Pregnancy Update: Week 18

I've written and rewritten several posts answering the "harder questions,"

and nothing is coming across quite how I'd like it to yet.
There will be a post with the full story.

Someday.

Maybe not until the end of the pregnancy, but hopefully sooner.


Anyway.

WEEK 18!!!

1. How am I feeling?

MUCH better!
...in some ways, that is.
I don't even remember the last time I got sick.
However, the back pain is just getting worse and worse,
right around the sacroiliac area.
I knew my joints were messed up from gymnastics and that back pain is pretty common in pregnancy,
but MAN, this hurts.
At first, the pain would just flare up in the evenings after a long day
and be totally gone by the time I woke up in the morning, but no such luck anymore.
My hips/sacrum are so sore all the time.
It hurts to sit down, it hurts to walk, it hurts to switch sides during the night...
Any advice?
Because I'm a tough girl, but I might not be able to walk soon...

2. How are the cravings?

Pretty much non-existent at this point,

except hamburgers and cheesy things always sound good still.

I'm over the eggs thing.
Breakfast these days usually consists of smoothies.

Tucker and I FINALLY bought a blender a couple weeks ago and have used it almost every day since.

Heaven knows we're not very good at eating fruits and veggies, 

so getting that healthy buzz every morning has been awesome.

Plus, it somehow makes me think that summer isn't so very far away.
Anyway, while I'm not craving particular things,
I mostly just want to eat EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.
Seriously, I'm so hungry, and I never feel full.

3. Do we know if it's a boy or girl yet?

Not yet!

But we can find out in a week and a half!
After months of going back and forth trying to decide if we would find out early, 

I think we've decided that we want to know.

We're just both so attached to the idea of a baby girl (especially Tucker)

that we need to give ourselves time to adjust if it's a cute little boy.
However, there was a super adorable 1-yr-old at church on Sunday,

and Tucker leaned over and whispered, "Ok, a little boy would be good too." :)

4. Can people tell I'm pregnant yet?

Well, in fact, this past week was the first time someone had the guts to flat out ask me.
I was walking out of my writing class when one of the girls caught up to me and said,
"So...um...are you expecting?"
Why yes, yes, I am. :)
I was surprised she asked, but happy I could answer in the affirmative.
Then again, I'm not sure if it the belly gave it away
or the never-ending snacking and draining my huge water-bottle....

5. Can I feel the baby?

YES!
For the past couple of weeks, I'd been wondering if I was feeling it.
Most women described it as a "fluttering" or "gas bubbles" or "swishing,"
but none of that made sense to me.
For me, it felt more like tiny muscle twitches.
Last Tuesday, I was sitting on the couch writing a paper when I felt a few of  these "twitches" within moments of each other. I gently pressed my hand down over them, and almost immediately felt three small taps push back. I was so surprised! Some people this far along haven't even felt the baby yet,
let alone be able to feel it on the outside!
Thursday morning, Tucker's alarm went off earlier than it was supposed to. With a little prodding, he startled awake and turned it off, immediately falling back to sleep, but I was awake for good.
 I laid quietly on my back in our dark room when the "twitching" started again.
I gently reached for Tucker's hand and placed it on my bump.
After a few moments, he groggily asked, "Am I supposed to be feeling something?"
"Maybe..." I answered.
After a few minutes, I felt it again but was unsure if Tucker could feel it.
That is, until he shot up, wide awake and yelled,
"Karli! I felt it! I FELT MY BABY!!!!!!!"
The next morning at the doctor office, they were surprised to hear Tucker could feel it already
but didn't deny the possibility.
He's been able to feel it a couple times since.