A Festive Time Of Year

22 Weeks, 3 Days

Lobster Pot Pie at Wit & Wisdom

December is by far the most festive time of year for me. No, it's not just because of the holidays. It's my birthday, too! I turned the big 2-9 on Saturday. Vicente and I celebrated by doing what I do best these days: eating. A lot. We went to one of my favorite casual spots, Papermoon Diner, with our pal Jess for lunch, then dined at super fancy Wit & Wisdom at the Four Seasons for dinner. So delicious. I'm sure I gained at least two pounds over the course of the weekend. I never order lobster, but since my more-than-generous mommy said our dinner was on her, I decided to splurge for my birthday on the "deconstructed lobster pot pie." I hate sharing food pictures, but check this puppy out. Impressive, no?

Speaking of calorie-loading, I just had my monthly doctor's appointment this morning. According to the office scale, I gained 8.5 pounds since my last visit four weeks ago. HOLY MOTHER! I was not expecting that. But, given the fact that I'm pregnant during the holidays, I give myself a free pass this time. My doctor actually laughed and said it's totally fine that I gained so much, but I should probably stick to the pound-a-week plan until my due date. She says she expects me to gain 15 or so more pounds total this pregnancy, which still puts me within "normal" range. But still. Seeing the numbers jump that much in just four weeks is a bit shocking.

On the plus side, all is good in Baby Vince's world. My uterus is measuring where it should; the top of it is just a couple fingers-width above my belly button. We heard his heartbeat loud and clear via the Doppler  The heart rate was at a steady 140 bpm. I'll never tire of hearing that glorious sound. I also got the results from my spina bifida screening and it was perfectly normal (I have a less than 1 in 5,000 chance of having a baby with spina bifida.) That's always a relief. My doctor also said Baby V is measuring around a pound at this point, and by my next appointment, he'll double in size!  I asked if I'd be having another ultrasound and my doc said that she typically doesn't order another one unless they suspect something is wrong. She said that they saw everything they needed/wanted to see at my anatomical survey ultrasound at 18 weeks, so she likely won't order another U/S unless I have any complications. I was slightly disappointed because I love seeing our little one moving around in there. I'm tempted to go to one of those ultrasound clinics and pay out of pocket to get some more shots of the baby before he's born. My next doc appointment is in mid-January, and I'll have to do the diabetes testing on that visit. Apparently I'll have to chug a glass of glucose and sit around for an hour until they can draw my blood. Sounds disgusting.

Here are some pics from my birthday weekend. Enjoy!

Wearing my new maternity top thanks to my sweet mother-in-law!

Dressed to impress for my office Christmas party

Birthday lunch at Papermoon Diner with my hubby