17 Weeks

Yesterday I hit the 17 week mark. No longer am I concerned about not gaining enough weight, now I’m concerned with my belly seeming to double in size over night and the scale reflecting this change. My appetite is really no larger than it was before I was pregnant and I’m eating healthier for the most part too, so hopefully the scale increase is all baby related and not maternal fat storage.

I’m still fitting in my regular clothes for the most part, although even my “big” pants are starting to need a button left undone.

At the beginning I was confident I was carrying a girl (probably because I desperately want a girl), but lately I’m starting to think it’s a boy (which I will be perfectly happy with too). So, we’ll take a little vote. Do you think I’m having a boy or a girl? To vote, see the box in the left column. We’ll find out around the 4th of July so the voting will be open until then.

This morning hubby informed me that I now have “square bum syndrome” and that I lost my waist over the past couple days. He’s such a great encourager isn’t he?! He’s lucky he’s cute or there’s no way he’d get away with this stuff (even though I completely agree with him)! Good thing I know he’s always liked teasing me about things like this just to “get my goat” so why should I expect anything different now?

According to this site, here’s what the little one is up to this week:

How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces  — the size of your open hand. Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy.  By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy).

Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby. Your baby's eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed.  And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.

And here's some proof that your baby is truly one of a kind. Within the next week or so, the pads on your baby's fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases (aka fingerprints).

P.S. Check out picknik.com…I just read about this FREE photo editing site and I love it! I used it to fiddle around with this week’s photo.