my pregnancy journey week 8

11/1/2013

Posted in: JOURNALING | PROJECTS | FOR PHOTOGS | MATERNITY

SELF-PORTRAIT HOW-TO: As with last week's midriff photo, I took a different approach with this week's portrait. As the early morning sun peaked through the trees, i quickly set up my camera with the intent to capture a nice golden silhouette. I didn't have to worry about clarity in this photo, but rather the placement of the sun. I wanted the light to highlight the outer edge of my body so I made sure i stood with the sun at my shoulder. I exposed for the background so that my silhouette would be in shadow.

WEEK 8 MONTH 2 | NOVEMBER 1ST - NOVEMBER 7TH
B A B Y K I D N E Y B E A N

This week I experienced my first worry so far in the pregnancy. I weighed myself and still hadn't gained any weight. In fact, I still weighed slightly less than when I first took notice of the pregnancy 4 weeks earlier. I was a little concerned only because i had been eating constantly and thought maybe i should have gained just a tiny amount by now. I thought maybe it shouldn't have been so easy to slip into the tight dress i wore for this week's photo! So i decided to look at the weight chart I had made during Landon's pregnancy.

I found that my weight trend was similar. I had gained and lost a half pound every few days up until i was 13 weeks. It wasn't until after i was well into the 2nd trimester that i started consistently gaining a little. I was underweight up until that point. I felt much more at ease after seeing my previous chart. I also looked back at my weekly photos from that pregnancy and couldn't see any super obvious change in my figure until about 18 or 19 weeks. People didn't really start commenting on a noticeable tummy until after 20 weeks. So i've got a little ways to go yet. I no longer feel worried about my weight. I plan to continue eating everything, moving my body when i can, and loving my pregnancy.

So far the sickness has been stronger this week but much more manageable than it had been with Landon's pregnancy. What's hard is trying to keep up with my cravings. I don't have one or two primary cravings that stick with me for the long hall, but rather a different craving every day or even every hour! And if I don't consume whatever it is I'm craving while I'm craving it, my stomach will become upset and the craving drastically changes. After my weekly grocery shopping excursions, I rarely want the food I've spent all our food budget on. I usually end up back at the story nearly every night scoping the shelves for whatever I think I might want to eat by the time i get it home. I find myself laughing and even enjoying the chaos!

So far i haven't been able to remember my dreams. I know right when I awaken that the dream I just had was very vivid but moments later i cannot recall anything about them. I'm a little disappointed because I wanted to write them down as I had during Landon's pregnancy. Those crazy dreams are a lot of fun to look back on. Most of them involved a baby in some way. The baby was always a boy in blue. Without remembering my dreams this time around, I have been given little internal clues as to what gender this baby will be. Sometimes I get a glimpse of pink, an inner aura if you will. I remember feeling a sense of masculinity when I was pregnant with Landon; this time i feel a little more feminine. However, I am not confident that this baby is a girl. Only time will tell. Perhaps I am not meant to know quite yet.

All in all, i'm in very high spirits. I have been taking every piece of this journey to heart and making the most of every moment.