18 Weeks!

Psalm 69:30

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

Happy 18 weeks to our little Crackerjack! We had a very busy week 17 with my teaching at Miami all weekend then parent-teacher conferences until 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday night. Unfortunately because of that, we didn't even think to stop and take a 17 week pic! This week was another doctor's appointment as well. I was so exhausted with all the running around and these massive sinus headaches that have become a daily pest that I fell asleep around 8:30 Friday night! 


Thankfully Steve is so kind and thoughtful that he took care of all the daily household chores while I was out and spent a lot of time massaging my neck, temples, and lower back (my hips have just about had it with me standing up all day teaching!). He also grabbed the heating pad for my neck which has turned out to be the only thing that works when trying to rid of these horrible headaches. Dr. Kennebeck assured us that sinus medicine without aspirin is safe to take, but there is just a feeling in the pit of my stomach that makes me really want to avoid medication all together. So, as Momma says, "Suck it up." :) 


Dr. Kennebeck said at our appointment Thursday morning that I am growing just perfectly and gaining weight at a great pace. I was wondering about that because I have all of a sudden become so hungry! I can eat much more than in the past, but I've been trying to eat healthy and it looks like it's paying off for both me and the little one. :)


At the appointment, we had a couple tense moments. The nurse attempted locating the heartbeat and was unsuccessful. She said that it must have been her and that she was sure everything was just fine. To some people that might be a relief, but to Steve and me, those were scary words because it was exactly what the nurse in the emergency room told us when trying to locate Peanut's heartbeat the day we lost him. 


Scared, but praying like crazy, we waited for the doctor to come in and give it a try. She usually finds it right away when the nurses can't. This time she wasn't finding anything. She said that either way we were going to find out what was going on even if we had to do an ultrasound. This was, again, exactly what the doctor said the day we lost our first baby. 


Finally, she located that woosh woosh sound that caused both Steve and myself to let a heavy sigh of relief and lots of sobs on my part. A healthy heart rate between 140-150 was counted once I finally calmed down enough for her to hear!


I think we've started to become more comfortable with the idea that everything is going to be okay with this pregnancy, and I believe this was a reminder that we definitely need to continue to stay in prayer over our little one. It's crazy how when you're scared or upset it's so easy to turn to God, but when things seem to be going well we all of a sudden forget about prayer and lose touch sometimes.


So, please be praying for our little "Crackerjack." He or she needs your prayer and so do we!


November 22nd at 3:30 is the big day and time to find out if we have a Cohen or  Savannah in there! We absolutely cannot wait!! 


Here's a couple 18 week pics Mom took of me before we went shopping today. We thought an outdoor picture would be a good change with this beautiful weather we've been having! :) 

Psalm 100:3-5 

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

Baby's Growth and Development at 18 Weeks Pregnant

At 18 weeks pregnant, growing is your baby's number-one priority. Take a look at some of the developmental changes:

• This week, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long, or about the length of a large tomato.
• Your baby's skeleton continues to harden during the 18th week of your pregnancy. Hisleg bones and inner ear bones are the first to ossify (harden).
• Your baby now can hear! He might hear your heart beat or your tummy gurgle.
• He might hear loud sounds outside the womb.