20 Weeks! Halfway!

How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now (per ultrasound yesterday we found she is 12 oz.). She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

New ultrasound

Here are some new pictures of the baby. She was not being very cooperative because she had her hands in front of her face mostly the whole time. The ultrasound tech went through all of the organs and took all of the measurements and said everything is good. Yay! It looks like we have a healthy baby.

Anniversary tradition

On our first anniversary, we kept with tradition and ate some of our wedding cake that had been in the freezer for a year. I drug that cake all the way back from Jamaica! I had to take it as a carry-on on the plane. At the resort, they saved part of the cake for us, not the traditional top, but the bottom. Oh well, it was close to the tradition and I think it really has brought us good luck!

On another note, I'm pretty sure I've been feeling the baby move. How exciting!

19 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and she measures 6 inches, head to bottom. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.

How your life's changing:You're just a week shy of the halfway mark. You may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen (perhaps extending to your groin) or even an occasional quick, sharp, stabbing pain on one or both sides, especially when you change position or at the end of an active day. This is round ligament pain, and it's caused by the stretching of the muscles and ligaments that support your growing uterus. (This is true, I thought it was bad gas! haha Probably a combo!)

Oscar in the Big Window

Oscar and the other kitties love to get up in this window. They walk across the beam over the greatroom and then sit in the window. Looks scary to me! Sometimes those little guys line up on that beam. The window is kind of dirty where they get up there and sit and Hankie likes to "clean" the window. What I mean by "clean" is to sit on his hind legs and polish the window with his paws-- funniest thing.

Too Cute!

Aren't these the cutest things you've ever seen? I saw them and I couldn't resist, but they cost a little bit of nothing. I've only bought two things so far, these booties and a used Bjorn from a friend, but somehow my husband thinks I'm buying everything in sight and must be stopped. I think it's his attitude that must be stopped!

18 Weeks! (start of month 5)

How your baby's growing:Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. Her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place.

How your life's changing:Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline increase. Look for specially designed maternity clothes that can accommodate your expanding belly.You may have heard that you should avoid lying on your back during your last two trimesters. Here's why: When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein (called the inferior vena cava) that returns blood from the lower half of your body back to your heart. Lying on your side (or even partially tilted to the side), particularly your left side, prevents this compression and improves your blood flow. Try placing a pillow behind you, or under your hip or leg for comfort.Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during your second trimester your blood pressure is probably lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

Pomp and Circumstance

On Saturday was Terri's graduation. We travelled down to Bluefield to see the ceremony. It was a very nice ceremony and Terri graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Noel took this next picture and it was actually a goof but I thought it looked kind of cool.

Everyone was really excited. Especially Uncle David.

Here's another picture of Uncle David later at home after his trip to the salon for a dose of Just For Men.

Our new stroller

This is the stroller Mom and Dad got for us. It's a really nice Bugaboo but I haven't yet seen it in person. Dad took these pictures for me! What!? I think they've been pushing Maxwell around in it! Check out the first picture, looks like Max just got up from a nap.

17 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip) and she's around 5 inches long. She can move her joints, and her skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. Her sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, her lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

How your life's changing:With more weight up high and out in front of your body, you may feel a bit off-balance as you walk around. Store away your high heels and wear low-heeled shoes to reduce your risk of taking a tumble.You're likely to feel protective of your tummy, and that's good. Trauma to your abdomen could be harmful to your baby and dangerous to you, so be sure to buckle up when you're driving. Keep the lap portion of the seat belt under your belly and very snug across your hips for maximum protection.

On another note, I'm in Elkins tonight. We had public comment hearings yesterday about a wind turbine project in Barbour and Randolph counties. We had rooms booked at the Holiday Inn, the nicest chain place to stay between Philippi and Elkins, but the reservation got messed up and we had no room. So now I am at the Super 8 Motel. One word--GROSS! I walked into my room and the smell of BO just about knocked me over. I opened the window and let it air out while I was at the second hearing but I couldn't leave it open because we are right on a busy road. I guess there is one perk, I do have wireless internet. I'm not used to such shabby accomodations. I haven't stayed anywhere like this in a long long time and this stay will do me for the rest of my life.

Columbus

Last weekend we went to Columbus to see The Police. We also went to the zoo. Here are some pictures of the zoo. The first is a Sun Bear from Asia. The second picture is a tiger and he reminded me of the way Felix sleeps. The third picture is a bat. This bat was a female and she was pretty large. The worker at the zoo told us that the males have a wing span of about 5-6 feet. The last was one of Noel's favorites--the gorillas! He could have watched them forever. He was so enthralled I had to drag him away to help me when a bird pooped on my head.

On another note, the concert was fun. Our seats were kind of crappy and the sound was a little off but it was pretty fun. Unfortunately, I got some sun at the zoo and was super tired by the time the concert started.

16 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avacado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

How my life is changing: The "glow of pregnancy" is real, thanks to increased blood flow to the skin. I am enjoying myself more, now that my hormones have stabilized. I'm also less anxious about something happening to the baby (the risk of miscarriage drops dramatically after the 14th week) which adds to my overall sense of well-being. Soon I'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling the baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, most don't until about 18 weeks or more. The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll start to feel unmistakably like kicks.

It's a GIRL!

And look, she's posing!