19 weeks (and 2 days) + NEWS!

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.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. 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. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

19 weeks! Things continue to go well, I'm a little more tired in the past week but I am chalking that up to my kids having a tummy bug and being up at weird hours. Belly is definitely growing. I'll post my next belly shot next week at 20 weeks! I'm feeling Sprout more and more, and sometimes on the outside.

We had the ultrasound today. It always seems strange to see this mini human inside of me, knowing the baby is that big already. Sure, I have a belly, but it just hits me all over again - that thing is inside of me. No offense to the poor child, it just always hits around this time of pregnancy - haha.

So, the guys went and I am so thankful that the ultrasound technician let them both in. With my first surrogacy, only one person was allowed in with me during the measurements, which sort of bummed us all out. This time the tech had no issue with both of the guys in there, so we all went back and got too it. I should say that I was naughty, I drank some Mt. Dew before the appointment to make sure Sprout would be awake. I couldn't finish it. In fact, I arrived at the office and parked my car and was like, "Why do I feel like this?" and then I realized I was shaking from the Mt. Dew! Yuck. I felt so off for awhile, just really ill and bleah.

Well, the Dew worked, baby was awake. The tech was great and actually got the measurements she needed pretty quickly. Baby showed the goods pretty easily and Sprout is a BOY! I honestly didn't know either way, I was going back and forth for weeks, so I chalked it up to me just not knowing. I wasn't surprised to see that Sprout is a boy though, because chances were high that it'd be a boy.

So, the daddies are happy, though they would have been either way, of course. I'm still continuing to refer to this baby as Sprout, even though they have a name for him. I just can't quite grasp that I already know the gender of this babe, since it seems so early still! (And it's not!)

18 Weeks! (And a few days..)

So sorry for the late post this week, but things have been busy! I've been planning our vacation for spring break, hubby and I have been spring cleaning (a bit early, but hey!), the kids now have a three day weekend, yadda yadda!

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. 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.

So, things have been busy as I said. I'm feeling great, though a bit bummed. My placenta was anterior a few weeks back when my OB did a quick ultrasound. This means that I feel very little in the way of movement. :( The placenta is like a cushion, and anterior means it's sitting up front, so baby is towards my back. So any movements the baby is making, the placenta basically absorbs that movement before I have the ability to feel it myself. Dang it! Oh well, hopefully the bugger moves eventually and I'll begin feeling baby more. :)

I did the needle test today. See here. I was skeptical of the movement of the needle in the video on that page. I just kept thinking the lady must be moving it, even if she didn't realize it herself. So, I tried it and boy was I wrong! :O It was amazing how much that needle moved. If you hadn't seen my hand/arm, you would have assumed I was jerking my hand back and forth. The needle was moving a good 6" both ways. And yep, it went side to side or in a line, which means BOY! We'll see! I'm honestly still unsure of gender, but I lean towards boy now, though I think that's because I know the chances of a boy are greater for us.

I took my boys with me to a thrift shop this week to look around. I keep checking the maternity sections of thrift shops, but they've been a bust each and every time so far.. UNTIL THIS WEEK! I found a pair of new with tags Motherhood Maternity jeans for $6.99 (these things go for $40 regular!). I was thrilled, and they fit a bit snug on my uh, behind, but overall they feel great. The belly panel stays up, so I don't have to wear my belly band to hold up my pants. Love!

When picking my kids up from school one day this week, one of the teacher's aides pointed toward my belly and said, "AGAIN?!" We laughed, but as I told her, this is addicting! Helping couples is so very much addicting, plus I get to be pregnant, which is amazing. This will be my last one, unless my IFs want a sibling, but that's another topic for another day (and not tomorrow or even next month!). LOL.

And with that, I am going to refill my water bottle and be lazy for the evening.

17 Weeks!

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. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Well, not much to update. I am still feeling good! I've been playing classical music for Sprout here and there. It's actually fun to do that, because he or she kicks my left side when I play the music. So sweet.

I've been having strong cravings for salads, chips and dip (hummus, ranch, etc.). Yum! I am aching for BBQ season, when hubby will be out BBQing and cooking up cheeseburgers, grilling chicken, and making teriyaki skewers. Mmmmm. I'm also ready for the local market downtown to open, as they have some fantastic teriyaki there. It opens in March, so soon enough I'll be able to fulfill that craving. Nothing beats the teriyaki there! I've been going a little nuts on Pinterest with "pinning" recipes to try (some of which I have now!). There are so many good ideas there, so many yummy looking foods to try!

Speaking of Pinterest, slight off topic from the pregnancy but.. the dishwashing detergent and laundry detergent? Both are working so well! I am so pleased with how well it's working for us, and I don't the chemical scent on our clothes now. It makes me happy to know there's less crap on our dishes and in our clothes as far as chemicals and whatever else is leftover after the rinse cycles!

I've just been busy with Pinterest (it's important!) and then figuring out our spring break plans. We want to hit the beach sometime soon-ish, and I figure spring break will be a good time to go. It may be raining, but meh, we'll deal. I actually like going to the beach and it being rainy sometimes, it's nice. :)

Off to eat. My tummy calls!