# 2, week 18

Week 18 has been better than week 17. Woo hoo! I haven't felt great, but I feel "better" and that's a start. There is a lot going on in my life, at home and at work. All I can do is trust in the Lord and know that he will take care of me. Praying for a peaceful, drama-free, weekend.

What babycenter.com has to say about week 18:

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.

# 2, week 17

Week 17 has been one of the worst, which is why this post is more than a week overdue. I caught some sort of stomach virus and couldn't keep any food or liquids down. It was terrible. It started on a Tuesday afternoon and continued into Wednesday morning. I called the doctor and the nurse called in some medicine for me. I was finally able to keep something down, but didn't feel well the rest of that week.

Here's what babycenter.com says about week 17:

How your baby's growing:
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.

# 2, week 16

I had my 16 week appointment on Monday...or so I thought! I get to the doctor's office and they ask my name as I'm signing in. Then they asked what time my appointment was and I thought this can't be good. The receptionist then informed me that my appointment was Tuesday, not Monday. Uh-oh...I'm sure I looked like I was about to cry. She said that she would check and see if they could go ahead and see me. Fortunately, they did...and I don't know why they wouldn't, I'm an easy appointment right now! They weighed me, made me leave a urine sample, listened to the baby's heartbeat and I was on my way! My next appointment is the BIG one...we get to find out what we're having! Maybe I'll change the blog background as an indicator...we'll see. We should at least have some ultrasound pictures that I can post on here instead of the generic ones I've been using. Also, I'm going to get Jeff to start taking a picture of me each week so maybe I'll put that on here too...maybe.

On another note, there are a lot of changes happening in our family and this could be a very busy month/month & a half. Please keep us in your prayers. I'll update more about that when the time comes.

Here's what babycenter.com says the baby is doing:

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.

# 2, week 15

I was hoping by now that I would be through with morning (all-day) sickness...not so much. I'll have a few "decent" days which make me think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and then I'll have a day like today that completely grounds me. Oh well, it will all be over by September 22nd at the latest so I guess that's the light I need to focus on! I go back to my doctor on Monday for my 16 week appointment so I should have a good update next week!




How your baby's growing:
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.")

# 2, week 14

Fourteen weeks...hopefully I'll be over this sickness soon. I had a pretty good weekend, pregnancy wise...Saturday I felt ok, even went sans sea-bands. Sunday wasn't too bad either, sans sea-bands again...oh, but Monday more than made up for it! I know I have said this before, but this is probably the sickest I've been this pregnancy. When I get sick, it normally just sounds like I'm coughing so it's not that gross if you happen to overhear, which is good for Jeff (and Jacob has no idea what is really going on). This time, I almost made Jeff sick too. Probably too much information, but it's my blog and I can write whatever I want...if you don't like it, you don't have to read it (so there!).




How your baby's growing:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

# 2, week 13

Week 13...1/3 of the way! I got a little excited when I thought about that this morning, then I realized I had 26 weeks to go (since my doctor is inducing the week before I'm due) and 26 weeks is half of a year, so I wasn't so excited. Today has been pretty rotten as far as sickness goes. I think I spent most of the morning throwing up in the handicapped stall at work. Fun times!





How your baby's growing:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Love, love, love...

You're supposed to read that to the tune of "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles. It's one of my favorite songs, especially the way it is done in the movie, "Love Actually." Whenever Jacob or baby # 2 gets married (and I'm heavily medicated) I want to do that at their wedding. I think it would be awesome.

Why the "love, love, love" post...every time I think that I cannot possible love my son more than I do at that moment, he does something wonderful and my love grows. It can be as simple as a smile, or doing what I ask him to the first time. I think what prompted me to post this is during the blessing the other night, he paused and gave me a kiss on the arm and then continued to ask God to bless our food. I might as well have melted into a puddle right then. Plus, there's always the unsolicited, "I love you so much" that he says on occasion...or the sincere "Mommy, thank you so, so, so much for taking me to school today." He has such a sweet disposition and I'm so blessed to call him my son. As Kailan says, he "makes my heart happy!"