16 Weeks

It's a Girl!

What is the baby doing...

At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, she is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks she will go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. The lower limbs are much more developed now and the head is more erect than it has been. The eyes have moved towards the front of the head and the her ears are close to their final position too. Some of the more advanced body systems are working, including the circulatory system and urinary tract. The heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating the total blood volume through the body many times. The patterning of the scalp has begun, though the hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, the eyes are moving (slowly) and toenails are even started to grow.

How is the Mommy doing...

I am so excited that John and I decided to find out what the baby is and so excited about being a mom to a little girl. I am also pretty surprised as I was sure it was a boy. However we are both really excited and relieved to see that she is growing just like she is supposed to. The current weight is right on track at around 5 ounces (give or take) and the kidneys, stomach, bladder and heart are all working like they should be. Her heartbeat was 149 which is normal. All of my blood work came back normal which means no signs of a genetic disorder or Down Syndrome as far as they can tell. She was a little diva today, actually spitting something out, hiding her face and then dramatically putting her hand on her forehead at the end to show how hard she was working (I am not sure where this side comes from). Today was a great today and the best news of all is that we have a healthy baby!

I am feeling pretty good and have actually been able to sleep more the past couple nights due to the purchase of a wonderful pregnancy pillow. A pregnancy pillow is essentially a luxury body pillow with padding in all of the right places. I am still tossing a little bit but nothing like the past week. This past weekend my sister (Ashley) was in town attending several career fairs at local school districts and it was so nice to catch up with her! I also went to a friend's baby shower and loved seeing all of the cute baby gear and also seeing two cute babies who were attendance. We also bought a dresser for our bedroom which will allow me to kick some of John's clothes out of the closet leaving more room for me. Also, praise this week that work on my parents house has finally started! I am so excited that they will be 0.7 miles away!

Please pray for us as we now start working on a baby girl name. We have a pretty strong contender that John really likes but I am not 100% with yet. Also, continue to pray over us and some financial decisions that we are making in the next coming months to prepare for our little girl!

• Next Doctor's Appointment: Friday, April 11 for my monthly check up
• Total Weight Gain: Still 7 pounds (I think I was a little off last week)
  

How is the Daddy doing...

John is very excited about having another little princess in the house! Well, John was looking for a new project to take on and now he is in the process of fixing his computer. With multiple trips to Fry's for parts I think that we have everything we need to get it up and running. We will be tackling some yard work this upcoming week and the work that he has already done is looking really nice. Our lawn is coming in nice and green!

Ultrasound Pictures...

16 Week Ultrasound Pictures