Halfway there!

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

I promised a picture so here you go!! You will just have to imagine the banana. This week the e-mail update tried to tell me that I have gained about 10 lbs....HA HA HA...bastards...I'm sure that they meant 10 lbs in just my boobs b/c that would be a little more accurate.

We are well on our way to owning our own home. We had an inspection of the house last Thursday and it went really well, we are just waiting for the mortgage appraisal..and then I assume there is more paper signing. Good times! We also had a prenatal appointment on Thursday which was good; the heartbeat was strong and we are having an ultrasound next week to check amniotic fluid, position, etc. and yes, we are holding firm to our decision to NOT find out the sex.

I think I might have felt the baby move this weekend but am not 100% yet...it is low in the uterus and apparently the sharp pains that shoot through my vagina are the result of it hitting my nerve endings...but in addition to that funness I really think I might have felt it move. It is supposed to feel like bubbles, popcorn, butterfly wings or gas (or all of the above) or so people tell me. So I felt it move or I had more gas brewing...side benefit of pregnancy is that it is hard to know the difference! Not to downplay our excitement about feeling the little one b/c you know we are ecstatic. More updates as they come...

Spontaneous or Crazy?

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

Never let it be said that we aren't spontaneous. In direct violation of our midwife's suggestion to reduce stress (sorry Laura!) we have decided in the span of two weeks to buy a house. Two weeks ago we had dinner with Taylor's friend and collegue, Pam and her fabulous husband Jeff who were very convincing about the idea of purchasign a home in the current market. One week later we met with their mortgage person, Dianne just to discuss what that might look like for us and since there was a program we qualified for that closes 10/1 we thought that we would look at a couple places. We went to one open house that weekend and confirmed that we needed guidance. Our friend Ingrid hooked us up with our great realtor (who we totally recommend) Bonnie and we all (Ingrid included!) went to see a few places on Friday. We found a house that we absolutely love and put an offer in on Saturday, it was accepted on Sunday, and we have an inspection scheduled on Thursday. We will see what happens but we are optimistic. Okay, really we are just terrified and stressed about money but we are trying to think long term and enjoy the idea of our own home; for us and the baby.

I still haven't felt the baby move but have been having a lot of ligament pain as my uterus gets bigger. I have more of a tummy now but it is still not completely obvious I am pregnant. However, that doesn't stop everyone from work guessing...the guess seems to be a girl since I am not carrying in front but around...this is a nice way to say that my ass is expanding. We still like Embry for a name but are open to suggestions. :)

The bell pepper, the law, and real estate...

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

It is really interesting to me how upset that people get when they find out that we are not going to find out the sex of the baby. I have had so many people tell me that they don't know what to get for the baby if they don't know the sex; like pink and blue are the only colors in the rainbow and it is imperative to buy gendered clothes and toys!!

New and exciting developments the last couple weeks include the fact that we "got" to pay $1200 to our lawyers so that Taylor can adopt her own child. I suppose I should be grateful that we live in a state that we can even do this but it still feels really insulting and frustrating. The process entails me signing a form that basically says that I give Taylor "permission" to make decisions about the baby if I am not able to make them. Also if something happened to me before the adoption was finalized it states it is my wish that it be finalized. We are resigned to it but it still pisses me off...we planned, conceived, and are going through this pregnancy and birth together but don't have the same rights as a married heterosexual couple if they conceived using donor sperm...rant, rant, rant! :)

On a happier note we may be buying a house! Big excitement. We keep hearing it is the best time to buy and apparently if we find something prior to 10/1 we could qualify for a great program that would help us...this is from the mortgage person we met with, we meet with the realtor our friend Ingrid picked for us on Friday. I am just excited to tour homes; mostly 'cause I am nosy and like to look around houses. I will keep you all updated on the search.

What I am most excited about is that I am supposed to be feeling the baby move in the next couple weeks! I can't wait; we should also be having another ultrasound around 20-22 weeks to measure the amniotic fluid, check position, growth, placenta etc. I hope to get some good pictures to post.

Much love,

Megan