18 weeks Pregnant...Looking good while pregnant & my first baby bump pictures

So today I am 18 weeks pregnant. In terms of symptoms, there is really nothing new to report. Oh I hurt my wrist/forearm while gardening last week. I have no idea how this happened really. I was planting flowers and pulling weeds on the long weekend in my front yard then I went to my dad's for a birthday BBQ. While I was eating dinner, I noticed that my arm hurt a lot. I looked it up on Google and it sounded like gardeners elbow which apparently can extend down the forearm. I think it is just from not working out as much as usual. My doctor warned me that my ligaments and tendons can become looser while pregnant but I was thinking more in terms of crossfit or heavier weights, not gardening...it is slowly getting better. I have just been resting it. It's nothing serious but still surprising...

So since I don't really have any new symptoms or appointments to discuss this week, I wanted to discuss the topic of "looking good while pregnant" and some tips that have worked for me. First off, I realize that looking good is not the most important thing and that when you are pregnant and when you have a small baby you have way less time, money and energy to worry about this stuff so please don't hate on me for this. I am not the most superficial person in the world but I do find that if I take a bit of time for me and do my makeup and hair etc. I feel more motivated throughout the day and a bit more peppy. 

I am now into my second trimester but I don't really have a clear "baby bump" yet. It is more of a pouch. I look a bit chubby rather than pregnant. I have officially grown out of 4 pairs of my jeans, including my favourite white jeans that I typically wear all summer. I knew this was bound to happen but when the day comes, it is still a bit disappointing. Anyway here are a couple tips that I found that helped me feel a bit better about how I look. These tips are geared more to those pregnant in the summer so sorry for those pregnant in the winter...but number 3 can be done all year: 

• Wear dresses and skirts. You can probably get away with wearing a lot of your pre-pregnancy dresses well through your second trimester. This saves money and I always feel better in a dress rather than sweats. Dresses are usually a lot cooler during the warm summer months also. 
• Depending on how far along you are and how much weight you have gained, wear heels. I know that pregnant women should avoid heels later during pregnancy because your center of gravity changes when you have a big baby bump so trust your own judgement on this one. As I mentioned, I don't have a big baby bump yet so I am still sporting my heels. I prefer wedges. I feel more comfortable in them and I feel they are way more stable then stilettos. The reason I prefer heels is that I feel I have better posture when wearing heels. I also feel like I stand a bit straighter and I also feel like it makes me  look a bit leaner, and more professional.
• Wear lipstick!!! This is one of my new tricks. Overall, I tend to wear pretty neutral make-up to work and on a daily basis. I usually only wear lipstick or eye-liner when I am going out somewhere fancy. Otherwise, I wear mascara, a neutral shadow, foundation, and some blush. However, I found that a pop of colour on the lips just stands out and makes you look a bit more "put together". I have a nice red lipstick that I used a lot during the winter and a reddish pinkish lipstick that I tend to wear more now but I think I might go out  and get a couple more summer colors. I really like wearing bright colors in the summer so I want to get a nice bright pink lipstick. I actually saw this pregnant girl with bright pink lipstick on instagram and thought it looked so cute! Plus at least your lipstick will fit throughout your entire pregnancy! 

According to one one my pregnancy apps, at 18 weeks the baby can hear outside noises. They say that if you sing or read to the baby from this point on, babies will often favor those songs or stories once they are born and find them soothing...

So my first baby bump pictures are posted below. I posted two. One with my tank top down and one with my top up. They were both taken at the same time this morning after breakfast but the picture on the left with my shirt down was zoomed in a bit more and I think it makes my bump look a lot bigger! Oh and my official weigh in at 18 weeks is 128 lbs. I am up 1 lb from my starting weight of 127.