Baby Bump: 18 weeks

Fun fact:  this post about week 16 of my pregnancy with Anna is by far and away the most read post on my blog, by a LONG shot.  I even took it down for a couple of months because it creeped me out knowing that so many people were viewing what I'd (poorly) written so long ago.  I've put it back up now that I'm starting pregnancy posts again and it'll be interesting to see if any of these garner as much attention.  With Anna I posted every four weeks, starting with week 16, so I decided to do the same, starting with week 18 this time around.

So, here we are, week 18, a mere week and a half from the halfway mark ... holy cow, how did this happen?  I remember seeing the words "pregnant" staring up at me, followed by what felt like the longest five weeks of my life until our first OB visit and ultrasound.  And then *BAM* we're here; to say this pregnancy is flying by is an understatement. 

So far I've had a fairly uneventful pregnancy, which is exactly what I'm looking for.  I had killer allergies this summer that really kicked up once I found out I was pregnant, but those seem to have subsided for the most part.  I had very little nausea, same with Anna, and felt well through the first trimester.  Then came the second trimester, and it brought migraines; bad, textbook migraines (the bright lights, the complete aura, numbness in my hands, and a killer headache that follows for 3-4 hours), eight migraines in three weeks to be exact.  It's uncommon for migraines to start in a patient during pregnancy, it's generally more common to see them subside in patients that regularly dealt with migraines prior to pregnancy.  But, I like to be different.  So, I'm seeing a neurologist in a few weeks, but I doubt they will be able to do or prescribe anything that will stop the headaches completely.  In the meantime, work has slowed down a bit, I'm working to manage my stress better, am slowing down and being more realistic with my goals, and am making a point to exercise regularly.  I've only had one headache in the past week, which is a major improvement, and gives me hope that the worst has passed. 

The gender reveal date is October 23, but we're not sure if we'll find out of keep it a surprise.  I'm really, really, really tempted this time, but also loved the surprise factor with Anna.  The date of our appointment is also Mike's 34th birthday, so I'm inclined to let it be his choice as part of his birthday present.  Regardless of what we do or don't find out, the nursery will remain the stay the same and Anna will move into a larger guest bedroom, which I can't wait to outfit in pink.  Since there's a chance we'll find out the gender in less than two weeks, if you'd like to guess / predict whether we're having a boy or a girl, feel free to leave a comment to this post. The winners gets bragging rights for life!

So, now onto the real fun ... bump pictures!  I definitely feel as though I "popped" sooner this time around, and the picture below is proof.

18 weeks - 5 1/2 inches and rougly the size of a bell pepper
(photo courtesy of BabyCenter)