Week 18--BIG news! As in.. BIG belly!

Oh my god, this is going by so quickly!!! Week 18?!

The Baby:

*5.5 inches long = size of a bell pepper (or a lobster tail)
*Weighs about 7 ounces
*Myelin now forming around the nerves
*If it’s a girl, the uterus and fallopian tubes are in place!
*If it’s a boy, the genitals are noticeable now!
*Skin is still thin and transparent so the “vernix caseosa” has developed – a greasy, cheese-like substance that insulates the baby from the amniotic fluid and makes the baby slippery for delivery! Ha!
*Eyes are light sensitive and ears can hear sound – baby may jump at loud noises… I can’t wait to feel that!

The Mom:

*Hunger: I’m definitely hungry more often, but still can’t handle “large” meals and some foods still make me nauseous. It’s still difficult to find something to eat.

*Sleeping: it is now uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach It feels like I’m wearing a fanny-pack (did that reference just age me?). I am also supposed to avoid sleeping on my back, but I always wake up in this position.

*Blood pressure: might be lower than normal right now so avoid standing up too quickly to prevent dizziness (I haven’t noticed this yet)

*Aparently I should be registering for a childbirth class already (as they fill up quickly)! Better start looking around Rockford Iguess..

*Aches and pains: YES. I feel cramps in my right leg when I try to sleep and my lower back aches. I have lower back issues anyway (and have thrown my back out like an 80-year-old woman numerous times) so have been worried about how pregnancy will affect that! I’ve been getting the pain twinges, warning of a thrown back, so I’m being careful. It’ll be fine, but it will make packing this week and moving next weekend a little tough.

*The belly! I have been waiting all week for this post because I feel like my belly just came out of nowhere. On Moday I wore my jean capris to work, unbuttoned with my bella band, and they were killing me!! No more pants!! On Tuesday when I put on a t-shirt for work, you could easily see the bump. Plus, it has been feeling extremely tight and stretched out this week, including itchy skin. Kind of exciting!

I will be so happy when my job is over (the 22^nd of July!) and I don’t have to hide the belly anymore. Bring on the maternity clothes! The sudden bump growth came just in time for my beach trip to FL in 12 days, haha.

*Stetch marks: I woke up this morning and took my weekly belly picture and thought I saw stretch marks on my side. Nope, just wrinkle marks from sleeping with a blanket. Whew! Still mark-free.

*Cravings: chicken-flavored ramen noodles. With minced onion. That’s it. That is all I want. So far I’ve had it 5 days in a row and we’re all out so I’m stopping at the store on the way home from work to make sure the streak doesn’t end. Why can’t I crave… steak or chinese food or chicken fingers.. something GOOD?!

*Weight: The digital scale at work has gone up by 1 pound. Let’s celebrate!!!!

*Increase saliva: Yes. Not so much during everyday activities, but I’ve been drooling in my sleep

*Fatigue: Much better than the first trimester. Just as of this past week, however, I notice I move slower and have a harder time getting up, rolling over in bed, bending over, etc. — probably also due to the lower back pain though.

We have barely started packing for the move next weekend.. it’s just so overwhelming! And everything needs to be sorted by what goes into storage and what we need to live for the next few months. Guess that’s what we’ll spend this weekend doing!

In a baby giveaway contest I won a $25 stuffed animal from Janiexy! So cute!

And I found a website (www​.babysteals​.com) that posts a new baby/maternity item EVERY day at 50 – 80% off. As soon as it sells out, it’s gone. This could be extremely dangerous, haha. So far I’ve bought Baby Legs (and probably would have bought more things, had I known the sex of the baby… soooon!)

4 more days of work. 8 days till we move. 11 days till the ultrasound. 12 days till my trip to Florida.