22 Weeks Pregnant {Spaghetti Squash}

Another week has passed for my "Spaghetti Squash" and me...22 and counting!

(Average measurements: 11 inches, 15 ounces) 

• Mommy and Daddy (still so new referring to us as parents) went to our first Christmas party "with child"...and at the same time, our last Christmas party without a child.
• I attended another beautiful baby shower where 6 of us ladies were expecting!  I joked that if I hadn't been pregnant, I probably would have gone home after the shower and cried myself to sleep ;)
• We had a follow-up appointment with a fancy doctor where we found out all is good and we got another sweet snapshot of our baby girl, seen here.
• I've begun to notice that it's becoming increasingly more difficult to remove my engagement ring from my finger before I take a shower in the morning.  I read that around this week I might notice some finger swelling and that rings should be taken off soon before they're stuck!!!  Boo...I'm going to miss wearing my first and most special love diamonds :(
• I'm finally getting over my nasty cold!  I can breathe again.
• Today was my last day at work for a whole 2 weeks!  I'm an art teacher, which means I get the same vacations that my students get.  I can breathe again...again ;)
• I won an iPod Nano today at my company's holiday pot-luck.  I'm usually not lucky, so I know it's Mia.
• I was recently introduced to Coffee Bean's hot, chai-like, seasonal drink, and my newest craving, "Winter Dream."  It's all things delicious and magical, right there in a cup.  You've gotta try it. 
• Oh, and I love my fiancé.  He's pretty much amazing and loves me more and more each day...and tells me so.  Even though I've been feeling bloated and big and awkward, he tells me I'm more beautiful now than I've ever been.  His hands are always on my belly (even when I smack them away when I'm stuffed after eating), giving kisses and rubs to Mia.  Last night, he even put his mouth up to my belly and sang the alphabet to her :)

Photo via www.babycenter.com

Baby Gaga's Pregnancy Calendar says...

"FETAL DEVELOPMENT: Congratulations!  You're now housing a human who weighs nearly a pound and measures nearly a foot in length!  Your wee babe's perfect little pancreas (a super-duper organ that produces hormones and aids in digestion) is now making its own hormones for your baby's body and brain!  If you were worried, you can finally stop that: your baby's future in the circus as a world-famous tight-rope-walker is secure now that their inner ear is developed to the point that they have their own sense of balance.  Luckily for your little womb-explorer, this new balance promotes physical dexterity, which has them actively feeling out their surroundings where skin, body parts, and the resident umbilical cord are the big sensory experiences.  Your sweet babe is sort of looking like an over-sized red prune right now as more and more skin (and therefore wrinkles) are showing up each week.  Not to worry, all those wrinkles are just your baby's way of planning ahead for the time when they'll start piling on all of that irresistible baby chub."

"HOW'S MOM DOING?:  Take a moment to think about this: your uterus has now stretched to such unholy proportions that it extends up past your belly button!  The not-so-exciting part of this remarkable fact is that growth like this tends to leave stretch marks and can itch like nobody's business.  The reality is: stretch marks are scars on your skin that won't disappear or react with a topical cream.  The best prevention is retaining muscle tone by staying active on a daily basis throughout pregnancy.  If it makes you feel any better, stretch marks on the belly are extremely common.  Skin-cream lies aside, feel free to apply all the aloe-vera you need to alleviate the itching!"