Running through my head: 15 weeks, 5 days...

Well, I'm almost 16 weeks now, almost into my 5 month of pregnancy, but you couldn't tell. I'm getting a little belly, but I haven't gained any weight. It seems crazy that in 3 1/2 weeks we'll be going in for our first (and only) ultrasound! Yes, we decided to get just one, to determine the sex of the baby and to find out if it has down's or any other disorder/disability. We're excited to know the sex of the baby to mentally and physically prepare, and to make it easier on all you folks that might be sending gifts from overseas (as we couldn't easily return anything). Also, if the baby should have something out of the ordinary I would especially love the time to mentally prepare for that. A friend of a friend didn't have an ultrasound, and her baby did have down's (it was her 3rd child) and when the baby came out she was confused because she knew it didn't look right. And then it was just a bit of a shock. She still loved the baby, but it was difficult as she was unprepared for it.

Here's the baby at week 15:

About my baby... he or she now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for my baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if I was to have an ultrasound this week, I might be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! Although, like I said, we're waiting a few more weeks.

Enjoy the pics below of my growing belly...

Notice it's a nice sunny autumn day here!

OK, I am SUPER excited about these jeans (as seen in all the photos above as well). They are my first official item of maternity clothes I have bought. I know many of you are thinking, "She's still so small, how could she need maternity jeans of all things?!" Well, I can still fit into my other pants, but they were getting snug. Everytime I sat down I would unbutton the top bottom and then akwardly and sneakily try to fasten everything back up when I got up in hopes that no one would notice. Enough of that. We went to an outlet store in Melbourne last weekend (with our new-found car freedom!) and I decided to just try some maternity jeans on. Well, when I put these on I seriously felt like I was in Heaven. OK, not really, but you get the drift. They are that much more significantly comfortable. The price tag said $70 and although I never spend that much on clothes, I was prepared to for these jeans because they are just that much darn comfortable. When we got to the check out, they rang up $20!!! I was ELATED all day. I love a good bargain =) I'm also pleased I bought them now instead of waiting until I really really needed them, because I'll get that much more wear out of them (I've worn them everyday since!).