18 Week Update

 
Apparently I only have one shirt...I say that because I was wearing this shirt for my 17 week photo too. Oops...I'm a creature of habit; what can I say?

How far along?
I am 18 weeks and 5 days (149 days left!)


Baby is the size of a...
large bell pepper, 5.6 inches from head to rump, and 6.7 oz 

Symptoms:
I am feeling really good. My appetite is back, and out of control. I am trying to talk myself out of constant eating though, especially dairy. Yum! But, I do give into a large glass of milk almost every night. It's good for the baby right? :) I'm sure that is why Lucy was so chubby!

My hips are really starting to ache when I sleep. I am even putting a pillow between my legs and it isn't helping. It was helping for a few nights, but isn't anymore. I had this problem with Lucy too. I always thought that it could be attributed to the extra weight I had gained. I've only gained 4 pounds though, so far, so that can't be it! It just has to be the stretching and widening going on. :{ I'm ready to sleep well again! That isn't going to happen for a long while...

One other odd thing is that my boobs itch something terrible! That is weird right? I forgot to ask about it at my last appointment. They itch so bad though. This isn't a common symptom that I've heard of and it didn't happen with Lucy. I just keep making sure my skin isn't dry and try not to itch in public...isn't pregnancy great guys?

Anything New?
Well, we had our doctor's appointment last Friday, the 13th. It went really well. She found the heartbeat right away this time, which is what I prefer! I admit it was pretty uneventful, besides hearing the heartbeat. I did ask how fast the beating was and she said around 150. That doesn't help with the old wives tale. Oh well, we will find out soon. Actually, we will find out sooner than later! :) We have the ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday afternoon!! :) Can you believe that? It is almost here! I'm pee-pants excited.


I did get blood drawn too, to check for abnormalities. It is always really nerve-racking! We just want to know ahead of time, to see if we need to prepare for special needs. It is such a scary topic; but, that is reality sometimes. I hadn't really prepared to have my blood taken though and hadn't drank too much water that day. The nurse still did really well and I barely felt a thing; however, four days later and I still have this ugly bruise...

Yes - I have hairy arms. I've come to terms with it, since I got made fun of in elementary school. Whomp, whomp. :{

New with Heath?
He has been really stressing out about work and his graduate class, not to mention the weather distractions. I just try to stay out of his way for the most part. He did do another "gender test" with Lucy this last weekend. He put two post-it notes on my tummy and told Lucy to pick one. On the other side, one said "G" and the other said "B." Lucy first chose girl, then he repeated it over and over again. I think it was best out of three, then best out of five. He ended up with two picks for boy and three for girl. He summed that up as, "pretty close, either way."  Haha. Of course he wouldn't just concede and say Lucy picked girl, again.

He will be done with a big class presentation after Tuesday night, so hopefully he can fully enjoy Wednesday. And, hopefully the baby cooperates with us too!

New with Lucy?
Lucy will be a terrific big sister! I just know it! Yes - she gets jealous. She absolutely hates when Heath holds a baby. Me? She doesn't care if I hold one at all. (Sigh)...daddy's girl. Well, it looks like this next baby could be a momma's girl or momma's boy. :) Until they get old enough and daddy becomes the "fun one" and he steals them too! :-\ Oh well, I know Heath is the fun one. I understand.


Anything else?
I am still in my regular clothes, with the belly band occasionally. I had mentioned last week that I'm in the awkward stage of too small for maternity clothes and too big for my regular clothes, and then I got this cartoon from BabyCenter.com.

It's like they read my mind sometimes. I feel the pain. No, literally. I feel pain when I try to wear my regular pants. They put a lot of pressure on my tummy. I will definitely be looking for some maternity yoga pants! Lots of pairs! :)

Well, hopefully when you hear from me again, I will be telling you the sex of the baby! :) :) I can't wait! I will be sure to tell my blog readers before Facebook, so check your email!