The childcare staff is getting really excited about the upcoming arrival of Baby Kickert #2. They are most excited because this baby, unlike Mikayla (although they love her), will be Swazi and therefore one of them! They are all making gender predictions and offering up name suggestions. I love that they are getting involved because traditionally pregnancy is not something really celebrated here. They don’t name the baby before it is born, fathers aren’t super involved in the pregnancy, and in some cases the father has nothing to do with the child for the first few months. So many babies are lost early on that they don’t want to connect to the baby in the womb. So that makes it even more exciting that they are asking questions and getting involved with us.
I gave a belated Week #16 update here, but hopefully the rest will be more timely. On Thursday we reached 17 weeks in our pregnancy. Not a lot new has happened in the last week, but here is an update nonetheless.
How far along? I am currently 17 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss? This is hard to measure since our scale is in kilograms, but I think I am still even. If I have gained anything it is less than half a pound.
Stretch marks? Fortunately, no stretch marks!
Best Moment this week? The Swazi’s getting super into our pregnancy and offering up name suggestions.
Movement? I was actually able to feel the baby for the first time from the outside yesterday. It wasn’t a really strong movement, and seems super early in the game, but I felt it! Just once though and it hasn’t happened again.
Food Cravings: Eggs! This week I have eaten at least one or two a day! Mmm good!
Gender? No clue yet. Mikayla is still convinced it is a girl, but the hostel staff thinks it is a boy!
Labor Signs? I sure hope not!
Belly Button in or Out? In.
What I miss. I am still missing my regular cup of coffee, but other than that not much else new this week.
What I am looking forward to. Still looking forward to our ultrasound in a few weeks.
Weekly wisdom: Toddlers love touching the baby bump, but aren’t always the most carefully when doing so and should be watched closely! I suppose the same is true with toddlers and infants too!
Milestones: Like I mentioned previously, I felt the baby move for the first time this week from the outside. I forgot how cool of a feeling this was!
Tags: pregnancy, weekly update