We're officially halfway through our pregnancy at this point, can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were calling all of our friends and family to give them the good news that we were expecting you! This week has been pretty busy for you, after having your big ultrasound where we found out you were a little girl, and having a doctor's visit where we were told that you were doing GREAT. From here on out, we'll only see the doctor once a month, at least until the month before you're born (when we'll see her every week).
I also took my very first "taking care of baby" class last week! It was all about infant safety and CPR. I learned a LOT, and am now encouraging your daddy to take the class too. I was surprised to hear about all of the things that are marketed to parents that are really not safe for infants! I also learned the best way to introduce you to your furry canine brother and feline sister. I am really looking forward to the rest of the classes that your daddy and I will be taking this summer- we signed up for 16 of them, and they're about all kinds of things, including breastfeeding, childproofing your home, carseat safety, caring for your baby, and there's even a class just for new daddys. :)
One of the most exciting things that's happenned in the last week is that I can feel you kicking and punching my insides like crazy! Your daddy and I are convinced that you're going to be a world class soccer player. Unfortunately, your daddy can't feel you on the outside of my tummy yet, but he's been trying! Every night when we go to bed, he lays down next to me and wraps his arm around my tummy, hoping that he can feel you kicking (since this is when you seem to be most active). And sometimes during the day when I can feel you, he rushes over to try and feel it, but I think you're still a little too small to kick hard enough for him to feel you. I'm told, though, that in a week or two, we will not only be able to feel you from the outside, but we might just SEE your little kicks and punches poking out of my tummy. How weird (but exciting) that's going to be!
You've been doing a lot of growing in the last week too! You're now about 10 inches long (about the lengh of a big banana) and you weigh about 10 1/2 ounces. You're starting to swallow all the time, and even though you're just swallowing amniotic fluid (yuck!), it's good practice for after you're born. You can hear a lot of sounds now, and even though I can't see it, if there's a loud sound near me, you will instinctively put your hands up over your ears (wow). Your hair is growing, and you're even starting to get eyebrows now, and also- your fingernails are starting to grow! This is what you look like inside of my tummy right now:
(click image for larger photo)
(image from childbirthconnection.org)
My tummy is getting bigger and bigger every week (I'll post a picture soon), and my belly button is almost flat(ack!) because my growing uterus is moving farther up in my belly. I really look pregnant now- there's no mistaking it! From here on out, I will be gaining about a pound a week (yowza) which sounds easy, but that's a lot of extra food! I will admit, though, that it's awfully nice to be able to eat anything I want and not worry about gaining weight, because hey- it's for you!
Love,
Mama
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