17 Weeks!!

Today was kind of a sad day. It was Kristen's birthday and almost 6 months to the day since she's passed. I can't believe it's been six months. I contemplated not adding this to my blog but I figured it was how I was feeling so I should. The weather today was cold, overcast, and gloomy - seemed semi-appropriate for the mood. This weekend I got together with Shelley, Danielle, Matthew and Kristen's dad to celebrate Kristen. We went to LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) and then to an Irish Pub that her and Matthew liked to go to for dinner. It was great just to be together.

I had my 17 week check up today so that helped keep my mind preoccupied. Everything went well. We heard the baby's heartbeat, which was a relief. I find myself contstantly worrying if everything is okay. I know it doesn't do any good to worry, but most of the time I don't feel pregnant so to me it only seems natural to worry. The doctor said it's good that I'm feeling normal, it means everything is going along smoothly and I should consider myself lucky. My workouts have been great (toned them down quite a bit) and I've been sleeping better. Two more weeks until THE ultrasound appointment!

HOW BABY GILL IS GROWING THIS WEEK:

Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Our baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

17 Weeks 3 Days

 

Dreams During Pregnancy

I was so glad to read this next part...I've been dreaming like crazy lately and they are always so vivid. Now I know why!

"Many women report that their dream life shifts into high gear during pregnancy. Interestingly, during the second and third trimesters, you spend less sleep time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the cycle in which most dreams occur. Why, then, all those frequent and vivid dream memories?
It's probably at least in part because you may be interrupting a dream-filled cycle when you wake up to pee, cope with heartburn, leg cramps, restless legs, or a backache, or to shift to a more comfortable position. Waking up during REM sleep makes you more likely to remember your dreams.

It may also be in part that dreams seem so vivid during pregnancy because for most women pregnancy is a time of such heightened emotions — from joy to apprehension and everything in between — but no one really knows for sure."

Some of my dreams lately have involved Star Wars and Star Trek characters taking over earth - literally R2D2 came out of a space ship and rolled up to a Bank of America ATM (I can attribute this to watching Star Trek with Justin before bed); undercover people trying to kill others and it's up to me to solve what's going on (I attribute this to watching Bones); and sometimes I have dreams I have a baby but it's of a different race and in the dream I try to convince everyone that there's no way I just gave birth to a toddler that looks nothing like Justin or I and I spend the whole dream trying to get the hospital to admit they gave me the wrong child. I also tell them I'm only in the 2nd trimester and there's no way I could have given birth...to a toddler! Weird right?

I'm now taking pictures on the 3rd day of my pregnancy week (Fridays). It works better for our schedules. So, the photo will be posted on Friday :)

I plan to print this blog out when my pregnancy is done and make a book out of it (for myself). They do these things nowadays. I decided when I started this blog that I shouldn't hold anything back because I want to look back and see everything I went through during these nine months without sugar coating any of it.