17 Weeks

I had my third doctor's appointment today. They just checked the heartbeat again and asked if I had any questions. Now that we're moving, I'm not sure what to do about a doctor. I would have to drive 2 hours to see my current one, or go to one in our new area, but it probably would only be a family doctor.

I've been cleaning stuff out and getting ready to move, it sure does drain me fast. I seem to rest longer than I work. I don't know how I'm going to get everything done.

The other day we were getting recommend interviews done at the church. Xander was talking to another woman who was waiting. I heard him say to her "What you got in your belly? You got a baby in there?" I don't think she understood all of what he said, and she was rail thin, so I know she wasn't offended. When we got home we had to have a talk about not asking other ladies about babies because it might make them sad. I hope he doesn't do it again.

I haven't had an appetite lately. I think that is why I only gained 2 pounds this month.

By this time, the wee bantling’s ear bones and nerve endings have formed -- so while he can’t hear in the way we can, he can respond reflexively to sound. If you play music or talk to him, he may turn towards you or shake a leg to acknowledge that tune. A particularly loud noise might even startle him! He’s also rapidly developing his baby fat, which will help insulate him in the womb and regulate his body temperature after birth. By the time you are full term, his baby fat will account for up to 6% of his total body weight. He's still tiny though -- at just 4¾" long, he's about the size of the daylilies in your flower beds.

16 Weeks

Not much has changed this week. Last week I had a headache for about three days and my congestion has gotten worse. Most of my pants are very uncomfortable to wear, so I guess it's maternity pants for Christmas for me, blah!

I know that my nails don't look like much, but they are extremely long to me. I've always bitten my nails and they are always very short. Since my vitamins make them grow faster, I decided to try and grow them out. They would do a lot better if I could leave them alone. I'm constantly playing with them and they break off.

Our little Lady Godiva may lay it all out for you this week: if you get lucky with positioning, you’ll be able to see that she is a girl on your ultrasound! Granted, she’s nowhere near the size of the lady herself, but she has grown a whopping two inches in the past three weeks. She's roughly 4½" right now, about the size of a grapefruit. She has also grown more proportionate and less top-heavy -- her limbs have lengthened and her head doesn’t seem quite so huge in comparison. Her totally adorable little nose is now fully formed and she even has tastebuds (soon to be used for copious truffle consumption, natch).

Lots of parents choose to find out the baby's gender. For some, it reduces anxiety about being prepared and having everything perfectly in place. Now you'll be able to settle on a monogram, jungle theme versus Eloise and, of course, the name game is on. The name is something all parents agonize over. Do you name after a family member? What if you hate all those names? What if you name after one brother but not the other? What if you and your partner can't agree on a name? With all these questions to answer, it may be a good thing that you have another 24 weeks to decide!

Exercise During Pregnancy?

I just got done watching the news and there was an interesting story about a new study dealing with exercise and pregnancy. The study found that women who exercise 7 hours or more a week (an hour a day) are 78% more likely to develop pre-eclampsia(sp?). This life threatening complication is one of the most common in pregnant women and one of the most worrisome to doctors. The recommended amount of exercise is 1/2 hour a day and if you can't carry on a conversation while you exercise, you are pushing it too hard. One of the best ways to exercise while pregnant is swimming. I consider my daily routines to be enough exercise for me. Even some daily chores can be too much for me and I immediately feel it. So, to all of you pregos out there, take it a little easy.

First Movements

Last night I couldn't sleep, thanks to someone snoring. I was working on our Christmas card when I for sure felt the baby move. It felt like popcorn popping in my stomach. I felt it a lot sooner than I thought, about 6 weeks earlier than with Xander. I love moments like that because it reminds me that there is actually life growing in there. I can't wait until it's big enough for Brandon to feel moving!

15 Weeks

I haven't had any weird cravings, until now. I seriously can't get enough of gas station nachos. Just thinking about them right now, at 9:00 in the morning, makes me want to run and get some. All of the gas stations here close at 9:00. The other night I wanted them so badly that I almost drove 20 minutes to the nearest Maverick. I turned around quickly because I knew that Brandon would make fun of me.

I may have felt some movements this last week, but I'm not sure. It's still early, so I'm not looking for them. I'll have to pay better attention so that I don't miss those first movements.

The heartburn is just beginning. When I lay in bed at night I can feel my dinner at the top of my throat. When I was pregnant with Xander, my heartburn was unbearable. I couldn't lay down at all after eating and I had to prop myself up at night to get some relief. There's an old wives tale that says that the worse the heartburn, the more hair your baby will have. That was very true last time. I hope it picks up so that I won't have a bald baby!

Your little bean is actually now a large pear -- she’s about 4" long and weighs 2.5 ounces. Her legs are finally longer than her arms and all her joints are functional.

She's increasingly active and you might actually start to feel the first little flutters of her movement. Don't be disappointed if you aren't feeling anything yet though; the first movements are notoriously hard to detect.

Her skeleton is hardening up (in preparation for those reckless skate park stunts) and she’s ditching the Whoopi look by growing in her eyebrows. Her heart continues to work hard, pumping up to 25 quarts of blood through her body each day. The lanugo we discussed in Week 13 is now covering her body and will likely remain there until you are close to full term. Hair patterns are starting to form ... and if you're having a boy, we won't divulge the family history of baldness if you don't!