18 weeks!

Well we are between 17 and 18 weeks this week. Almost halfway! YAYA :)

The pram and car chair arrived nice and neatly in boxes yesterday. I was hopping around like an excited Kelsey, and ripped open those boxes before the Fedex guy was out the door. I spent 15 minutes assembling the pram, got tired and went to have a snack. The pram is now half assembled and I don't know how to attach the car chair either. At least I have several months to figure it out!

Otherwise I'm starting to think about a babyshower - I have several (and mean mulptiple) friends having babies around the same time so I'm starting the think of dates early, really don't want to intrude on someone elses special baby day. Rather I don't want them to intrude on mine ;)

So time is going much too quickly - yesterday another stranger noticed I am pregnant and she showed me some prenatal vitamins she bought. I felt like we were in some conspiracy together. That was kind of sweet. Maybe I'll catch onto this womanhood/mankind-togetherness-thing eventually. Still not joining the yummy mummy club though.

Justin and I went shopping at Baby City on Sunday, "just to see" you know. We were very disciplined and only bought a little timing gadget that tells you when you last fed/what side you fed from/changed a nappy etc. Judiet swears by it, and it comes in green. So I had to have one.

Next two big-gish purchases are cloth diapers... Yar yar I don't want to hear it. And the baby monitor - we're hoping there's some magical technology that gets invented in the next 4 months that will include a breathing mat, humidity controller, sound/listening device AND a camera. We can only hope.

I'm loving the names we have chosen and I'm even happier that we are not spreading them around, my friend's are having a hard time from their families because of names they're considering. Ours aren't considered, they're chosen - so we're not letting anything change our minds!

90% of friends and family reckon this baby is a girl - I too feel like "it's" a girl. Justin is now broadening his mind to the fact that it might be a boy OR girl. Well it's got to be one of the two ;) Didn't Julius say?

18 Weeks Pregnant

What You're Thinking

"Either I have an ongoing case of indigestion or there might actually be something moving around my gut!"

Your Body
At about 18 weeks, you might begin to feel a suspicious flutter in your belly. The professionals call it "quickening," we call it "baby's makin' waves!" Within the next few weeks, those tiny bubbly feelings will become more obvious. And soon enough they'll be unmistakably identifiable—especially when you (and anyone within 10 feet of you) can see tiny feet, elbows and knees moving across your belly.

Gas pains are a way of life now, so it's common to mistake fetal movement for a little indigestion. If you don't start feeling your baby's flutter kick right away at 18 weeks, don't worry. Quickening happens at different times for different people. If you notice a distinct lack of fetal movement after feeling your baby move for several days, contact your health-care provider.

If you're feeling hungry these days, indulge (in moderation) . It's especially important to load up on carbs right now to fuel both your and your baby's energy needs. So hold off on the Atkins diet for another 22 weeks or so.

Your Baby
Your baby's ears are now facing forward and are completely formed so she can actually hear you talking now. You don't need to abandon your potty mouth just yet, but you might want to start thinking about it! Other highlights this week:

This week is also the beginning of ossification. And while that sounds like some long and involved paperwork you'll have to fill out, it's really a fancy medical term for the hardening of your baby's miniature bones. And that's a good thing.

Your baby's nerves are making more and more complex connections. Her sense of smell, taste, sight and hearing are all developing. A substance called myelin, which makes nerve connections travel faster, is now coating your baby's nerves.

Your baby now weighs between 5 and 7 ounces and is about 5½ inches long—about the size of a pickle from the corner deli. (You're familiar with pickles, right? Your regular accompaniment to a big bowl of ice cream?)