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Week 15 Milestones: Baby is now about 4 inches long and weighs 2.5 oz! The biggest milestone this week was being able to feel some definite "Yes, that was for sure the baby" baby flutters!!! Also, this week marked the last uses of the progesterone supplements, so now my placenta is carrying the full weight of providing all the hormones this baby needs to keep growing. My Journal: Anytime someone asks me how I'm feeling lately with regards to the pregnancy, I'm likely to happily answer that I *love* the 2nd trimester! At this point, I still have some lingering first trimester symptoms like morning sickness and fatigue, but I am noticing more freedom from those symptoms and others. A bit of a "second wind" is coming along and sometimes I really feel like I can be more awake and active. I've started picking up my activities again, little by little, and have enjoyed things like swimming with Harmony in the pool, playing soccer with her outside, carrying full baskets of laundry around the house again instead of lighter loads, and being less cautious of how much I carry or lift or walk or how many stairs I climb, etc. I started going to Prenatal Aquafit classes and love it so far! I feel so light in the water and I can take it slower or go with a faster pace for a good workout. So I'll definitely keep going at least once a week, hopefully two a little later on. It feels nice to be able to be active again without feeling scared about the baby too much. Of course, I'm still building my activity levels back up slowly, just to be on the safe side. Plans and conversations continue about things like baby names and nursery decor, and it's always nice to be able to squeeze in some time to just be excited about the baby and what our family will be like with her/him joining us sometime soon. Harmony was trying to insist that the baby sleep in her room and that they share a "tank top" (she couldn't remember what a "bunk bed" was called), but hopefully once baby arrives on the scene (with a good set of lungs for crying, I'm sure!), she will be glad we didn't agree with her suggestion. We are re-painting Harmony's room in August to have more of a "big girl" room (she's had the current Pooh Bear theme since her toddler days) and then will work on getting that baby's room all set up too, maybe with some help from the big sister. As for baby names, we haven't discussed girls names very much since there are so many to choose from that would work really well that we feel it would be pretty easy to choose a girl's name. So instead we are focusing on trying to find a boy's name, which has proved to be really challenging! Paul's very first suggestion for a boy's name was Ryan, which I actually really like, but think it would go better as a middle name than a first name, so we'll see. The big challenge is finding a name as special and unique as Harmony without getting too too "out there". There should be a baby names page up on this site soon with some of our choices. Test Results/Ultrasounds/Appointments: My next prenatal appointment was supposed to be tomorrow, but has been rescheduled until 16.5 weeks because my OB has to go to the hospital tomorrow. Physical: Well, there are still some mornings durnig which I feel quite queasy! but for the most part, I do feel like my morning sickness days are behind me. The things that trigger a gag reflex now tend to be really potent smells (like cigarette smoke, yuck!) and food aversions, of which I've developped a few of. One of my strangest food aversions is, sadly, pizza! I don't think we've had any real pizza for a month because the thought of it has made me sick. Hopefully I'll get over that one really soon. Even though my biggest "first trimester symptom" has mostly disapeared, I still have a bit more of another symptom lingering that they say isn't as common in the second trimester - fatigue. I find I'm still feeling a little tired during the day, and especially in the mornings when it's time to get up (it's still a challenge to drag myself out of bed, no matter how early I got there the night before!). But I remember being anemic during previous pregnancies and especially after my pregnancy and surgery last fall. So perhaps I will need to get on an iron supplement - I will find out my hemoglobin levels at my next check-up. Weight Gain/Food: Still managing to maintain a pretty healthy weight all things considered! It fluctuates between a 5-10lb gain depending on time of day, etc. but was at about 6lbs in the morning, which is when I usually weigh myself. It might go up a bit more in the next few weeks since I'm more active and perhaps having more muscle tissue to take into account, but I am still feeling quite healthy and fit. I find that as my belly thickens and stretches, other parts seem to be getting a little slimmer and/or toned, especially for my face and arms! I am going to try to make sure to keep eating healthy and get my activity levels up and keep them there so I can continue to have a very healthy and fit pregnancy. Well, along with stronger food aversions have come stronger cravings for food I like! I really have to exert a lot of self-control when I'm craving junk food or sweets, and sometimes lose that battle! This past week, I have been craving a lot of chocolate - whether it's hot chocolate or a chocolate bar or whatever, it just has to be chocolate. But in general, I still find I'm still craving a lot of salty foods. Emotional: Those of you who know how much I hate stereotypes will be able to understand how much I hate fitting into a "preggie stereotype" sometimes! Whether it's having a grumpy day, being overly sensitive to something that is said or done, or being extremely spacey or flakey, I've had it all happen and have disliked going through it. I can definitely say "I'm not myself!". I think it's been an especially tough week this week because of adjusting to the hormone levels. I've been taking the additional progesterone for 3 months, and now I'm not taking it anymore, so my hormones have changed yet again. I thought I would actually feel more pleasant with the change (since progesterone does not tend to be the happiest hormone around), but I've actually felt a little more "on edge" this week. I'm hoping this is just a temporary adjustment!
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