18 weeks [more like, pretty much 19]

18 weeks 3 days.  yes, i was sleepy.

the close ups always seem to make it look like it really feels.

inanimate comparison:  the size of a deli pickle or bell pepper.

maternity clothes?:  pants and leggings, yes...thanks to old navy.  i do have one pair of khakis and one pair of jeans that i can do the rubber band trick with.  tops are hit and miss.  i love the long maternity tops.

cravings:  i get dinner cravings.  for example, i saw baked beans and then had to have them.  i saw someone eating boiled cabbage [wtf?] and had to have that.  but the other day i noticed that, in my lunch, i had packed a piece of my strawberry cake, a strawberry poptart and a strawberry cereal bar.  i'm seeing a trend.

aversions: not many.

emotions:  over the moon.  easily teary.

fatigue:  up and down.  i'm pretty sleepy after work, but i try to move some how.  nighttime is touch and go because when i wake up to go potty, sometimes i stay up :(

symptoms: large ta-tas.  some lower back pain and, what i just learned is, sciatic nerve pain [i thought i had kidney stones....ya, nope].

weight gain:  7-9 lbs.  things have fluctuated. 

what i miss:  lately...nothing.  :)

fears/concerns:  that we will be those parents naming our child as we sign the birth certificate.  and maybe i'm nuts but i think my belly button has begun a slow progression outward.  very slow.  but it appears shallower?  a little concerned about that belly ring scar.  yoikes! 

highlight of the week:  by far, yesterday's ultrasound and sharing it with family.  excited for another in 4 weeks!!!  another highlight...jake feeling tiny movements too [if and when he's patient].

...

there really are no words.  no introduction for this.

seeing m&m on the big screen was surreal.  

and it was amazing to see the movement i was feeling.

so without further adeau........

baby menz.  ahhh!

this brings a whole new meaning to the term "profile pic".  how amazing!  it's interesting, because my niece has a similar profile...a more pronounced upper lip than lower lip.

 

 

 

profile with leg in pic.  what a precious little femur bone.

well, if it's a girl...she's a lady.  m&m had its legs crossed at the ankle the whole time.  feet!

pretty sure this is a pic of the face.  maybe?

head on the right..then chest (see the chambers of the heart) and elbow to hand up by the head.

head on right.  arm up again by head.  see fingers in fist?

ok.  this one looks oddly alien-like.  like that's some sort of "greetings" hand sign.  adorable, still.

spinal cord up top and then the head is scrunched down on the right.  sort of a forward roll position.

other info of note:

i am technically 18 weeks, 3 days.

today, i measured 19 weeks, 2 days.

little one is measuring long.

and is spunky on screen.

all looks healthy!!!

10 fingers, 10 toes.

9 oz.

i'm swiftly gaining weight.  :)

i do, in fact, have a posterior placenta.

this allows me to feel every little movement!

and, no, we didn't sneak a peak.

at one point...i asked the sonographer if she knew.

she said "uh huh!"

i looked at jake, like....."ehh?"

and he said, "no way".

that was tricky.

but, now, i'm over it and excited for the s u r p r i s e.

nothing can ruin today.

...

boy.or.girl?

tomorrow is the big ultrasound.  the one when we could find out.
and while i don't necessarily want to...i think it will be really hard while we're there.  so close.
jake isn't budging.

so i thought it would be fun to go through the ol' wives tales out there and see what this m&m might be...according to...old wives.

1.  how you carry baby.  they say carrying high means girl and low means boy.  i've been told that i appear to be carrying low.  i feel like it's low...compared to some coworkers [who, are having boys...so who knows].  so, chalk this one up for boy, i suppose.

2.  sympathy weight.  this one is new to me, but it says that if your husband gains weight with you...girl.  and if not...boy.  welp...mr. menz has put on a few el bees (lbs.)  so, girl.

3.  heart rate.  although my doctor said there is absolutely no truth to this...they say that a heart rate over 140...means it's a girl.  m&m had a heart rate of 156 bpm at 14 weeks.  girl.

4.  cravings.  if you crave sweet, they predict girl.  salty or sour...boy.  i can't really pinpoint one or the other here, cause i do crave both.  so...it's a tossup for this one.

5.  the ol chinese gender predictor.  it asks for your age at conception and your month of conception.  what i just learned from reading this is that my month of conception is actually september, although i know when we conceived...october.  that is because it goes from the month of your last period.  so according to this one...boy.

6.  drano?  i didn't do this, but i had to share because it is o f f the w a l l.  pee in a cup.  mix in drano.  if it turns green = girl.  blue = boy.  who came up with this?

7.  even and odd.  legend has it that the Mayans determined a baby's sex by looking at the mother's age at conception and the year of conception. if both are even or odd, it's a girl. if one's even and one's odd, it's a boy.  27 and 2011.  girl.

8.  the key to the mystery.  a friend put a car key in front of me and had me pick it up.  she then said that if i picked it up by the narrow part, it would be a girl.  and if i picked it up by the rounded part, it would be a boy.  i grabbed the rounded end.  chalk it up to boy.

9.  stealing beauty.  they say girls steal their mother's beauty.  if you have been breaking out a lot, it means girl.  actually, i don't think my skin has looked better.  so, boy?

10.  ring on a string.  hang a ring on a string over your belly.  if it swings in a circle, boy.  back and forth, a girl.  mine went back and forth.  girl.

11.  queasy does it.  sicker than a dog...a girl.  not too bad, they say boy.  i only actually vomited twice.  as far as morning sickness goes, i'd say i had it pretty good.  boy.

so there ya go.  i'd say, according to the old wives, it's a ..... boy.  but, barely.  girl, 5.  boy, 6.

many have asked if i have a "feeling".  and the answer is no.  i lean more towards girl only because everyone and their brother...literally everyone i know...is having or had a boy.  [that is, except for my friend abbey over at life treasured who had enough girls for us all].  so the odds tell me girl.  maybe seeing m&m tomorrow will make me have a better "feeling".  and i certainly don't care either way.  i seriously just want the healthiest little munchkin ever. 

and, yes, i am late on my 18 week belly pick.  it will be up tomorrow.  :)  and i will share photos from the big ultrasound too.

prayers for good health tomorrow and eased nerves.


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