16 Weeks (and a few days!)

Wow, I can't believe I'm two days late on this post already! Holy moly what a busy week! Mark and I (and of course Mango!) have been super busy this week getting the house nice and pretty for Katy's baby shower/the unveiling of the new house for most of our friends/family! It's been great to have a reason to finally get those photos hung and those last boxes put away but it sure has been busy! Not to mention me trying to make an attempt at some craftiness so that the queen of crafting can have a cute shower! :-)

The good news in all this is that Mango definitely decided around week 15 to relieve me of most of the really tough first trimester symptoms. Still get pretty tired, but otherwise I'm feeling quite fabulous and enjoying my ever-growing belly. We have our next appointment next week so hopefully we'll schedule the anatomy ultrasound then and know when we can find out if Mango is a she-mango or he-mango!

So that's my excuses for my late post and no belly photos, but the good news is with my new energy I should be able to get the trip photos sorted and a belly photo taken after the weekend! Here's the Mango update:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length . Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. This, week Mango is the size of a:

15 Weeks and back at home!

Well our trip was fabulous! We did lots of sight seeing including tons of amazing natural formations and furry friends (even 3 bears, but all from safe distances). Fortunately Mango seems to have turned the corner into the second trimester and I was feeling pretty good the whole trip, with the exception of the occasion urgent need for food. As you can imagine we took a TON of photos so I'm still working on sorting through them, but here is one of us at Zion:

Now for the Mango update: Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. Our little one is now the size of a:

13 Weeks

Today is 13 weeks which means the middle of this week we officially cross over to the second trimester! We both can't quite believe how quickly this first one has gone by even though some days seemed to drag forever. Not too much to report today, the morning sickness continues to get a bit better but the tiredness is still hanging around very regularly. We did have a little check-in appointment today which went well, other than somehow I have managed to lose a pound since the last appointment! If you hung around me at all you would know this is a completely ridiculous situation given how much I am eating now, I'm pretty sure my entire office has put on 5 lbs just being around my constant snacking!

Other than baby updates Mark and I are pretty excited for our big camping trip next week, so don't be alarmed when week 14 doesn't pop up on Tuesday. We will be gone a full week with 6 nights of camping and 3 little hotel night breaks in between. Our trip starts off in Zion, then a long trek to Yellowstone and our last big stop is the Grand Canyon.

So anyways, without further ado, Mango's 13 week update:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head -- which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably. This week Mango is about the size of a:

Week 12

I know it seems like I'm always posting a day behind...but this time I actually had a reason! We had our ultrasound today for the screening they do around 12 weeks I wanted to wait until after that. It was by far the most amazing thing yet! We got to see the whole baby at once and he/she was moving all over the place! The best part: we finally have pictures to share that really look like our little one! The first two smaller ones you can see a foot on the top (top right of the baby) and a little hand in the bottom one and the second one I think is pretty obvious. :-)

Our Baby 12 Week Update:

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. Due to lots of pictures on this post and not wanting to make it too long, I will just tell you baby is the size of a plumb.

And finally, I'm going to start putting in the belly photos because I think you can finally tell it's a baby in there and not just an extra large dinner! I'm still working on the pictures, so excuse how silly I look in this one, hehe: