15 WEEKS (NAVEL ORANGE): Jul 10-16

15 Weeks (NAVEL ORANGE):

• I feel like things are progressing at a very high rate right now! It seems like not that long ago my uterus was the size of an orange! Now my baby is that size and that means my uterus is the size of a small melon!
• Baby is measuring at 4-4.5 inches or so and is looking more and more like a baby, and less like an alien! 
• Baby is practicing breathing, sucking, swallowing, moving around, and other reflexes that are required for after he/she comes into this world! Lots of time to practice still... (25 weeks left!)
• Baby is already peeing every 30 minutes or so. Just warming up I suppose! Getting those kidneys going!
• Apparently, even though baby's eyes are still fused shut, he/she can sense light. Websites say that if I were to shine a flashlight to my stomach, the baby would likely move away from the light. Interesting!
• Baby's taste buds are developed to the point that if they were able to consciously pay attention, they could distinguish different flavors! They recommend me trying lots of different foods starting around now, as apparently baby will have an easier time accepting new/different foods if their taste-buds are already primed (from the amniotic fluid). Huh!
• The three tiny bones in baby's ears are developing this week, which means baby can hear my voice now (or soon)! Well... he/she is hearing a lot of me talking to Sherlock, and laughing at Sherlock... At least they're happy noises! 
• It is estimated now that I will gain about 1 pound per week this trimester. Here we go!! I think our scale at home is a little unreliable, as sometimes it tells me I weigh exactly the same as I did before I got pregnant. I'll either weigh on someone else's scale, or just wait until my appointments at the midwife clinic. 
• They say some pregnant women can get darker patches of skin (particularly on their face and places that see the sun). I haven't noticed this much, and probably nobody else has noticed, but there is definitely a new freckle on my nose. I keep catching it out of my peripherals and thinking I have dirt on my nose or something! It's hard to get used to something new after I've lived with the same spots for 24 years! Haha. 
• My clothes seem to be fitting a little tighter this week. Even my leggings I wear for my weekly photos have started "digging into" my belly... That creates a minorly odd looking bump... A double-bump! I woke up on 15 weeks and 1 day with a bump! Normally I wake up with a flat stomach and look quite pregnant by the evening. Looks like there's no turning back now! Popping is officially beginning!
• Occasional "pregnancy pains". When you think pregnancy, you tend to forget about all the little aches and pains that go along with it. I've been getting little pangs and twinges around my abdomen, pelvis and nether regions the last couple weeks. I figured all round ligament pain. Did some research, and looks like it can just be called pregnancy pain! Lots going on in there! The uterus stretches, the baby grows, your organs are moving around, things are more sensitive... everything is changing! I never have bad pains. Just like a little twinge here and there. Noticeable, but nothing crippling or really to complain about. Just a reminder that there are things going on down there. 
• We were supposed to have a midwife appointment on Jul 13 (15 weeks + 3 days), so I took the afternoon off work. As I pulled into the parking lot before the appointment, I got a call from the clinic to reschedule my appointment. My midwife had some "sudden complication in her schedule" and she was no longer available today. I guess someone must have gone into labor... how dare they interfere with my appointment?!  {Haha!} I was disappointed because I was so excited to hear little baby's heartbeat and have some further peace of mind, but I guess now I have something to look forward to on Tuesday!
• I still find myself getting nervous! It's been 5 weeks since we heard the heartbeat, and 6 weeks since we saw our baby. I can't wait for reassurance this week. I find myself being concerned that I haven't gained weight, or that I feel like my belly hasn't grown since 12 weeks (which I'm sure it has...). I haven't had any adverse symptoms, so I'm sure everything is okay still... I'm just neurotic and anxious at the best of times!
• Our friend Amy is in her 3rd trimester, and we had dessert with her and Brent the other day. Near the start of the evening her baby got hiccups and she let me feel! Can't wait until I get to feel my little one have hiccups. I was giggling like an idiot. Thought it was so cool!