Weekly Update: 18 Weeks

How far along: 18 weeks


How Am I Feeling?: Itchy. All over itchy. Everything itches. All the time.

Mood: Blissful

Clothes: On Monday, I washed all my work pants. Ben came home and put our new sheets in the washer and my pants in the dryer. On Tuesday morning, I go downstairs only to find that he hadn't actually turned the dryer on. So the dryer was full of still wet clothes that included the only pants that I fit into these days. As a result, I squeezed into a pair of pants that I haven't really been able to wear for at least a month. I was looking really classy with my pants fastened by a rubber band and a paper clip. Let's just say that Tuesday turned into a very uncomfortable day. I also went to the doctor on Tuesday. When I got home from work, I obviously wanted to change my very uncomfortable pants. I went to put on my most comfortable pair of jeans, only to find that my wonderful husband had just thrown them in the washer. I had to squeeze into my pre-pregnancy jeans for my appointment. My doctor even commented when she was trying to find the heartbeat that I might want to go buy some pants with a nice elastic waist. Awesome. At least all my pants are clean now...

Sleep: Last night I took a nap after work and then went to bed early. I'm not sure if it's the weather or the baby, but I have been so ridiculously tired this week.

Appetite: Eating every day has become a chore for me. I am hungry all the time. Today I had breakfast twice. Every night, I feel like I would rather not eat dinner than eat what we have in the fridge/pantry. And every morning, I grumble as I grab some ramen noodles or spaghetti-o's for lunch and secretly hope that maybe my parents will come down and take me out to lunch so I don't actually have to eat ramen noodles for the third day in a row. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!) I guess I just need some new ideas. Open to suggestions....

(P.S. for my siblings... I had some cheese peanut butter crackers for a snack the other day and I couldn't get over how orange the crackers are. How did we eat such orange crackers?? Seriously, go look at them again and wonder what made you ever want to put something so bright in your mouth.)

Cravings: I want steak and mashed potatoes every day. Of course, that's not so different from pre-pregnancy.
Gender Predictions: My nurse practitioner guessed that it would be a girl. Since she is a professional, she has me thinking that it must be a girl. Now I'm excited because I've been reading this woman's blog and she dresses her little girl in the absolute cutest clothes ever. I suddenly want a girl so I can dress her in all the outfits I wish I could wear.

Best Moment This Week: When my mommy and daddy surprised me for lunch on Tuesday and I didn't have to eat ramen noodles for the third day in a row.

Oh, and scheduling our ultrasound for just 3 weeks away! 19 days now... :D

What I Miss: nothing. I am really happy and it's finally starting to sink in that wow, my tummy really is getting bigger!

What I am Looking Forward To: 19 Days!!!!!!

Milestones This Week: I feel like I really popped this week. I woke up and suddenly felt huge. It definitely feels more real when I look in the mirror and see my belly sticking out and knowing that there is a baby in there. Seriously, I feel huge. I'll post some pictures to prove it.

How Big is Baby?: According to The Bump, the baby is the size of an sweet potato. Ben loves sweet potatoes!

Your Baby - 18 Weeks Pregnant
Your baby is growing rapidly. His bones are continuing to harden and the pads of his fingers and toes are formed. He even has his own set of fingerprints developing as well. Your baby is approximately 5.5 inches and weighs about 200 grams (7.5 ounces).


Your baby can kick, swallow, and sleep. He also is developing his stomach, intestine and colon and the intestines collect meconium (the initial stool a baby will pass after birth). If the baby is a boy, the prostate will begin to develop this week as well. The skin is still a bit pink and transparent and his ears still stick out from his head. The four-chambered heart begins to build up muscle cells and is pumping between 25 and 30 quarts of blood per day.