14 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: Fourteen weeks!

Size of baby: Baby M is about 3 1/2 inches, or about the size of a lemon.

Movement: So there is definitely something there.  It is nothing consistent, or very strong, but in the mornings before I get up, I can feel a tiny something.  :)

Heartbeat: 155 bpm

 Fetal Development:

“Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.  Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches —about the size of a lemon— and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.” -babycenter.com

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I gained 2 pounds!!  Yippee!  Total = -4.

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing some maternity jeans and shorts and some regular (some with the BellaBand and some without).  A few of my regular tops are still fitting, but most have been packed away.  All of my maternity tops are still too big, so don't judge me if I am wearing the same shirt every time you see me ;)  I am also wearing a lot of dresses.

Gender: We are not going to find out! I am so excited about this!  Although this is going to make for a long pregnancy, I get more excited about this every day.

Gut feeling:  I really feel in my heart that it is a boy.  I can't really explain it.  Funny though, when I dream, I dream about girls.  Same thing happened when we were expecting Gannon.

Sunday night, I dreamed we went to the hospital to have our sweet baby.  When it was born, the doctor happily reported, "It's a girl!"  I immediately looked at Bryan to see if he was okay, and he was beaming.  We had an 8 pound 12 ounce beautiful little girl with a head full of dark hair!

So...does that mean we are going to have a tiny little bald-headed boy??  Ha!

Breaking out the Old Wives Tales: 

• The infamous Chinese Birth Chart!  Well, this was accurate for Gannon and everyone I knew between him and Austyn.  It said Austyn should have been a boy and since it only claims to be 94% accurate, I was convinced that it was going to miss for me...well, it did!  This time, it says we should be expecting a .....
• I tied my wedding ring to one of my hairs and held it over my belly.  It swung in circles, which is supposed to predict a boy.
• The hair on my legs is growing MUCH faster then normal, which predicts a boy.
• The broken Vein: There is also a theory that if you pull your lower eyelids down and see a V-shaped broken blood vessel in your left eye, expect a girl.  If it is in your right eye, expect a boy.
True story:  I stumbled upon this tale in Motherhood (clothing store) when I was pregnant for Gannon.  I immediately had my friend check my eye, and sure enough, there was the V, in my right eye!  After I had Gannon, we checked again, but the V was gone.  Naturally, when I found out I was pregnant a second time, I checked my eyes...There was the V again!  Only this time, it was in my left eye; weird.  Of course, I had to try this one again, and sure enough, there is a V in my LEFT EYE!  This tale predicts we will welcome a girl! 

Sleep: I am actually still sleeping pretty well.  I think the only reason I wasn't before was because I was so nauseated all the time.

What I miss:  Nothing, really.  The morning sickness is dying down, my energy is returning, and I am still sleeping well.  Besides a beer or glass of wine here and there, everything is pretty much the same.

Cravings: So, while I still love pickles, I am not craving them anymore.  I don't really have any specific cravings this time.  I just want what I want when I want it.  Sometimes it is a Popsicle, some times it is carrots and celery, and sometimes it is french fries.  This Peanut is not as specific as Gannon and Austyn were.  He wanted steaks, and she wanted chocolate chip cookies.  Every day!  I guess this one is just so happy to finally be getting food, that it isn't picky!

Aversions: Still nothing specific. I guess maybe I am in the clear?  I probably just jinxed myself!

Symptoms: I still can't eat breakfast, because I am too sick in the morning.  But it is pretty much limited to the mornings, now!  Yay!