19 Weeks!

Today marks 19 weeks! YAY!!! I'm still feeling pretty good, but I am starting to have minor aches and pains here and there. First, I'm still experiencing round ligament pain, but nothing like I experienced in San Francisco. I mainly feel it after I've been at rest for a long period of time and get up too suddenly. The solution is easy: get up slower. Second, my back is beginning to bother me. I experience back pain daily, but thankfully it doesn't last all day. I only experience the back pain when I've been sitting for long periods of time, particularly when I slouch. I can generally address the problem by sitting upright, but I am in the process of trying to order a back support cushion at work to improve my posture. Lesson: work on my core post-baby, and look into prenatal yoga.

Most exciting this week....I've officially popped! There's no hiding this belly. The people at work that know about Baby D have commented on my bump this week. One of my friends even shed some tears of joy when she saw my belly yesterday. It was so sweet. Those that don't know I'm pregnant give my stomach an uncomfortable and suspicious glare. Too funny!

Baby D this week: Baby D's arms and legs are in proportion to each other and his/her body. The kidneys are producing urine and hair is starting to sprout on the scalp! Baby D is undergoing sensory development this week as well. His/her brain is starting to designate specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. He/she can even hear mommy and daddy now. Last, a waxy coating called vernix caseosa, which is cheese-like in texture, is starting to coat Baby D to keep him/her from pruning up in the amniotic fluid. The vernix caseosa will shed before delivery. I tell you, I really don't know how people can deny there is a God because He really thought of everything!!! I've always known that, but this experience has me in awe!

Baby D weighs 8 1/2 ounces and is measuring 6 inches. About the size of a large mango: