Eighteen Weeks

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.See what your baby looks like this week.
Welcome to month five! I’m officially five months pregnant. The pregnancy calendar doesn’t work like a typical calendar – I can’t even explain it, but at week 18 I’m in my fifth month.

Frank and I are still settling in that we are having a little Oscar as Nana Susan likes to say. Boys are fun, boys are energetic, boys break things… but all in all, we are ecstatic! Sharing the news at work was fun. Right when I announced we were expecting a little boy, all my friends immediately told me why boys were so much better than girls:

“Boys love their mommies” “Boys are so much easier to raise.”

And of course the negatives with raising girls:

“Girls are so much more emotional, once they hit 11/12, watch out!” “You don’t have enough closet space for a girl”

I’m sure if we said we were having a girl – the complete opposite would have happened. They would have shared all the great things about raising girls. It’s just fun to see people’s reactions.

I am feeling much better. I still puke almost every morning, but I just do it and get it out of the way. I have more energy and now realize how awful I felt before, knowing how good I feel now! I will definitely put this new found energy to good use. We have lots to do – get the nursery ready, clean out the garage (just something that has to get done!) and pick out furniture.

My appetite has returned and I find myself drawn into almost every commercial on TV for the newest food or snack. I haven’t had Frank on any craving runs yet, but I have a feeling it’s coming.

We made the appointment for the second level ultrasound to check out the baby’s heart. It’s scheduled for November 10. We aren’t worried about finding anything wrong, but of course we’ll be relieved when we get a clean bill of health. We’re just glad we get to see our little guy again!

Full speed ahead! Lots to do and feeling great!