The sixth month already? 22 weeks ~

Yes, the 6th month! Apparently weeks 21-25 or 26 are considered "month 6". SHOCKING. Here I am, 22 weeks pregnant and loving every minute of it. Well, I WAS loving every minute of it - until this weekend. It should be said that you should NEVER utter the words "I'm doing great, feeling SO good" after somebody asks you how you are feeling when you are PG. It is a jinx in my case. When somebody asked me at 7 weeks how I was, and I told them great, I got hit with the morning sickness. This past weekend, I glowed and told CJ's whole family how great I felt, and wham, I got hit Friday night with Carpal Tunnel syndrome in my wrists. Yep. I woke up Saturday feeling very achy and crampy in my left wrist - thinking I had slept on it wrong, I merely rubbed it and hoped the pain would go away. Well, the next day I awoke to two painful wrists and numbness in my fingers. Ahh, yes, my co-worker told me, PG-induced carpal tunnel. *pulling hair out* AHHH! I use my hands A LOT during my day - to teach, help the kids, write notes, TYPE REPORTS (aka special education teacher), and obviously the day to day stuff. *(sigh)*. Oh Keifer, you had to hit me with all the fun stuff, didn't you? Morning sickness, carpal tunnel, I'm afraid to ask "what next?". Oh well, as long as the pain isn't so bad, I'm doing fine.

Babycenter.com tells me: How your baby's growing: Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

How your life's changing: You may start to notice stretch marks on your skin as your abdomen expands to accommodate your growing baby. Some pregnant women never get stretch marks, but at least half do. These small streaks of differently textured skin can range from pink to dark brown (depending on your skin color), and they become more apparent as pregnancy progresses. They can appear not only on your tummy, but also on your buttocks, thighs, hips, and breasts. Lotions won't prevent or eliminate them, but they help with any itching. Also, you may no longer be an "innie" your navel is flat and may soon pop out. It will revert to its usual shape after birth.

I'll admit it, I'm vain. I am hoping and wishing and praying I don't get hit too hard with the stretch marks. Of course, if I DO get them, I will wear them as a symbol of pride - I wanted to be PG so badly and this is just par for the course if I get them. In the meantime, I'm lubing my skin up at least 2 x a day, sometimes with the overly priced Mama Mio Tummy Rub, and other times with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion for stretch marks. I also sometimes use (in the AM's) Mary Kay's Visibly Fit body lotion, which was initially a gift from a co-worker who swore by it when she was PG with her first child. I'll admit, the Mama Mio oil is MUCH better to smell, I honestly cannot stand the smell otheth Palmer's lotion, and am impartial to the Mary Kay stuff. It shall be determined as to whether spending ANY money at all on any of them have any effect.