Saturday morning we were up early and off to the coast! This was our first beach trip of the year, and it's hard to believe that with living so close it took us until August to get there. It was a quick trip as we came home on Sunday evening, but we had so much fun and some time away together was exactly what we needed. We stayed at the sweetest little place on Kure Beach, called Hidden Treasure Inn. This sounds so cheesy, but it really was a hidden treasure, lol. We decided that for all future trips to the beach we will be booking a room here. Erik spent a lot of time on his boogie board he loves so much, and while I played in the water a bit I found myself most comfortable parked on the beach chair with a book in my hand. Every time I visit the beach I am reminded of how much I really have missed it and find it a little sad to leave.
Here are a few pics from the trip:
Since we were away from home all weekend we took my 17 week update photos while at the beach. It was there that I realized I need a bathing suit that offers more coverage for all my "growing parts" hehe... Unfortunately the photos are not the best and the ocean breeze made my hair look even wilder than usual but you get the idea...
 |
| 17 weeks + 4 days |
At 17 weeks the baby is the size of a turnip, measuring in at about 5.1 inches long and weighs around 5.9 ounces. The cartilage is starting to turn to bone, and he/she is finally starting to put on some fat (yay, maybe more on the baby and less on me? I have gained almost 6 lbs so far! Yikes...) The umbilical cord is starting to grow stronger and thicker as well.
In other exciting news, last Thursday at work I think I might have felt the first small movements! I was sitting down and the way I was sitting and kind of bent over really squished my belly area, especially with my scrub pants on which are already starting to get a little tight... It was a weird feeling, like a hundred bubbles popping in my lower belly, or almost like rice krispies crackling in there. As long as I stayed sitting like that, I continued to feel the "popping" sensations, but as soon as I stood up they went away. I have been waiting for more "pops" but nothing since then.
Last Friday, I also had my second visit to the birthing center and the midwife assured me that everything seemed to be progressing just as it should. I expressed my concerns about my bump being what I feel like is a little small but she did her assessment and said it was exactly the size it should be at this point. We also heard the heartbeat ticking along nicely in the 150's. As soon as she put the doppler on my belly she asked if we were going to find out the sex of the baby at the ultrasound in a few weeks. We said yes we were, and she asked if she could make her guess. Of course we wanted to hear her "professional prediction" and without hesitation she said "girl." Erik wanted to know why and the midwife said it was because the baby was so cooperative - she had found the heartbeat immediately. She said with boys she usually needs to chase them all over to get a good listen. Now of course, this is definitely not a scientific way of determining gender, but it sure is fun to hear everyone's guess and see where I fall in terms of all those old wives tales! I haven't gone as far as the "wedding ring test" yet but give me another week or so and I think I will probably be there...
Just for fun of course ;)
