18 Weeks!

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.

How exciting! I'm glad that Nugget is moving around all over the place and I can't wait to start feeling the kicks and movements. I haven't felt anything yet, but I try to pay attention as much as I can to hopefully catch it! The update also said that during this trimester my body also will tend to have lower blood pressure and I can experience moments of lightheadedness or dizziness if I try to stand up too quick. I definitely think I've experienced that a couple of times already. I've found myself slowing down a lot these days and walking more carefully, using the hand rail on the stairs, etc. Definitely don't want to end up falling as I can be klutzy at times!

Joe and I worked on the nursery this weekend some. The closet in that room had been crammed to capacity with a bunch of stuff we had just stored in there when we first moved in. So we finally went through the closet and decided to get rid of a lot of stuff and move the rest of it to the attic, so now the closet is cleaned out and ready to put more stuff in!

I also went over to my mom's house on Sunday and we started going through her basement to look at all of the stuff she's kept from mine and my brother's childhood. I did bring back a load of stuff that I definitely want Nugget to have. The most prized out of all of those? A wooden rocking horse that my grandfather made for me when I was a child. It has gone through a lot in the last 30 some odd years but it is still in excellent shape and I love the thought of Nugget riding on it as well!

I am excited to go back and go through more stuff at my mom's and start getting our nursery set up. It's exciting to plan it out using new stuff that Joe and I pick out together but still adding in the memories from our own childhood as well. Oh I can't wait for Nugget to get here!!!!

17 Weeks!

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

It's hard to believe that I'm only 3 weeks away from being at the halfway point. I alternate between feeling so excited and ready for Nugget to be here and still not believing this is happening. 17 weeks begins my fifth month and I'm excited that this is progressing so fast! Hard to believe in only 5 short months, Nugget will be here and I can't wait to meet him/her

Third Ultrasound - It's a Girl! Well.... maybe...

So I went back to the doctor on Friday for my third ultrasound. Apparently I technically wasn't supposed to have a third ultrasound at this point, but I thought I was - so I had managed to weasel myself an appointment. :) I told the technician how we were really hoping to find out the gender this time so when she found out I wasn't supposed to have an ultrasound, she knew how eager we were and went ahead and did the ultrasound to see if we could find out. Well she poked and prodded and did her best but Nugget was just NOT cooperating like we wanted. The tech said she's about 80% sure that it's a girl but because Nugget wouldn't uncross her legs, she couldn't say for certain. She showed us on the ultrasound where she had her legs crossed at the ankles and I take that to mean, if she is a girl, she's already a true Southern lady and is being modest and keeping those legs crossed!! :) We go back on May 14th for our fourth (and last - for a while anyways) ultrasound and the tech said she should be able to confirm it for us then. Here are two shots of the ultrasound we got to see this time around:


This one is a side shot. You can see her kicking her little leg up in the air. Both the tech and the doctor said she was kicking and moving a lot and so it shouldn't be long now before I'm able to feel her moving. Yay!



This angle we got her looking right at the "camera". So that's her cute little face looking right at us! :)

We finally went out this weekend and started shopping around for cribs, strollers, highchairs, etc. and really started getting into planning the nursery in my mind. This is SO much fun and I have SO many ideas. I can't wait until we can confirm the gender 100% and then I can begin planning like crazy! I am so excited about this entire process and I think this is the first time in my life that I have ever looked forward to going to the doctor every month!

16 Weeks!

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

I go for my next doctor's appointment and ultrasound on Friday and I can NOT wait! The thought of getting to see Nugget moving around again is just thrilling. I was talking to my mom the other night and realized that I'm only 4 weeks away from the halfway point! It's going by so fast! But at the same time, not fast enough! I am so ready for Nugget to be here and to be able to hold him/her in my arms. I have a friend who is also pregnant right now (about a month or so behind me) and my step-sister is about 2 months ahead of me in her pregnancy. It's so exciting to know others who are pregnant and hear their experiences and be able to compare them. I will post the new ultrasound pics on Friday when we get them and I'm still holding out that tiny grain of hope that maybe, just maybe, we might be able to find out the gender this week. :) Always the optimist!

15 Weeks!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and 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, 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.")

Well we finally saw all of my extended family this past weekend at Easter and we were able to share the good news. Everyone was surprised and excited for us. It's great having everyone know now. Like the cat's out of the bag! :)

We go for our next ultrasound and appointment with the doctor next Friday, the 16th and I can't wait!!! It's practically torture waiting the four weeks in between all of these ultrasounds! However, I know I need to savor them as best I can because I'm getting to the end of all the ultrasounds. After the one next Friday, I'll only have 2 more - one at 20 weeks and then the 3D ultrasound in my third trimester. I keep holding out hope that we will be able to find out what the gender is at this appointment. I am so ready to start picking out things for the nursery and planning out how I'm going to decorate! Also I want to start working on narrowing down a name. We have about ten picked out for each gender but we've decided to hold off on worrying about narrowing it down until we know the gender.

Thankfully, I am still feeling great! In fact, I'd say I'm probably even feeling better these days because I am nowhere near as tired as I used to be. I know they say that your second trimester is supposed to be the easiest and I hope that holds true for me. I'm ready to start feeling the baby kick though, that will really be a treat!