21 Weeks! A Carrot!

From Babycenter

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

How your life's changing:

You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints.

That's not to say you won't have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne. If that's the case, be diligent about washing well with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day, and make sure that any moisturizer or make-up you use is oil-free. Don't take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner.

You're also more prone to varicose veins now. As your pregnancy progresses, there's increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You're more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.

You may also notice so-called spider veins (a group of tiny blood vessels near the surface of your skin), particularly on your ankles, legs, or face. They may have a spider- or sunburst-like pattern with little branches radiating out from the center, they may look like the branches of a tree, or they may be a group of separate thin lines with no particular pattern. Though they may be a bit unsightly, spider veins don't cause discomfort and usually disappear after delivery.

From Alphamom:

Your Baby:

• Is about 10 1/2 inches long, head to toe.
• Passes time by sucking his or her thumb and even opening and closing his or her eyes. And you know, elbowing you in the vital organs.
• Is like, kicking for serious now, and the movements cannot only be felt from the outside, they can often be seen. Lie on your back and watch the weird ripples and dips of baby limbs. (For the full Jurassic Park effect, do this in the tub and watch the water rings vibrate out from your belly.)

You:

• Are possibly getting accosted in public with unsolicited belly rubs and unsolicited pregnancy advice. I’m not sure which is more annoying.
• Oh, so THREE of the pregnancy books I use to compile these bullet thingies mentioned that we should all be feeling downright awesome and fabulous right now. Not too big and uncomfortable, lots of energy, able to sleep through the night without peeing, etc. If that describes you, well…LA DEE FRICKING DA. HOW LOVELY THAT MUST BE FOR YOU.

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Me: O yeah, this is moi'! I took this a week ago when I was 20 weeks (half way done!). Self-portrait with the dog mode. Just ignore my ~sparkling~ clean bathroom mirror, just pretend it's movement. Not my side of the bathroom anyway! :)


More of the same as far as how I've been feeling, though just a smidge of morning queasiness has cropped back up. No biggie thus far. I will get hit with the occasional bouts of fatigue, still, where the Body commands (or maybe it's Baby Saline Cracker): (MUST OBEY. BED. NOW. HEAD ON PILLOW).

Moving from sitting to standing or turning over in bed is becoming more and more like a turtle stuck on its back. Oh yeah, those abdominal muscles served a purpose! I sure miss you, now that you have been stretched to oblivion.

The kicks and punches (well, they all feel like 'kicks') are undeniable now. You can even see them externally, if you paying attention and looking at the right exact second. I'll be cooling off after work in the bedroom, chilling with a Parents magazine from 2007 (thank yooou garage sales) and suddenly feel an obvious kick, and my eyes immediately zero in on my burgeoning belly. And then stare and stare and stare and nothing! I've been repeatedly trying to let Dear Sweet Hubs feel them as well, as I've been grabbing his hand and plastering it to my lower belly for many a night as we are parked on the couch, but still, nothing! It's like Baby Saltine Cracker is practicing his soccer kick or waltz, and then suddenly a dark cloud appears overhead and he thinks 'Oh maybe I should stop now'.

Like I mentioned before, at the last doctor's appointment (and ultrasound), Hubs had to have his blood drawn to determine his blood type. I just spoke with the nurse a little while ago, and it seems I am Go for Launch in getting those Rhogam shots: he is A positive. Which I should be getting the first one at my next appointment in a few weeks. One of the first of many, Things to Deal With, I'd imagine.

We've been discussing names, and Hubs had suggested a name in a heythisiskindacrazybutwhaddyathink kind of way, and at first I was like, Well maybe but that's taking it a little far (knee-jerk reaction), but the more I think about it, the more I like it. No it's not Bartholomew. Stay tuned till the birth for our final decision.

We were discussing 'dominant genes' yesterday as well, as in whose genes will end up being expressed in our spawn. We concluded that 'stubborn and smart' will be the overriding characteristic(s).