Nineteen Weeks

Today Baby Lundberg is 19 weeks old. Only 147 days to go! Still feeling great. I had a cold this week, and I never would have thought I could get through a cold without Dayquil and Nyquil, but I made it. I still haven't felt the baby move yet - at least I don't think I have. Less than a week until we find out if Baby L is Baby Nick or Baby Kate!

According to The Cradle, occasionally, Baby L will hiccup, causing a rhythmic jarring of my abdomen every two to four seconds or so. While there is no air to intake, hiccupping in the womb involves the same sort of muscular reactions as in an air-breathing child. The hiccupping generally stops in about a half hour.

According to Pregnancy Weekly, Baby L weighs approximately 8 ounces and is about 6 inches from crown to rump. The exterior layers of skin tissue are developing to form Baby L's one-of-a-kind fingerprints. The amniotic fluid that surrounds Baby L allows for him or her to freely move his or her arms and legs and is also sometimes swallowed to practice digestion.

According to BabyCenter, Baby L's sensory development is exploding! His/her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear my voice now, so I shouldn't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes me. Baby L weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his/her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

According to The Bump, vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yum) now coats Baby L's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) We might get to see the vernix at birth, especially if Baby L is premature.

I am strictly in maternity pants now, although some of my regular shirts still fit, and my maternity shirts are all still too big. Maternity pants are soooo comfortable!! We are beginning to research daycares (after struggling with choosing a nanny or daycare, we have decided to go with daycare). As soon as we find out the sex, we'll be able to plan and buy so much more!! I really feel like this pregnancy is flying by - I am almost halfway done and I remember taking the positive test like it was yesterday. I am trying to enjoy every minute!