18 Weeks

Wrapping up 18 weeks of pregnancy and things are going great! I'm feeling really good, getting some energy back and getting very excited about the baby. We are going to be halfway done in 2 weeks and I cannot believe it! It seems crazy to be almost halfway done with the pregnancy. I'm still getting really itchy skin but that could also be due to the cold and dry winter weather we are having. The Eucerin lotion is still working so that's a huge help! The headaches aren't too bad or too often so that's great too. One weird thing that has started this past week was round ligament pain. The other day, I started having some stomach pains, not like cramping but just like an occasional sharp pain. It was worrying Steve and me so I called the nurses line and they said it was probably round ligament pain and should go away in a few days. Apparently this is a term for the pain you experience from the stretching of your uterus. Gross, right? But it really wasn't that bad and only lasted a few days. I'm glad to know what the heck was going on!

All the books and websites say that about this time, your appetite picks up and boy, are they right! I have to have at least 2 snack times during the day and usually one after dinner to keep the grumbling in my tummy down to a low growl. In the "What to Expect" book they also cite several studies that show that its better to eat frequently throughout the day to keep a steady amount of nutrients available all day for the baby's little brain to develop. I'm more than happy to oblige! ha ha!

The baby is continuing to grow like crazy, he is about 5 1/2 inches long, weighs about 7 oz and is the size of a bell pepper! That's pretty big. He's started really flexing his arms and legs and although I haven't felt it yet, I know I will soon. The baby's nerves are developing a protective cover of myelin around them this week. Our baby boy is looking something like this:


This week Steve and I have been having a lot of fun thinking about the baby. We narrowed our name list down to 5 so that is huge progress! We have been talking a lot about our top names and I think we will decide soon. I am actually turning out to be the indecisive one (although, not too surprising, ha ha). We have also been talking about what we are going to do to the baby's room. I can't wait to get in there and start preparing the little guy's room! It is going to be great! I'll be sure to post lots of pictures!

Exciting Moment of the Week: It was pretty exciting and nerve-wracking when Steve and I were narrowing down our name lists. We both made a list of names we liked, then we switched lists and crossed off the one's we didn't like from each other's list. That left us with a few and from there we narrowed it down to the top 5 we could agree on. It is very exciting to have made some progress in that area and be thinking about what the possible final name could be.

What I am Missing this Week: This week I got out all the Christmas decorations and it was more difficult because I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy. That is getting annoying! Since our storage is downstairs, I have to wait for Steve to come home to get anything done. He is so sweet though and very helpful. Its just annoying not being able to do things for yourself!

Symptoms this Week: Nothing too horrible this week, just the itchiness and round ligament pain but that is mostly gone now.

Obsessions this Week: We are starting to plan the baby's room and it is so fun! We are thinking now about buying/making some artwork for the walls as well as ocean themed bedding and curtains. We were thinking painting sea creatures directly on the walls might be overkill. Plus we couldn't find any affordable decals that we liked. So we'll see!

Message to our Baby: Baby, we are so excited to meet you. We almost have your name picked out and we hope you like it! We are getting your room ready for you and we hope you love it!!