18 weeks

The last week or two has been a rollercoaster! It is still hard controlling my emotions. And my appetite. It has also been exciting, because I have definitely been feeling baby move around some, but not enough to have anyone else feel from the outside. Still, it's kind of a warm fuzzy feeling I get every time I feel the movements- like a reminder that our little munchkin is doing its own thing in there. Plus I went to another appointment, which went fine, and we scheduled the ultrasound for October 1st- a week before I thought he would schedule it! : ) I will be 20w5d at that point, so it will be a perfect time to see our baby in live action. That is the part I am most excited about- that and determining if it will be a boy or a girl.... I am waiting until I can call our baby by name- Sean William, or Katherine/Kathryn Marie (Kate). At least that's what we have so far. Stay tuned for updates if we change our mind.

Here is the weekly updates- again, combined info from babycenter.com and thebump.com.

Head to rump, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces (the size of a bell pepper, or a sweet potato!) and is moving around a lot now- flexing arms and legs, yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. Blood vessels are visible through the thin skin, and ears are in their final position. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around the nerves, a process that continues for a year after birth. If baby is a girl, the uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may be shy and hide them during an ultrasound. Baby can also hear what is going on outside the womb now, so it is a good time to break out the tunes- hint, play music that resembles your own thumping heart (about 60 bpm).

That's all I have for today. Until next week!