From the Peanut Gallery: Week 18- The Bell Pepper

To clear up any confusion, as the bell pepper is clearly not as large as last week's turnip- no, baby did not shrink this week.  Last week, he weighed as much as a turnip.  This week, he is the length of a bell pepper.  Sheesh.  Baby Center should really not try to confuse us preggos.  We're confused enough as it is.

Big news this week...WE HAVE MOVEMENT!

Last Monday night, as I was laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep, I felt something that didn't feel like my normal tummy rumblings.  I looked over at J with a smile on my face and told him I was pretty sure I had just felt the baby move.  This was the first time I didn't really wonder whether it was baby or gas (sorry if that's TMI, but such is life for a woman with child).

I went to sleep oh-so-happy.  The next day I waited, and waited, and waited to feel it again.  Nothing.  Zip.  Nada.  Bummer.

But I didn't get too discouraged.  Apparently it's completely normal to go several days in between feeling those first movements.  And several days it was.  I felt one more movement later in the week.  One measly movement. 

And then Friday hit.  As I sat at my desk that morning, going through my emails and starting the daily grind, I felt him again.  And again.  And again!!  These were not the movements that I had read about.  These did not feel like butterfly wings, or popcorn popping.  These were not flutters- no, these were kicks.

Oh, how joyous it was to sit there and feel my little man kicking away!

It was then that I realized what may have caused this sudden burst of movement...

As I was kinda dragging on Friday morning, I decided to have a cup of fully-leaded Starbucks coffee.  It tasted delicious (I don't think I realized just how much I'd missed coffee, as it was utterly disgusting to me in my first trimester...okay, well, almost everything was utterly disgusting to me in my first trimester)...and it really got me up and moving and ready to face the world.  Apparently, it also got little man up and moving!

I felt guilty at first...then I remembered that, per my doctor, some caffeine is totally okay.  Then I realized that I would be starting EVERY day off with a cup o' joe if it meant that I could feel the amazing bumpity-bumps going on in my belly.

Does this make me a bad mom already?  Maybe.  But that certainly has not stopped me from funneling said stimulant to baby every morning.  I think he likes it.  I take his kicks as his way of saying "Thanks for the morning pick-me-up, Mommy!"  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Here we are on Monday, a few short days later, and I feel movement several times a day.  I think now that I know what I'm looking for, it's easy to recognize his kicks.  J is JEALOUS...understandably so.  But with the strength of these kicks, I don't think it will be long before he can feel them from the outside and take part in this magic, too.  My heart can't wait for that day.

This week also brought us a trip to New Bern to visit with J's family.  Believe it or not, this is the first time we've seen them since I've gotten pregnant (again, blame it on the yucky first trimester).  It was fun to walk into their house belly first!

Grandma is just a little excited.  Here are a few of the baby goods we brought back with us.  She may have started shopping for this baby before he was even conceived.  (Seriously.  I'm not kidding.)  Like I said, a little excited.

How stinkin' cute are these???

It is SO fun to be hitting this stage of pregnancy, where things are really happening!  He's moving, Grandmas are shopping, baby registries are (mostly) taken care of, and plans for a baby shower are in the works!  I've got one lucky little man growing inside of me.

Speaking of growing, that's just what he's been doing this week.  His biggest job from this point on is...well, getting bigger!  He's not so much forming anymore as he is just growing.  Pretty amazing to think that in just 18 short weeks a whole human was formed, right?  This week, his skeleton is turning from soft cartilage into bone, and his joints are fully movable.  Both of these developments explain why I can now feel the kicks!

Can't wait to get another look at my little guy TOMORROW!  After this ultrasound, I can start shopping, too.  (I need to hear the word BOY twice before I can start buying blue...after tomorrow, it's on!)

Look for updated baby pics in next week's report!