Baby DiCristofano | Week 18

Tristan has been pretty diligent about taking pictures for me every other week since 8 weeks and though it's fun for me to look at them, I'm probably the only one who would be able to notice any changes so I won't bore you with them :) Excuse the bare belly picture, you still can't tell there is a bump with any sort of clothing covering it so for now, bare belly it is!

Baby DiCristofano is the size of a sweet potato.

5.5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces.

Total weight gain: 8 pounds

Maternity clothes: My mom got me a gift card for maternity clothes but I haven't spent it yet because I don't have much of a bump. I still fit in all of my pants and only have to use the rubber band trick on my favorite pair of black jeans. At this point though I'm wishing for a few more looser shirts because I currently look like I ate one too many burritos. I'm hoping I can make it through the colder months in what I already have so that the only maternity clothes I have to buy are shorts.

Movement: Yes! I've officially started to recognize baby boy's movements. It feels like little bubbles popping and it's typically in the same spot. I can't wait until Tristan can feel it too! I've found that I feel him most during the middle of my night shifts. But if I'm sleeping I don't notice it and during the day I don't feel him much.

Sleep: I'm sleeping pretty well even with having to take a trip to the bathroom at least once a night. I do find myself waking up on my back most nights which freaks me out because I know that now that I'm into my second trimester I should be staying off my back. Any suggestions on how to avoid that? 

Cravings: From day 1, I've always craved oranges and orange juice. I've also craved pizza which I know for a fact is a pregnancy craving because pre-pregnancy I hate pizza. Beyond those two things, my cravings seem to be typical of normal me: popcorn, cheese, and fruit.

Food aversions: Luckily I haven't had many food aversions. During the first trimester, I would not eat chocolate. It was the weirdest thing but probably a good thing as well since it was during Christmas time. Now, I'll eat chocolate occasionally but I don't crave it like I did pre-pregnancy. In fact, if someone wants to come take all the chocolate Christmas candy we have off our hands that would be great because it's just sitting here.

Feeling: I have my energy back so I'm feeling great! No sickness, no fatigue, and no pains from having a big belly. 2nd trimester really is as fantastic as they say :) The only super annoying symptom is the eczema on my face. Anyone else had that and what did you do about it? It started in the first trimester (along with pre-pubescent amounts of acne) but now the acne is gone and the eczema is spreading.

Best moments: Since this is my first bump update I have a lot... 

We bought our crib and may have finally decided on bedding. We are pretty close to choosing a "mommy chair" as Tristan calls it and  we are trying to get the nursery all put together before Tristan leaves in one month. It's a long shot so wish us luck!

Tristan built baby boy a bassinet and finished it last week! I absolutely love it and am so glad Tristan decided that was something he wanted to do. Originally, we were going to use the bassinet that Tristan's grandfather made for him when he was a baby. But when we found out we were pregnant and started looking for it, Tristan's parents said they moved it over here when we moved into our house. We couldn't find it in our house anywhere (and can you really hide a bassinet?). What we think ended up happening is that it went into the moving van from the storage unit, but they stopped at D.I. to get rid of a few things before coming to our house and we think it ended up there :( Sad story, but it made Tristan decide he wanted to make something that we could pass down so it ended up being just fine

We had another appointment and I just love hearing baby boy's heart beat! And I love when the doctor says my chances of miscarriage are even less than the <1% he told us at the previous appointment.

Looking forward to: Our 20 week ultrasound appointment, having a belly that looks like a baby not lots of food, and getting the nursery all put together.