(Almost) 19-Week Update

I'll be 19 weeks along tomorrow. Almost halfway there! Matt and I have some fun and exciting things coming up, which is actually somewhat rare for us. This weekend we're going out to Oakland, MD to visit with Matt's Uncle Pat and Aunt Barb (we haven't seen them in years), along with Matt's parents and two of his uncles. It'll be lots of fun, I'm sure, and we are looking forward to it. Of course, next Wednesday morning we have the exciting sonogram where we should find out the baby's gender. Next Friday is Mirah's 12th birthday (I can't believe she's 12 already!), and also my cousin Lindsay, her husband, Jeff, and their son, Deacon (who we haven't met yet), will be in town so we'll all get to celebrate Mirah's birthday together. Then, over the long Labor Day weekend, Matt and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (which is September 1st) by going out to western Maryland and staying at a bed and breakfast called The Castle (see photos below for the reason we wanted to stay there).


Looks quiet there, doesn't it? We're looking forward to getting away, even if it's just for a 3-day weekend.

Pregnancy-wise, things are good. The only challenges I have right now are back spasms, sciatic pain, and difficulty sleeping. I wouldn't have thought I'd have to deal with the back spasms and sciatic pain until later in the pregnancy when the baby is bigger and I have more weight to carry up front, but I guess I'm special because I get to experience it now. I just keep trying not to think about the fact that when I do actually have more baby weight to carry, this pain could get (much) worse. I'm sticking my head in the sand on this one.

I recently got another crib recommendation - for another Ikea crib. I didn't realize I knew so many people who had cribs from Ikea, but their feedback has been wonderful. I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd like to use either a mini crib or a very simple standard crib in the nursery. I certainly haven't decided on anything yet, but I do like this Sundvik crib from Ikea (it's simple and streamlined, which I love, especially since it will be going into such a small room):

I think a trip to Ikea to check it out in person is warranted. (A number of Ikea cribs have been highly rated for safety.) Oh, and I did go to the store to look at the mini crib I liked, and it was nice (again, pretty simple, though not as simple as this Ikea crib); the only thing I didn't like about it was that the whole crib is lower than a standard crib. It's only a difference of 4-5" in height, but the mini crib seemed really low in person. So, since I've heard only good things about Ikea cribs, I plan to grab Matt and go on an Ikea shopping trip soon. There's also a simple low dresser there (in the same finish as the crib) that looks like it would make a perfect dresser/changing table, so I'd like to check that out as well.

I don't have much else to report at the moment, but check back next week for a new belly photo and the gender announcement - I'm really excited to find out whether the Peanut is a boy or a girl!