18 weeks and counting!

Hey there little man! You are now 18 weeks along...so crazy that I am close to 20 weeks - that seemed like such a BIG DEAL way back when and now it's almost here! And, we get to see you IN DETAIL this Thursday. Your Level 2/Detailed Ultrasound is then, so we will get to have some significant time to look at all your 2000 parts! We can't wait! The girls are going with us again this time, so we can give them a little better view of their brother than what they had before. I am hoping for some good pictures to post! It's been so long since we have seen you, so you are going to look so big to us I'm sure! Speaking of big...here's how big you are this week!

You are hitting the height chart at 6-7 inches long and you weigh about 5-7 ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast I'm making for dinner tonight!). Speaking of food - you are the size of a sweet potato now! The bigger you get, the crazier it is for me to imagine these big things inside of me!

And now for your skill of the week (drum roll please…): You have mastered the art of the yawn(someone's sleepy!). In fact, we may even catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn on Thursday. You are also making a ton of fetal movement — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And "they" are telling me that you are finally big enough for me to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So punch and kick away!

Something we won't see on the ultrasound, but is still in working order, is your nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in your brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, you are growing more acute, making you more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means we could both be listening to each other hiccup — a skill that you have by now).

I will have a lot more information about you on Thursday...can't wait to share!

Your Daddy and I also (almost) finished your room! We had all the furniture and the paint, but finally got around to painting yesterday. It wasn't too hard at all...we hope you like it - here's a video of your room - the only thing missing is some wall art (that your sisters are going to help us make) and then YOU of course! We can't wait til you are in it!




I think that's it for this week - we are excited to see your Grandma, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins soon! That's coming up on the agenda! =) I'm sure you'll feel lots of love as they touch my tummy!

Love you little guy!