almost week 20

my growing belly...so i will be 20 weeks on thursday....can you believe i'm basically half way done? so crazy!!!! i'm still feeling great. i can now feel the baby move reguarly...it feels like little thumps in my lower abdomen. today i even felt a thump with my hand from the outside of my belly...so cool! hopefully, michael can feel it soon too!

baby bump!!! so the baby at 20 weeks is developing sleeping patterns...hopefully they are really good ones....nice and long. the baby is also practicing swallowing and breathing as well as fully extending it's arms and legs. the baby weighs about 9 oz and measures about 5.5-6.5 inches. (that 8.5 inches at 18 weeks was an error...i must have been having a mindless pregnancy type-o)

like i said, i'm feeling wonderful....no complaints...i do have a cold right now so it's frustrating to not be able to take decongestants and other cold meds which are a no-no in pregnancy....i'm pretty much limited to tylenol. i still have not bought any maternity clothes but i did purchase a "bella band" which is an elastic band that you can wear over your unbuttoned pants and it looks like a tank top and supports your belly as well as holds up and covers your open pants....designed basically so you can wear your regular pants longer...yey!

18 weeks today

WEEK 18
i know i'm way behind on the posts...so i had my 2nd OB appt yesterday and everything is going well. no ultrasound this time but the heartbeat is in the right range and strong and regular...there's a baby in there after all!!! i say that because i really don't even feel pregnant. i have been feeling really great!!! no morning sickness or anything...honestly except for my obvious little baby bump....which now everyone is noticing...even my patients....i really don't even feel pregnant....what a blessing!!!!! i do sleep a lot more than my normal 6-7 hrs per night. i have only gained 3 pounds so far...i'm surprised too but glad....and since i have always had random food cravings, nothing really new or different in that department. mike and i did start our baby registry this past week and that was really fun, a bit overwhelming, but made us feel like we're actually getting ready for a baby to come!!!! so crazy. my pants are definitely getting tight but i have not yet purchased any maternity clothing....that might be my next venture. according to the books, the baby is now about 8.5 inches long and weighs about 7 oz. i should be able to feel the baby move any day now. they say it feels like a flutter or gas bubble so who knows????? the fingerpads and toepads are formed and the fingerprints are staring to develop this week as mostly everything else has formed. also, the baby's first meconium (poop) is forming in it's intestine and last week the baby started becoming aware of external sounds....so he or she can hear us now!!!

WEEK 17
so mike was taking random crazy pictures of me while i'm eating fresh ciabatta bread with butter...yum! i wasn't in a picture taking mood hence the lovely facial expressions.