Future NASCAR fan

This past weekend we had a very full agenda!
Saturday we went to a pot luck type house party in Grant Park to watch the UGA game with friends and family. It was really nice to see some people I hadn't seen in a while and gorge myself on game day food. The strangest thing? All I wanted was the buffalo chicken dip. Everyone who knows me knows I HATE anything buffalo or hot sauce flavored...so I'm counting that feat as a pregnancy hormone win! I brought Asian coleslaw and Funfetti cupcakes with the BEST FROSTING EVER: Rainbow Chip. (My co-workers and I have been looking for Rainbow Chip for SO long and finally found it!) I'm a five year-old at heart. Plus, those cupcakes are always a crowd pleaser.

Best ever. Don't even try to argue.

Sunday we went to church and as soon as we got home we packed an overnight bag and headed down to Locust Grove to visit with Taylor's mom before the NASCAR race. She only lives about ten minutes from AMS and we get to use back roads to get there (totally terrific Teamon Taxi) so we never have to worry about traffic or a tedious trip home after the race. This year I got to be the DD. Subsequently, this was also the first sober NASCAR race I've experienced. In hindsight, a sober NASCAR race at 20 weeks pregnant probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had. I still had a great time and am very glad we decided to go! Hopefully we will have a future NASCAR fan on our hands!

Our group

Rednecks for a day

Pork rinds and beer. YUM.

Future NASCAR fan.

Monday we came home early in the morning and laid around the house for a few hours. Then it was off to Home Depot to (finally) buy blinds for our house. When we bought the house we realized there were no blinds at all - not even those cheap, temporary paper blinds. We would have bought blinds a month ago, however, most of our extra money has gone toward fixing the plumbing issue in the basement and our yard. So yes, up until now we had been living in a fish bowl. Hope the neighbors enjoyed the show!

Taylor's dad and his girlfriend came over and pretty much did all the hanging for us. I am forever grateful to them for helping out with that! Also, we had a minor issue when connecting the fridge to the water line - we stopped the leak and successfully connected the line (after saturating a few towels) but the water still won't pump through the ice maker and water dispenser. When I'm less exhausted I'll get out the instruction manual and troubleshoot it. 

Hopefully one night this week we can go to Target or Babies R Us to start a registry. That will be so fun! I can't wait to actually walk into a baby superstore and see everything there is. The last (and only) time I went to Babies R Us I felt extremely overwhelmed...and that was nearly three years ago, well before having babies really entered my mind.

Friday is our next baby appointment - it will include another ultrasound and cervical length check. Not sure what else it will entail, but I'll be sure to give a good rundown. I'm going to actually have a list of questions prepared this time since my body is going through more noticeable changes and I'm noticing things I hadn't before. I'm a hypochondriac, so I tend to worry about things way more than I should.

***If you want to stop reading here, feel free. I'm about to list some slightly "gross" changes I've noticed.***

So far my list includes:
-Weight gain (If I still haven't gained any since my last visit.)
-Back pain relief
-"Normal" nipple changes - mine are large, sore, dry, and itchy.
-Chia seeds - Can I eat them? (High in Omega-3, fiber and other minerals.)
-Normal sugar and salt intake - I tend to eat (and crave) either really salty or really sweet foods

My back pain has taken over my whole back (not just lumbago anymore) and I feel that the only relief I get is laying down. I'll be looking into purchasing an at home prenatal stretch and/or yoga DVD.

Weekly photo:

How far along: 20 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Still assuming I'm down ten pounds, according to the scale in the office.

Maternity clothes: Right now I definitely can't wear regular pants or shorts.

Sleep: Seems to be better than normal.

Stretch marks: Yup.

Best moment of the week: The long weekend! 

Movement: You would not believe how much this baby moves. I can actually watch my stomach move!

Food Cravings: I crave so many different things in a week. I can usually indulge, too. Yay!

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really. Appetite is back for the most part and I really only feel a little nauseous first thing in the morning. Nothing a little ice cold water can't fix. I still keep a bottle of Zofran around just in case, though.

Miss anything? I'll leave this one blank this week.

Other symptoms: Back and hip pain.

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? In, but it'll definitely turn into an outie.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Mostly normal, but I have my moments.  

Looking forward to: Seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen on Friday!