Bump Update: 25 Weeks

 How far along: 25 weeks

How big is baby: The baby is approximately 13 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 pounds, which is not much bigger than the average rutabaga.

Total weight gain: 15 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes! I am already about the size I was at 30 weeks pregnant with Asa. I am nervous my maternity clothes won't fit me all the way through my pregnancy this time around!

Sleep: We are all happy sleepers these days. Yay!

Symptoms: I am still feeling really great. My only real complaint is that I've started getting Charley Horse cramps during the middle of the night. I experienced this with Asa as well from the second trimester on and nothing I did seem to help prevent them. I almost feel worse for Patrick. I always startled him out of sleep as I leap out of bed trying to walk off the cramp.

Stretch marks: Nope.

Best moment of the week: There is a new road going in down the street and Asa and I pass the workers everyday on our walk. We always say hello and watch the tractors for a bit. The other day as we were passing by, one of the workers, an older man we've chatted with before, stopped his tractor and walked over to us. He said that he just wanted to tell me what a great mom he thought I was.  Then he went on to tell me a several things he had observed over the past several weeks. I can't even tell you how it made my day. It is not very often someone goes out of their way like that to offer such a sincere compliment. I held it together while visiting with the worker, but cried (grateful tears!) when telling Patrick about it later. We had a tough weekend helping Asa deal with teething, vaccines, and a cold and having those encouraging words to look back on helped me get through it. 

Food cravings/aversions: I have been craving sandwiches loaded with veggies. It has been my lunch pretty much everyday the past month. It has been really easy this pregnancy to eat healthy, but sometimes I just have to have a chocolate shake or raid our s'mores stash for a Hershey's bar. I figure that all the veggies balance out eating a little chocolate once in awhile.

Movement: So much! The other morning our little family was all in bed just hanging out and the baby started doing flips in my belly. It was so fun thinking that it won't be too much longer before the baby will be there cuddling with us.

Gender: I had a dream a few weeks back that I gave birth to a 9 lb. 14 oz. dark haired baby boy. So I am going with boy this week. I am crossing my fingers that I do not give birth to a baby larger than Asa.

What I'm looking forward to: I have been putting together some independent play/busy bag activities  for Asa, planning freezer meals, starting to collect the few things we will need for the new baby, and trying to plan out and shop for Christmas gifts. I really love prepping and organizing. I know having another baby around will be a huge adjustment for everyone, but I feel like I've come up with some good ways to make it easier on us all. And that just makes me more and more excited and confident for December to roll around!