Week 16: Our baby is an avocado!

Thanks to one of my coworkers, Sarah, who is due the day after me for bringing to my attention that I was calculating the weeks incorrectly. Today (Thursday) actually begins our 16th week! Last week our baby was an orange and this week the baby is an avocado!
This is the first week that I have felt good every single day. Now, I'm not saying that I feel perfect or that some mornings aren't a little difficult, but I'm definitely over the hump! Couldn't be more thrilled!

I also went shopping for maternity clothes for the first time this week with my mom. It's actually pretty fun, although finding pants for my body type is proving to be very difficult. When you do find a good pair (thank you mom) they look really great and feel like you're wearing sweat pants! Here's the information below about our little munchkin:


Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.
The top of your uterus is about halfway between your pubic bone and your navel, and the round ligaments that support it are thickening and stretching as it grows. You're probably feeling a whole lot better as you settle into pregnancy, too. Less nausea, fewer mood swings, and "glowing" skin contribute to an overall sense of well-being.
Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently.Your baby now gets the hiccups, but since they have fluid instead of air in the trachea they don’t make any sound. They also like to play, by pulling and tugging and squeezing on the umbilical cord.The baby’s legs are beginning to grow longer than the arms now and the movement of all of the baby’s limbs is becoming more coordinated. The eyes have reached their final destination on the head and are no longer on the sides of the face. The baby is urinating about every 40-45 minutes and Meconium – the first stool the baby produces is beginning to collect in the bowels.More-developed facial muscles may lead to various expressions, such as squinting and frowning.

• Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.
• Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?
• Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
• His head and neck are held straighter now.
• This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.
• Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heart rate.
• If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!
• Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.