I've Made It To 17 Weeks!

I know, I know...2 blogs in one day - ridiculous! Oh well. :) Yesterday I began my 17th week of pregnancy. Here are some of the exciting things that are happening to little Amy or Jer Jr. during this week:

- 4.5-5 inches long (he/she would fit in the palm of my hands if I could hold him/her)
- Very mobile - moving joints around, making faces, sucking reflexes have kicked in
- Cartilage making up the skeleton is transforming into bone
- Fat layers are starting to come in (on the baby AND on me!)
- She/he is hearing things!
- I will be able to feel him/her at any time now!

The last 2 things have me the most excited! I will freely admit that I am now one of those women who rub their belly and talk to it. I want this sweet little thing inside of me to hear my voice and realize how much I already love him/her.

I've also begun to think about my tone of voice this week. There have been times where I have been frustrated and said something sharper than I intended to. I have this, almost panicky, desire to watch what I say and how I say it because this amazing little person can now hear me. I've also been telling people around me to watch their language! (It's not as if there has been an outpouring of bad language - I'm just more sensitive to it now...) It's been a funny classroom management tool all last week. Anytime one of my 6th graders said something that was less than nice or respectful I would say something like, "Be careful. Baby can hear you now!" Since my class is great, they would all laugh and then be more careful. I also had a funny experience today when I was at a friends house. My friend, her husband, and I were talking about something (I can't remember what though) and he said he was angry (only that wasn't the word). Without even thinking I said, "Don't say that! The baby can hear you!" We all laughed.

I am also tickled pink to think that I get to feel my child moving around at any time. Several friends who are mothers, as well as the nurse who works with my doctor, have all tried to describe the feeling. "Tickle across your stomach" or "Eyelashes winking against your stomach" or "Butterfly wings brushing your stomach" and so on. The funny thing (to me anyways) is that I think I've felt her/him but I'm not sure. There have been several times where I have psyched myself out - thinking I felt something. It's made me laugh because I keep thinking, "Was that her/him?....No, wait...that was it....Um, maybe that was it?" Today during regional conference though, I really think I felt the baby. Again, I'm not entirely sure but it's the closest to feeling confident that I felt the baby I have come to. If that last sentence doesn't make sense, just ignore it.

Last Thursday was our monthly doctor appointment. Our doctor was at the hospital delivering a baby so we didn't get to meet with her. I wasn't upset though because in February there might be someone who doesn't get to meet her due to my child being delivered. :) So, we meet with her nurse, Lou. Lou is this sweet older woman who sat and listened for 10-15 minutes to all of my first-time-mommy-to-be concerns with a little smile on her face. She answered every question I had and treated each question (ridiculous or not) knowing that I have no idea what is going on with my body this first time around the pregnancy block. At the end of my slightly-panicky questions, she leaned forward in her chair, tilted her glasses down so she could see me over the rims, just smiled and said something like, "You're a first time mom and everything will be great." It was such a relief to know that all of these wacky things I have been feeling (emotionally and physically) are normal! I'm not crazy! :) Thankfully, everything was blissfully normal at our appointment. What a relief and what an incredible blessing!

17 weeks

16 weeks

Our next appointment is Oct. 7th - the ultrasound! Jer will be finding out what we are havig. I am going to waith until my birthday (Oct. 12th) and Jer will be giving me presents that tell me what we're going to have. I think that the best birthday present will be finding out what I am having. (That is - if I can wait that extra 5 days!)