Cutter Double Time: 19 weeks.

19 weeks, 4 days... and hello tan!

Back from Cali!

How far along: 19 weeks, 4 days

Size of babies: Mangos

Baby update: Baby's arms and legs are now in the right proportions to the rest of its body. The kidneys are making urine and itty bitty hairs are sprouting on its scalp. A waxy protective coating called vernix is forming on its skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Weight Gain: Since I have a doctors appointment coming up on Thursday, I think I will wait until then to get a more accurate sense... but it's not going to be pretty!

Symptoms: No new symptoms this week- other than swollen feet on my red eye flight from LA to Boston... that was no fun.

Movement: The babies have been kicking a lot more- I only seem to really notice it when I'm sitting or lying down- I felt a bit of movement on the plane rides and then while in bed at night.

Exercise: Adam and I walked the beach every day which was beautiful- the only down side was that there was tar in the sand that would stick to our feet and that was rather annoying to scrub off. I swam a few laps in the pool and walked all around town. I logged a total of 12 miles over the course of the week.

Sleep: Been taking a lot more naps during the day- I think I napped every day in CA- clearly my body needed the rest. I'm sleeping pretty well at night- but my nose still gets congested and I end up sleeping with my mouth open which makes me super parched in the morning. I'm still sleeping somewhat on my belly/somewhat on my side. I've noticed that laying down on my back is completely out of the question these days- puts too much pressure on my belly.

Food Cravings: Fresh fruit- especially pineapple- I couldn't get enough on vacation!

Food Aversions: Nothing... I like it all!

"California... Knows how to Party" We had a great trip to Santa Barbara- it was nice to be in the sunshine. The resort we stayed at (the Bacara Resort & Spa) was beautiful and the service was amazing... the insurance company rented out the entire complex, so it was full of insurance agents and their guests. For the first time on one of these trips I didn't feel as though I was the only female agent- there were actually quite a few female agents- way to represent ladies! There were business sessions mixed in with some fun activities and extravagant dinners.

Being pregnant, I couldn't participate in most of the activities (paddle boarding, horse back riding, etc.).... so I enjoyed the spa and shopping. I was hoping to do a Segway tour one day, which we had signed up for in advance, but alas, I could not participate so we spent the day sightseeing around an adorable Danish town called Solvang. One dinner was spent at a winery (Crossroads at Firestone) where we had a four course meal that was to die for... a different wine was paired with each course, and that was perhaps the only time so far this pregnancy that I've really missed not drinking. Water and Sprite just doesn't cut it... even when served out of a wine glass.

I got a nice tan- although I did burn in a few places as I couldn't see below my belly while applying the sunscreen so I have a funky burn line that runs across my lower belly (as I was wearing a tankini) and burns also along my bikini line. Other than that- I got some nice color!

Our final night was a "Great Gatsby" themed party- everyone was to wear black or white and they gave the women feather boas and pearls, and caps for the men. They hired professional dancers and transformed the hotel's courtyard into a Gatsby-inspired wonderland. They brought in white leather couches and tables, flowers, lights, a band, and of course multiple vintage Rolls Royce cars which you could pose for photos in front of (they had multiple professional photographers on hand all week long to snap photos... of course.) I think they had 17 different bar stations all around the hotel along with different music from the era at each bar station. It was very well thought out and orchestrated.

Great Gatsby!

Travel Perk: Everyone is so nice to pregnant ladies! Patrons willingly give up their chairs for me in a crowded airport and let me skip to the front of the bathroom line. Score! (P.S. Does that mean I'm getting huge?!)

Travel Woe: Our flight back home was a disaster! Note to self: never book a connecting flight through Newark, NJ...ever again! Our flight from L.A. to Newark was delayed (due to weather in Newark) which meant that we had to get completely re-routed as we would've missed our connecting flight from Newark to Portland and been stranded in Newark until 9:30 pm the following night. So- we ended up taking a red eye from L.A. to Boston and then a bus from Boston to Portland. We had to kill 8 hours in L.A. so of course I took Adam to the one place every woman dreams of going... Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, baby! We toured Rodeo, had lunch, and stumbled upon a Warner Brothers TV Museum that had fun sets and costumes from various TV shows. We also hopped on a tour bus and quickly saw L.A.'s highlights. When life hands you lemons... you make lemonade...

Excited: Lots of happenings going on this week... 1. Ultrasound on Wednesday and my mom is coming with me (Twin A's gender will be revealed- come Hell or high water!) 2. This coming weekend is my 10-year Bowdoin reunion and one of my college bestie's, Libby, arrives on Thursday. Also excited to see KBK and Alli and Nate! Woo-hoo!

Some photos from our trip...