18 weeks

I am now 18 weeks pregnant; we've almost reached the halfway mark! Little One is not about 5 1/2 inches long and probably weighs about 7 ounces. He/she is more active now, in fact I don't think this child ever sits still! I'm not complaining though; I love feeling the movement. I just hope we'll be able to feel kicks from the outside soon.

For those of you who care, my fundus (the top of my uterus) has reached my belly button. This is where my belly sticks out the most, so I'm hoping that once it is above my belly button I will have a respectable baby bump. Right now, it generaly just looks like I had a big lunch or something. I also can't wait until my new clothes fit me so I have more to wear.

In other news, I just cut back my hours at work to part-time. I now will be working 24 hour work weeks. I've actually found myself to be productive on my days off. Yay for the place being clean again!

Audrey had her annual vet visit today. She got a clean bill of health, although the vet would like to see her lose 2-3 lbs. Oops. She hasn't been getting real walks lately, it has just been too cold. Hopefully it will warm up soon and we can go back to our evening walks. Since she got a 3-year Rabies shot and her Bordatella vaccine today she is also ready to go back to the Dog Park as soon as we have a decent day.

Thankful to live in America...

Even during a financial crisis there are plenty of reasons to love this country. Don't believe me, check out this little gem. Right about now, I am thanking the lord above for Pampers!

So we are now at 17 weeks! Maybe it is the worrier in me, or maybe it is the fact that I have known so many women who have experienced the tragedy of a miscarriage, but every day feels like a tiny victory and every week a HUGE accomplishment. We are so blessed for each and every moment we have with our little one.

Here's what little one is up to this week:

Measures about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 lbs, or the size of an onion
Beginning a period of rapid growth in which fat starts to accumulate under the skin
Can now hear sounds from outside my body
Practicing sucking and swallowing

Comment tutorial

So, I found out that some of you have tried to leave comments, but were confused by Blogger's system. So here is a way to leave a comment without having to create an account:

1. Click the comments link in the post you wish to comment on.

2. Type your comment in the box provided.

3. Type in the word verification.

4. In the Choose an Identity section, select Name/URL and type in your name.

4. Click Post Comment.

Guacamole anyone?

Today begins my 16th week of pregnancy. Little One is about the size of an avocado, measuring roughly 4 1/2 inches long and weighing in at around 3 1/2 ounces. Little One is now able to make facial expressions and bones are starting to harden. A sensitivity to light is developing and if you shine a flashlight at my belly, specifically to the lower left where Little One has taken up residence, he/she is likely to wiggle around in response. Bones are forming in the ears meaning that Little One is now likely to hear the sound of my voice! I also read that his/her heart rate will often increase at the sound of my voice. How cool is that?!

I have been able to finally feel the baby move consistently this week! AMAZING! Every night when I lay down to go to sleep I start to feel little pops and flutters. Little One seems to have his/her days and nights confused. Hopefully, this will not be the case when we bring our baby home! Mommy needs her sleep!

On a related note, I am sleeping so much better recently. I bought a body pillow a couple of weeks ago, and it just might be the best purchase I've ever made. I basically sleep through the night, aside from getting up once or twice to pee.

I found an awesome deal on maternity clothes online last weekend (40% off) so Clint told me to stock up, and boy did I ever. In the past month I've basically acquired a complete maternity wardrobe. If only I had the belly to justify wearing them. Oh well, at least I now have 2 whole pairs of jeans that fit. Wearing the same pair everyday was getting ridiculous. If only I could wear sweat pants to work.

Oh, and you still aren't getting any ultrasound pictures until I get more comments! Don't forget, I still have my BIG ultrasound coming up and I am not above withholding those as well.

We are not above bribery

Alright people, I know you are checking out the page. I track the number of unique site visits this blog gets. None of you ever post comments though. I need some incentive to keep updating this blog right?


Here's the bribe:
If we can get 10 new comments, I will scan and post ONE of our pictures from our 9 week ultrasound. If we also get 10 more votes on our poll, I will post all THREE ultrasound pictures. Make it happen people!

Check out our poll

I am absolutely dying to find out the sex! I can't hardly take it! I know, I know patience is a virtue and all, but come on! In the mean time, take our poll (to the right) and let us know what you think. Leave your reasoning in the comment section.

Our little one

By now, I'm sure all of you have heard our news. That is, if anyone actually bothers to read this. We've been getting a lot of questions, so I thought I'd try to write a post letting you all know what we know so far.

-I am 13 weeks pregnant as of today. EDD is 8/1/2009.

-We found out we were expecting on Novmber 23, 2008. (Yes, it was planned. Yes, people have had the audacity to ask if it was planned. Unplanned does not always equal unwanted!).

-We started trying in October, got pregnant in November. November was the first month we got the timing right, so we are really lucky. I was charting to conceive.

-Our first appointment was on December 30. We had a viability ultrasound and everything looked great! We got to see our little one wiggling around and hear the heartbeat. The heartbeat was 158.

-My next appointment was January 7. I heard the heartbeat again, this time the nurse practitioner simply said it was in the upper 150s. My next appointment isn't for a few weeks.

-I haven't had much morning sickness. Lucky for me, my nausea usually was just in the mornings and was better by lunch. I sometimes had a little nausea in the evenings as well.

-I'm not showing yet, but my pants don't really fit anymore :( I've gained about 4 lbs so far.

-Yes, I have heartburn already. It hasn't been too bad, but I did get heartburn after eating a piece of cake. CAKE!

-We do plan on finding out the sex, but that probably won't be for another couple of months.

-No weird cravings. Actually, not really even any consistent cravings. Although, I do seem to have a thing for fruit flavored snacks. Strawberry Jell-o and lime popsicles in particular.

If you have any other questions we will be happy to answer them, within reason of course!