16 weeks today!

Wow! 16 weeks today. Above are some photos from the internet of what a 16 week old baby looks like....it's pretty incredible how they are starting to look more like actual babies and not little alien creatures anymore!

You know I love that site that tells you what is happening each week. So, here's what's going on this week:

Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the
coming months.
Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the
same size?
Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
His head and neck are held straighter now.
This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his
heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently
that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy
or a girl.
Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and
beats at a rate about double your heartrate.
If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!
Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.

Some pretty cool things are happening!

First off, I havn't felt any thumps or taps yet. I've been focussing on lying still for a little bit after dinner to see if I can notice anything, but no luck yet. Hopefully, soon though!

Also, this is the time when an ultrasound could reveal whether the baby is a boy or a girl!!! I am absolutely dying to find out, but Sandy and I agreed that we would wait until the baby is born....how am I going to last that long??? (I am the one who unwraps Christmas presents and then re-wraps them because I can't stand the suspense!!! Although, the really strange thing is that I absolutely love surprises. I think that's why Sandy wants to wait so badly --- he knows this may be one of the moments in life when I'll have to wait and wait and wait and there's nothing I can do to find out and ruin the surprise!)

And, the last item that stood out to me is that the baby has learned to breathe...a skill that will prove very important! ;)

Fashion Show!

I love new clothes! Here I am "modelling" two of my new tops. The black and white one is a second-hand top that a friend in GR gave to me when we were there last weekend. She is nearing the end of her pregnancy and it doesn't fit anymore, which works for me because it fits me great right now!

The red top is from my Mom. Luckily (for me!), she was in the mall in Fort Mac the other day and came across a maternity clothing store....and they were having a SALE!!!! She found the first three tops during that trip; plus, a great black skirt that should fit the entire time and is very comfortable. Those items came in the mail yesterday and I absolutely loved them, so she went back today and found some more great deals (see the picture with the six tops). I think she found another skirt today too. And, she experienced her very own version of 'pay it forward' when a pregnant lady in the store gave her a coupon that she couldn't use for $50 off!!!!

Okay, even though it wasn't actually me doing the shopping, I still love the idea of finding a great deal. I know my Dad is laughing and saying, "Yes, look at how much money we saved!"

It's late and I'm tired...

Just like the title says, "It's late and I'm tired..."

Everything in our world continues to go well. Still not feeling pregnant at all! I think I may be starting to get a bit of a baby belly though. I'll have to take a picture and compare to an earlier photo to see if there is a noticeable change. If there is, I'll post them on here so you can see too!

At 15 weeks, here's what's happening with the babe:

Week Fifteen

You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks,
flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp,
squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!
Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!
His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.
The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.
Fingernails and toenails are growing.
Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is
sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.
All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces.

Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof, woof......

Say that really fast and you'll know exactly what the baby's heartbeat sounds like right now!

I was supposed to have a midwife appointment today but ended up getting called into work. I called Joanne to let her know I wouldn't make my appointment and she surprised me by saying that she would meet me at our house after school!

We had our normal appointment chat about how I was feeling (great!) and if I had any questions (not really) and then she took my blood pressure. It was fine. Then, it was time for what I had been waiting for.... out came the doppler!

She put the little wand on my abdomen and started moving it around to find the baby. 15 minutes later and nothing....except my own heartbeat (apparently, I have a very strong pulse!). Finally, she moved the doppler way down low and that's when we heard it...."woof, woof, woof, woof, woof..." It was going super fast --- 156 beats per minute to be exact!

I was very grateful that Joanne kept looking for the baby and it was very reassuring to hear the heartbeat. She said it sounded strong and healthy, which is great news.

15 weeks tomorrow!!! Where is time going?

Feeling much calmer and happier.

Whew! I just re-read my last post. I had worked myself into quite a state. I think I just needed to stop thinking about everything so much and RELAX!

Sandy and I had a great weekend. We went to Gold River on Friday night to visit Sandy's brother and his girlfriend. And, Sandy's Mom was there too so we got to see everyone. The boys had a bit of a party with some friends downstairs (played pool and watched the hockey game) and the girls relaxed upstairs.

We got home around 5pm yesterday and I was promptly "kidnapped" by Alysha to go out for dinner and a girl's night! She even brought pizza for Sandy so he didn't have to worry about making dinner. It was an amazing thing for her to do and exactly what I needed. We started off with a few drinks (soft ciders for me :) and the girls all met here. I had lots of time to visit and chat and even managed to do my hair and get dressed up! We went out for dinner (I had an amazing pasta dish - it was sooooo good!). Then, we went to a different pub for more drinks (shirley temple for me), and then we went to the bar! That was so funny. Mostly we just sat in our chairs and chatted with each other and watched everyone else. I had a lot of fun...it felt so great just to be out doing something different and enjoying the company of our girlfriends. Alysha, if you are reading this, Thank You!

Today has been a relaxing day so far and I think it will stay that way. If I am feeling energetic later, I may start going through my clothes...there are a few items that just aren't fitting that well anymore!

Patience (or lack of it!)

When is this pregnancy going to feel real? I am ready for it to happen any day now! I still feel totally normal (aside from some occasional cramping, but it's not enough to make me say..."Oh, I'm pregnant!"). Most of my clothes are still fitting just fine...although, I must admit that I do look a bit "wider" from the side. But, other than that, nothing has changed. I think that in a couple of months, I'll look back at this post and laugh at myself for being so ridiculous. But, right now I want to feel something...anything!

Sorry, no update!

No midwife appointment today after all. My cell phone rang at 6:13am for a job at Vanier (high school here in Courtenay). I taught three classes of English and then the last class of the day was....rugby!!! Outside, in the pouring rain and blowing wind, with 35 grade 10 boys running around like crazy and me trying to remember the rules of the game from the teacher's notes and my quick read through a rugby rule book that I found in the classroom. It's probably not necessary for me to say that I was very happy when the final bell rang.

The teacher who I was in for left a message that he may not be in for the rest of the week...his wife went into labour last night! Pretty exciting, plus I may have the next three days of work covered...bonus for me!