Week 20 (halfway there!)

Fruit/Veggie

Banana

Size

10 inches head to foot, & BabyCenter says he should weigh around 10 1/2 oz. but as of last week he weighed 11 oz, so he's a little above that.

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, & you'll see it in his first soiled diaper. (aren't you glad you know that now?)

Best Moment this Week

Our appointment/anniversary! It was a great day. I had a milkshake to get him moving for the ultrasound, which worked! At the beginning he was moving around a lot so we quickly learned he was a boy, then he chilled out & when she was filming the DVD, she was poking my stomach so he'd move & he'd have none of it. We learned he is looking completely healthy, & growing right on schedule. After our appointment we grabbed some tea at It's a Grind, bought Elliot's first two outfits at Babies R Us, then Josh took me out to a French restaurant for dinner (yum!) & then to see "Letters to Juliet." It was a great anniversary!

Gender

BOY! Elliot James. Elliot is a modern version of the name Elijah, a prophet of the Old Testament, & his name means, "My God is Yahweh" or, "My God is the Lord." James is Josh's middle name, as well as a great book of the New Testament (one of my favorites actually). We are so excited to know who is in there. One of our friends told us that he has been praying the heart of Elijah over Elliot. We know God has good plans for him!

Movement

Elliot is a kicker! I don't know that he flips around much, he just seems to kick me quite often. Which, now that we had our ultrasound, doesn't surprise me because he has Josh's strong legs! Josh has felt him kick several times now so I'm glad for that.

Food Craving

My cravings are actually backing off quite a bit. I'm trying to eat a good balance of fruit, vegetables, protein, & carbs.

Sleep

I'm sleeping fine. Some nights I lay down, my back hurts pretty bad for a good 5-10 minutes, no matter how I lay.

What I am looking forward to

Ordering the furniture, cleaning out Elliot's closet to make room for his cute little clothes, & working on the decorations I have planned for the wall above his crib... I'll wait to tell you about those.

Symptoms

Slight nausea, exhaustion (seriously, most people say "fatigue" but that so doesn't describe well enough my unlimited tiredness. Apparently a lot of women get a burst of energy in the second trimester - I don't think I'm gonna end up getting that!), loose joints (sometimes when I walk it feels like my right leg wants to dislocate itself from the rest of me), thirsty (which is still bad with my extreme dislike of water, which leads me to -), aversions (water, hot coffee, mint), lower back pain (only some days).

It's Elliot!

We are indeed having a boy! We are excited to know it's Elliot in there. Here is his latest photo:

I'll update soon on week 20! Halfway done - crazy!

Week 19

Fruit/Veggie

Heirloom tomato

Size

6 inches (head to rump, I forgot to specify that, no legs included), 8 1/2 oz (grew 2 1/2 ounces in one week; I'm so proud!)

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. The hair on her scalp is sprouting.

Best Moment this Week

See "movement." Also, I think I finally look pregnant instead of chunky to strangers - Saturday I noticed a couple of people looking & smiling at me. & I don't think I had anything embarrassing hanging off me, so hopefully I interpreted their smiles correctly.

Gender

Tomorrow!! Hopefully! I'm praying for a good appointment & an ultrasound that reveals a healthy baby - & hopefully the gender of that baby!

Movement

Friday night baby was moving around a lot, so I put my hand on my stomach while laying down, & felt him kick for the first time! Saturday I saw him kicking lots. Unfortunately Josh was out of town so Sunday he saw one tap & felt one, but not as many or as big as I have, but in time he'll see plenty!

Food Craving

Watermelon, other fruits... cherries, peaches, mangoes, yum.

Sleep

Hmm... sleeping pretty hard lately, except last night not so much. I couldn't fall asleep & had a hard time getting back to sleep each time I woke up. I'm still sleeping on my back comfortably tho, which I am thankful for.

What I am looking forward to

Tomorrow, tomorrow! Not only the ultrasound, but our anniversary, & having Josh back in town since he has traveled for the past 6 days.

Symptoms

Slight nausea except yesterday it was lots of nausea in the morning, then upset stomach pains in the evening; lower back pain; exhaustion.

Week 18

Fruit/Veggie

Bell pepper

Size

5 1/2 inches, 7 oz.

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

He's busy flexing his arms & legs. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, & his ears are now in their final position. A protective cover of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

Best Moment this Week

I'm gonna have to say, I got pretty excited today when I found a really comfortable jersey skirt at Target... I bought two. It wasn't maternity but it'll work with my tummy. I'm trying to find good everyday clothes that will not be too hot this summer, so if I can find some good tank tops to go with my comfy skirts, I will be good to go!!

Gender

1 week!! I'm so excited. I hope baby cooperates!! Josh will get off early afternoon for our appointment, then afterwards we're spending the rest of the day celebrating our anniversary... Josh has the evening planned & won't tell me. So let's hope for an immodest baby for one day!! Then he/she can go back to being quite modest which we know a child Josh & I would create would HAVE to be. :-)

Movement

Baby has been very active this week. Saturday he moved around a lot more than usual. A couple nights ago, I was laying in bed & I'm pretty sure he had the hiccups. Every ten seconds or so, he'd jump real big, for a few minutes straight. It was funny, & felt like he would just hop out of my stomach, the movements were so big.

Food Craving

Watermelon, but I'm able to control it now... :-) honestly who has room for a whole watermelon in their fridge every week?? Still eating tons of fruit, raw veggies with ranch dressing. Oh & double noodle soup, you know, the kids' kind. Yum.

Sleep

I have been sleeping pretty heavy, & waking up feeling so not ready to get out of bed. I could sleep for hours into the morning, but I don't, so I take naps mid-morning after my workout on most days.

What I am looking forward to

Next week! So excited.

Symptoms

Slight nausea mainly in the evenings after dinner, lots of exhaustion, dizziness (during a walk with my mom this weekend I started to veer off to one side for a second. I read this is normal, though very weird.), aversions (I'd really like to enjoy drinking water again soon!).

Week 17

Fruit/Veggie

Turnip

Size

5 inches, 5 oz.

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com.)

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, & the umbilical cord is growing thicker & stronger. He can move his joints, & his sweat glands are starting to develop.

Best Moment this Week

Mother's Day! I got cards from family, texts from friends, & got to spend time with Josh walking around La Cantera, ordering in Chinese food, & watching movies. I also now feel like I finally look pregnant instead of chunky - however I'm now not sure how I feel about this!! It's weird.

Gender

2 weeks!!

Movement

Not a ton this week, perhaps because I have been trying to keep more hydrated (since I don't drink water that is sometimes difficult) so more fluid may be making movements less easy to feel.

Food Craving

Watermelon. Really that's it. I did buy some (chicken) corn dogs today at the market because they sounded good.

Sleep

I have not been sleeping well. Part uncomfortable, but largely the inability to fall back to sleep when I wake up to go to the bathroom, as well as a headache that stuck around for about 4 days this week. Friday night it was POUNDING & I can't lay down when it hurts that bad.

What I am looking forward to

Starting to get the room ready! We are going to order the crib soon & are watching for a dresser. Josh is working on fixing up an old bookcase we got for free.

Symptoms

Slight nausea, exhaustion, headaches, aversions, lower back pain (I should mention, I don't know if this usually hits pregnant women this early, but I have a slipped disk that I'm pretty sure is what is being messed up now). Oh yes & pregnancy brain which leaves me mentally unreliable. You can consider this one a constant throughout pregnancy, from what I'm told. Just don't ask me to remember anything for you!

Week 16

I saw this on someone else's blog, & I thought it was a cute idea! So, here we go!

Fruit/Veggie

Avocado :-)

Size

4 1/2 inches long, 3 1/2 ounces

Baby Changes (Source: BabyCenter.com. I won't bore you with everything, just the cool stuff.)

In the next few weeks, baby will double his weight & add inches to his length. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. His heart is now pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!

Best Moment this Week

I had been feeling baby only when I concentrated, but twice this week he flopped in a way that drew my attention - it was a big movement! I'm feeling him every day now, most of the time it's a ticklish feeling.

Gender

3 more weeks!! I hope baby cooperates! No, I don't "feel" one way or the other... I wish I knew!

Movement

See "Best Moment this Week."

Food Craving

Still watermelon of course, & snow cones always sound good as well. I also really like grapefruit, & celery with peanut butter. Oh, & I really like ranch dressing all of a sudden, mainly with raw veggies, & I got a ranch popcorn seasoning, yum!

Sleep

This one changes a lot. Last week I was waking up around 4 or 5 in the morning & not able to fall back to sleep very well. Then most of this week I've slept soundly, altho waking up feeling like I could still sleep for hours. But last night I woke up around 2:30 & couldn't fall back to sleep; I was thirsty & then nauseous when I drank water so that didn't help. I'm not completely uncomfortable yet though, so I'm still enjoying that. I have several dreams a night as well.

What I am looking forward to

Finding out who is in my belly! I want so badly to know baby's identity & name. I also am looking forward to my belly looking obviously pregnant - I don't like this in-between stage of just looking chunky.

Symptoms

Nausea, exhaustion, aversions, lower back pain, moodiness (oh yeah, that last one is fun for Josh :-) ).

Just want to say...

Pregnancy brain is a real thing. Unfortunately.