Week 16...

I have been asolutely exhausted since Maggie and I got back from the mountains. Probably because of that horribly long post about it all! But as soon as I got back, Jerrad went to cutting wheat so I was either on the combine or completely bored! I wasn't very involved in harvest this year, but it is still exhausting!

Today I have a big chore ahead of me. Editing wedding pictures and packing up to go to camp. We are leaving with Jimmy tonight to go see Kitty for the weekend. Hopefully I can do a little bit of shopping in Denver. I need some fat woman clothes.

I am still T-minus 10 pounds to prepregnancy weight! Doc isn't worried so neither am I! The only problem is that my pants are really uncomfortable! Jerrad actually noticed my belly looking different, but I don't see it. I will post belly shots, but not until after everyone else can tell I'm pregnant. Right now I still just look a little fat and you don't want to see that! =)

I had my blood drawn on Monday for the tests mentioned below. My vein on my left arm collapsed so she moved to my right arm. Voila! It worked like a charm. Jerrad was worried about it though when I told him. Once I explained it to him he was alright!

We had another ultrasound on Tuesday and got another show. Blizzard was moving around alot again! He looked like a buckin' bronco! Maybe if it's a boy wesshould nickname him Buckaroo! But from the last 3 ultrasounds, we definitely know that 1) the rest of my pregnancy should be eventful as I will start feeling those movements soon 2) there is NO doubt that this is Jerrad's child!

Well, I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July! Don't light someone's stash of fireworks on fire with your roman candle!


Fetal development in pregnancy week 16:fetus in fourth month

Over the past three weeks your astounding growing baby has managed to stretch yet another 2 full inches (totaling about 4.5 inches) and weighs around 3.5 ounces. Yessireee, that’s some pretty serious growth... and with it comes several physical developments! For starters, their head to body ratio is finally starting to even out a bit as the rest of the body is actually growing faster than the head at this point. Yes, your little light bulb is not so top-heavy. Their adorable little limbs have lengthened, almost reaching their normal proportions which they will have at birth. Their eyes are still closed but moving and if you had an ultrasound, which many doctors recommend you have at about this time, you may even see your little one sucking on a thumb, not to mention the necessary signifiers to let you know whether you’ve got a wee lad or lassie.


And how's mom doing? Along with an ultrasound, many practitioners recommend administering the “Multiple Marker Test (MMT)”, which is also known as the “Triple Screen Test”. This very common procedure checks your blood (not your baby’s) for specific protein and hormone levels as well as informing you about any potential birth defects. Only about 3 to 5 percent of women yield positive results and of those women, only 10 percent actually have any sort of complication to report. Obviously, a positive test from the MMT will mean further testing for you, including amniocentesis and more ultrasounds. Although this test sounds like a bit of a dud with the high percentage of false positives coming back, it's popular because it has and can effectively identify a majority of all neural tube defects as well as babies with Down Syndrome. So despite its obvious drawbacks, you’ll still want to arrange to take the test to better prepare you and your family for the fact that anything is possible.