Well 18 and 19 weeks have come and gone...right now it feels like this pregnancy is going by so fast. I'm sure I will regret saying that around 30 weeks pregnant. Eric and I have also had A LOT of stuff going on the past few weeks, so my mind has been elsewhere. {More info on this coming in a couple weeks...}

18 Weeks:

There's an actual pregnant belly there!! It's been just a tiny little bump, which it still is, but I feel like it's slowly getting bigger.  My mom and I bought my first maternity clothes a few weeks ago, but I haven't really been able to wear them because they are still a little big. But I finally started wearing a few items this week, like the form fitting shirts and the leggings. The shorts and jeans don't really fit me great yet, but I'm sure I will be wearing them soon!

The baby is the size of a sweet potato, 5 1/2 inches long, and 5 oz in weight (which you know from the previous post, the baby was 6 oz at week 16...yikes). He has started yawning, his nervous system is maturing, and his hearing is getting better! I've gained about 5-6 pounds depending on the day. I am happy to say the V8 craving has finally gone away. I still want it every now and then, but I don't crave it every couple hours like before.

This little guy kicks and tosses and turns ALL THE TIME. I swear he moves 23 hours a day. This week, Eric kissed my stomach and the baby's foot kicked him in the chin. He said that he could feel the whole foot on his face...weird. As much as I don't like that I'm losing sleep some nights because of the kicking, I have to say, it's very reassuring that he is letting me know he is still in there and getting stronger.


19 Weeks:

It's a miracle!! I'm in real clothing...no scrubs or workout gear!

The baby is the size of a mango this week. He is 6 inches long and about half a pound. His arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscle, and cartilage is turning into bone.

The new craving this week is watermelon. Yummy! And my sciatica pain is back with a vengeance. Thank goodness for a good chiropractor! The baby is still kicking like crazy...all day and all night long. We had a massive thunderstorm and rainstorm in Houston this week (which caused all the flooding you have seen in the news...) and apparently, this baby boy is afraid of thunderstorms. Every time thunder would crack, he would kick me the hardest he has ever kicked. Needless to say, I only got about 3 hours of sleep that night. Eric got to feel him kicking too...this kid is strong.

I had a general OB checkup this week...the baby's heart beat was around 158 bpm and I have gained about 7 pounds. My OB said that so far the weight gain to date is ok, but that she wants to see my weight gain increase more rapidly once the third trimester hits. I happily obliged and told her I would just eat more Chikfila. Win win.

I was supposed to have another high-risk OB appt and ultrasound this week, but thanks to all the flooding, Houston was shut down and that appt didn't happen. It is rescheduled for this coming Monday. They are supposed to be doing some dating to see how far along I actually am at this appt, so I will post an update about that and the ultrasound in my 20 week post! Eric and I can't wait to see this baby boy again!

Until next week!

16 weeks:

Again with the workout clothes...

This baby boy is the size of an avocado...3 ounces and 4-5 inches in length. The baby can make facial expressions, he has eyebrows and eyelashes (let's hope they are longer than mine), and he can now hear voices!

I'm still going steady at a weight gain of around 3-4 pounds, my cravings are still the same, and I'm still pretty tired throughout the day. I've just come to terms with the fact that the exhaustion isn't going anywhere. Blah. I have been able to workout more though. I will take what I can get!

This week we visited the high risk OB to check out the baby's heart. Basically, having a heart defect myself, I have a 10% chance of something abnormal happening to me during the pregnancy or during labor and delivery. Because of this, the baby has a 5% chance of developing any type of heart defect, not just a VSD (ventricular septal defect), like what I have. This is compared to the 1% chance of a normal developing baby (with no family history of heart issues) developing a heart defect in utero. So...all that to say, my regular OB wants me to meet with a high risk OB just to be on the safe side. The appt went well! We got to see our baby boy and he is just the cutest thing already! The technician took LOTS of pictures for the doctor to review, she checked out all his developing structures, although concentrating more on the heart, and she determined it was DEFINITELY a baby boy. No question ;) This baby loves to move! The technician couldn't get a ton of clear pictures of him because he just moved all over the place. His heart rate was around 148 bpm and he is currently breech. She said most babies move before their due date, so let's cross our fingers that he moves into the right position! When he isn't moving around, he puts his hands behind his head, kicks up his feet, and yawns. It was the cutest thing watching him yawn on that ultrasound. I think my heart skipped a beat. The baby weighs about 6 ounces based on the ultrasound, which is about 2 weeks ahead of schedule, so the doctor is thinking my due date is really going to be mid-August instead of September 8. Which is fine by me! Right now they are keeping it the same, so I am still technically considered "16 weeks", but she said they may change the date and move me up a couple weeks after my next ultrasound depending on how big he is.

Based on the above picture, I'm pretty sure he has Eric's nose and my long fingers. The doctor came in after the technician left and said that the heart's ventricular septum looked like it was closing properly and overall the heart looked great! She also said the brain and spine looked like it was developing how it should be. She will continue to monitor the baby closely to make sure there are no other heart defects or neurological defects though. I love that we are seeing the high risk OB on a regular basis, just to calm my anxious mind, and we get to see the baby more, which is a plus! Our next ultrasound is scheduled for April 18th.


17 weeks: (maybe more...)

This week I definitely developed a bump! But I still don't look pregnant in street clothes. I just look like I ate too much chikfila. Which I probably have...

The baby is the size of a pear...typically supposed to be around 4 ounces and 5 inches long. But based on the recent ultrasound, we are pretty sure he is much bigger than that at this point. He has started to form body fat, his heart beat is now regulated by his developing brain, and he can now suck and swallow. And apparently, he startles easily! Based on my pregnancy app (because it never lies...), the baby gets startled by dogs barking or door bells ringing, or in my case, both happening at the same time.

I have gained about 5 pounds so far and burgers are a new craving. Can't get enough. I guess the baby wants protein?? I have no problem indulging in this craving though. I felt the baby move for the first time this week (towards the end of week 17)...Eric got to feel it too! No kicking yet, just lots and lots of movement. He is very active when I'm at work and when I run.

I ran my first race with my new running partner in tow. My mom and one of her friends signed up for a 10-mile race called The Texas 10. So of course, I felt left out, and decided to run it too! It took place in Boerne, so Eric and I went to San Antonio for the weekend to visit with his family and spend some time with my fam too. Then Sunday was our race. It went really well! I got to run with my mom and her friend and help pace them to finish with PR's!! Go mom and Melissa! I really enjoyed the race and if Eric would let me do a half marathon while pregnant (uh-hum...) I totally would. I guess I will stick to just running for fun right now...

I promise there's a baby in there!