Chubby: 17 Weeks

How far along: 17.2 weeks.

How big is baby: About the size of an onion.

Total weight gain: 131 lbs. (-2#), Which I find highly surprising considering the bump and the chub around my midsection.

Sleep: Sleeping good aside from a few tendencies to stay up way too late. I’ve seen the other side of midnight more than once recently. I used to LOVE staying up all night…then I got pregnant with Lincoln and that went away in an instant. I never really got over it until right now.

Clothes: …. I can’t button my pants.

Food cravings: I can’t really describe a distinct craving, just a general appeal for more healthy foods. This week I’ve even been eating…. wait for it… MY VEGGIES! Woah, I know. Lots of carrots and hummus in our house. I've even eaten broccoli. YUCK, but I know it's good for me. Mind over matter. I did it.

Food aversions: .Meat. Blech. Although that’s not totally exclusive, we did have turkey and cheese on a bagel last night and it rocked. But, we (we being the officers of Joe’s section and me and Lincoln) go to the Coast Guard station every Wednesday at lunch for “steak day” and I just want to move right on through the line. None of it ever looks good. Even the grilled chicken was not on my menu today.

Symptoms:
 Occasional nausea. I’m attributing it most likely to dehydration or tiredness. That’s when it seems more apparent. Heartburn… it’s creeping up. I’m hoping it doesn’t get as bad as it did with Lincoln. Emotional. Joe sent me a text that Tuition Assistance was back effective today and I almost cried in the waiting room at the doctor. Sore boobs. I still love nursing with Lincoln, but MAN, be nice please. 

Gender: Hahahahaha. So I walk into the doctor’s office this morning and this is the conversation that occurs:

Reception: Good morning. Last name?

Me: Wagner

Reception: How far along are you?

Me: 17 Weeks.

Reception: Are you having a boy or a girl?

Me: Don’t know yet.

Reception: Are you still on 87^th Place? Do you still have Tricare?

Me: Yes. Yes.

Reception: Great. We'll call you back shortly.

Ummm…. Was the gender of the baby part of the check in process? She didn’t ask it like, “oh, wow, 17 weeks, do you know yet what you’re having?” it was the exact tone of voice as every other question.

The story isn’t over.

I met the final Doctor in the practice today too. He bounces into the exam room in a flurry and introduces himself, asks how far along I am (17 weeks) and then asks in the same tone of voice “are you having a boy or a girl?” (We don’t know. I haven’t had an ultrasound and we don’t plan on findng out.) He asks what the heart tones were, feels my tummy, and asks if I feel movement (NO!! Grrrrrr), tells me my anatomy ultrasound is between 18 and 20 weeks because I’m “not very fluffy” … Wait, we just determined that my anatomy scan is between 18 and 20 weeks because I'm not fluffy and I'm only 17, so why did you ask? The way he asked it like a routine assessment question made me feel like my answer would have determined a specific course of action I was completely unaware of. I felt like I was supposed to know and that within 2 weeks they’d be able to find out and know where to go next, thankfully. ...Wha?

Now, he was VERY NICE. They all are wonderful. I do really like this practice. I just found these encounters very funny for the visit I was at. It would have made perfect sense to me at the NEXT visit AFTER the scan.

 We're both on Team Boy now. Joe admitted, "yeah, we're probably having another boy." 

Best moment of the week: #1: Tuition Assistance was reinstated! Thank GOD! #2: I love bike riding in this BEAUTIFUL Florida weather with Joe and Lincoln. That little boy LOVES his bike seat. You say "helmet", "bike", or "ride" and he goes to get his shoes and the goes to the garage door and starts asking "more, more,more" and then he gets desperate and adds in a double please. He's *almost* to the door knobs. He can do door handles and door knobs if the door is not shut all the way. We just ride in circles around the reserve center, but it's so nice, it feels good for my legs, and I want to do it as much as I can before it gets too hot. I love my bike. I have a Gazelle Orange from Holland. It's fantabulous. #3: A former co-worker of mine welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world on April 5! I have been praying for her for a long time and it was so great to see her safely arrived!

What I’m looking forward to: DISNEY THIS WEEKEND!!!!!! I can't wait for Lincoln to see Chloe and Sophie (and Grandpa Tim and Michelle). He adores them and he'll be SO EXCITED. 

I *think* I may have felt Chubby move once or twice, but since I can't completely distinguish it as something other than gas, I'm not hopeful. 

I'm excited to narrow down our names. We *might* have a boy's name. We're still open to suggestions.

What I miss:
 I'm missing Arizona. Just a little. I miss our neighbors, our house, Joe's parents being near, the proximity to my mom by plane, the neighborhood conveniences, the desert beauty. I don't miss Joe's job, the stress that was in AZ, the upcoming HOT HOT HOT. There are things I really like about Florida and part of me has fallen in love with it, but I just don't see staying here forever. Maybe if we had a house I would feel differently. I have a pinboard on Pinterest for nursery ideas and Chubby won't get one here, it's for his/her room in AZ... where we are not. But, I think it's fun that Chubby could/will be born here. My brothers and I were all born in different states and it's neat. 

Next appt: April 24th!!!! The BIG ANATOMY SCAN!!! I'm so excited to see Chubby again. Unless something VERY dramatic happens, there is only ONE person who will find out the gender of chubby by receipt of a sealed envelope in the mail. Mom, it's not you. We will possibly be sealing it in one for ourselves, but Joe is concerned that may pose too much of a temptation and we won't be able to stand not knowing. I'm not sure yet...