This week, I finally feel pregnant. I feel like my belly has rounded out just enough that I actually look pregnant! Of course, it depends on the clothes I’m wearing, and it’s mostly just me who thinks I look pregnant, but hey: I’m the one who counts, right? :)
When I proudly showed off my belly to one of my coworkers (who is a mother of two) earlier this week, she rolled her eyes and (jokingly) told me to shut up and get out of her cubicle. Then, this morning, a friend looked at me and asked if I’m sure I’m really pregnant. *shrug* Whatever, people. WHATEVER.
17.5 Weeks Pregnant
I mean, come on… that is a BELLY, right? I feel like I really “popped” this week!
The biggest challenge with this newfound roundness has been with my wardrobe. I switched to maternity pants last week, so that hasn’t been an issue, but I’ve found that I am having major issues with a lot of my shirts already. Casual clothes are still fine–t-shirts, long-sleeves, etc. are all OK. But a lot of my work shirts are knit-type shirts and when I put them on this week, I thought they looked ridiculous. Some of them are too short for my comfort, and others are just completely unflattering for my new body.
The problem is that I’m not looking right in maternity shirts, either. In fact, most of them are freaking tents on me and make me look (and feel) horrible. I went to Old Navy earlier this week to see if I could find some cute “regular” work clothes that would work on my pregnant belly, but everything there was hideous. I have to do some more shopping this weekend, because the approximately THREE shirts/tops I have that I feel good in aren’t going to cut it for much longer.
Not much else has gone on this week in terms of the pregnancy. Still feeling movement on a daily basis, and it’s still mostly just at night when I finally settle in to relax on the couch or in bed. Sometimes I feel the baby be-bopping around in there first thing in the mornings, too, when I’m still trying to catch my last few minutes of sleep. But it does seem to be getting a teensy bit stronger, so I hope it’s not long before I’m feeling him/her throughout the day!
At one point last weekend, I was sitting on the couch in the afternoon and was poking at my belly (just because I couldn’t believe how pregnant it looked all of a sudden). The baby poked me back! It was hilarious. I can just imagine him/her saying, “Back off, Mom!” Later that same day, we were lying on the couch watching a movie and I felt the strongest kick/punch yet. I actually said, “Whoa!” out loud because I couldn’t believe how weird it felt. It almost took my breath away. It’s such a cool feeling; I’m loving it.
My BabyCenter and Bump e-mails tell me that baby is the size of an onion or a turnip this week. Growing, growing, growing! It’s pretty amazing when I look back and think about how, when this journey all started, baby was the size of a poppyseed. And amazing when I look ahead and know that it will soon be the size of a watermelon. Yikes!
12 Responses to 17.5 Weeks: Pop!
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
I think you’re starting to get an adorable lil baby belly! Tell the haters to stop raining on your Mommy-to-be parade! :) You DEF have that “glow”… I’m glad everything’s going well for you!
Aw, you look beautiful! We got about 3 pictures of my sister throughout her entire pregnancy, and there were no smiles close to that in any of them. You’ve really gotten a belly compared to your last photo!
I see a belly, but I can surely see how someone your size just looked like she put on a ice cream gut;)…
How weird to feel something kicking you from the inside..pregnancy seriously fascinates me.
As for clothing, it’s expensive but try motherhood. They have every shirt made for different body types ( or so I’ve heard) and they will probably have something for you…Also, give Target a try. I think some type of cute tank with cardigan will look cute on you and be totally flattering!
You look wonderful!
A tip for the in between time in the world of maternity clothing…skip the real maternity tops until third trimester. For now, look for empire waist tops in the regular women’s clothing stores. Or, tank and cardigans. Both options served me well for the middle months and again for the post-partum belly.
Thanks, guys!
Krystie–Today’s outfit (in the picture) was actually a tank with a cardigan. Ha! I need to get more tanks and cardigans. :)
Mrs.B–The empire waisted tops are, for the most part, not flattering at all on me. They make me look bigger, so I’m not a fan! I’m still on the hunt, though…
Awesome! It all seems to happen so fast.
Also, your belly pictures are incredibly well-lit. Good job!
Oh don’t worry about the haters! My mom actually only gained 16 pounds with me (I was 7 of them…) so she didn’t look pregnant until a few months before I was born, haha. Makes it easier to lose the baby weight ;)
I hated the ‘just you wait’ people, but…just you wait. :P You will know when you’ve ‘popped.’ (For me, it was around weeks 24-25.) :)
~Kristen M.
You look great, I’m about 31 weeks pregnant right now and remember when I finally started showing!
For maternity clothes you have to check out the BE Maternity tank tops at Target, I have one in every color I think, they fit great from where you are at and still fit me great now, the ruching on the sides really helps! Good luck!
First off, congrats!
I would check out Target (Liz Lange collection) for casual maternity pieces. I’m almost 8 months along and have lived in Liz Lange. Very comfy!
You look fabulous.
Ann Taylor Loft has a lot of really flowy shirts and dresses these days. Maybe that would be a good place to get a few outfits you can wear until you need maternity clothes?
Forget your co-worker. You are looking pregnant.