17 Weeks

Sunday, May 27th marked the 17 week mark (I'm a little late in getting this one out!). Our baby now weighs about as much as a turnip (5oz) and is measuring 5inches long. The bones that used to be made of soft cartilage are starting to harden and resemble the bones we are used to; also, the joints are developing and he/she is able to move them! The umbilical cord is thickening and growing stronger everyday, which allows for more and more nutrition to be supplied to Baby. Permanent teeth buds are forming behind the temporary baby teeth buds in the mouth that are already in place. A special coating called Myelin is starting to develop along the nervous system (which allows for neurological messages to be sent from the nerves to the brain). Last but not least, a special coating called vernix is starting to form on Baby's skin (this is sealant type of material that protects the baby's skin); when a newborn baby is born, vernix is what gives them that "cheesy" appearance.

EXCITING NEWS!!!! On Friday May 25th, I felt the baby move for the first time! We were driving in the car, just outside of Dayton, OH and I felt a little fluttery feeling accompanied by a few jabs (thanks for that, Baby) in my left lower abdomen! So exciting!! The only thing that worries me is that I haven't felt anything since...I hope Baby's just hiding, or that I've been too busy to really relax and notice.

Other good news - the results from our Quad Screen came back negative. This is not a definitive test, but at this time, there are no markers present for any type of neurological problems (such as Down's Syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc). Praise God!

As for me, my uterus is starting to expand to make room for our growing baby; this contributes to some "loosening ligament" pain. I haven't noticed it in my abdominal area yet, but my back has definitely been more sore this week - maybe this is part of the problem?? Another side effect of an expanding tummy is displacement of my center of gravity, leaving me a little less steady on my feet (this is definitely NOT a good thing for me!) :) Guess I'll have to stay away from potentially dangerous situations :)

The reason this post is so late is because we were back home in Indiana! We had a wonderful time with family at the Indy 500 - boy, was it a hot weekend!! We were very fortunate in the fact that we had some shade during the parade on Saturday and had a breeze on us on Sunday - good thing, too, because it was a  record-breaking year for heat at the track (94 degrees environment, 132 degrees on the track)! Got some good pictures and videos, along with great memories this year :) On Sunday evening we headed back up to Fort Wayne and had a good few days of visiting family and a few friends. Needless to say, it was a very busy week/long weekend but there's never enough time to see everyone you want to see! We'll be back in July; hopefully we can see those we didn't get to see then :)

Please continue to pray that our baby continues to grow strong and healthy; I know this is probably not uncommon, but this week (especially after a hot weekend) has me more nervous that something is wrong or that the baby isn't doing well. Please pray that God would calm any anxiety that I may have through the pregnancy and allow me to simply rely on Him for the health and well-being of our child; after all, it is His first and foremost. Thank you all, again, for all of your love and prayers - all three of us appreciate every single one of you!!