. when my hand isn't on my abdomen though, to me it feels like bubbles are popping inside my uterus. as of 20 weeks, the little one has been kicking non-stop, I'm now at the point where I'm looking for the kicks throughout the day to check in that baby is ok
• we didn't have any issues in Mexico (thank God)! I drank water, ate all the food, and loved my stretchy bathing suit, dresses, and shorts with maternity panel. i think it's going to be a good, hot, sweaty summer...ill be happy as long as there's a pool or spray water nearby
• intermittent heartburn, sometimes for no reason, but one exacerbating factor has been Safeway donuts...which come to think of it, I only ate in desperation mode. currently banned from our kitchen per baby's request

^^ bump shot at 20 weeks! ^^

• i need to void all the time, seems like i don't empty my bladder fully, a little annoying since washrooms aren't always available. i was worried about this when we went on the Malecon because where the heck was i going to find a bathroom on the Mexicon boardwalk right? turns out, it was so hot I mustve sweated out the excess moisture 
• I finally revealed that I was pregnant to real life friends, workmates and instagram on my 21st week! I'm still getting looks of surprise and wonder that I'm nearly 6 months along. good ol' scrubs neutralize everything
• Ive just recently been feeling and seeing the growth spurt of this baby...or rather my WEIGHT GAIN (not sure if it's a bright idea to step on the scale at this point). Prior to going on vacation, my work clothes felt loose-ish and could definitely hide a bump. two weeks later, putting my scrubs on- bump sticking out, and pants are feeling kinda snug in the hips. because having a pump significantly shortens my scrubs at work, i've found the BeBand by BeMaternity to be extremely useful when trying to keep looking professional (vs. my lower gut hanging out in free air like a beer belly!)

^^ 21 weeks and 5 days ^^

• woken up by baby kicks at 22 weeks early in the morning, amazing feeling! this is my favourite part of being pregnant. At 22 weeks, i find that it feels different depending on how baby is positioned. when they're higher up on the abdomen it feels like very defined poking or stomping but from the inside. When baby is more erect, aligned with where my head is at and kicking near my bladder...it feels like something is blooming with each stomp. really hard to describe but it's not staccato (think hammer on nails), it visually feels like a rain drop falling on still water...the rings represent how the sensation kinda 'spreads'  and lingers a little longer. (probably because it's on my bladder and shaking up my urine in there)
• my complexion has never looked better...finally!
• Foods this bump is making me love! I have no willpower when it comes to these meals and I never really ate them pre-pregnancy:  Multigrain cheerios mixed in with some Captain crunch, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, honey oat crunch cheerios, two-bite brines  Tropi-Kale smoothy from Booster Juice, the Big Yummy smoothie from the Whole Foods Cambie Juice bar (soy milk, peanut butter, bananas, and some other things that make it perfect, dates), cake textured food, fried eggs, salads with candied nuts, chocolate
• Foods I'm completely turned off from: KFC, Safeway Donuts, chocolate protein smoothies that I used to drink on a near daily basis
• maybe going on vacation did it, but my stamina sucks lately. I have to rest more, get tired faster,  and or short of breath quicker...but maybe it's because i'm carrying a baby and heart needs to circulate more and work harder, and i feel I'm also heavier (clearly obvious whining!)
• does having a girl make you like more sweets? I'm really into sweets lately and am practicing a lot of self control so I don't get gestational diabetes
• my joints, especially my bum left knee seems to be clicking more lately when I'm walking (hormonal?!)
• need.more.sleep
• once in a while I have a Braxton Hicks contraction, love those feelings
• nesting!! I bought a plant and named it Jonny
• I have NO IDEA WHERE TO PUT THIS BABY once it's out
• 22w6d week midwife appointment went great! unremarkable appointment, baby is busy as usual, and my uterus is measuring at 24 weeks. in the next few weeks I need to take the dreaded gestational diabetes test

more to come