Week 16:
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.
Week 17:
Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.
Week 18:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
Week 19:
Baby's size: Large Heirloom Tomato; 8.5 ounces and measures 6 inches
Eating habits/cravings: No interesting cravings... I'm basically back to my normal eating habits from pre-pregnancy. I do loooove pickles!
Mood/Energy: Feeling a little tired but too bad. Things have been so busy lately so I'd probably be exhausted pregnant or not.
Things to look forward to: Our next appointment is Friday, February 11. I scheduled it for Friday b/c the Monday I normally would go, we will be in the Bahamas... that's definitely something we're looking forward to. :)
Major Development: Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.
So, we are 19 weeks today! It is truly amazing how time is flying now. This past week was a huge week for us in the Mitchell Household. I must say that Monday, January 17, was one of the best days of our lives... right up there with our wedding day. We had a sonogram and doctor's appt.... drum roll please...We are having a little GIRL!! We couldn't be more thrilled with this news. Neither of us cared if it were a boy or girl so it was a very, very exciting and emotional day!
We felt like we were meeting our baby for the first time. She looked so perfect already!10 fingers, 10 toes, everything was perfect! The doctor told us that she is perfectly healthy and developing right on pace. Thank You, LORD, for this blessing! They checked all of her organs... kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, etc and everything was right where it should be in development. I also felt her move right after our appointment... AMAZING. I haven't felt her much since then but I bet her activity level will be ramping up soon. I officially started shopping for her... it's been a lot of fun but I need to stop! She's going to have way too much stuff that she's going to grow out of so quickly. We also bought her crib a couple of weeks ago and picked out her dresser/changing table yesterday. We've picked out most of our fabric for the baby bedding also... pink, of course! With that being said, the nursery is underway.
We've also chosen a name!!! It's the name that I looove but it took a little bit longer to grow on Michael... needless to say, he came around. When he came home Wedensday from work, he told me that he really thought that should be her name!
Georgia Stephens Mitchell
George was my great grandmother's maiden name; Stephens was Michael's grandmother's maiden name.
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers so far! We feel truly blessed to have had such a wonderful pregnancy so far!
