Week 19 + feeling baby move!

Today is the start of week 19 and I am so excited that I started to feel the baby move inside me! At first I thought it was just my stomach growling because I was hungry, but then I realized that it was a little different....now completely different! About 3 or 4 different times throughout the day if I stop what I am doing and sit still I can feel little jabs and movements...Such a neat feeling! If I press on the side of my belly, the baby will move:) I can't feel anything from the outside, but I can't wait until I do so that Derek can feel it too!

I have my 20 week appointment on Monday, where we will most likely listen to the heartbeat and get my weight and urine checked...I have completely ignored the urge to weigh myself so that I don't worry about not gaining any weight. (Although I am pretty sure I have:) Then on April 2nd we have the 20 week anatomy ultrasound where we will get to see the baby and know the sex:) I still can't believe that I am almost half way there!

A few nights ago Derek and I went to Barnes and Noble and I picked up a few baby books. One of them is called "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears. I have heard from many people that I work with that this is a very good book about all the vaccines. It breaks down each vaccine and describes the different brands and the ingredients. Dr Sears describes how important each one is for the baby and how important it is to keep these diseases under control. Then it weighs the pro's and con's of each vaccine and whether or not it needs to be given right away or not. He is not against the vaccines, he just believes that there are alternative vaccine schedules that we can use so we don't have to give our babies up to 6 different vaccines at once. I am very interested in his alternative schedules, and hope to find a pediatrician that is supportive of this...the baby will still get most of the vaccines(not sure about a few, like the Rota, influenza, and chickenpox vaccines) but they will be spaced out. 

 

Baby Development This Week:

Baby weighs around 8.5 ounces and is 6 inches in length, the size of a large tomato! Baby can hear my voice now and may even respond to it:) Baby's arms and legs are now in the right proportion to the rest of the body. Hair is starting to grow on the scalp. A protective coating of vernix is forming on the skin to prevent it from the amniotic fluid. Can't wait to see baby next week during the ultrasound!

Derek and I decided that once we know the sex of the baby we will start to think of names...I am excited and nervous at the same time! I do want to give a heads up that we will be keeping it between us until baby is here...Sorry guys:)

So far I have been craving lots of different things...so many that I just figure it is my love of food and not the baby....Lately I have been craving salty things like pickles, cheese, peanuts, french fries, and olives. Also craving chocolate shakes for desert. (OK, all the time)