I am continuing to feel great and am loving this second trimester! I am continuing to try to get lots of sleep, even though I don't feel like I need nearly as much as I did in the first trimester. I am finding myself needing to eat every hour or two. There are times (mostly in the morning) where I still feel tired and a little weak/faint. Even though most people can't tell there's a bump yet, I feel like it's loud and proud! After dinner, it's especially visible!
Although I could start feeling the baby kicking (which at the beginning is supposed to feel like gas bubbles), I haven't felt anything yet. I can't wait to start feeling him/her!!!
P.S. We find out the sex on December 9 and we're excited to share the news with everyone!
Here's what's happening with Munchkin during Week 18:
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.
Eighteen weeks into your pregnancy, or 16 weeks after conception, your baby's ears begin to stand out on the sides of his or her head. As the nerve endings from your baby's brain "hook up" to the ears, your baby may hear your heart beating, your stomach rumbling or blood moving through the umbilical cord. He or she may even be startled by loud noises.
At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner).And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!). In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready! 
Something you won't see on the ultrasound, but you'll know is in working order, is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, your baby's is growing more acute, making your little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means you could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that your baby has by now).
Oh, my aching back! If you've uttered those words more than once this week, here's why: Your uterus, now about the size of a cantaloupe, is causing your body's center of gravity to shift, pulling the lower back forward and pushing the abdomen out. On top of all that, joint-loosening pregnancy hormones are wreaking havoc on your muscles and ligaments, adding up to one big ouch! But while your pregnancy back pain has got you tied up in knots, your baby's getting ready to bust a move. At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, he now may be large enough for you to feel him twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching his way around the womb. Plus, he's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and his very own unique set of toe and fingerprints.
- Vernix (a white cheese-like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo (soft, lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs); both serving to protect your baby's skin during the months in water.
- Your placenta continues to grow and nourish the baby. Don't forget those prenatal vitamins!
- Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs. He'll be putting these lungs to good use in just a few months!
- Her vocal chords are formed. She goes through the motions of crying but without air she doesn't make a sound.
- Features of your baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.
- Your baby measures about 5.59 inches (14.2cm) this week and weighs about 6.7 ounces (190gm).
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