Your pregnancy: 19 weeks

147 days to go!

How your baby's growing:
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.
Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. 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.

How your life's changing:
Think you're big now? {No, I haven't had to transition into maternity clothes yet} You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes severe.

I've been feeling a little emotional lately and short (especially with Jim). I'm sure it is all the hormones, but I'm not used to feeling this way. It probably doesn't help with the added stress of losing my job on Monday! Yup, lost my job (cut backs). Oh, fun. Now we're working through that, but on the bright side, I don't have to get up early to go to work!

I'm hoping to convince Becky to go to Motherhood Maternity with me this weekend to get some jeans and/or comfy dress pants (I tried with Jim, but I needed a girl with me). While I'm still not wearing maternity clothes, my size 10's will not be fitting for much longer! I saved some size 12's from before I lost the weight, so I can always transition into them (but I hear that maternity pants are WAY more comfortable).

I will be taking a belly update picture next Wednesday (and then maybe every two weeks after that as the requests for updated pictures keep coming in!). Jim and I did a cute pose last night (belly to belly), but didn't take a picture. Hopefully he will let me recreate it so I can have Becky take it and then post! Too cute.

I also think I felt the baby for the first time this morning in bed. It was very faint, but it probably was the baby. Yeah! I was starting to wonder if I ever would!