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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

18 Weeks Today! Dragon Baby

Today I am 18 weeks and baby is the size of a bell pepper (about 5.5 inches from crown to rump). Baby also weighs about 7 oz. I had my monthly doctors apt yesterday which went well. Baby's heartbeat was 143 beats and I am slowly climbing up there in weight (129.4 with clothes).

No new symptoms except that I have been getting leg cramps in my right leg at night. Im also feeling my belly stretch and have been putting on lots of coco lotion (not that I really think it will prevent my inevitable stretch marks, but one can always try!).

Baby has been active but not as much as it was earlier in the week.  I have been eating well, and usually have a hamburger at least 3 times a week. School also is going well and my students have been great. They all ask if I know what I will be having. 5 more days! A close friend of mine who is 3 weeks ahead of me just found out she's having a little girl (her second, first was a boy). I have a feeling that this little one is a girl, but I know that Steve is really really wanting a boy (I'm sure I have mentioned this before). In the end, we will be happy with a happy healthy baby.

What do you get when you cross a Rat with a Rooster.... A dragon! According to the Chinese Calendar, this is the year of the Dragon! Any babies born within this year are said to be lucky, smart and strong. I am a rat while my husband is a Rooster. Apparently, because it is the luckiest year out of all the Chinese zodiacs, there will be a massive baby boom in China.

The next thing on our baby agenda is to sign up for birthing/child care classes. I do not "plan" on having a natural birth and so I will not have to go through all the pain management and breathing techniques. I put plan in quotes because I know and can accept that anything is possible. I'm not ready to really get my birth plan in order but I do plan not to make a strict birth plan. My sister didn't have an epidural, and out popped my nephew in a few quick pushes (no epidural was not her plan). I've also heard of horror stories of being in labor for hours and hours (sometimes days). With my mom, I was delivered by c-section at 10 weeks premature. I wanted out and was not waiting any longer (really hope our baby isn't like that). In a perfect world, baby will be born on time, and with only a couple of pushes (haha, yea right. But we can always dream of unicorns and fairy dust). I really want to take a class to get prepared for labor signs and more importantly, for what happens AFTER baby gets here. I'm more scared about coming home with baby... and looking at Steve and saying... Ok, now what?!