15 weeks [praying for baby J]

Baby j now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple).  Although baby j's eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my belly, for instance, he/she is likely to move away from the beam.

Development Prayers:
Baby j is busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop--pray this process is happening smoothly. The legs are growing longer than the arms now, and he/she can move all of their joints and limbs.There's not much for baby j to taste at this point, but he/she is forming taste buds, so pray those will form in proper time.  Also, continue to pray for brain development and overall health.

Fun fact:  If we were to have an ultrasound this week, I may be able to find out whether baby j's a boy or a girl!

Our next appointment is Tuesday,  but we'll just be going in to hear the heartbeat and make an appointment for our 20 week ultrasound, where we will find out how baby j is doing and if he/she is a boy or a girl.  Joel and I can barely stand it not knowing, so we are so excited to be able to find out in a month or so.  We both think its a boy for some reason, but obviously, we'd be more than thrilled with a girl as well.  I'm just ready to start calling baby j by it's name--which we have picked out and will be revealed when we find out the gender.  :)

Symptoms:

• ligament pain has gotten much better and only happens occasionally now--mainly at night when I'm not active
• runny nose--I had to go out and buy Kleenex the other day because it's an all-day occurrence
• nausea is less and less--I still eat snacks throughout the day, but I haven't gone a whole week without getting sick, but overall this is a vast improvement to the constant state of nausea I was experiencing in the beginning
• sleeping is getting interesting--since I'm sleeping on my side with pillows between my legs, it doesn't allow much opportunity for Joel to cuddle up next to me, which is how we've always slept.  It's so odd not touching him during the night, and maybe once we switch sides, we'll be able to work something out.
•  I can tell my belly is growing, especially at night.  I'm just not ready to loose the jackets or cardigans just yet, because I still feel that I just look overweight/thick in my midsection. Joel is amazed at how it's growing, and I often wake up with his hand resting on my belly or catch him looking at it. :)

Also, if you haven't scrolled all the way down lately, I have a countdown with the growth of what baby j looks likes as each day progresses, so check it out if you want to see.