Baby Update: 18 Weeks

How far along? 18 Weeks

Baby Size: About 5.5" long (head to rump) and 7 ounces. About the size of a bell pepper 

Have you started to show?: The baby bump is definitely getting more noticeable. But I still feel like a bit of a fraud wearing maternity clothes.

  Total weight gain: About 7 pounds. I have been keeping track of it with a pregnancy weight gain chart, and it looks like I am on track, but I'm seeing numbers I've never seen before!

Maternity clothes? I finally went shopping at a maternity store last week and bought 4 tops (including this pink one). I also ordered another long maternity skirt from ebay. It feels nice to have clothes that fit

Stretch Marks? Not yet!

Sleep: I would more call it napping between bathroom breaks.

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby move for the first time!

Miss Anything? Not this week

Movement: I woke up last Saturday to a THUMP! that could only be baby kicking. It was a shock, because I thought I'd feel more subtle movements first. Since then, baby has been thumping and kicking up a storm. It's been so amazing and my husband has even been able to feel it.

My movement has had to change, as I've been getting sore hips from my ligaments stretching. I've replaced all my other workouts with swimming laps at the pool

Food cravings: Anything salty. I've been thinking a lot about Baked Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream chips.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, and the heartburn has died down too
Gender Prediction: We will find out when the baby comes. I think it's a boy, my husband thinks it's a girl.

Symptoms: sore hips, and I'm hungry all the time

Mood: Excited! We registered for our baby showers, and are now beginning to work on the room. We also cleared out some space in our living room for baby stuff.

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound in a few weeks. We were originally not sure if we would do one, but we decided to go ahead with it since we will be doing a home birth and don't want too many surprises.

Other updates:

13 weeks

, 16 weeks