18 weeks!

18 weeks at the Christmas tree farm!

How far along? 18 weeks 6 days

Baby's Development:  Elliott is about 5.5 in. crown to rump and weighs about half a pound..the size of a bell pepper. Baby has mastered the art of the yawn and might be visible on the ultrasound.  Nervous system is maturing rapidly…nerves are creating more complex connections and those in the brain are specializing into the ones that serves the 5 senses.  Baby’s hearing is also becoming more acute. Calcium is an important vitamin during this part of pregnancy because baby’s cartilage like bones are starting to harden. Reflexes are also becoming more developed and bay can hiccup, yawn, and moves around in the womb.

Maternity clothes?  Still yes on all bottoms besides leggings.  I have been mixing up with tops between maternity and non-maternity.  I love the maternity so much more, I won’t lie! I can’t understand why some people want to hold out on non-maternity clothes.  Hopefully I won’t be getting tired of them come April.

Weight Gain?  I hit my pre-pregnancy weight the day I hit 18 weeks, and then I dropped back down.  So, it fluctuates…

Am I Showing?  I had my first non-family/friends comment this week at work..someone told me they noticed that it was growing! Still no random strangers, though..I think it will be a little longer before that happens.

Gender:  Sweet baby BOY! Elliott “Eli” Alexander Whitman.  I’m trying to get used to his nickname. J

Sleep? Sleep has gotten better..thus my headaches have gotten better.  If I don’t get a good night’s sleep, so a headache will be sure to follow.

Exciting Moment? We had a lot of fun things this week! We started cleaning out the office in order to convert it to Eli’s nursery.  Matt worked real hard to get everything out of there and get it primed.  We went with a soft neutral gray (not too blue and not to brown) and he will be painting it in the next few days.

Part of the room…before primer.

 We also ordered our glider/ottoman for the nursery! We got it for a steal at Babies R Us during their Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals.  I got the email that it arrived last night, so Matt is going to be picking it up today! We already have the crib and dresser, so after we get the nursery painted, we will be able to start moving some of the big furniture in!

We started our baby registry this week! Last night, Matt and I took about an hour at Target and just went through the aisles scanning everything we thought we needed.  There are some items that weren’t on the floor (our travel system) that we will have to add online, but it was so fun! A little overwhelming…but fun nonetheless. 

We also went Christmas tree shopping this weekend! Although Matt and I decided to go with our faux Christmas tree this year, we went with Matt’s parents and his brother and wife to a little tree “farm” in Atlanta.  Last year we went to a Christmas tree farm near us where you have to chop your tree down and drag it back yourself.  It was fun to see how the “city folk” do Christmas tree farms…no chopping and dragging required! J

Stretch marks? Not yet..still smothering oil and lotion on the 3 B’s…boobs, butt, and belly!  At the rate they’re all growing..I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up with them somewhere!  My Mom didn’t get any, so I will hold on to that shred of hope for as long as I can!

What do I miss? My patience and pre-pregnancy ability to let things go.

How have I been feeling? I’ve been feeling pretty good! I love how fast my hair is growing and I have never had nails this strong! I am trying to enjoy them while I can!  I am also able to finally eat pretty much anything without any bad aversions, so I have been hitting up the Jason’s Deli salad bar a couple of times to get in my spinach and other veggies. My headaches have also gotten better and are less frequent as well.  I have been feeling short of breath a lot lately, so that’s annoying.  I’ve still been getting random dizzy spells.  This Saturday I was determined to make breakfast for Matt and I. Well, it ended up Matt taking over breakfast duties with me laying down on the kitchen floor because every time I stood up, I would get dizzy. 

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around all of this.  It is definitely sinking in and feeling real now that know the gender and have a name.  We are getting to do the fun things like decorating the nursery and all of that.  I can’t believe that next week I will be halfway through my pregnancy. I remember how slowly I thought time was passing when I first found out before the first Dr’s appointment.  I thought time would never move! And now here I am at 19 weeks.

Movement: Yes…he’s getting stronger! I feel him all throughout the day for 5-10 minute increments and I love it!

Food cravings:  Fruit (grapefruit, and apples and peanut butter…but only red delicious apples), cereal (kix and Captain Crunch…together, cheese (Colby jack or cheddar) and crackers

Food aversions: Still chicken and marinara sauce.

Rings on or off? On! Hopefully staying that way for a while!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy J I like this part of pregnancy!

Looking forward to:  Our anatomy scan next Friday, Dec. 14th.  Crossing my fingers and praying that baby is healthy!  Matt being able to feel Eli from the outside and seeing my tummy move when he kicks!