22 wks (4ds)

So this week was characterized by people I don't know acknowledging my pregnancy! An older man in Publix asked me if the baby was going to eat all the food I was getting and I laughed and said she was the reason I was there. And the pâtisserie girl in Morocco at Epcot asked how far along I was and the gender and then started giving me a dozen or so girl names I should use. Each awkward in their own ways, but the awkwardness did not eclipse the "!!! I look pregnant and not like I am wearing clothes way too small for me!" feeling that I am (still) self consciously experiencing at times. Also notable this week is that I am coming to the very sad realization that I cannot, in fact, spend all day walking a theme park anymore. Before pregnancy I would have no problem spending 16 or so hours opening and closing a park and being on my feet the whole time. Yesterday I did about 7 hours - with frequent stops to sit and rest - as I walked the whole park and back and forth across the World Showcase twice and I had to sit down at the Boardwalk resort and let Jason pick me up with the car because he took one look at me shuffling and knew taking another step was asking a lot of me. Today my shins are in, oh my god, so much pain. But I had an amazing time exhausting myself with my cousin, Becca, and ate a lot so in the end it was totally worth the pain. And I am not exaggerating by saying I ate a lot either. I did.

Bebe was pretty quiet the entire day at the park but almost as soon as I got home and sat back in the recliner with my poor abused feet up and a pillow behind my back then she started moving like crazy. It wasn't, however, until around midnight when I was watching tv that I looked down at my stomach and saw that just to the right of my belly button a part of my stomach move up and back down. Weirdest. Thing. Ever. It's one thing feeling her move but seeing my stomach move was just so bizarre. Amazing, yes, but in a sort of creepy "holy hell, I have something living in my stomach and it's MOVING" sort of way. This morning I was laying in bed and feeling her move so I decided to watch again and sure enough there was a noticeable visible movement to my stomach a few times. I think this one is going to take just a little bit to get used to because it is so so weird!

In less exciting developments, I am probably going to have to sadly say goodbye to my daily OJ because I cannot TELL YOU how terribly I've had Acid Reflux this week. I should note that I have never in my life experienced acid reflux before. But the other night I couldn't even sleep because I would lay down and feel like my throat was filling with stomach acid. I finally piled up three pillows and managed to sleep somewhat half sitting up. I know the old wives tale about heartburn being relative to the hair baby has, so I'll put up with it if it means she's going to come out with a headful of whatever-color-hair. My mom informed me that of her three pregnancies she had the worst heartburn with me and I had the most hair, and she had the least with my youngest sister who was born bald. So who knows! According to the all mighty internet, it is being caused because the increased production of estrogen and progesterone (which, yay for my body finally producing it. thanks placenta!) intended to relax my uterine muscles and help them to stretch has also relaxed my lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and is allowing stomach acid to flow into my esophagus. Acid can also be pushed up into my esophagus if the baby is crowding my abdomen, and since she is sitting really high this is entirely possible as well. I just don't like it. It was suggested to limit my intake of dairy, chocolate and fruit and I went "haha, no" since those are pretty much the staples of my diet these days.

That growing baby, Bebe, is now about 1 lb. and 11" - making her the length of a spaghetti squash. Eyelids, eyebrows and lips are all distinct now and she's growing tiny toothbuds beneath her gums. Her eyes are formed beneath those now formed eyelids but the iris' are lacking pigment. Meanwhile I am trying to guess what color eyes she is going to have, but they don't even have a color yet! She's also developed a fine covering of hair called lanugo which she should have until around 33-36 weeks. She also has deep wrinkles in her skin right now as it waits for her to gain some fat to fill the skin in and make her look like a real newborn. Inside, she is working had on developing her pancreas. She is also destined to be a ballet dancer or an acrobat or a martial artist because, I swear, she is doing something in there. But it's fine. Her mom has no grace or athletic ability so if she does it can't possibly be a bad thing.