Weekly Update

I am officially 17 weeks. I have been so tired the last week and a half. I feel like I did the first trimester. It is miserable. Hopefully this will pass. I leave to go out of town Friday morning for work. I am going to help out at a trial in East Texas from Friday - Monday. Should be good experience and good money!

I am one week from the fun sonogram. Then Justin and I can start arguing over baby names and nursery decorations. I have also felt the baby move a few more times in the last week, but it is still very faint. I can not wait to feel it more. It is a reassuring feeling.

In the meantime, below is my 17 week update. I will post a belly pic over the next few days. I really feel like I have "popped" in the last couple of weeks.

17 week update:

This is what our little one is up to this week......

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.

Look for the belly pic to come!

These are the newest additions to the baby and my wardrobe. All Aggie related of course from my recent trip to College Station. The booties are for the trip home from the hospital and the shirt is the first true maternity shirt I have bought. I am saving for the football season.

Week in Review and 16 weeks!

Hello everyone. This past week was a lot of fun. I went to College Station and stayed with my dear friends Larry and Lauren and their adorable little boy, Ethan, while I went to a wedding. After the wedding of my former coworker in Caldwell, I just took it easy and hung out with my friends. While I was there I bought a couple of baby/maternity things for myself. I will post pictures of them tonight. They are awesome!!

I think I may have felt the baby move on Saturday, but it is kind of hard to tell. It felt like a stomach rumble localized in one small section of my belly. Also, it lasted only a second. It was surprising enough for me to stop mid sentence.

Only two weeks until the big gender sonogram. I hope he/she makes her presence known that day. This is the only time in our child's young life that it will be okay to be very free. Other than that day, I expect a very proper baby, even in the womb!

On an entertainment note, I saw The Dark Knight last night. It is incredible. I loved it. One of the better movies I have seen in a really long time. I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. The joker as the villains was one of the best villains I have ever seen in a movie. Bravo to that film.

Below is today's 16 week update. The time is just flying by. I hope to post a new belly pic as well next week. There is no doubt that I am pregnant now.

How your baby's growing:

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.

15 week update

Yesterday I crossed the 15 week mark. Nothing significant going on except that I am being told by many that I have "popped" in the last week or two. I must say that I agree. There is definitely no doubt that I am pregnant by looking at me anymore.

I am going out of town this weekend for the second wedding in two weekends. I am going to an old co-worker's wedding in Caldwell (outside of College Station) so I am going to get to see some old friends this weekend. It will be very nice to see them all. However, another wedding means time to squeeze into a dress that was not meant for someone who's belly is rounding out. But I do not see the need in buying a new dress this early. I am doing everything in my power to not by maternity clothes yet, but I may not be able to hold off much longer.

Below is the week 15 update (only 3 weeks until my big ultrasound!!):

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.")

This is the beginning of the baby bump! It was taken at night so it is a little larger at night than during the rest of the day. Either way, baby is making his/her presence known!

14 weeks!

14 week update!!! Here is what is going on with my little one.

Welcome to the second trimester! 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.

Countdown to sonogram/Doctor update!!

I went to the doctor this afternoon. Still no physical exam (fine with me). After my terrible excema for the last 4 months, I can start taking steroid cream once a day in ten days. I am very excited about that.

I also asked the doctor about nursing with my Rheumatoid Arthritis considering it is an auto-immune disease. He is pretty sure it will be fine, but the doctor is going to research it to be safe.

I was worried about my weight gain, because last month when I was there, I had gained 7 pounds in a week. I was pretty sure it was water retention, and I got confirmation of that today. I have actually lost 2 pounds since last month. So I believe that water weight has now turned into baby weight.

For the best news of all. I get a sonogram on August 6 and I get to find out if I am having a little boy or a little girl. I heard the heartbeat again and it was a strong 147 bpm.

Things are progressing very nicely and I look forward to the second trimester!

So I am a little behind.....

So sorry about the long time between updates!!!!

Last weekend (Saturday the 28th) Justin and I went to the Harbor at Rockwall to celebrate 5 years marriage. We went to The Melting Pot and had a wonderful dinner. Then we stayed at the Hilton on the Harbor and overlooked the lake for a nice evening. The next morning we got up and just spent the day relaxing. We watched his brother Jeff's cat for the weekend while he was in California with my in-laws.

On Tuesday, we celebrated Justin's 28th birthday. Nothing fancy, just went to dinner with his brother Jacob to Chili's and then had a small cake. His birthday part with his family is tonight since they are all back in town. It should be fun.

Yesterday I went to a large acreage of Justin's extended family for the Fourth of July. It was beautiful out there. There was crawfish and sausage and potatoes. Wonderful food and wonderful family. Then we all shot firecrackers (I held sparklers!)

On my health:

On Friday the 27th I went to doctor for this extreme paint in my foot. I was informed that I have plantar fasciitis. That could be a problem when my feet swell and get painful. I have to get that healed up sooner than later.

I have my first physical exam with my OB on Monday. I can not wait to hear the heartbeat again and see how everything is progressing. I am afraid he is going to yell at me for gaining too much weight!

My 13th week was on Tuesday July 1st (Justin's Bday) Here is the update for that week.

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.