{sweet tater}

I almost forgot to post my 18 week update!!!! I'm a little short on time this week (and patience!). So, I'm going to post an abbreviated version of my weekly update. To make up for the hormonal amnesia, I'll post a new baby bump photo this week!!! :)

What am I thinking?
"Either I've got an ongoing case of indigestion, or there is an alien in my tum tum!" ;)

Baby is about 5.6 inches long (from crown to rump) and is tipping the scales at 6.7 ounces!!! He or she continues to grow rapidly! Let see if you can guess what this weeks comparison is! (I had a hard time the first time I saw it!)

Oh, and one more thing...NEXT WEEK IS WHEN I FIND OUT IF I'LL BE INVESTING IN PINK OR BLUE!!!!! If you guys have any ideas on names, please comment! HELP! :)

{onion baybee}

I'm well aware that I am 100% pregnant, and my Mini is starting to make quite a ruckus these days! As my uterus grows and expands I'm feeling aches and pains in weird places. I know it's all part of the journey so I'm not freaking out too much. Except when I have a headache for a week STRAIGHT! Ouchie! I'm choosing to focus on the little flutters that I feel in my belly as Baby let's his presence be known!

Wondering what's up with my body, my Baby, and my life this week? Read on...

What I'm thinking...
"OMG. Is something crawling on my stomach? Oh, wait! That was the baby!"

My body
Talk about mixed messages! After spending my whole life trying NOT to gain weight, now I'm told I must pack on the poundage. But not too many pounds, of course. And not the wrong kind of weight. It's exhausting! The bottom line (I guess) is this: It's essential to gain an appropriate amount of weight but via healthy foods, not milkshakes and Peanut M&M's kinda weight!

I'm told not to worry about gaining too much weight or dieting while pregnant. I'm also told, "Those extra pounds will come off when the Baby is born!" Not with a whole lot of crunches and eating like a rabbit!!!! For now, I will bask in the 300 extra calories per day that I am "allowed!" Eat your heart out!!!!!

My Baby
Speaking of packing on the pounds, that's what it's all about for Baby this week. He's adding fat stores that will keep him warm and cozy after he's born. My Baby's weight will increase approximately SIX times over the next FOUR weeks! WOW! I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one tipping the scales! Oh how misery loves company! :) Also this week:

My Baby is hard at work honing his sucking and swallowing reflexes -- all the better for eating at 2 AM (and 5 AM and 8 AM...) in a few months. The finger and toenails are beginning to grow from their nail beds, which would explain why he'll need them trimmed shortly after birth.

My Baby is well nearly 6 ounces and is a little over 5 inches long -- or about the size of a baked potato (load on the butter and sour cream, please).

My life
If my heir to the throne will have his or her own room in a few months, it's time to start thinking about the nursery! First, I should decide if my heir will have a place she can call her own! Plus, how am I supposed to think about the nursery when I'm unsure if I should be shopping for princess or Tonka truck get up? Which brings up a great point -- February 8th is the magical day I will discover the answer to the princess/Tonka mystery!

When it comes to the nursery, I won't be spending a fortune! These things will get barfed on, pooped on, and chewed on -- and that's just in the first week! One must have is a comfortable place to sit and nurse at 3 AM!!!

I keep reading that I should splurge on some luxury item for myself -- I keep waiting for my check to arrive from these different websites, but NADA as of yet! :)

Baby's rubbery cartilage is turning to bone. She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord too! All the better to help chunk her up!

{el aguacate}

Funny how everyone who's never been pregnant assumes all the changes I'm going through are just located in my uterus. Nobody mentions the stuffy nose, itchy skin, the sciatica, the emotional outbursts (OK, maybe the emotional outbursts get some unnecessary attention!). I try and remember all of the funky, uncomfortable things my body is doing are leading up to the big payoff of snuggling up my little muffin in just a few months.

Wondering what's up with my body, my baby and my life this week? Read on...

What I am thinking:
I. Only. Have. Five. More. Months. Until. Everything. Changes.

My body:
Contrary to what I may want to believe, no, I do not have a new superpower! Although, it feel like it because I'm able to smell pizza, burnt toast, or pulled-pork sandwiches from miles away! Clearly, living in Texas with a heightened sense of smell is challenging when there is a BBQ pit on every corner! My heightened sense of smell isn't the only trick my nose is doing. I've noticed some nasal congestion, which is waaaaay worse thanks to my faithful winter friend...cedar! And the best part? Nosebleeds!

My Baby:
My Baby is already mugging for the camera as she practices all sorts of facial expressions, such as squinting, yawning and grimacing, which will all come in handy when I introduce her to pureed spinach! Guess what else is happening in utero? I'm trying to prepare for being a new mom again, but I'm actually on the road to being a grandma! DON'T FREAK OUT...keep reading! :) If my Baby is a girl, her uterus is already fully developed and the ovaries already hold primitive eggs! Wow! Does that make me feel about 1,000 years old, or what?

My Baby's skin is still translucent and wrinkly, not unlike an old man's, but more fat will soon accumulate under the dermis to plump her out. If I could peer inside right now, I'd be able to see all of her veins under her skin. And speaking of veins, her heart pumps about 25 quarts of blood per day, and she hasn't even see Orlando Bloom yet! Also, her eyes are now locked and loaded at their final destination, forward facing rather than to the sides. (Whew!)

My life:
I've already figured out that after baby arrives, there are going to be a lot of adjustments...and they're not all about me. My family, friends and older children will all be dealing as well. It's time to start prepping the older rug rats for what it truly means to be a big sister! I think I'll take Kayleah and Liora shopping to buy te baby a  "Welcome" gift!!!

Baby is about 4.6 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces. Next time you ladies are applying your makeup, take a look-see at your mascara wand...that's the length of Baby this week! Thanks to the tiny bones forming in Baby's ears, she can hear my voice now. Guess it's time to start watching what I say!! ;) Baby's growing hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. And, Baby is forming taste buds. Amniotic fluid anyone??

{pass the envelope, please}

Funny thing about kiddos? They're waaaaaay smarter than we give them credit for.

Kayleah and Liora questioned why they had to wait until the baby is born to determine the sex. They know that other mommy's have known before the baby arrives if it's a boy or a girl. So, I asked them if they wanted to know if they will have a brother or a sister. I got a unanimous YES!

So, what's all this mean? It means I will be finding out at my 20 week ultrasound if the little peanut growing perfectly inside of me is a boy or a girl! I want the girls to have the opportunity to be a part of this experience. In true Tasha fashion we will find out in a spectacular way!

When I go to my 20 week ultrasound I will take a piece of pink ribbon and a piece of blue ribbon with me. I will also bring an envelope. I will have the Tech withhold the precious information and slip out of the exam room to place the proper ribbon in a sealed envelope. The next time the girls come to my house we will open the envelope together and discover the sex of the baby!

How fun is that?!

(belly pic 15 weeks}

Well, it's happening! The bump has started!

{orange you glad I'm 15 weeks?!}

The shock has started to wear off now and I'm getting comfortable with this whole pregnancy thing. Sooo, now what? Thumb twiddling? Finger tapping? I guess I should throw a welcome party for the "waiting game!" Lucky for me, there's always something I can be doing/planning/obsessing over while I'm pregnant! But why not wait on that and just enjoy the peace and quiet?

Wondering what's up with my body, my baby, and my life this week?? Read on...

What I'm thinking:
"Why does this feel like it's going so fast and yet so slow all at the same time?"

My body
My energy may have returned a wee bit but that doesn't mean I'll be hitting the clubs until 4:00 AM every night! With a baby growing inside of me, sleep is one thing I can't go without.

My Baby
Baby is having his/her own party in the amniotic sac he/she calls home! Feeling my Babe banging around there is a really cool part of pregnancy! That is...until I end up with a broken rib from David Beckham Jr.

Baby's head is now resting on a well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor! He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give me that "Mom, you're crazy" look when he's a teenager!) The hair on the head also begins to grow and, with some creative styling, I'll be able to turn those locks into a Maddox Jolie-Pitt faux-hawk some day!

Although Baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. As my Baby practices sucking and swallowing actions, he may actually hiccup. I know Baby's had too many shots of amniotic fluid by the steady thump-thump I feel!

Over the next month, Baby will grow faster than ever, so I'll be making sure I load up on enough nutritious food and fluids to support Baby's growth. I'll take a Kit Kat, please! Which, oddly enough, is about the size of Baby this week. Not the HUGE Kit Kat you get at the movies, but the size of a standard Kit Kat "finger." You know I've got issues when I start comparing my child's size to a chocolate bar! Sheesh!

My Life
Along with being pregnant comes a little sign on my forehead that reads "sucker." At least that's the way the marketing world sees it. Walk into a mega-baby emporium and I'll be bombarded with 8,000 things I MUST buy for my baby right now! I'm not falling for the propaganda! Experience tells me I'll only need a limited number of basics to make it through the first year. All the shopping doesn't have to be about baby. One pregnancy website suggests that the next time I'm out browsing, make it about me (or at least about somebody besides the Mini). This website gave me permission to buy myself flowers, a new lip gloss, a throw pillow, a macrame hanging plant holder, WHATEVER! As long as it doesn't have yellow duckies on it, it's fair game! I emailed tech support for this website and asked when I should expect my check for said shopping spree, but they never returned my email. Humpff!

This week Baby is the size of a naval orange (which is what I used to calculate my Kit Kat theory)! The average fetus at 15 weeks weighs 2.5 ounces and measures 4 inches -- Baby's proportions are becoming even more normal. Baby's legs now out measure her arms!

{lemon drop}

Hungry much?? Now that I'm not feeling so queasy, I'm eating everything in sight! And I mean A LOT! Plus, I'm fueling Baby's growth -- which is happening at a super speed at 14 weeks!! The last thing I want right now is healthy snacks (where did I put my pickles and M&M's?)! It is important -- for me and Baby -- that I don't indulge in TOO many greasy foods (notice the operative word -- TOO)! Ice cream isn't greasy, right?! I've really taken this whole eating for two thing seriously! I'm serious! *cracking smile* It has been suggested that I get out and take a walk everyday. My response, you ask? I walk to the fridge at LEAST 5 times a day! That's PLENTY of exercise! Let's not over do it now!

At week 14 Baby is 3.4 inches long and 1.5 ounces. Baby has almost doubled in weight since last week and just keeps on growing!!! Baby is probably curled up in the fetal position sucking her thumb and wiggling those tiny toes! Baby's kidneys are busy making urine while Baby's liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too! A thin, peach-fuzz-like hair is all over Baby's body -- this peach fuzz will keep Baby warm! OK, I admit it...who needs to be kept warm when it's 98.6 degrees??? Where are the fans and grapes..oh, and I'll take a virgin pina colada with one of those little umbrellas in it, too!! Sorry, something shiny!! The fuzzy stuff falls off of Baby's body before delivery! Maybe there is something I don't know? God is MUCH smarter than me and I'm sure there is some wild purpose for the peach fuzz! :)