Baby Sweet Potato - 18 Weeks Pregnant

Picture taken at Mariam's Bridal Session

(Wait until you see me in this dress September 12th when I am 26, almost 27 weeks pregnant!)

Eric and I had a GREAT past week. I can't remember if I wrote about us bumping into one of Eric's old friends a few weeks ago...so here is the long story short: A couple of weeks ago Eric and I were walking Caesar and saw a guy mowing his lawn 4 houses down from us. It ended up that it was one of Eric's buddies that he played soccer with for SEVERAL years, Roy. We talked for several minutes and found out that his wife, Heather, is also expecting (although she is 13-14 weeks ahead of me...she is due at the beginning of September).

So anyways, Eric, Roy, Heather, and I pretty much hung out all weekend. We get along so well that both Friday and Saturday night we hung out until almost 12:00 a.m. Neither of us have been up that late in months! It's so nice to have friends that live 4 doors down the street and are in the same boat and have the same likes as us. We both really enjoy hanging out with each other and will have babies about 3 months apart in age. They are having a little boy. She is due in 9 weeks so it's getting super exciting.

Well, exciting news for us...this past Tuesday, July 7, I felt the first kick of the baby. I honestly was not quite sure if it was gas (yes, you have lots of it...sorry...) or the baby, however, after feeling it a few times and realizing it was not coming from my intestines (they are now pushed up a lot higher and I can tell where they are now), I knew it was the baby. I did not feel a whole lot on Wednesday, but on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I felt the kicks quite a bit!

We find out on Thursday if the baby is a boy or girl! We can't wait...seriously this week is going to go by SOOOOO SLOW for both of us. (Especially now that I am done teaching for a couple of weeks.) If you want me to text or call you to tell you what we are having, send me an e-mail at mlrust1@yahoo.com so I know to add you to the list!

We picked up our baby furniture Saturday morning. We took the crib out of the box, but have not taken out the dresser (it is HUGE and SUPER HEAVY...so big we could not get the box in the house...so as of now it's in the garage waiting to be opened). I am sure I will get stir crazy this week and unload it. We will then have to put it together. We are waiting to put it together until after the room is painted. I am going to try to schedule it to be done this week or next...

Here is the info on the baby this week:

By 18 weeks pregnant your baby is now anywhere from 5 to approximately 6 inches long at 18 weeks and weighs a little over 5 ounces! In case you are wondering that is about the size of a small can of soup!

By pregnancy week 18 your baby's heart is developed enough to show some signs of defects. Ultrasound may be used to help detect any structural abnormalities that might exist. Most babies will be born without any congenital abnormalities. If an early ultrasound does detect something abnormal, you can plan ahead for any interventions or surgeries that may be necessary to support your newborn baby after birth. At pregnancy week 18 your baby is now starting to produce a protective covering along the nerves, called Myelin. This substance will be produced through the ninth month. By now your baby's genitals should be distinguishable, though you may not yet have the opportunity to view them at your health care practitioner's office. (Once again, we will find out Thursday if the baby cooperates. Eric and I both said that we will not leave until we know! HA HA!)

Around this time, your baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that your baby can hear now. Your baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as your heart beating, familiar voices (Eric talks to my belly every day now. Its so exciting! I just wish that he could feel it kick too. I am assuming this will happen in a few weeks.), blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. Your baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound.

You should be able to feel your uterus now just below your bellybutton. If you put your fingers sideways to measure, you can feel your uterus about two finger-widths below your bellybutton. You should definitely be showing a bit by now. Most women will have gained anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds at this point in time, though some will have gained less and some more. (I have gained about 7-8 pounds now and am showing a little bit still. Unless you know me, I don't think it is super obvious that I am pregnant yet.) Your uterus is the size of a small melon or cantelope by this point in time.