17 and 18 Weeks

I know I am awful. I have been so insane at work I want to do nothing when I get home. That is now over. Give me a day to relax and I will update you shortly... in the meantime here is what Lil J has been up to the past 2 weeks.

17 weeks
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

18 weeks
Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, although he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

16 Weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

My dryer must be broken......

This week I feel like everything that I put on has been shrunk on high in the dryer. It was especially bad Tuesday. I was wearing my super comfy size too big pants I got from my friend Pam when she was cleaning out her closet. I paired that with a tank top and a short sleeved sweater. I was tugging and pulling at my tank top and sweater ALL day. I just felt like my belly was showing. Even though it wasn't. It is definitely not pleasant to be feeling that way all day. I am clinging to my work dress pants right now. I haven't made the switch into my preggo pants. I have a couple pairs of capris that I can still fit into relatively comfortably. I think that actually needing those pants puts a level of realism to this that I am not sure that I am ready for.

It has all been sudden this week. I have really started to notice an actual change in my body. I had to go up in width and cup on my bras. I am going to have to special order them all soon. Josh told me so sweetly the other day that he thought that my "gut" was getting bigger. He also combated my "I think I am getting fatter" with "You are not getting fat you are just expanding". Sweet but he needs to be careful. He is lucky that I haven't actually been that hormonal. I think CRAZY hormonal Jess would have castrated him.

Other than that, not much new. I yacked this morning not sure why. Hoping that it is a fluke and not something I can expect to keep happening. I won't be worried unless it happens tomorrow too.

15 Weeks

Here is the update for 15 weeks. I will post more before the 16 week I PROMISE!!!!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

14 Weeks

I know I am late!! Sorry. Last week was a crazy one! It was a short/long week at work and I had some stuff to do to help get ready for the last graduation for our family for the next 19 years..... However, there has been no puking for a week and a half now! (knock on wood) I am super excited! I don't miss it one bit! I bought some new tops that can be worn all summer in preparation for the expansion of the belly.

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.