16 Weeks

Once again, time is going so fast I'm having a hard time keeping up! In many ways, I love it because it means each day is another day closer to meeting our little miracle. But at the same time, each day is another day closer to when our little miracle will BE HERE, and that's really overwhelming! So much to get done in such a short amount of time!

This week has been pretty non-eventful, other than the common stretching pains that seem worse this time than with Jackson. Mainly my right side has been KILLING me. But I can feel the top of my uterus just below my belly button now, so things are definitely stretching and moving in there! Plus, anytime I listen to the baby with the doppler now, I find the heartbeat WAY up high now, so goes to show that it's no longer in my pelvis anymore.

I haven't been feeling the baby move as much as last week, but I've read that's totally normal. I'm sure it completely depends on the position the baby is in. It's hard to believe that in about THREE weeks, we'll be finding out if this is a boy or girl! Of course, Eric and I are thoroughly convinced it's another boy, which we'll be just as thrilled with! I do LOVE the thought of Jackson having a little brother to roughhouse with and teach all of his tricks to. ;) So we're in a win-win situation because we'll be so happy with either! But it's just hard to believe that we're already almost to this point.... it feels like YESTERDAY when I was telling myself that we have about 10 WEEKS until the big ultrasound. Now it's only a few weeks away.... crazy!

Fun facts about Little Turkey this week:

The Sixteenth Week:

• Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.
• Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?
• Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
• His head and neck are held straighter now.
• This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.
• Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heart rate.
• If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!
• Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.