15 weeks

today.

trimester: 2!

gender: still hoping boy (ok, the obvious health aspect must be set aside as a given). the hb was 153 at 8 weeks and 150 at 14. so who knows.

advances: baby is practicing breathing by sucking in amniotic fluid, which helps the lungs develop. he is 4 inches long (crown to rump) and 2 1/2 hounces- about the size of an apple. baby can move all joints and limbs, and even though eyelids are still shut, can sense light through me!

looks like:

symptoms: so far pretty good. i've had a stuffy nose lately, which actually has a term: rhinitis of pregnancy. it's due to increased estrogen and blood, messin' with my nasal cavities and mucus makers. also lower back pain, especially after i sit or lay too long, i look like a little old hunched (literally bent half) over lady when i stand. as for food, i am not starving all the time yet, in the last couple of weeks i've gotten over food aversion though, and i don't feel nauseous anymore except if i wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning- i'm starving immediately, which is why i keep crackers on my bedside table.

movement: no, sometimes i trick myself into thinking i feel something, but i always decide it's my own heart beat, which i've always felt really strong in my stomach. but i can hear movements on my doppler- when the baby kicks or swooshes around in there, it throws a lovely loud noise into my headphones.

and here it is (note i've had half a dr. pepper (a reward for grocery shopping- which is really stressful to me now without damon- picking all that food, planning meals, lugging it up to our apartment alone...) and all the chicken/rice leftovers for last night that could have fed 2 people a full meal). the day usually starts out smaller than this, and i've only gained a pound total, according to my doctor's scale.