Eighteen Weeks

Today Baby Lundberg is 18 weeks old. Only 154 days to go! Still feeling great. Waiting for the round ligament pains to start, and hopefully I'll feel the baby move soon! I still don't think I'm showing very much yet, which is why I haven't posted any bump pictures. I think I just look like I've gained weight, instead of looking pregnant. Hopefully in a couple more weeks it'll be more obvious!

According to The Cradle, sometime during this week the process of myelinization begins. Myelinization involves coating the nerves with a fatty substance called myelin to speed nerve cell transmission and to insulate the nerves so messages are uninterrupted. Baby L, who has been growing so rapidly inside me, now measures 5 1/2 inches (140 mm) in length, big enough for me to cradle in the palm of my hand.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Baby L weighs about 6.5 ounces and is 13.97 centimeters long from crown to rump, or about the size of a large pickle. The digestive system is starting to produce meconium, its first fecal matter.

According to BabyCenter, head to rump, Baby L is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. Baby is busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that mom will start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Baby's blood vessels are visible through its thin skin, and baby's ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from its head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around baby's nerves, a process that will continue for a year after baby is born. If baby is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from view during an ultrasound.

According to The Bump, Baby L is now the size of a sweet potato. Baby L. has become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And Baby L is finally big enough that mom will soon be able to feel baby's movements.

Only 11 more days until we find out if Baby L is Nick or Kate!

I finished all of the baby wipes. Here they are - all 89 of them! A friend of mine from high school who is also pregnant told me about this great place in Ann Arbor that does cloth diaper seminars. www.treecitydiapers.com. Jeff and I are going to the next seminar on December 6. They carry all of the brands of cloth diapers, and they will demonstrate them, talk about proper care of the diapers, all that good stuff. I can't wait!