Sunday, June 19, 2011

18 Weeks

Baby growing continues apace, though what I’m about to tell you will be confusing. This week, the baby is as long as a bell pepper, from its head to its rump.


And you might be thinking, is that any bigger than a turnip? Is it smaller? Well, it all depends on your turnip. And your bell pepper. This is not a terribly scientific system of measurement, it’s true.

And, of course, how big am I? Well, I wore my most belly-enhancing dress to make this one exciting. Belly growth has really taken off:


It's a real belly!

As epic as my belly seems, however, I’ve discovered that I am still in a bit of a no-woman’s land, fashion-wise. Most of my clothes no longer fit, but I’m not quite rocking the maternity yet. It seems to depend a lot on the exact cut of a garment, and being a person who buys clothes without trying them on is proving somewhat less successful than in the past.

Today at the store, I asked a random very pregnant lady how in the world I was supposed to shop for maternity clothes -- am I still my regular size? She took one look at me and told me my size. She was mostly right. There’s some growing room, but being cheap, I see that as a good thing. And, as it turns out, it is my regular size; the belly part is just sort of an assumed add-on.

As my grandmother would have said, we got our education today. She and I were always getting our education on various shopping adventures. Not about maternity clothes, of course, but about things like thread count or baffles. She was always pleased when we learned something while out shopping.

So, back to baby-growing. By the numbers:

Number of clothing items the baby owns: 6 (Jasper went shopping!)
Number of times Jasper has felt the baby kick: 3
Number of people who have touched my belly: 5
Number of people who have asked how I’ve been, while staring probingly at my belly: 1
Number of visual migraines I have had this month: 5 (I know, right?)
Number of times I stopped to use the bathroom on an 8-mile run yesterday: 3
Number of times I will likely eat a baked potato or grilled cheese sandwich for dinner this week: 6
Number of days until Jasper returns from the East Coast: yeah, also 6


Bell pepper photo: Baby Center

Belly photo: Lauren Vigliotti

3 comments:

  1. I had a lot of fun today and am glad I could contribute to the blog! Visual migranes; have you had those prior to pregnancy?! I had one once a few months ago, first time ever and none since. It was a bit disconcerting. what are yours like? Is there any pain? And, most importantly, did you buy any maternity clothes?

    ReplyDelete
  2. On the migraines, yes. I've been getting them for a few years. Never this frequently, but it's a common pregnancy thing and my doc's not concerned. They are weird, aren't they? If you scroll down to the Monkey Pajamas post, I included a youtube link of what mine look like. I usually only get a mild headache afterwards. And I did get a few things! Some are non-maternity, but have lots of room (like my stripey dress), and a few are actual maternity tops. Also got a skirt that has me convinced I may never go back to structured waistbands. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah, that is almost exactly what mine looked like! One of the other videos was a bit closer. It seems to be hormone-related, since I sometimes get a headache when i start a new pack of BCP, and this one happened at that time. Wow, I can't believe there are youtube videos that capture what it looks like!

    ReplyDelete