Week 19b - Clint's Thoughts

Just a couple of things here folks from the man of the house...

I love online depictions of babies
What Melissa neglected to show you was this illustration she found of a baby at 19 weeks. I cannot let this pass without sharing...

If our baby can do that, we've got an Olympic Gold Medal in our future. Seriously, I don't think I will be a "high pressure" parent, but I'm just saying... if you've got a kid with special abilities, you've got to aim high!

Missing belly band alert!

We had a crisis yesterday, Melissa couldn't find her tan belly band! Oh my soul, this is bad news! The girl's pants are going to fall down!

Speaking of belly bands, I think I like the idea. I like the idea of being able to walk around with your pants unbuttoned. Then I realized that for girls, it works because you don't really tuck in your shirts and that in order for me to wear one, I'd have to put it over my tucked in dress shirt - it might be a trend that I do not want to start.

If anyone has seen a tan belly band, please contact Melissa, she's the one with sagging pants.

Gurgling Stomachs

So I think I've got great hearing. I'm pretty sure that I am going to be able to hear the baby before Melissa feels it. Probably not, but that doesn't stop me from listening to her stomach every night. I end up just hearing my own heartbeat and Melissa's dinner, but it's worth a shot. Something great about watching Modern Family sideways with your ear on your wife's stomach. Awesome!

That's it for now - just a couple of weeks and we find out if "it's" a he or she!

Good times!

Week 19

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: An Heirloom Tomato (about 6 inches long and weighs 8.5 ounces)

Baby changes: Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting.

Best Moment this Week:  We spent the weekend in Galveston with the Pasche's, which was a fun and relaxing time.  Then we drove home Sunday morning in time for the Easter service at church, and then straight to Kathy's for her Easter party.  It was a great weekend of lots of family time!

Gender: May 6th - only a week and a half away!

Movement: Still nothing, hopefully soon.

Food Cravings: Still the same.

What I Miss: I can't really think of anything in particular right now. 

Sleep: Still able to sleep well, but after weekends like this I need more of it than usual to catch up - I was out cold Sunday night by 9:30! 

What I am looking forward to: The appointment next week...I'm probably the most excited just to see the baby again since it will have been about three months since our last ultrasound.  We had so many early on, and hearing the heartbeat is fun but just not the same.  I can't wait to see how much our little peanut has grown! 

Symptoms: Still feeling good!

Week 18

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: A Bell Pepper (about 5.5 inches long and weighs 7 ounces)

Baby changes: He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. 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, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

His fingerprints are nearly complete, and his heart has formed completely so that you can see the heart's different structures on the ultrasound. Your baby's senses are rapidly maturing too. He has more taste buds than he needs. At long last he's able to use his ears. His inner ear bones and nerve endings from his ears to his brain have developed enough so that your baby might startle if he hears a loud noise. He can also sense sounds like your heartbeat and blood pumping through the umbilical cord. If there were light in your womb, he could detect that too.
Because your baby's visceral organs, such as his heart and liver, are growing fast, he's sitting straighter inside you to make room for them. He now has 200 bones, and they're continuing to harden; at birth he'll have about 300 bones, but some of those will fuse later, which is why the adult skeleton has only 206 bones in all.

Best Moment this week: My birthday weekend was nice - not too busy and fun. We picked out a crib, so that's an exciting step.

Gender: Still counting down to May 6th.

Movement: Still nothing.

Food Cravings: The same.

What I Miss: Clothes that fit, running.

Sleep: Clint surprised me with a funny pregnancy pillow that is supposed to help with sleeping on your side. I am getting used to it now, but I think it's going to be really comfortable as my tummy grows. Here's a pic, it's provided a lot of laughs in our house so far. I think Clint wants one for himself :)

What I am looking forward to: Spending the weekend in Galveston with the Pasche's, Easter service Sunday morning at church, and then Kathy's Easter party Sunday afternoon!

Symptoms: Still feeling good!

Week 17

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: A Turnip (about 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces). This turnip is kind of weird looking, some other sites say an onion if that is a better image for you.

Baby changes: 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. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Up until this week, her developmental milestones have centered on various organs and body systems beginning to function and then maturing. Now her body will start filling out by adding fat tissue. Her fat tissue will help regulate her temperature and also store energy she'll need now and once she's born.

Another side effect of adding bulk is that your unborn baby will look more and more like a newborn. Her cheeks will lose their wrinkled appearance and develop characteristic baby chubbiness. Her face is looking more babylike for other reasons, too. Her eyes are almost in their final position and they begin to move under her eyelids. On either side of her face, her ears are beginning to function and can detect sound. Her ability to hear will continue to improve as she grows.

Best Moment this week: The appointment on Wednesday went great. We heard a strong heartbeat again...every once in a while the sound would muffle a little and the nurse said that was because the baby was wiggling around. The doctor said that I'm progressing well and right on track.

This past weekend one of my best friends from high school got married, so I had a busy and fun weekend spending time with her and our other friends. It is so amazing for me to look at these girls who I've known for almost 15 years (crazy!) and see how much we have all changed and grown, but how we can all come back together and truly enjoy each others company.

Finally, we spent Sunday evening with Clint's family celebrating Quinn's 16th birthday! Wow, 16, seems like forever ago. It's so fun to watch him grow up and be a part of it, I can't wait for all of the years to come! All he wants is a car...some things never change :)

Gender: Not yet, appointment is scheduled for May 6th at 9 am.

Movement: Still nothing, but I do try to sit really still sometimes and check to make sure.

Food Cravings: Still the same.

What I Miss: Clothes that fit, running.

Sleep: So I've given up on this whole "only sleep on your side". I read an article that says its better and I should try, but that if I wake up on my back it's okay. If anything was wrong my body would let me know before it is actually having an effect on the baby, so not to worry so much about it. I'm sure all of you moms out there could have already told me that, but I guess we just have to learn somehow!

What I am looking forward to: Well, according to Clint, who had to remind me, it's my birthday this Friday! Funny how other things in your life just become more important as we get older. It should be a great day, and a fun weekend!

Symptoms: I still feel good, can't complain.

Week 16

Pregnancy Highlights for the Week

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Fruit/Veggie: An Avocado (about 4.5 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces)

Baby changes: 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.

Tiny bones forming in baby's ears means he can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

Best Moment this week: On Thursday it seemed like we were going to have a slow weekend, but by Friday afternoon we had decided to meet up with friends for dinner Friday night and then go to Round Top (again) on Saturday. Clint was sad about missing out the weekend before, so we made a day trip out of it, but came home with an empty car. We did eat some good BBQ and ice cream though!

Gender: Not yet, one month! There is this thing called the Chinese Gender Chart that is supposed to predict the gender...one of those things I tend to not believe in but is eerily right most of the time. We have been feeling like it's a boy, but the Chinese Gender Chart says girl, so I've been doubting myself. But this weekend we found out about someone who found out they are having the opposite of the chart! So all of you with boy votes, you may still be right!

Movement: Not yet, but they say starting this week it is possible...I most likely won't be able to feel anything until closer to 20 weeks, but I can always hope!

Food Cravings: Same as before, still wanting carbs. I'd really like for something crazy to kick in though, something I can make Clint go get for me in the middle of the night :)

What I Miss: I've started having the occasional longing for a beer...which is odd since I thought I would miss a glass of wine first. I think just because it's cold and refreshing, especially on a nice day.

Sleep: Getting a little less comfortable, mainly because I've hit the point where they say you shouldn't sleep on your back any longer and it's hard to stay on my side all night. I don't think the cats quite understand why I keep disturbing their sleep by flipping from side to side.

What I am looking forward to: I have an appointment on Wednesday which is always exciting. We should get to hear the heartbeat again and set up the big 20 week appointment. I'll let you guys know how it goes. And this weekend one of my best friends is getting married, so I'm excited about a fun filled weekend celebrating with her!

Symptoms: I still feel good. I did have my first case of finger swelling after being outside all day Saturday. We got in the car to go home and I couldn't get my Aggie ring off until I put my hand in front of the air vents for a while. Hopefully it wasn't a sign of things to come!