18 Week Bumpdate

How far along:

18 weeks and 3 days

How big is the baby:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He’s busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you’ll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they’re still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he’s born. If you’re having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you’re having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. (via Baby Center)

Total weight gain:

At my last appointment I’d gained almost exactly six pounds.

Sleep:

I’m back and forth with sleep. Some days I sleep really, really deep and others I toss and turn all night long. I have to sleep with one pillow under my chest/stomach and one between my knees.

Maternity Clothes:

Yep.

Best moment of the last weeks:

Designed, ordered and received our Gender Reveal Party Invites! We scheduled our gender ultrasound and have the beginning stages of a gender reveal party underway. Feeling baby wiggle around a bit more, but s/he still isn’t kicking hard enough for the husband to feel. Not a big surprise there since I was almost 25 weeks before we really felt Noah move.

Food cravings:

• Mac & Cheese: I made my favorite Panera Bread Mac & Cheese the night before last and had to contain myself from eating the entire pot.
• Carbs: still loving bread, waffles, etc.
• Plain Chips & Ranch Dip: Had the husband venture to the commissary the other day just to pick up the stuff to make this for me. Love that man.

Food aversions:

• Meat: Gag.
• Really sweet smelling food: I like to eat sweet stuff. But if I catch a whiff of something that smells really sweet, it makes me gag.

Symptoms:

• Morning Sickness: Still battling this off and on. Some days I have no issues, but others I can’t seem to get it to go away. I’ve been taking B6 on the days that I wake up feeling nauseous (because I know that if I wake up with it, it’s not going to go away on its own) and it’s helping a lot. Dramamine still works, too, but I only take it before bed if I absolutely have to.
• Crazy, Weird Nightmares: I didn’t have these with Noah, but I’ve heard lots of people talk about pregnancy dreams. I’ve been having some nutcase dreams as of late. Most of them have been on the creepy side and a few times I’ve had to pry myself from sleep because the dream was freaking me out.
• Round Ligament Pain: I’ve started noticing this a bit more in the evenings, especially after I work all day and/or stand up for a while. Mostly on my right side, which is apparently unusual since it’s more common on the left.
• Nasal Congestion: I didn’t even realize this was a symptom until I read it in the What to Expect book the other day while we were perusing Walmart. Typically it’s only an issue in the mornings, but I’ve had a few days where I’ve had issues.
• Headaches: I had a terrible migraine the other day followed by a few days of slight headaches. I’m having to watch my computer time because the longer I’m online the more prone to a headache I am.

Gender:

Don’t know yet…What do you think? Make sure to get your guess in for a chance to win a gift card!

What I’m looking forward to:

Our Gender Reveal Party on July 14! And finally, finally being able to start buying baby clothes and bedding.

What I miss:

Eating. I mentioned this last week (and the week before), but I’m kind of annoyed with not wanting anything to eat. I almost wish I had strong cravings a few times a day so I would at least want something to eat. Not having any idea what I want to eat is annoying. And normal sleep patterns. So far it’s hit or miss with my sleep. Some days I sleep really deep and others I toss and turn all night. though I’m very aware that this is nothing compared to the nights of newborn-ness that await.

Next Appointment:

July 9!