21 Weeks

Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby.

Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. Your baby's crown-to-rump length at this time is 10.5 inches and she weighs approximately 12 ounces. Your growing baby is about the size of a large banana.

Your baby's different organs and systems are maturing. The fetal digestive system is functioning in a simple way and your baby can swallow amniotic fluid. After your baby swallows the amniotic fluid, she is able to absorb water and sugars from the fluid. Your baby swallows the amniotic fluid in order to prepare itself for life outside of the womb. Some babies consume as much as 17 ounces of amniotic fluid in a 24-hour period. Your baby already has a high number of red blood cells and the white blood cells are beginning to be produced. Taste buds are being formed on your baby's tongue this week also.

This weekend Joey and I hope to go pick out a paint color for Audrey's room. Hopefully we find the right shade. Nothing much else going on. I think we are pretty set on the furniture we want and the basic layout of how the room will look so at least that is a start. YEA!!!

How far along?: 21 weeks
Total weight gain: 18 lbs
How much does baby weigh?: Around 12 ounces
Maternity clothes?: just pants. I am still able to wear some of my shirts. I guess its time to go shopping....
Stretch marks?: nope :-)
Sleep?: it is quite the task to get comfortable but I am still managing
Best moment this week?: Joey feeling the baby move. He LOVED it.
Movement?: Yes, lots of it
Food cravings?: Milk
Labor signs?: nope
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: nothing this week
What I'm looking forward to: Getting started on the baby's room
Milestone: Joey feeling the baby move

Halfway!!! yea!!!

Congratulations! This week marks the half way point of your pregnancy. It has been 18 weeks since the date of conception and your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.6 to 6.4 inches. The fetus weighs about 9 to 10 ounces and your belly definitely has an obvious bulge.

Your baby's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Your baby's sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the upper lip and eyebrows.

I'm feeling ok. I don't get much more than an hour or two of constant sleep. I either have to pee or the side I am sleeping on gets sore so I have to change sleeping positions. I think I am going to look for some sort of pillow that may help with the soreness. Maybe the "snoogle" body pillow will help. So the lack of sleep gives me a contant exhausted feeling. But I should get used to it right? Newborns don't sleep much more than a couple hours at a time anyway. I am sure I will eventually.

I had a fun visit in Arizona with Elysia. The weather was decent and I had a lot of fun hanging out with Elysia and baby James. The weekend went by too fast. Joey got a lot done while I was gone. The baby's room is entirely cleared out and the carpets are steam cleaned. Time to pick a paint color and wait for the baby furniture we want to go on sale. We have a lot to do and get in the next 20 weeks. But everything will come together little by little. I am really excited!! Only 20 weeks till we get to meet our little girl. YEA!!!!!!!!!

ITS A GIRL!!!

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.2 to 6 inches this week. Your baby weighs approximately 7 to 8.5 ounces and will increase its weight more than 15 times between now and birth!

Most women can feel their uterus about a half of an inch below their bellybutton at this point of pregnancy. If you turn to the side, you can really tell that your body is changing! Most women have gained up to 14 pounds now and only 7 ounces of that is your baby! The placenta weighs about 6 ounces and the amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby weighs 11 ounces. Your breasts have increased in weight by 6 ounces each and the uterus has grown to 11 ounces! You may be gaining weight in places other than your abdomen and this may be affecting your posture and sleeping habits.

One of the most amazing aspects of your baby's growth and development is that of the fetal brain. Your baby's brain is one of the first organs to appear. Your baby's oversized head shows the brain's importance in her development. Because the nerves that connect the muscles to the brain have grown into place, your baby's movements are consciously directed. Your baby's ears stand out from the sides of the head and the buds for your baby's permanent teeth appear. Your baby's arms and legs have reached their relative proportions and her feet are approximately one inch long.

WE ARE HAVIN A GIRL!! Joey and I are really excited!! I thought it was a boy and Joey (and everyone else) thought it was a girl. Her name will be Audrey Kathleen and we are sooooo excited to meet her!! Anyway, we are now in full baby mode. The next couple of months will be spent preparing for out little princess to arrive. We are getting the room ready little by little. Joey has installed the new closet shelving, my little brother will inherit the desk, and the day bed will go to the local women's shelter. Those should be out of the room by the weekend (Joey's project while I am gone) and the carpets will be steam cleaned. Then after that its the daunting task of paint colors. We want to paint the walls a nice sage green color (it will go well with the bedding we picked out). We were at Lowes yesterday picking up the shelving and stopped by the paint department. Damn there are a lot of shades of green. It may take us a while to find the right shade.

The rest of yesterdays appointment went well. My weight gain is right on track, all the measurings the tech took of the baby came out great. The only problem is where my placenta is positioned. Its a little lower than they like to see. The tech and the doc didn't seem worried about it though and that it will more than likley correct itself as my uterus grows. I will get another quick ultra sound in a month or two to check on it.

How far along?: 19 weeks
Total weight gain: 14-15 lbs
How much does baby weigh?: around 8 oz
Maternity clothes?: Just pants- BUT my shirts aren't going to cut it for very much longer
Stretch marks?: nope
Sleep?: I pee every couple hours and its hard to get into a comfortable positon- But i still nap like a champ
Best moment this week?: finding out that we are having a baby girl
Movement?: Yes- she is very active
Food cravings?: just milk like usual
Labor signs?: nope
Belly button in or out?: in
What I miss: not getting unsolicited advise- if i want advise..I'll ask- plain and simple
What I'm looking forward to: getting the room ready and getting to the half way mark next week
Milestone: GIRL....duh

18 Weeks

Thumb-sucking at 18 weeks....

By week 18 of your pregnancy, your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5 to 5.5 inches long. Your baby continues to develop fat layers and weighs about 5.25-6.25 ounces. Your baby will continue to grow and develop, but the rapid growth will slow down for a little while. You will be able to feel your uterus just below your bellybutton. If you put your fingers sideways to measure, you can feel your uterus about two finger-widths below your bellybutton. At this point of your pregnancy, your uterus is approximately the size of a cantaloupe. Although weight gain varies from woman to woman, your total weight gain at this point should be 10 to 13 pounds.

There is still space available in your uterus and your baby will be active for periods at a time. Your baby may sit cross legged or turn somersaults.

Around this time, your baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that your baby can hear now. Your baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as your heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. Your baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound.

If you have a stethoscope at home, you can now hear the baby's heartbeat yourself.

This is a picture of Peevy. He has been labled as the stubborn/standoffish cat who only wants attention when he demands it. The last month or so hasn't been the case. He has been on me like white on rice and hops on my lab at every chance he gets. Actually both kittys have been that way. Almost all the time I will have at least one kitty if not both laying on my lap or trying to lay on my belly when ever I am sitting or laying down. Last night, Peevy gets comfortable on my belly and starts to purr really loudly. I think the baby can hear or feel the vibration from the purring because it had a hay day. I was feeling kick after kick. I mean, I have felt some flutters before but no movement from the little bean like this. It was actually kinda cool. Usually Peevy will stop purring if you stop petting him but not this time. I think he could feel the little kicks coming from inside because he kept purring. Its amazing how cats/dogs can sense things like that. It was quite the experience and I am sure there will be more to come.

Anyway, the next couple of weeks should be quite busy. I start pre-natal yoga on thursday, Joey and I are off on our "babymoon" to the mountains in Idaho this weekend, Monday we hopefully find out the sex of the baby and will start buying/registering for the essentials, and next weekend I am off to Arizona to see Elysia and the babe. It all should be very eventful and exciting

I have started to slowly clean out the babies room. Its taking longer than I thought. Just have to get rid of the furniture and get everything organized. And maybe throw more crap away (I have already filled a freakin dumpster). Wish us luck!!