15 weeks

Spot and I have both spent another week together! To celebrate, I thought I'd share a 15 week belly picture with all of you. Everything I read explains that although I've been a complete lazy couch potato and not being really productive at much of anything these days, Spot has been really busy again this week. Here is a little of what I've found:

* Baby is now over 4 inches (10cm) long
* and weighs about 2.5 ounces (75 grams).
* He or she can move its arms and make a fist.
* Fingernails and toenails are present.
* Baby's skin is still very thin.

Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head. The bone and marrow that make up your baby's skeletal system are continuing to develop this week. The bones and muscles are continuing to grow. You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, twists and turns; but don't panic if you don't feel movement yet.

Their ears are nearly in position, and the three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. By the end of the week, the roof of your baby's mouth will be completely formed. The fetus has an adult's taste buds and may be able to savor the mother's meals. The baby's thin skin is covered with ultra fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth.

The fetal crown to rump length by this week of pregnancy is 4 to 4.5 inches (100 to 115mm). The fetus weighs about 2.5 ounces (75g). It's close to the size of a softball.

Now that Spot can taste, I'm hoping that he or she is okay with my choice of Mexican food like 5 days a week! If not, at least Spot has the ability to make a fist (at last) in protest, so I guess I'm being too unfair :-) I have to admit, although we've already been through so much with Spot, sometimes it's still hard to believe that there is actually a baby growing in there. It all seems a bit surreal. I am so desperately waiting to feel some movement for the first time, because I think that little experience will seal the deal for me. I may finally believe that this is all really happening after all these years.

This week has some promise to be a bit better from the last three. As you know, since my surgery I've been on couch arrest. My doctor said that as long as I spend most of the day laying down my left side I can move around my house a bit more, for now (I have another appt in less than a week.) Meaning, I can make dinner for a short while, or sit up and fold some laundry. Basically as long as I spend 90% of everyday with my feet up higher than my head to take pressure of my cervix, I can spend the other 10% moving around my house. My husband calls this going from couch arrest to house arrest :-) Somebody forgot to give me a cute little striped outfit though. I think the least that they could have done was give me a new outfit to wear that resembled zebra stripes, I've been jipped! But thankfully no one gave me one of those more modern day prison outfits that are bright orange, ugh! No one looks good in orange, didn't the prison department get that fashion memo? Certainly not. Orange will never be the new pink.

We spent Father's Day quietly at our house with my family and my husband's parents. I felt badly putting a damper on the holiday weekend, but our families came to us since I was unable to travel out. My husband's parents came up from Ohio and spent Sunday with us, while my parents, grandparents, and two of my nephews joined us all for brunch. It was so nice to have everyone together. Funny how little things I used to take for granted like a family get together, takes on a whole new meaning when you're somewhat restricted as to who you are able to see and where you can go.

I've learned some things already with transitioning from the horizontal couch life to visiting the rest of the world as a vertical person. First of all, get up slowly after lying down for long periods, because you will be very dizzy. Second, after lying down for almost three weeks except for showering and using the bathroom you get very weak. While I used to easily run 5 miles a day a few months ago, now being on my feet for more than 5 minutes leaves me exhausted and sometimes winded. Lastly, I used to always sit with my legs crossed (politically incorrectly called "indian style" as we called it as kids.) Well, this morning I was watching some TV and found myself shifting to this position without realizing it. I was quickly jolted back to reality by the sharp tug followed by pain that I felt in my oh so private lady parts down below. Yes, I forgot I had a cerclage and my cervix stitched shut with suture still in place. Moving your legs in certain common positions will certainly remain uncomfortable and a big "no no" until this is removed. How quickly I had forgotten! For the next hour I felt enough pressure down there from my little stunt that I felt like I was going to have a bowel movement out my lady end, fun times. I will not be doing that anytime soon, I promise!

Well, I hope everybody had a great and restful weekend. I've been a bad commenter lately because our internet has been down more than it has been up. Storms have continued to pass through our area and disrupt things. My friend who lives in Troy still is without power and has been so for more than a week, ouch! But today, things seem to be running in the internet department, so I'm going to catch up on things. I'm already also getting excited to chose what to make for dinner tonight. Thank you for your endless support, it has meant so much to me during a not so easy time. It's nice knowing that if I have to sit and just wait, at least I'm not doing it alone. Hold on Spot, hang in there kiddo.