18 Weeks (Where did this belly come from?)

This was the week of the quickly expanding belly! Granted, I'm slightly bloated in the above picture because my wedding ring went on fine this morning, but can't get it off now for the life of me and my scale says I gained 2.5 lbs overnight which I know did not really happen. Oh well...it's nice to finally have an official "baby bump". And, hopefully when I go to the dr. this afternoon I won't hear any complaints about my lack of weight gain. Ha! The picture is a little blurry, but still good to have on record.

Here's what the little one is up to this week according to What to Expect When You're Expecting:

At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner).

And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready!

Something you won't see on the ultrasound, but you'll know is in working order, is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, your baby's is growing more acute, making your little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means you could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that your baby has by now).

Thankfully the back pain has disappeared and besides having swollen ankles at the end of a day and still being pretty tired come 9:30pm, I am feeling great. I have felt small movements from the baby (feels like fish swimming around in there) which is really neat. Can't wait until hubby can feel them from the outside. Hopefully today the little turkey will cooperate and we'll get a good picture of the profile (haven't been able to see that yet). Don't forget to vote on whether it's a boy or girl. So far girl is winning! :)