18 Weeks and Soccer Bound!

Yesterday we hit 18 weeks. It really shocks me sometimes that we are this far...yet so far away. It's half-way through August but many days I feel the chill of a November day to my core. I'm grateful that days between doctor's visits draaaaaaaaggggggg because they force me to take advantage of the time I have with this sweet little boy I'm growing--days I know I'll never get back and will cherish always. I'm also grateful that the calendar seems to just turn pages at astronomical speed because it brings me closer and closer to a day I've prayed for my entire life: a day I'll hold my precious child.

So, time, I won't complain about you anymore...there are pluses and minuses (as in everything) to your speed and your lagging so I'll try to appreciate and make the most of them.

Luke is doing fabulously!! He is such a mover!! He was flipping, wiggling, waving his hands frantically...just moving, moving, moving! He still was constantly trying to get that little thumb or fist in his mouth and he is certainly looking like one heck of a soccer player. As usual, when trying to get his heartrate with the doppler, he kept moving around so much, it was hard but we eventually got it and it was just lovely at 146. We went ahead and did the anatomy scan yesterday and all systems looked wonderful. Two kidneys, one stomach, on bladder, 3-vessel cord with great flow, super smart-looking brain, 10 perfect fingers and toes, sweet little button nose, daddy's little mouth, 4 perfect-looking chambers in his heart...everything. Everything looked just perfect. Dr. Sweeney told me he could cut me loose that day and he felt extremely confident that all would be amazing with this baby.

Of course that's not happening, but it was nice to hear that Luke is doing just great. My placenta has moved from previa back to low-lying and he's confident that it will only get better because of how high the attachment at the top of my uterus was. Seriously, I do not know how they can make all that stuff out, but so glad that they can! John is getting pretty good at finding stuff...I'll randomly hear, "There's the humerus. There's a kidney." and it's John and he's right. I'm waiting to hear, "There are the alveoli in his lungs," from John and then I'll really be impressed.

It was just a great appointment. I love that place. I brought homemade peach pie (although I was aggravated with the crust because my recipe was for a 9" crust and my pie plates are 9.5" and left me with less than the appearance I wanted to have) and admit that I was up late the night before. Peach pies are a lot of work but SO worth it! I figured I owed them since the Oreo brownie bars from last visit were not my best work!

Definitely feeling Luke more and more and love it. He likes his food (he's measuring right on target at 18w1d and 8 oz., which is a hair over the average and I love that!) and thankfully my appetite is picking up a bit more. Not much, but a bit and that's helped with weight some. I picked up about a pound and am now averaging about 100-101 each night. I looked back in my journal of Matthew and on day 89 of his pregnancy, I was 101.8. On day 90 with Luke, I was 101.8!!! Granted I started a little lower with Matthew than I did with Luke, so overall, my weight increase with Luke has been 0-1 pounds, but I just thought it was neat that with both of my boys I weighed exactly the same at almost exactly the same point in the pregnancy!

Of course, I'm not looking to swell up like a tick and put on 50 pounds again!

No stretch marks still...none with Matthew, so curious as to whether I'll pick any up. Definitely in maternity clothes and picked up a few things last week and feel like I probably won't need too many more to finish the pregnancy out. Matthew and Luke are basically 6 weeks apart in their year difference, so really I just needed to add a few warmer weather things in for November and December and a little after and should be fine.

I've got lots of energy these days, which is good because I keep tackling really ginormous projects. This weekend was the 2-day marathon garage clean-out and I also detailed my car. If you knew what the garage looked like before, and how dirty, dirty, DIRTY black carpeting in a car can get (as well as what a can of Ginger Ale does to your leather seats when it explodes as you are driving), those accomplishments would seem bigger!

Just coasting along...getting ready for Nanci to come up next week and for us to attend Women of Faith together. I am super, super, super excited about that, though I know it is going to be a very emotional time, especially with Steven Curtis and Marybeth Chapman as speakers. Thankful for the support I know I'll have in Nanci!

Here are a few pics from this week:

Mommy's Little Luke!

The bump is getting bigger!

Precious, precious profile!!

"Oh, the paparazzi!!!" (Definitely a taste of his mommy's dramatic flair!)

I think he's going to look a lot like daddy!

Tired of pictures, but look at that sweet ear!

Ahh...the flexibility!

Here's what's going on with Lukey-Luke's growth:

Week Eighteen: Baby begins to hear
You are 18 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 16 weeks) The fetus is now 6 inches long and weighs 7 ounces. The fetus measures about 15cm and weighs almost 200 grams. They can hear sounds and may be startled by loud noises. Recognizable active and rest periods. The skin is building a protective wax layer (vernix). Vernix (a white cheese like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo, a soft lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs, both help to protect your baby's skin during the months in water. 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. Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs and the vocal chords are formed. Baby goes through the motions of crying but without air doesn't make a sound; yet. Your baby may have the same awake and sleep patterns of a newborn. Baby will have a favorite position for sleep and recognizable active and rest periods. Your baby measures about 6 inches (15cm) crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces (200gm).