Week 17

Dear Sweet Pea,

I am now 16 weeks along and really starting to look the part! I was lucky enough to get some great pregnancy-friendly clothes for Christmas, but I'll probably have to buy a few more things along the way. Your Dad and I spent Christmas with my parents this year, and both you and I were definitely fed well over the four days we were away!

This week you are about 4.5 inches long and 100g. Supposedly you'll go through a big growth spurt over the next few weeks. Right now you are positioned right in between my pubic bone and navel. Your small body is almost at the correct proportions (legs are longer than arms, and your head is no longer 50% of your size)!

You are moving around a lot and I can feel the little tapping and popping sensations quite frequently.

The newest photo makes me look like I have a little bowling ball in there!

Week 16

Dear Sweet Pea,

Today I am 15 weeks along and feeling pretty good in the second trimester. While the nausea and exhaustion are luckily gone, new symptoms have replaced them! I am now experiencing the joys of insomnia, heartburn, and back pain! I am continuing to feel your movements as small bubble-popping sensations, though they're not really consistent yet.

You are growing rapidly, reaching 11cm long and 80g this week! The joints in your arms and legs are formed, and you can even make a few expressions with your face. You are strong enough to hold your head up, and there's enough calcium in your bones to see on an x-ray. You even have your own unique fingerprints!

Baby Pool

Dear Sweet Pea,

A fun thing that some parents do while they're still expecting is create a baby pool. These can be set up online, and usually involve family and friends paying a certain amount of money to submit a guess on baby's gender, date/time of birth, weight, and length. Once baby is born, a winner would be determined, and that person would get a portion of the money raised, while the rest goes to the new parents. We have set up one that doesn't involve any money so its all just for fun and bragging rights! It's interesting for us to see whether people will think you'll be a boy or a girl, and whether you'll be early, on time, or late! So far we've had guesses submitted from Daddy's side, and most people think you'll be a boy, and arrive late (no surprise there)! My family hasn't officially submitted any guesses yet, but most of them have told me that you're going to be a girl! After you're born, we'll input your birth stats into the pool, and a winner will be named!

Week 15

Dear Sweet Pea,

I am now 14 weeks along and my belly is popping out! I haven't had anyone just outright ask if I'm pregnant, but I'm sure people are wondering by now! I am feeling so much better (no more nausea)! Some nights I seem to sleep lighter than usual, because I will often wake up when Daddy gets up for work, then it can take me an hour or two to fall back asleep. My energy is coming back and I'm not napping during the day anymore. My appetite is returning too, and I think I'm finally starting to gain some weight!

You are about 10cm long this week and weigh about 50g (about the size of a lemon). Your bones are starting to harden, and your hair is starting to grow. You are moving more and more all the time, and you might even be sucking your thumb by now!

And now for the latest belly picture...

Week 14

Dear Sweet Pea,

Today I'm 13 weeks along, and you've been developing for 11 weeks already! This week you will grow to be 8-9cm long and will weigh about 25g. You're being completely nourished by the placenta, and your intestines are making their way from the umbilical cord into your abdomen. Your facial features continue to develop, and your head is more in proportion to the rest of your body. You are covered in a protective layer of hair called lanugo, which will be shed before birth and replaced by your fine, light coloured baby hair. Your genitals are now distinct enough that they could be recognized on an ultrasound; unfortunately we have to wait over a month more for that appointment!

So far I'm feeling good in the "honeymoon trimester"; nausea is rare now and slowly but surely, I seem to be getting some energy back. This is good because I need to start exercising again! Because my job is so physical though, I often come home with a very sore back, and as I get bigger, this will probably get worse!
The other day I was poking around in my belly and I could very easily feel the top of my uterus. It feels very firm, sort of like a speed bump. This discovery means I will really start showing anytime now!

On a somewhat unrelated note, my sister (your Auntie Erin) got engaged last week! Marc is her wonderful fiance and they live in Australia, where Marc is from. They will likely get married there, so that means you will get to take a big trip very early on in your life. It will also be mine and Daddy's first time visiting her there, so we'll all get to experience it together. I am putting in my request now: please be good on the very long trip over there!

The Sweetest Sound Ever

Dear Sweet Pea,

Success! This afternoon we saw one of our midwives, Leah, again and she was able to find your heartbeat right away! We heard it two separate times but you kept moving out of the way! At one point we even heard you kick the doppler. Trying to play hide and seek, are you? Anyway your heartrate was a healthy and strong 160bpm. Daddy caught it all on video, which we will upload and share with family this evening. Each new milestone is making this pregnancy seem more and more real!

2nd Midwife Appointment

Dear Sweet Pea,

This morning Daddy and I went for our second midwife appointment, and we met Leah who is second in our team of three midwives. The appointment was pretty straightforward and uneventful really! Leah listened to my heart and lungs and took my blood pressure, and everything sounded fine :) We talked about how I had been feeling, and she briefly discussed the next ultrasound at 18-21 weeks. Since we're hoping to find out your gender, we will likely go a little towards the end of that timeframe in the hopes that your gender will be more obvious. So around the end of January is probably when we'll go.
We were also really looking forward to hearing your heartbeat on the doppler, but were given fair warning that it might still be a little early, as 12 weeks is usually the earliest it can be heard. Leah tried for about 10 minutes while Daddy patiently recorded a video, but you were stubborn and she couldn't find it! Leah said you did kick or punch the doppler wand at one point, but then you were gone. She offered to have us come back next week for a mini-appointment to try again, as oftentimes just a few days can make the difference between being able to hear it, and not. So please cooporate because Daddy is taking more time off work so he can come!

Week 13

Dear Sweet Pea,

Today I am 12 weeks along and officially in the second trimester! While I am still feeling tired, most of my other early pregnancy symptoms are subsiding. I'm not as nauseous and my appetite is slowly increasing which is great, because its time for me to start putting on some weight! I don't feel as bloated so I feel like the little belly that's developing is more baby than bloat!

This week you will grow to about the size of a peach; around 7cm long, and 14-20g. Your arms are now long enough that you can reach your thumb to your mouth, although the sucking reflex hasn't developed yet. You are getting all your nutritional and oxygen needs from the placenta now. All the major components of your body are now in place, its just a matter of maturation and growth.

Below is a current belly pic. I'm definitely starting to see the difference from two weeks prior.