22 weeks: Belly dancing!

I’ve finally reached the point where I realize that pregnant Sabrina needs to behave differently.

It was a hard realization to make.

This weekend Meghann, Ashley and their men visited for Leslie’s wedding.

I couldn’t keep up with them and felt guilty about it, but my body literally couldn’t cooperate. Friday night, after not a lot of sleep and working hard all day, I passed out in a heap in our bed. Saturday, Leslie’s wedding day, I had to push myself to be my smiley active self as the day wore on. I got on the dance floor for a bit as the live band was amazing, but dancing doesn’t feel good while pregnant. How did Bethenny Frankel dance so hard so late in her pregnancy? Any bouncing motion made me feel nauseous and want to hold my belly in place. As yet another song ended my feet started to hurt as though I had run a marathon. Heels? How do some women wear heels their whole pregnancy? I have a cute pair of new pregnancy-friendly heels, but my swollen feet and shin splints (yes, seriously, shin splints!) are proof enough that I need to focus on wearing flats.

So what I’ve learned is that I shouldn’t dance too hard since it doesn’t feel good, flats are better than heels unless I want swollen feet and shin splints, I need a nap every afternoon to remain my cheery self (sorry if I got crabby friends!), and feeling hungry and full at the same time means I need small meals all day long.

Even with all of that I love being pregnant. Now I can sometimes see my belly move from the outside as bambino hears a sound he likes or feels like being a ninja in my belly. It is the coolest thing to watch! I try to get my iPhone to take a video to show PB, but it seems like bambino knows what I’m doing and immediately stops. Same thing when PB puts his hand on my belly- bambino is already a punk! (ETA: for the first time PB saw kicks from the outside!!!! It just just happened and was a nice hard kick!)

Oh, and PB tries to trick the baby my tapping one side of my belly and then quickly moving his hand to the other side, thinking bambino will move there. It never works, but he still keeps trying. Too cute.

Belly pics!

My how I have grown! I love that I actually look pregnant now and not just chubby. Can I say that enough?

16 weeks vs. 22 weeks:

Here’s what Babycenter says about 22 weeks:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you’d be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he’ll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

In addition to needing naps I’m finally learning that I need to slow down in general. PB and I hired a cleaning person to come once a month or so, and the first visit was last week. Our house is spotless with 0 work from me, and it is reasonable enough for me to be able to cut out a few things each week and not notice the extra expense. I wish we had thought to do this sooner because it really makes me feel happy and relaxed.

Cravings this week have been intense. I share all the weird pregnancy cravings over at Babycenter today. I also find that I manage to have some form of dairy at every meal. I feel like I need to take it easy on the dairy but my body must need the calcium.

On the clothing front, I finally believe all of you when you said I could wear normal size clothing instead of maternity. Of course the clothes fit very differently, but I managed to find a few pieces to help me make it through the next couple of months. Thanks for the advice because my closet was looking really sad.

Random facts of the week:
Weight gained in the last week: I think 1 lb or a bit over
Overall weight I will gain if I keep up this exact pace: 33 lbs
Energy bursts: Many! I’ve been cooking a ton and I’m sure PB is happy that we have real dinners on the table again finally.
Outfits purchased for bambino this week: 0 as I am so confused on what size to buy for what temperature. I have only gotten the few items I can’t resist and have been good otherwise.
Names picked: 1 and we love it! Bambino’s name is official and I can’t wait to share it with all of you in September.
Time it took me to write this post: 1 hour, therefore it’s time for bed!

Until next time!

For more pregnancy posts, check out the PhillyBaby tab on the left sidebar of my home page! And for some more pregnancy talk, visit my blog on Babycenter!

Previous weeks:
Week 21
Week 20
Week 19
Week 18
Week 17
Week 16
Week 15
Week 14