Pregnancy Update - 18 Weeks

So I am sure you guys have been wondering where I have been after falling off the face of the planet over a month ago. Well I've been dwelling in state of mental frustration and just haven't had a desire to put on a happy face and blog.

Everything pregnancy and life wise is going good. I really have no complaints. It's just that promise of a better than the first 3 months second trimester has evaded me. Not only has my belly exploded to the point that even my maternity pants are uncomfortable (despite my only gaining 4 lbs to date) but I am still hit-by-a-truck exhausted. Add in the fact that I can no longer sleep comfortably at night because of back pain and belly discomfort and that my stomach constantly itches, feels lots of pressure, and all together is no fun.
And the kicker for me is that we have no actual update on the state of Minion. We heard it's heartbeat at 14 weeks (150 bpm) and were offered an early sonogram but since our midwives just recommend one anatomy scan between 18-20 weeks, we decided to wait. I resent that decision now. I just want to SEE my baby and know whether Minion is a boy or girl.
I still can't believe I have hit the 4-month mark. Next Tuesday I have another prenatal appointment and we are suppose to get the sonogram referral. I am praying that it is a quick turnaround because I hate living in mystery and speculation. I want to move on to planning gender specific projects, being able to personally connect all these things that are making me miserable to a little face that can bring me joy.
I'm sorry for my vent-fest but I feel like I really needed to get it all out there so I can move on with other more fun news and dwell in positivity again.
One such positive highlight is that we finally are moving forward with the living room remodel. I'll go ahead and write a post on that for later this week while I'm forcing myself back onto a blogging roll.