Week 16

I suppose I should post week 16 of pregnancy before I'm 17 weeks. This week has been different because our family was in New Orleans visiting for spring break. We had such a great time eating at our favorite restaurants, going to see the gators, and enjoying the fun things New Orleans has to offer that we don't always take advantage of living here.

Baby C is the about as long as a pencil and as plump as an avocado this week. That's pretty big! He/she is pretty much doubling (if not more) in size every few weeks at this point, which is just insane to me. The baby's heart is now pumping over 25 quarts of blood a day, he/she has started growing toenails, and the patterning of its hairline is starting to show.
We have an appointment this coming Wednesday and then our big ultrasound (where we will hopefully find out if we'll be blessed with a boy or a girl) the next Wednesday. Andrew and I are both very excited about, and anxiously waiting for the 28th to be here. We were killing some time looking around at Old Navy yesterday and Andrew kept picking up tiny adorable baby dresses saying "this is precious" or "aw". I told him that he keeps saying he wants a boy, but I really think he wants a girl. He's still feeling like it's a boy, but I know he would be a great daddy to a baby girl too. She is going to be SPOILED if it is a girl...he likes to spoil the women he loves.
Either way we are going to be so ecstatic to finally know a little more about the one that will be changing our lives in a few short months.

A huge milestone for this week is that I'm really feeling the baby move now. Up until now it has been indiscriminate flutters occasionally in the mornings. Now I feel what I can only describe as almost a vibration feeling in my lower left abdomen a few times a day, mostly when I am laying or sitting down. I've put my hand on my belly above where I've felt the movement, but it's not to the point of being able to be felt on the outside quite yet. I can't describe how amazing it is to feel our baby move for the first times. Every time it happens I'm overjoyed with the fact that my baby is growing, flourishing, and enjoying it's safe little home inside my belly.

We didn't take an official belly photo this week, and I figured since I am one day away from 17 weeks, and Andrew is out doing groomsman stuff for his friend's wedding, we just wouldn't take a picture this week. Then I started thinking what if our baby comes to me and says "what did I look like at 16 weeks in utero?"I would have no way to show them. So, I took a reflection picture using my iphone in our dusty mirror in our messy closet while wearing sweatpants that are now a little too snug, and a shirt from college.

It will do.