16 Weeks (December 28) and 17 Weeks (January 4)

This was taken last week, but with all the traveling and holiday celebrations going on, I'm a little behind on the blog! For those of you who don't know, I am tracking the week by week growth of the belly, which is why I take a photo every week. I was suppossed to take it in the same spot in the same outfit every week, but I got bored with that:)

Here is the belly at 16 weeks. It's pretty round for just one baby in there (and believe me, I made the nurse check for twins at the last ultrasound since they run in my family!), says all my already mom friends. I feel absolutely wonderful and had a really good last 2 weeks. At 16 weeks and 4 days I felt my little miracle babe move!!! I have been waiting for that for a while and knew that I should feel it between 16 and 22 weeks. I was so shocked and excited when I realized what that funny sensation was! We were in the car on the way to the airport for Matt's good friend's wedding in FL and right before we arrived, I had that flutter sensation around my belly button. I just knew it was our little baby:) Since then I've taken my good friend Katie's advice (mom of three, so I listen pretty closely to her baby/pregnancy advice!) and tried to prompt another baby flutter by resting a cold or hot drink on my tummy. Katie says she felt each of her 3 daughters move in her 16th week. She said after that first movement, they would react to a hot or cold drink resting on her stomach! It hasn't worked for me yet - it seems this baby already has a mind of its own!

The second and last time I felt the baby kick was (of course) during Pilates this past Wednesday. For those of you who don't know, I am addicted to Pilates. I go 2-3 times a week. It's the one chance I get out of the "office" during the week! And I love, love, love my instructor, Rachel - she's become one of my close friends! Everyone in class is already excited for me so when we were doing high rows on the machines (arm excercises) and I interrupted everyone with an "OH!" (then explained I wasn't hurt - I had just felt the baby move)everyone was so excited for me! It's a wonderful feeling to know others are genuinely excited for us, and my Pilates instructor is no exception! She was one of the first people to find out, because I had to disclose my pregnancy with her for health/safetly reasons in class. She has been an angel since then - offering me 'solicited' advice, maternity clothes, modifying her already busy classes to get the best prenatal Pilates excericises in there for me. And get this, she texted me a few weeks ago to tell me that at bedtime prayers, her 3 year old son "prayed for mommy's client that has a baby in her belly". I was so choked up when she told me, I cried! I love that sweet child!

Anyway, while this is a terrible photo taken after a 6am flight on a Monday morning, here is the belly at 17 weeks.

I finally talked my doctor into scheduling the big reveal ultrasound for 18 weeks instead of 20 weeks, so we'll be going to the doctor next Thursday! We cannot wait to find out. The chinese calendar predicts a boy, and so do Matt and I...though I have had the strange feeling over the last week that this could be a girl...who knows -we are all 50% right in this guessing game! Until next week!!!!