Life at 21 Weeks.

Life is busy, always, but in the last week I've been trying to slow down.  Thank you crazy weird contractions.  I got them with the twins early too but I thought that the contractions would come later with this singleton.

Nope.  

What's the trigger - who knows.  For the first two weeks I had all kinds of theories.  Now I think they're completely random.

I had contractions on and off Wednesday night and all day Thursday.  When I say contractions, I need to clarify.  Some were run of the mill Braxton Hicks - short, not painful, etc.  But some were not.  Some were Olympic contractions that contracted and STAYED that way for two hours.  I want to be perfectly clear that this was not a case of multiple contractions happening for two hours.  This was one single, solitary, contraction that lasted for two hours.  And the next day I had a few more lasting for between 30 minutes and 1 hour.  What the what?

Gatorade to the rescue.  (Thanks Dr. McButler!)  I'm trying to keep a stock of Gatorade in the house but it's really hard with a sugar addicted DH and a 13 year old son.  Normally I don't buy it.  It's high in sugar and most of it is loaded with artificial color - which I try to avoid especially during pregnancy.  I've been getting the "frost" kinds - the ones that don't have artificial color added.  It helps.  It really does.  Besides, water tastes so gross to me right now.  

So I'm 21+ weeks.  Besides weird, super long contractions, nothing else remarkable is going on.  I'm not showing a great deal.  I still fit into non-maternity jeans - one size larger than my normal size.  I think I'm obviously pregnant but no one else seems to.  I get a lot of:

Are you always this small?

Is the baby healthy?

Even though I'm carrying small, I've gained 12 pounds so far, which is completely normal and healthy.  Everything measures normal.  

John has felt the baby kicking.  The kids haven't had much luck yet.  It's hard for them to be patient.  They say they've felt the baby but I think they just feel me breathing or coughing.  Maybe in a few more weeks....