18 WEEKS: BABY BEGINS TO HEAR

HOW YOUR BABY'S GROWING:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.See what your baby looks like this week.Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing:Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Make it count by choosing meals and snacks that are rich in nutrients instead of empty calories (chips, French fries, candy, and other sweets). Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow.Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.If you haven't already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you'll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

NURSERY FURNITURE!!!!

Now that we know the sex of the baby and we are finally moved in enough to even think about it -- we can start decorating the nursery!!! I have had my heart set on an elegant neutral toned nursery for months now and with the help of nana bernero I think we have figured it out!!! Mom found the most adoreable bedding from Pottery Barn Kids (pictured first) in beautiful shades of white and tan, covered in the most adoreable lambs!!!! We both fell in love with it immediately and decided that was it -- that was to be the theme in the nursery. Now Jason and I will be able to welcome home our little "lambie" into a beautiful lamb themed boudiour!!! We've been scouring the net for wall decals similar to the tree in the photo (cause it looks so amazing) and, thanks to Nana, we are awaiting the arrival of a beautiful lifetime crib and changing table/dresser (pictured second) in the most gorgeous chocolate brown!!! Thank you so much for the incredible gift mom!!! I know the baby will love it -- especially when he's old enough to tell us the lambs have to go and to roll in the race cars or hot chicks!!! ;0)!!!! And by chicks I mean flaming baby chickens!!! Anyhow -- we're going to add a ton of great little touches and the room should be fit for a little prince!!! OUR LITTLE PRINCE!!!! I will post pictures of the room before and after we finish!!! xoxoxoxoxo

MY 17 WEEKS AND 4 DAYS BABY BUMP!!!

Hi everyone!!! I'm sorry I totally missed taking our 16 week baby bump picture!!!! We just got our camera unpacked, and I finally found our memory card -- sooooooooooo -- here it is at last!!!! We are nearly 18 weeks pregnant and our little boy is kicking and flipping like mad!!! I swear it feels like he's doing taebo in there!!! I love it though -- and Jason loves it too (when he get's lucky enough to feel the baby move). The weirdest part is when the baby has shifted to one side of my belly and I have a completely lopsided bump!!! It's the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. He's leanin' in there!!!! I love him!!!

Our midwife came by last week for our 16 week prenatal appointment and we listened to the baby's heartbeat. Wow what a ticker!!! I think she said that it was beating something like 148 beats per minute!!!! She also said that my weight gain is perfect -- having put on 5 pounds since our last appointment!!! According to all the charts I have about 20 to 30 pounds more to go!!!!

My rash is all but gone!!! I still have a few patches here and there that itch like mad -- but nothing like it was in previous weeks!!! I think my hormones have leveled out and I've had a chance to get used to amount of progesterone surging through my body. I don't care what the reason is -- I'm just glad not to be itching from head to toe.

I think that's about it for now. My brain is fried and I really want some mac n' cheese!!! Time to sign off!!!

IT'S CONFIRMED: WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!

It's official!!! Our 16 week ultra-sound has confirmed what we suspected 4 weeks ago!!! We're having a boy!!! It's such a wonderful feeling to say.... "Our Son"!!!!

It wasn't easy for the ultrasound tech to get a good view of our little guy's "little guy", since he was very shy and curled up in a little ball face down. Every time the tech tried to get him to move he'd throw a little punch or kick, but he wasn't gonna budge. Apparently 6pm is well into nappy time for our boy!!!

After about 10 minutes of nudging and changing positions, we were finally able to get a solid view of what I like to call his "three leaf clover". I was told that if it were a girl there would be three lines instead of three circles.

So there you have it -- we've finally discovered what all of us have been dying to know since that little pregnancy test turned up positive!!! Now we can all go shopping!!!! YAY!!!!

WEEK 16: BABY'S HEARING DEVELOPS

Listen up: Tiny bones in your fetus's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the baby can hear your voice when you're speaking (or singing in the shower)at 16 weeks pregnant. In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born (so choose your baby Muzak with that in mind…). And baby's busily boning up in other ways. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now — strong enough, in fact, to enable your baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more. Baby's crown-to-rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces.
This little one's a looker — with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes — but a skinny looker since there's no baby fat yet. And here's the skinny on baby skin: It's practically translucent now, so if you took a peek inside your uterus, you'd be able to see your baby's blood vessels under that thin skin

SORRY ABOUT THE DELAYED POSTINGS

We moved this weekend and we have finally gotten the last of our belongings out of the old place and into the new place. We're still in limbo with our cable, gas, and utilities -- so I have not been able to get online to post!!! I have to admit that we have been so busy that if I didn't have this baby bump and sciatic pain I may have forgotten that I was pregnant all together. I wish that I could say that I have been taking it easy -- but that would be a lie. Despite all of Jason's best efforts -- I could not be stopped from "chipping in"!!! My perfectionist personality would not allow me to just sit idly by while everyone else did all the work!!! Now my butt is really paying for it. With the pressure from the baby and the added stress of bending and lifting I have done a real number on my sciatic nerve. I'm pretty sure that I have piriformis syndrome -- which just means that the piriformis muscle in my gluteus maximus is strangling the nerve. Translation??? VERY VERY VERY PAINFUL!!!! Forget any kind of lateral movements!!! So -- there you have -- the reason I haven't posted. Thanks for your patience!!! I will update on week 16 !!!

WEEK 15: BABY KICKING AND CURLING

Curious why your body is finally looking like it's pregnant? That's because your baby is growing bigger each week — he or she is as long as four and a half inches right now. Need a better visual (and a snack)? Hold a large navel orange in your hand — that's how big your little darlin' is at 15 weeks pregnant. (Now that you're done looking, peel that orange and eat it for a delicious two servings of vitamin C!). So what keeps your baby busy all day? Mostly, your fetus is in rehearsals — practice, practice, practicing, and getting ready for that big debut. Babies practice breathing, sucking, and swallowing so that when they leave your comfy womb and move into your comfy house, they'll have the skills necessary to survive.

Fetal body movements continue to get practice this week, too. But because your baby weighs so little (a bit over two ounces), you won't feel the calisthenics going on inside your abdominal gym. But don't let that fool you. Your fetus is holding daily aerobics classes — kicking, curling toes, and moving those little arms and legs.

And with each passing week, your fetus is looking more and more like the baby you're picturing in your dreams. By now, the ears are positioned properly on the sides of the head (they used to be in the neck) and the eyes are moving from the side of the head to the front of the face — where they'll soon meet your loving gaze.

He/She's busy moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. His/Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and he/she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, he/she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

WE'RE UP TO OUR EYEBALLS IN MOVING BOXES!!!

Sorry about the recent lack of posts. Jason and I have been hauling our little butts trying to get everything ready for our big move next weekend. We get the keys to our new place on Wednesday and the Olson's arrive Thursday night to help us lug our belongings across town -- soooooooooo -- the clock is definately ticking down!!! I'm pretty sure that we are going to have an easy time of it when moving day finally arrives -- we've really tried to get as much done now as we can. When we ran out of stuff to pack in boxes we turned our efforts toward patching holes and touching up the paint. There really hasn't been much time to even think about being pregnant let alone blog about it!!! So I apologize for the slow week and I promise that once we get moved in there will be a ton more updates. As for now -- I feel great!!! I've got my energy back as evidenced by the amount of work I was able to accomplish this weekend. My belly hasn't budged an inch. I'm still sporting the same size bump, but I can feel the round ligaments and the muscles in that area stretching and moving like mad!!! Week 14 has been really delightful and I'm looking forward to week 16 and our gender determination ultrasound on April 17th!!! I can't wait to find out!!! Only 2 weeks!!!!

WEEK 14: HORMONES GEAR UP

The effect of hormones becomes apparent this week. For boys, the prostate gland is developing. For girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen into the pelvis.
Meconium — which will become your baby's first bowel movement after birth — is made in your baby's intestinal tract. By the end of the week, the roof of your baby's mouth will be completely formed.

Your baby's body systems are starting to work on their own. The digestive system practices moving food along the intestines and through the renal system and he can create and eliminate urine. He also continues to practice breathing the amniotic fluid in and out of his lungs. Your baby has tiny, soft nails on his fingers and toes, is growing hair and may even suck his thumb. Your baby is approximately 10-11.5 cm (3 1/2 -4 inches) and weighs approximately 1.5 ounces.
Also, your baby's blood is beginning to form in the bone marrow and blood vessels are beginning to connect various parts of the fetus to another. The joints and muscles allow your baby full body movement so your baby is able to move around. The baby's neck is getting longer and his chin is no longer resting on his chest. The eyes and ears continue to move into place. The hands are becoming functional and reflex movements often occur. Nourishment now comes from the placenta. Remember, some of what you eat and drink is getting through to your baby. The doctor can tell if your baby is a boy or a girl using special tests.
Amniotic fluid is an amazing substance. It completely regenerates itself every three hours. We do know that it is partially composed of urine from the baby, but where amniotic fluid in general is made we are not sure. Modern medicine still has some surprises left.