18 weeks

I am 18 weeks pregnant this week. WOOHOO almost half way through! The baby is now the size of a sweet potato or a bell pepper. Depends on what I am reading at the time. Mmmmm ... I love peppers. The baby's reproductive organs are formed, in place and working now. If we had our ultrasound now we would most likely be able to see if this baby is a boy or a girl. But we still have a couple of weeks left before we get to take a looksy.

The baby is moving around more ever day. It tends to be an every other day kind of thing though. One day will be filled with strong kicks, punches and tumbling. Then other days it will be just a jab or a bubble here or there. A glass of orange juice and snuggling into bed usually gets me at least a couple good swings out of this kid.

I have discovered this week that baby likes deep male voices when listening to music. Trace Adkins and Jason Micheal Carol get some pretty big reactions. I read some where a long time ago that babies are better able to hear low and high tones. Hence the reason most people speak to a baby in a high pitched sing song voice. It's instinct to speak in a voice that the baby can hear well. So it makes sense that the deeper singers get a better response. And maybe the baby thinks it is daddy. LOL Babies love Ethan's voice and are always turning their heads in his direction. I guess we understand why now right!

I have been suffering from restless leg syndrome this week. It has been awful. I am exhausted from lack of sleep. But my legs will feel the desperate need to move and wiggle and RUN. It usually happens some time after midnight. I did some research on the internet and have tried some of the pregnancy friendly ideas. I started taking my prenatal vitamins before bed so that I get that rush of vitamins right before bed. Iron and calcium deficiencies can be a cause of RLS. So I am hoping the introduction of those vitamins right before trying to sleep will help my symptoms. Also dehydration can irritate symptoms. So I have been having a bottle of water with that vitamin before bed. It means I have to pee a lot during the night. But I do that anyway. And I can fall right back to sleep after a late night pee break. I can not fall right back to sleep while suffering from RLS. Also if things get really bad a warm bath or shower is recommended. The warmth is suppose to help relax the muscles so that you can sleep. I will have to try that next time I am really suffering. So far the other tips have helped.

Other then the RLS I have been feeling well. My nose is still running non stop but I get the feeling that won't quit until after this baby comes out. Thursdays are exhausting because I have lab and lecture all day and then I work all night. I am pretty pooped out by the time I get home. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't just take the semester off. Why am I going to school and trying to grow a small human being ... AGAIN!?!?!?!?! But I really love anatomy and am having fun so far in the class. I am hoping it just doesn't get to difficult as my belly grows.

I went shopping at a local second hand store. I spent $45 but I got SO MUCH STUFF! And 95% of the stuff I got looked like brand new stuff and was from Carters. Which to me is one of the best baby clothing companies. I love their stuff. It is so cute and soft and just looks snuggly. I bought some pink things and some blue things. But most of what I got today and what I already had is green or yellow. I have a thing for the little yellow duckies! So I got a ton of clothes and burp clothes and even a really nice purple blanket for $1.99 ... TWO DOLLARS! And the onsies were ONE dollar a piece! How could I resist?! God knows I have spent more then that on the same types of onsies at a regular store. So I got some great deals and a whole stack of baby hangers for a buck. I had some from Bryan but figured a few more couldn't hurt. I know it is still a while off before this baby comes. But it makes me feel so much better when we are prepared. So far we are doing well and have a lot of things already bought. I think the only thing left that we NEED is a crib.

20 more days until we find out if this baby is a boy or girl! WOOHOO!