Week 16 and Gettin' a Round Belly!

Oh my, my- we have to watch our language, now! We have been waiting for this day for weeks. Our baby can hear mommy and daddy's voices! I do feel bad for both the baby and Josh that they will have to listen to me sing all the nursery rhymes now, but at least the baby won't know any better.

Tiny bones in Baby's ears are in place this week, making it likely that the he or she can hear our voice when we're speaking (or singing in the shower). In fact, studies have found that babies who are sung to while they're in the womb recognize the same tune when it's sung to them after they are born.

And Baby's busily boning up in other ways. For one, the backbone (along with the back muscles) is stronger now — strong enough, in fact, to enable our baby to work on straightening his or her head and neck even more. Baby's crown-to-rump measurement is between four and five inches in length, and weight is hovering around three ounces.

This little one's a looker — with a face that has both eyebrows and eyelashes — but a skinny looker since there's no baby fat yet. And here's the skinny on baby skin: It's practically translucent now, so if I took a peek inside my uterus, I'd be able to see our baby's blood vessels under that thin skin. Weird! Beautiful I am sure (in a miracle sort of way), but weird!

Our latest appointment with Dr. Ryder was great! She was busy delivering two babies so we had to wait a while to be seen. But our patience paid off and since we were the last patients...we got to play with the ultrasound machine! (We were "patient patients" hahaha! Whooo-wee I crack myself up!) We were not scheduled for one this time, but she told us she would do it for the fun of it! And it was sooo fun...we got to see a perfectly formed left hand with five tiny fingers. It was waving all over the place. We saw a very Darth Vader-esque face with big black eyes and a scary nose and mouth. But the profile was so sweet...and the baby is starting to get enough tissue to actually see the little nose and lips (VERY faintly, mind you, but it's there).

So next time would have been the "BIG ultrasound" where they can try to see if it is a boy or a girl. We are sticking with wanting to be surprised! I just can't imagine it any other way than finding out after hours of labor. It seems like we're cheating if we find out before hand. I never was a cheater!

I am surprised at my little baby bump that is appearing, and I am starting to feel affection for the little round belly I see. And it makes my legs look skinnier. I've moved into maternity clothing, although there is a pair of "before" jeans I can still wear, and I am much more comfortable! It was a hard move, though, knowing that I had to do it because I was getting BIG. Heavens knows no woman wants to move up in clothing size. Mom was great and helped ease me in with a Mother-Daughter shopping trip last weekend. We had a great time!

I could go on and on but until next time, much love to all! Have a great week!