21 Weeks

Well, no doubt I'm pregnant now based on the size of this belly! Also, no doubt I need to get a new haircut and stop wearing the same wet style every morning. And, it goes without saying that a pale complexion with a white door as a backdrop and red lips is a definite DO NOT REPEAT! I feel like I belong in a portrait of the Adam's Family. Ha!

Today is most definitely the last day these white pants will be worn until post-pregnancy/baby weight loss. Let's just say if I had a pair of white maternity pants, they definitely would have been the better option today.

What else is new this week? Today I'm surviving on less than 5 hours of sleep courtesy of my hubby who couldn't sleep himself and when he got up to go downstairs around 3am (even though he really was quiet), it woke me up and I couldn't fall back asleep until an hour before my alarm went off. So, we'll see how long I last today.

Last night I felt our little girl move from the outside for the first time! It was so neat, and I tried to get hubby's hand in time, but she stopped moving by the time I grabbed him. Hopefully she'll start doing that more frequently so he can join in on all these fun somersaults I'm experiencing.

I've been cleaning my catch-all junk craft room this week in preparation for starting in on converting it to a nursery when we return in two weeks from visiting family and working on our house. I have a million ideas of what I want to do, but it will all come down to which costs the least buckaroos if you know what I mean. Where I'm going to store all my junk craft stuff is TBD, but I'm anxious to convert it to something special for our little girl.

Lastly, here is what the little one is up to this week:

At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight (we were told she was 11 ounces at our ultrasound last Friday), your baby is about the size of a large banana.

By 21 weeks pregnant, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as he or she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later? Eat yours now!

Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault (so that's what you were feeling last night!).

With all that belly dancing going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day! (Now if only you could get some sleep!)