18 Weeks......Our sweet potato

I am 18 weeks pregnant today. I am feeling wonderful and getting more energy everyday. Yesterday when I got home from work I did four loads of laundry, made homemade pizzas for dinner, and washed the dishes. I also stayed up till 11:00 watching the Olympics with Jeremy. A few weeks ago I couldn't keep my eyes open past 9:00. I also see why they call this stage the nesting period. I find myself cleaning and organizing constantly when I am home.

We go to the doctor on Monday for a typical prenatal visit to check my weight and blood pressure, and listen to the baby's heartbeat again. After that appointment, I will get to make my appointment for the ultrasound. We are hoping to be able to make it for the following Monday. If that is the case, we have 10 days from today until we find out whether we are having a boy or girl. We are both so excited to find out. Most of our family and friends think we are having a boy so we shall see.

For week 18, our baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces. The websites all inform me that the baby is moving a ton now so I should be feeling the baby. I started feeling movement at around 15 weeks with Baby Elliott. The baby is now yawning, hiccuping, rolling, kicking, twisting, punching, sucking, and swallowing. The baby's blood vessels are visible through his or her thin skin, and the baby's ears are in their final position. Baby Elliott has now formed it's genitals and they are visible on ultrasound to determine the baby's gender.

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 18 weeks 0 days
Total Weight Gain/Loss: +4
Maternity Clothes: None Yet, going to shop tonight for a few tops.
Best Moment this week: Feeling baby's movements
Gender: Find out March 12th
Movement: Yes still flutters
Food Craving: sweets, cottage cheese, guacamole
What I miss: Nothing
Sleep: Starting to have to sleep on my sides more. Having some discomfort on occasion in my back and ribs.
What I am looking forward to: Finding out what we are having and more regular movement from the baby.
Belly Button: In
Symptoms: Lots more energy
Note: So happy to be completely off my medicine for nausea and vomitting for a week now!

I will keep you posted on my doctor's visit and when my ultrasound is going to be. Have a nice weekend and come on Spring!!!

House "For Sale"

Our house is officially for sale. We have the sign in the yard and flyers in the tube. We are hoping someone stops, gives us a call, and wants to buy our first home from us. It's a great starter home. We are located in the center of town, minutes from the colleges, and directly across the street from an elementary school. Our house is 2 bed, 1 bath, 1 car garage with a covered porch and a deck that Jeremy built on. It's small but was perfect for just the two of us. We have already outgrown it and the baby is not even here yet so we would love to be out of it before our sweet baby boy or girl arrives. Let me know if you or anyone else you know is interested in looking at our house.

17 Weeks.......Our onion

Well I am going to be 17 weeks tomorrow. Crazy how time has flown by so quickly during this pregnancy. In just a few weeks I will already be to the half way point. That just seems so crazy to me!

I found a new website that I love. It is all things baby. It's called thebump.com. It is a spin off of "The Knot" for engaged couples and produced by the same people. I got my new pregnancy countdown or ticker as their site calls it from them yesterday. I also love that they have a comparison of the baby's size to many fruits and vegetables week by week.

For week 17, it states that our baby is the size of an onion. Baby Elliott is approximately 5.1 inches long and weighs around 5.9 ounces. The baby's skeleton is changing from rubbery cartilage to bone and fat is surrounding the brain now. The umbilical cord is getting stronger and thicker. The baby's fingers and toes can now produce prints that is only unique to them. Pretty cool huh?

As I type this right now, our baby is moving around. I usually do not feel the baby at school at all but only at home towards nighttime when I have been laying down. I am super excited to know that our baby is growing and moving inside of me. I can't wait until I can feel the baby even more frequently than I do now.

I hope everyone is doing well. I will post more once I have my appointment and let you know when Jeremy and I will be finding out the gender of our sweet bundle of joy!!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 17 weeks 0 days
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Unsure at this point.
Maternity Clothes: None Yet
Best Moment this week: Feeling the baby move alot during one day this week!
Gender: Don't know yet.
Movement: Yes still flutters and only on occasion
Food Craving: Andy's ice cream, cheese and crackers, fruit
What I miss: Nothing......just so happy to be feeling well.
Sleep: Sleeping good at night but still requiring alot of sleep.
What I am looking forward to: Finding out what we are having and more regular movement from the baby.
Belly Button: In
Symptoms: None

16 Weeks

Well I am feeling pretty good. We had a long weekend due to President's Day so that was super nice. I am still a bit tired but not complaining. I would take tired anyday over being sick to my stomach. Not much to update for this week besides I continue to feel the baby moving more often. I will give a more updated post after my appointment on March 1. I can't wait to hear the baby's heartbeat again!

Butterflies/Gas/Bubbles........

So many people say that when you begin to feel your growing baby move it feels like butterflies, gas, or bubbles. I felt this for the first time Monday night. Jeremy and I had been watching a show for a couple hours and the show was almost over. I had been laying on my back on the couch and I felt something move. It is so hard to put into words the exact feeling. It was like a little bubble! The baby was moving alot and I was having lots of feelings in my lower stomach that I had never felt before. I sent my friend a text to ask her how early you can usually feel the baby move (she is pregnant with her second). I looked online......almost everything was saying between 15-20 weeks but it also depends on your weight and many times if you are a heavier mother then you may not feel the baby until later on.

I am positive that even with my weight I was feeling our baby move. I was 15 weeks this past Saturday so I am sure I was right on the money with my prediction. I yelled at Jerm to come over and feel my stomach. He placed his hand on my stomach but couldn't feel anything. Obviously this early on it is just the mother that can feel these feelings. It is so very exciting and neat to feel the baby moving inside of me....I just can't wait till my husband and family can feel the baby as well.

I am looking forward to continuing to feel our baby move and hear our baby's heartbeat once again at our next appointment on March 1st.

15 weeks

I am feeling well and slowly trying to get off of my medicine for nausea and vomitting. I have only taken 1/2 a pill the past three nights and have woke up feeling fine. It's a great sign that I am past the morning sickness of this pregnancy.

My stomach is starting to feel a bit harder but I still don't think I am showing yet. Jerm is still helping me apply my daily moisturizer to help with stretch marks. He is a wonderful husband and will be an amazing father. Not much here to report but wanted to let you know that baby and I are doing well.

14 weeks

We had our 14 week checkup today. My blood pressure was fine considering I was nervous for this appointment.

We got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was at 155. Normal is 120-170 bpm. We were so relieved to finally hear it and know that our baby is growing and developing as each week passes. I have another appointment in four more weeks (March 1) and will then be able to find out the sex around March 15th. Let me tell you we are thrilled to find out what we are having and also be able to buy some stuff that is gender specific.

God is GOOD and we feel so blessed to be expecting this beautiful miracle from God.