Nineteen Weeks

This week: Wolverine Baby is six inches long and weighs about 8.5 ounces, or about the size of a mango.

Development: This week, Wolverine's senses are starting to develop as the nerve cells in her brain for taste, hearing, sight, and smell grow.  Apparently, there is some research out there that suggests that she might be able to hear us now.  So, I guess we need to start watching our language?  (Or maybe just make sure we're using proper grammar at all times!)  Additionally, her arms and legs are all in correct proportion to each other and to the rest of her body, and her hair is starting to sprout.  Finally, according to the app on my phone, the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to "prevent [her] from picking in [my] amniotic fluid."  Pickling???

Are you craving anything? Does really, really, really wanting a money tree so that we could just pay someone to finish painting, tiling, and moving count as a craving?

Is there any food that turns you off? Still scrambled eggs.

How do you feel? Very tired, but that has more to do with all the hours we've put in at the new house than with the pregnancy.  On a related note, I also feel very grateful for our parents, who've helped us get things done before the move, for neighbor-friends Mike and Jennifer, who've helped us paint and lay the new flooring, and for Sean and Josh, who'll be helping Ray move the big stuff tomorrow.

How is your sleep? Excellent because I'm completely exhausted when I finally fall into bed.

Most surprising thing you've noticed or experienced:  This weekend, I noticed how very, very difficult it is for me to get up from sitting on the floor without using my hands to push myself up or to pull myself up.  I realized last night that I have a lot of difficulty going from lying on my back to sitting up without using my hands.  I feel very much like I've little to no abdominal strength, and my sense of balance (in terms of getting up off the floor without having to hold onto a wall) is off.

Something you're surprised you haven't noticed or experienced: We were originally scheduled for a big ultrasound yesterday that should have confirmed the sex of Wolverine.  However, the doctor had to have emergency surgery, so that's been rescheduled for this coming Monday.

Favorite/most comfortable article of clothing: Yoga pants.  But it's getting hot.  Maybe I need to get some yoga shorts.

How is Ray doing? He's also very tired and getting a little stressed about the move because he has to do a lot of the heavy lifting (literally) without any help from me.  I'm hoping that my grouting the tile in the kitchen and bathroom this evening will help perk him up a bit.