17 Weeks

At 17 weeks this is the most awkward stage of pregnancy, in my opinion.  For one thing my stomach is clearly larger but it could be a beer gut or the awesome hamburger I just had for lunch or it could be the tiny person developing in there. Only the people who have been informed outright of this impending arrival know for sure.  If an outsider is really paying attention then they could probably just assume I'm pregnant (NOTE: Never, ever assume out loud. Just assume in your head. It's safer that way) because only my belly has expanded, nothing else, thus indicating maybe this isn't your typical weight gain.

The other part of this stage of pregnancy I don't care for is the not knowing. It's still debatable whether I can feel the baby move.  I think I do but I'm still not sure. When I was pregnant with Alex I knew what I was feeling were baby kicks and punches because at a check-up, as the Doctor listened to her heartbeat there was simultaneously a swooshing sound over the monitor and I felt something move inside. It was then that I was able to conclusively say I was feeling the baby move. I haven't had that luxury this time around as the little guy or gal has been seemingly motionless at my last few check-ups. While I'm not exactly a fan of being kicked and punched from the inside it is a reassurance that everything is OK in there. So, until I'm 100% sure that what I'm feeling is baby movement I just have to wait until the next check-up for confirmation that all is well.

Also, let it be said, I still have a love/hate relationship with maternity clothes. While it's like wearing my PJs, they're so comfortable maternity clothes designers really need to step-up their game. It is so hard to find something that is cute without feeling like a mammoth. I found myself wearing maternity clothes much earlier this time around, like right around week 12. My work pants especially were getting to be too tight in the waist so I decided to bite the bullet and started wearing my maternity work pants. They're too big but so luxuriously comfortable it doesn't matter. I've also resorted to wearing pretty much all maternity tops, despite the fact they're huge, but that's mostly because maternity pants have that gorgeous *sarcasm* expandable belly material that tends to show if you wear shirts that aren't long enough. I think you can call my recent attire "Bag Lady Chic" or "Olsen Twins/Homeless Lady Style."

Update, 8 May 2012:  OK, I guess I can feel the baby moving around.  If I press down really hard I can feel her/him kicking and (s)he is hanging out in the same exact spot Alex liked to hang, the lower right of my tummy.  Sometimes I feel something moving in the upper left of my tummy and then directly after movement in the lower right of my tummy.  I'm hoping this is an indication of either gas or the baby's lightning speed swimming and not a sign of twins which we've been assured is not happening.