Week 19

Description (From Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy):
This week your baby's skin becomes coated with a slippery, white, fatty coating called vernix caseosa, or vernix for short. Vernix helps protect your baby's delicate skin, keeping it from becoming chapped or scratched. Under the vernix a fine, down-like hair called lanugo covers your baby's skin.
Your baby's kidneys are developed enough to make urine this week. Your baby's urine is excreted into your amniotic sac, the bag of waters inside your uterus that contains your baby and your amniotic fluid.
Your baby's hearing is now well developed. He or she is probably hearing lots of different sounds, maybe even your conversations. Mom's voice is by far the most prominent in any conversation. If you sing or talk to your baby, it's reasonable to think he or she might notice. It's less clear whether your baby is currently able to recognize particular sounds.
Your baby's brain is developing millions of motor neurons, nerves that help the muscles and brain communicate. As a result, your baby probably is now making conscious muscle movements, such as sucking a thumb or moving his or her head, as well involuntary movements. You may not be able to feel these movements yet. If you haven't, you will soon.

Comments:
Wow! There's a lot going on this week. I'm so excited that baby was able to hear this week. That means he or she got to meet his grandparents, aunt, uncle and nephews! Recently, he or she has probably heard a lot of Christmas carols being sung as well. :)

Total Weight Gain:
2.5 pounds!!! (according to the scale at my brother-in-law's) I'm excited because this is the first week for a positive weight gain!

Maternity Clothes:
I went to a consignment shop in Chapel Hill with my sister-in-law on Saturday and found a great pair of black corduroy pants. So much more comfortable than wearing the bella band...although that still works!

Stretch Marks:
Nope.

Sleep:
Missed my body pillow while we were away from home. So glad to have it back!

Food Cravings:
Cherry 7up...thank you to a wonderful brother-in-law who picked some up for me on Saturday :)
And, on a similar note, I got to have New York style pizza this past weekend!

Movement:
Still nothing yet...anxiously awaiting that first kick...

Gender:
? Only 1 week until our ultrasound!

Belly Button:
No new developments.

Best Moment of the Week:
Taking a nap with my nephew sleeping on my chest and wondering if baby could feel the love too...

What I Miss:
Holding my baby nephew...everyone keeps reminding me that it's only 5 more months until we have a baby of our own, but I still miss him!

Milestones:
Baby's first Christmas...sort of...

Week 18

Description (from Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy):
This week your baby's bones are beginning to harden, a process called ossification. Bones in your baby's legs and inner ear are among the first to ossify. With the bones in the inner ear now well developed enough to function and the nerve endings from your baby's brain now "hooked up" to the ears, your baby can hear sounds. He or she may hear your heart beating, your stomach rumbling or blood moving through the umbilical cord. Your baby may even become startled by loud noises.
Your baby can also now swallow. Inside, your baby may be swallowing a good dose of amniotic fluid every day. Scientists think this may have something to do with keeping your amniotic fluid at the appropriate constant level.

Comments:
It's really neat to think that our baby can hear now. I'll have to start singing to the baby. Kris has already started talking to my belly a lot. I bet the baby's hearing lots of stomach rumbling...I'm starting to feel hungry a lot more often!

Total Weight Gain:
Not sure (still no scale), but I think I've gained a little weight since my doctor's appointment. Maybe I'll find a scale to use somewhere in North Carolina during our Christmas travels...

Maternity Clothes:
All of my shirts still fit, but most of my pants are too small. I have two pairs that used to fall down that are just about perfect now. Thank goodness for the Bella Band...it's allowing me to wear all the others unbuttoned. I'll have to start looking harder for maternity clothes after Christmas.

Stretch Marks:
None. The skin on my belly has been feeling really stretched after I eat the last few days, though.

Sleep:
Hadn't taken a nap in almost a week...until yesterday's 2 1/2 hour marathon!

Food Cravings:
Again, nothing new to pregnancy, but...pizza after church yesterday.

Movement:
Haven't felt anything yet...maybe the baby's waiting until Christmas...what a great present that would be! Keep reminding myself I may not feel anything until around 20 weeks.

Gender:
?

Labor Signs:
Absolutely not.

Best Moment of the Week/Belly Button:
I'm still an innie, but I discovered my belly button is not nearly as deep as before! When I'm standing up or laying down flat, the bottom half of my belly button is almost flat!

What I Miss:
I would say the glass of wine that everyone else had with dinner on Saturday night, but my Cherry 7Up was awesome!

What I'm Looking Forward To:
Introducing our nephews in North Carolina to the baby on Thursday!

Milestones:
My belly button, I guess...

Week 17

Description (from Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy):
"Eyebrows and hairs on your baby's scalp are continuing to appear this week. Your baby is probably continuing to have bout of the hiccups. Although you aren't able to hear them, you may begin to feel them, especially if this is your second baby. This week, brown fat is beginning to develop under your baby's skin. This will help keep your baby warm after birth, when the temperature change from your uterus to the outside world will be quite noticeable, to say the least. Your baby will add more layers of fat in the later months of your pregnancy. Baby is now about 5 inches long and weighs about 5 ounces."

Comments:
Had our "16 week" doctor's appointment on Friday before leaving for a mini-vacation to Kansas City. We got to hear the baby's heart beat again (in the 140's) and the baby kept kicking the doppler and doing "flips." It's so reassuring to hear all that movement before I can feel it.
Found out at the doctor's office that as of October my TSH level had risen in the past 6 months. Had it checked again on Friday and just got a call today that it's still too high, so I have to go pick up a prescription for Synthroid tomorrow.

Total Weight Gain:
0 pounds. The good news is that I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, after losing about 4 pounds in the first trimester!

Maternity Clothes:
I don't need maternity clothes quite yet, but I'm having to unbutton my pants an awful lot. What I need to do is get a Bella Band the next time I'm in Target. I did go to a consignment store and Motherhood Maternity this past week to look at pants and the problem seems to be that they only come in S, M, L. I need an XS short length...guess I'll just have to keep looking...

Stretch Marks: Nope.

Sleep:
Still very tired and easily worn out. I definitely missed my body pillows while we were at the hotel this weekend.
Best Moment This Week:
Listening to the baby kick the doppler. Kris says the baby was just checking the microphone. Movement:
Lots according to the doppler, but can't feel it yet. The doctor said it may be a few weeks since I'm still a bit small.

Food Cravings: Nope. I had hibachi steak on Saturday night...fist time I've enjoyed beef since September!

Gender:
?

Labor Signs:
Certainly not.
Belly Button:
Same.

What I Miss: Being able to eat a full meal without unbuttoning my jeans.

What I'm Looking Forward To:
Baby's first Christmas...this counts, right? :)

Milestones:
None, really.

Week 16

Description:
The skeletal system and nervous system have made enough connections to coordinate limb and body movement. In addition, your baby's facial muscles are now developed well enough to allow for a variety of expressions. Inside your uterus, your baby may be squinting or frowning at you, although these movements aren't conscious expressions of emotions.
Your baby's skeletal system in continuing to develop as more calcium is deposited on the bones. If you're having a girl, millions of eggs are forming in her ovaries this week. Beginning at 16 weeks, your baby's eyes are sensitive to light.
Although you probably don't even know it, your baby may be having frequent bouts of the hiccups. Hiccups often develop before a baby's breathing movements become common. Because your baby's trachea is filled with fluid rather than air, the hiccups don't make the characteristic hiccup sound.
At 16 weeks into your pregnancy, your baby is between 4 and 5 inches longs and weighs a bit less than three ounces.

Comments:
What an event-filled week! Hiccups and frowns! I've been getting hiccups quite often as well.

How Far Along:
16 weeks

Total Weight Gain:
Not sure. Had lost 4 lbs. at the last doctor's appt (12 weeks). Hopefully I've at least gained that back...we'll find out on Friday. Maybe we should invest in a scale?

Maternity Clothes:
Not yet. My pants are a bit uncomfortable when I sit down, but I have a few pairs that are a bit larger. Guess I should start looking for maternity clothes soon though.

Stretch Marks:
Haven't stretched too much, so no marks yet!

Sleep:
Yes, please.

Best Moment This Week:
Setting up the Christmas tree, I was really excited to hang up the "Baby's First Christmas" ornament from my first Christmas (in 1979). The best part is knowing that next year we'll get to add another "first Christmas" ornament to the tree.

Movement:
Supposedly he's/she's moving around like crazy in there, but haven't felt it yet.

Food Cravings:
Pizza, but that's nothing particular to pregnancy :) and pickles (I know, how cliche!)

Gender:
?

Labor Signs:
No no no!

Belly Button:
Looks the same. I'm an innie.

What I Miss:
Being able to sit on the floor up against a couch or something without getting a backache.

What I Look Forward To:
Our 16 week doctor's appointment on Friday. Not much going on at it, but I'll find out if I've gained some weight!

Milestones:
Less nausea!!!! :)
Uncomfortable buttoning of my jeans when sitting.