So I just got back from a super long walk and, man, am I wiped!� James keeps saying we should go for more walks, and yeah, I know exercise is good for pregnant women, but I'm thinking four miles was a little much.

On the bright side, I did make out with a pretty comfy body pillow from Bed Bath & Beyond, which is going to make sleeping on my side much easier.� My regular-sized pillows just haven't been cutting it lately.

In other news, today marks my 19th week, and apparently Baby Lump should be about 10 inches long now.� A little strange considering he/she was only supposed to be six inches last week, but apparently this week is when they start measuring babies with their legs included (before this week, they were only measured from crown-to-rump) - interesting!

Enjoy this funny, three-headed baby cartoon from Baby Gaga until my next post.

Oven Timer: 19 weeks

Topics: Weekly Updates, shopping, little baby lump, 19 weeks, pregnany, Baby-Gaga, Bed Bath & Beyond, exercise, body pillow

I had a fun little pregnancy milestone today: I broke out and wore my maternity jeans for the first time.� Let me tell you - you've been missing out.� I can't stress how incredibly comfortable maternity pants are.

I actually encourage every woman to invest in a pair for the sole purpose of wearing during major food consumption holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Super Bowl.� Not a huge investment either - I bought mine on sale for only $14.99 at Old Navy (be careful though; not all Old Navy stores have maternity sections).� I bet you it'd be completely worth your money.� No need to unbutton your pants when your waste band stretches to accommodate your growing belly - whether it be full of baby or full or turkey.� Just a thought.

I'm also 18 weeks today, which means Baby Lump weighs between five to seven ounces and is almost six inches long.� To stick with the food metaphor, this means he/she is about the size of a deli pickle.

Why do I have a craving for ice cream all of a sudden?� I kid, I kid.� ;o)

Oven Timer: 18 weeks

Topics: Weekly Updates, Milestones, holidays, shopping, pregnancy, little baby lump, Old Navy, 18 weeks, motherhood, maternity clothes

[caption id="attachment_76" align="alignleft" width="266" caption="baby lump's head/brain"][/caption]

On Monday I had my second ultrasound, and I'm happy to report James and I were able to stick to our guns and deny the opportunity to find out baby lump's sex.� Although I'm not sure how well James would've done on his own - he got kind of excited when the technician mistakenly said "And those are his legs ... ummm or hers!"

An easy enough slip-up, I'm sure.� It's much easier to say "his" than "the baby's" all the time.� Plus, I'm pretty sure they're not really allowed to address the baby as "it."� I bet that has some kind of controversial connotation.� You know, the whole "is a fetus really a person yet?" argument.

Anyway, I'm also happy to report that (as far as they can tell via ultrasound) Baby Lump is completely happy and healthy (okay - I added the happy part).� James and I could see all of the bones (fingers, toes, spine, ribs, etc.) as well as the eyes, kidneys, brain, stomach and beating little heart (132 beats/minute - normal!).� It was pretty amazing, to say the least.

I asked the technician how big the baby is at this point, but he said it's tough to tell since he/she is confined to the womb and can't exactly stretch out straight.� However, all the week-by-week pregnancy sites I visit tell me the baby is approximately five inches long - "about the size of the baked potato."� It's funny how many of these sites use food - often fruit - as a means of measurement.� I swear, a few weeks ago the baby was the size of a peach.

Check out the "Sonograms" page for more baby pictures!

Oven Timer: 17 weeks, 2 days

Topics: Weekly Updates, Milestones, Announcements, ultrasound, gender, pregnancy, sonogram, little baby lump, fetus, 17 weeks