15 Weeks Preggers! Belly Pics!

Our growing baby now measures about 4 to 4 1/2  inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She/He's busy moving amniotic fluid through her/his nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her/his lungs begin to develop. Her/his legs are growing longer than her/his arms now, and she/he can move all of her/his joints and limbs. Although her/his eyelids are still fused shut, she/he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she/he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for our baby to taste at this point, but she/he is forming taste buds. She/he may be sucking her/his thumb and her/his little ears are continuing to develop externally, looking more like normal ears.  

15 weeks, photo taken by Shaylee

Finally, if I have an ultrasound this week, we may be able to find out whether our baby's a boy or a girl! Fortunately our next doctor's appointment and ultrasound is next week, so there maybe a chance we can find out early (although the rest of the family has to wait until June 19th for the big reveal!) Nailing down our baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on our baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods." Hopefully Baby K cooperates!

The second trimester truly is the "honeymoon phase"- as I feel pretty great! The queasiness is becoming more and more rare although with the summer heat, I find that being in it for too long can bring on the nausea all over again, and although I love to sleep, I don't feel the NEED to have to sleep quite as often or as much. Waking up in the mornings is becoming less and less difficult. Cravings seem a thing of the past...there really isn't too much that I crave consistently. It varies day to day, so I don't think that even counts. As far as my body goes, I am unmistakably pregnant! I can definitely feel my uterus; its a hard ball about 3 to 4 inches below my bellybutton. Bending over is becoming increasingly more difficult! One big milestone for me is that I must learn to sleep on my side,preferably my left, which allows for proper circulation from the aorta and the inferior vena cava that run down the back of my abdomen, which is the transports vital blood to my baby.... which is my normal sleeping position so this isn't really a problem. It just figures that I usually find myself wanting to lay on my stomach, now that I can't!

My sippy cup, LOL, filled with ice cold milk