16 Weeks and Growing!

Our little sweet pea is approximately 4 1/2 inches from crown-to-rump this week.  He or she weighs 3 1/2 ounces, about the size of an avocado.  Lanugo (fine hair) now covers baby’s head and hair patterning has started on the scalp, though hair is not recognizable yet.  Nails are well-formed on the fingers and toes.  Legs are longer than arms and both the arms and legs are moving.  Beginning at this point and moving forward, we should start to feel baby moving, though I hear some first-time moms don’t feel anything until 20 weeks.  I’ve been focusing very hard, trying to feel any movement - sitting, laying, standing.  I think I’ve felt some flutters a few times, though it's hard to tell with pulsating blood vessels and a slower GI tract in there.  When baby and I get better at this, I’m sure I’ll realize the feeling has been there for a while.

I’m growing too!  I’ve noticed my waistbands are uncomfortably tight and I have to walk around unbuttoned.  I've got a Be Band that I use regularly now.  Despite what I think is an obvious change, I still get asked if I realize that I’m shopping the maternity section.  I just found a few pregnancy clothes online that I’m looking forward to getting in the mail, especially the running shorts from Athleta.  I’m feeling a little swollen in my running shorts and fitted tops - it’ll be nice to be able to hide the extra and not feel the pressure on my belly when I’m out running the lake trails.
News Flash: David has been running with me!  I am so excited about this! 

Week 16 is also another turning point - no more lying flat on my back while resting or sleeping or exercising.  This position can put extra pressure on the aorta and inferior vena cava, reducing blood flow to the baby.  I’ve been aware of this and practicing side-sleeping for several weeks now.  Even with an extra pillow, I wake up to David telling me to turn over.  It is a weird feeling once I realize I'm doing it.  Kind of like I'm breathing shallow breaths and it panics me when I realize I've been sleeping that way for who knows how long.  Because of this, I’m considering one of the insanely over-priced pregnancy pillows I’ve seen online which promise to keep you comfortable in the side-lying position.  I hate to spend that money on a stinking pillow though.  However, many of them now come in a shape that can be used for nursing once the baby is born, which to me makes the price a bit more bearable.  Being my mother’s daughter, I’m sure I can find some discounts or coupons or something to help.  My mom just shared with me that she bought my baby crib using green stamps - something I have never heard of, but apparently was a point system back in the 70s and 80s for rental cars and hotels in order to earn rewards.  You had to paste the stamps on the postage card and mail it in to redeem your points for a bike...or a crib, for instance.  Kind of like modern-day credit card rewards, which fortunately keep track of themselves.

This was actually taken in week 17, so we bought an extra large avocado!

Week 16 - Side belly shot

In other news, the 2011 Girls Weekend is booked and organized.  I just need to find my airfare.  Girls Weekend is a get-together with my favorite girls from my alma mater - St. Norbert College.  There are nine of us total and we've been doing this since 2003.  Now that we live in different parts of the country, the locales get more interesting.  This year is a Fall Wine Tasting weekend in the Shenandoah Valley.  It will be beautiful!  And no, I won't be tasting.  My girls are lucky that they will have a dedicated designed driver at their disposal.  I've just been reminded that I'll be 34 weeks at that point.  Keeping my fingers crossed that baby and I stay healthy enough to travel.  I haven't missed one yet!