16 Weeks!

I am already 4 months pregnant! WOW! The weather here in Memphis has been beautiful, and I have been enjoying getting outside and running with baby Craig. My doctor told me it was okay to continue running throughout my pregnancy and even encouraged it as long as I wear my heart rate monitor and do not get my heart rate up too high. I LOVE IT! She did ban me from my bicycle, which has been a major bummer as I love to race around the neighborhood this time of year. Anyway, I am sure you are all really wondering about the progress of Baby Craig. We had our 4 month visit last week, and the doctor told us the results of all of our lab work came back great! She has required me to do an extra test as a baseline in case my hypertension becomes a problem in the third trimester. So far my blood pressure has been amazing (even better than it was on medicine), the doctor said this often happens during the first two trimesters and is a result of changes the body makes during pregnancy.


Week 16
Development has reached a unique milestone, as the baby and the placenta are now roughly the same size. Every day, the baby is looking more like an adorable newborn, with fat deposits building up under the skin, and the neck and head straightening more, also the eyes and ears have moved into their final position. The eyes can perceive light although the eyelids remain sealed shut. The heart pumps 25 quarts of blood per day, which may sound like a lot until you consider that by week 40, that number will rise to 1900 quarts a day! Baby's heart rate is twice yours. The activity level continues to increase as baby may be contending with hiccups, and is breathing underwater. The baby is now around 3 ounces, perhaps up to 3 ounces, and is 4 to 5 inches in length.


Jason and I are traveling to Oklahoma City to have a 4D ultrasound done tomorrow! This is a 30 minute session in which they record on DVD all the activity and movement that it is going on in there! I am so excited! We really wanted to our families to be there to see B.C. before its born, and are so excited that it has worked out for everyone to be there. Not only will we get to see all the activity that is going on in there and get amazing picture of B.C. we will also get to find out if B.C. is a girl or a boy! It is fun to hear all the old wives tales about gender prediction, and try to determine what the baby is....

Here is the run down of the Old Wives Tales:
       1) Craving sweets = GIRL
       2) Ring Test = 1 of Each
       3) Heart of 170 = GIRL
       4) Carrying high or low = ???? Cannot tell yet
       5) Acne Breakout (which has been horrific!)= GIRL
       6) No Morning Sickness = GIRL

I think these are all pretty silly, but they are all in agreement that B.C. is a GIRL! We shall see Monday. Here are some belly pictures for those of you I will not be able to see on Monday! You cannot see much, but I can definitely tell it is there! It is a little bigger at night (all the blog photos have been taken in the morning). One change I have noticed, is that my normally very deep belly button is getting shallower everyday... I'm afraid I may have an outtie before this is over!