21 weeks

I don't know that I actually am, but I'm feeling more ready for baby. I know there is still a ton of stuff to do and think about (hello, labor!) but I am feeling a little more relaxed about Lila's arrival (maybe picking a name has something to do with that). We spent the weekend with our friends Mike and Angela and their 17-month old daughter Anna. What a learning experience! This is the first time we've seen them since I've been pregnant and watching them with Anna makes me both excited and scared out of my mind.

Anna is adorable and so smart and her parents are amazing with her. It's incredible to me that they know just what she needs! How did Angela know that what Anna really needed was a cookie from the car or her stuffed giraffe instead of the bunny? It's very mysterious this motherhood thing. I hope that I am as good of a mother as she is someday! They just have this really great routine that seems to work well and such good intuition. I guess that comes with practice. Thanks again Mike and Angela for coming to visit, for the adorable outfits for Lila and for all of your excellent advice and guidance! Can't wait for Anna to meet Lila next year!

Well, I'm still feeling great. Still having growing pains but nothing too bad at all. I am feeling Lila move a lot more. She seems to be active both late at night and early in the morning. I feel a lot of kicks and punches anytime I'm sitting still, really. It's pretty cool!

The nursery is coming together and I bought a few cute outfits at yard sales and on super sale at Carters this weekend. I know I need to stop buying clothes, but I got a ton of sleepers and gowns for $ .25 each and its hard to turn down deals like that! I found a cute outfit at a yard sale for $2 and then saw it new at Carters the next day! I love yard sales!

Oh - we signed up for childbirth classes! They are 4 consecutive Monday nights starting on November 15 - which is also when I'm starting the 3rd trimester of my pregnancy. I'm not sure Neil is super enthusiastic about 4 class sessions, but I want to give it a try. We know nothing about birth AT ALL, and I want him to learn so he can help me make informed decisions on "labor day" when I might not be in my best state of mind. There is also a tour of the birth center included in the class which we need to do anyway. I think taking the classes will really help me feel more prepared for childbirth. Because right now I feel incredibly unprepared and I'm just trying not to think about the birth part at all. Denial is not the answer!

Alright, here is my weekly update:

How Far Along: 21 weeks and 2 days
Total Weight Gain: About 12 lbs. Sounds like a lot to me, but apparently that's on the low end of the range for where I should be. I'm happy with that.
Maternity Clothes: Just found some long sleeve tees on sale at Macy's and I found black maternity tights! I hope they work. I need tights to wear with dresses when it gets cooler. I live in tights, dresses and boots in the cold months. Oh and I bought an XL fleece jacket that I think will work for the whole pregnancy! It was depressing to buy an XL - but there is room to grow and I needed something easy and warm to throw on.
Sleep: Sleeping great!
Best Moment(s) this week: Spending time with friends this weekend.
Gender: A sweet baby girl. Lila Caroline. :)
Movement: We have movement. She loves dancing in the car when I'm blasting Glee on the way to work. Oh, and Neil felt her kick last night! Actually, I think it was a headbutt not a kick.
Baby's heart rate this week: 140s-150s.
Food Craving: Nothing in particular.
Symptoms: Not many symptoms right now other than occasional heartburn and stretching in belly.
What I miss: Wearing my normal fall wardrobe and bargain shopping for new fall clothes.
What I am looking forward to: My parents are visiting this weekend. I can't wait to see them. We are going to get sushi and maybe do a little shopping and just hang out and talk. I think Mom just wants to see how big my belly is now in person. ;)

I hope everyone has a great week!