17 weeks, almost half way there!!!

''Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord -- her lifeline to the placenta -- is growing stronger and thicker: Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's growing around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.''

I think I may have felt my baby KICK this week! It happened so quickly that I'm not really sure if it was a kick or gas or who knows what....either way, it happened twice!!!

Baby Bump!

As you all can see I'm getting a little baby bump! I feel huge, even though I know it's not even that big..Total wight gain: 10 pounds! 

16 weeks......Getting ready for a Growth Spurt!!!!

''Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and ass inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more deceloped, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, tough his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.''

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my baby so much!!!  I can't wait to get every weekly update on how the baby is growing and learning about each little development that is happening--truly amazing! I can't wait for my 18 week scan.. In 2 weeks I will find out the gender! That's amazing. My belly has definitely grown. If I wear baggy shirts you can't really tell I'm pregnant.  

The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog

Check out this blog; http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather/ 

Her name is Heather. She's a survivor of mesothelioma cancer. It would mean the world to me if you check out her blog and read her story! She is such an inspiration for a lot of women who are diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer! Go read her blog if you have any questions comment below and I'll contact Heather.

Best,
Heather and Samantha

Partytime!!

This Sunday it was Kallie's birthday! And ofcours I bought a big present and went to her big party. It was so much fun. We danced and just had fun.. I thought I would just enjoy the time that I still can do what I want and not to worry about the baby. It's crazy...next year I will need to find someone to take care of the baby so I can go to Kallie her birthday. Everything is going to change. But it was so so sooo much fun. and again: Happy Birthday Kallie!!! 

I've Got an Apple in my Belly! 15 Weeks.

''Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract. which helps the primitive air sacs in her lung begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's  not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your bab's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the pictures and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to ''hide the goods.'')''

I just love being pregnant! I feel great and have a little belly now, I can't wait for this lil' bugger to arrive. Zach absolutely loves my new ''belly'' and can't get enough of it. I find him constantly staring at it and smiling. He loves touching it, rubbing it and kissing it. He has been doing so much research lately (more than I have) about what I should be eating, when to start plaing classical music to it, and much much more. He cares about me and this baby so much and tells me everyday. I'm so happy with him! At school I'm wearing just baggy shirts. I thing everyone knows it at this point. But some how I just feel more comfortable. I did got some negative comments about it.. who cares? I'm just happy that I got a lot more support. 

2nd Trimester, Here We Are!

''Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his tumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features from one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can gasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you ma even catch him sucking his tumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week -- a sign that it's doing its job right -- and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hand and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.''

Our baby is the size of a LEMON! When I read that this morning, I pulled out a lemon and put it up to my tummy....I can't believe our baby has grown so much. Time is going by so quickly, I can't believe our baby is going to be here in less than 6 months!!