18 weeks: The Sweet Potato

It's a boy! Oh boy!
We found out on Monday that we will be having a son. I was 100% convinced this whole time I was having a girl. So for a day, I was a little sad that I wouldn't be dressing my daughter up in tutus and bows. But then I saw this outfit:

And I realized that our lives are perfect for a little boy. He is going to worship Alex and follow him around with his own little toolbox. Alex will have a little helper and shop buddy. I can picture Alex wearing him in a baby carrier while he does work with his dingo and excavators. And this boy will learn so much from Alex.

17 weeks: The Orange (or baked potato)

It's so weird to have something living inside me! I can feel little bubbles right where the baby is. S/he is most active after I've eaten. The baby is now 5.12 inches long and weighs almost 5 ounces. Fat is beginning to form and its veins that have been showing through are becoming less obvious. Even though s/he has had taste buds for quite some time, it is only now that different flavor are made. S/he is now the same size as the placenta. The meconium (the baby's first bowel movement) is now forming in the baby's bowel. S/he is big enough to fit in the palm on my hand.
I can't wait till Monday's ultrasound. Stay tuned!

Boy or Girl?

Exactly a week from today, we will find out if we are having a son or a daughter. (Hopefully, if the baby isn't shy or sleeping). I've read to drink apple juice 30 minutes before the appointment to wake the baby up so s/he becomes more active and more likely to display the goods! The ultrasound will also be 4D, so the quality will be the best we could possibly receive.

So I want to take this week to prepare myself mentally for the possibility of a son or a daughter. I think the reason I "prefer" a girl, is because....I am a girl! I've been a little girl. There is still that child inside me. So I feel like I would know more about what I am doing if I was to raise a daughter. I can understand and relate to a girl.
I know nothing about little boys. I've never been a little boy. I was a total girly girl as a child (my little ponys, anything pink or purple, dolls and playing house, you name it), so I don't have the added confidence to raise a boy had I been a tomboy myself.

But I realized today that the point is, we are having a child. And regardless of gender, this little boy or girl will be totally different than any other child I've ever met. We'll soon be greeting a wonderful little soul into this world.

Alex said he would prefer a girl too, but I think it's because he REMEMBERS being a boy (maybe more specifically a teenage boy, and that scares him!) He would also like to raise a handy girl capable of woodworking and building. But Alex is so into nature, machines, and tools. I think he would have more fun raising a boy who would most likely share those same interests. They say gender based toys and ideas are forced upon children, but I don't agree. I think you could TRY to dissuade a girl from playing with dolls or a boy from playing with cars as hard as you could, and they would still gravitate towards those items. It's genetic DNA. That's not to say that a little boy might not enjoy playing with dolls (my brother played house with me all the time and had several boy baby dolls that he loved) or a little girl might not enjoy playing with legos. But I'm sure if you peeked into the play rooms of a little girl vs a little boy, you would find the majority of toys would be gender based. Alex wouldn't relate very much to a pretty pink princess surrounded by dolls. But he would make it his goal to introduce his hobbies and interests to her life.

And what about those sayings "Mama's boy and Daddy's Girl". It would be equally rewarding to raise a wonderful little gentleman or a lovely little lady. And we are so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity.

So next week Monday, we will see what our future entails!

16 weeks: The avocado

Although I don't think that fruit size pertains to the Hawaiian Avocados, which are a good 6 pounds and the size of my head!

Yesterday I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move for the first time! They say it's a sensation like bubbles or flutters. A few days ago I thought maybe it was just digestion. But yesterday it was a very different sensation than digestion! More like a flutter of bubbly activity!

New development for baby: The opposable thumb is now working and can grab hold of things. Bone growth is spiking, yet many of the bones are not yet connected to one another. The umbilical cord is now firmly attached to the baby's abdomen. The baby is able to move its eyes, even with the lids fused together. The baby is as long as a pencil. Its heart is now pumping approx 25 quarts of blood every day. And the baby can now hear outside noises (like 50 hours of piano playing a week perhaps?)

15 Weeks: The Pear

Somehow I missed last week. Week 13 was the Kiwi. Week 14 was the Peach. And week 15 is the Pear. Latest craving: Grape juice! Still can't get enough cheese and fruit. My stomach officially popped and now everybody can tell I'm pregnant. This week's fetal changes: ossification (bone hardening) begins. The baby is blinking, swallowing, yawning, and batting eyelashes that are now present. The baby may even be smiling! 

13 weeks: The Peach

We are moving up into some much bigger fruit now! Amazing that something as small as an orange seed just a few weeks ago is now the size of a peach!! Baby is almost 3 inches long. The head is 1/3 the size of the body (used to be half the size!) This week: forming vocal cords and teeth. Has tiny fingerprints. And the intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to the tummy.
I announced my pregnancy to my students this week via e-mail and everyone is very excited. I said I would be planning to teach up until the birth (end of March) and take maternity leave from the end of March to the end of June/July. When school starts (late August) I will most likely teach from 2-6pm Monday-Friday (fitting 40 private students) when Alex can be home typing from morning inspections. I may have students go every other week (fitting 80 private students) so that I don't have to drop anyone. Of course, this is all way down the line. But I like to try to be organized!

Cravings

Cravings so far have consisted of peanut butter by the spoonful, watermelon, pineapple, and cheese.
I have signed up for a Centering class that meets once a month (more towards the end of the pregnancy) where I can meet other women due in March. Our first meeting is Sept 24th. And now that I am in my second trimester (going on week 13) I have officially announced my pregnancy to my students. I will announce on facebook at week 20. (well, maybe before! It's hard to keep it in!)