I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment today, but unfortunately I don't have an update because I had to reschedule... my doctor was off delivering a couple of babies! I can't really complain, considering she'll be doing the same for me in a couple months. :)

I'm 18 weeks this week, which is crazy to me because that means I'm almost halfway through! Here is what she is up to this week:

Baby is about the length of a bell pepper and weighs about 7 ounces. Her blood vessels are visible through the skin, and her ears are now in their final position. She is busy kicking and moving, something I should start feeling anytime! Haven't felt anything yet... a protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for about a year after she's born. Her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place, and her ovaries already contain all the eggs she will ever have.

I haven't really gained any weight lately, which I'm actually really grateful for... I gained a lot more than I thought I would in the first trimester, so I was afraid that my weight gain was going to continue at that rate throughout the pregnancy and I would end up gaining like 70 pounds, but it's slowed down a lot as I've settled into my second trimester. I've gained about 10 pounds so far, not bad at all!

We've told some people this, but Kyle and I have definitely decided to keep the baby's name a secret until she's born. We're doing this for several reasons, the most important one being that we decided we're not going to pick one until we meet her! We're going to make a short list of like 5 names, and then pick one of those once she's born and we get a chance to see her and her little personality. There are many reasons that this makes a lot of sense to us... and since there's no surprise about gender, everyone will get another surprise when she makes her first appearance... including Kyle and I! :)

Picture of girl parts! Kind of hard to make out, but the three little white lines that the arrow is pointing to are the folds of the labia

Baby looking straight at us!

I've had a lot of people expressing concern about the flu... since I'm pregnant and a healthcare worker with constant patient interaction I'm in a high-risk category, but I just wanted everyone to know that I'm doing what I can to prevent it. I'm obsessed with hand sanitizer at work, and I got my regular flu shot last week, the first day it was available. The swine flu shot isn't available in Oregon yet, but when it is I'll be first in line, unless my doctor advises against it for some reason (and I don't see why she would). Please remember that if you're experiencing flu like symptoms (cough, runny nose, etc. with a fever) do NOT go to the ER or Urgent Care, those places will be a breeding ground for germs and other problems, and you want to avoid them... just stay home and call your doctor, they will let you know what to do. OK, that's the only lecture I'm going to give tonight. :)

This last weekend was pretty fun, Kyle had a boys night at the casino on Friday night so my friend Kali and I went out to dinner, shopping, and a movie... it was a good girls night! Saturday was our friend Pearl's birthday, so a bunch of us went to a restaurant in the Pearl district to celebrate... we were not at all impressed with the restaurant unfortunately, in fact it was probably the worst service I've ever had... one of the waiters tipped a beer over when he was putting a plate down and it spilled all over one of our friends... and he just walked away and never came back! Needless to say, we got out of there as soon as we could and went across the street to another bar to hang out. Kyle and I split off when everyone went dancing because we were both tired... then Sunday we went out to breakfast and then to the movie theater to watch Toy Story 1 & 2! It was really fun! We both remembered waiting in line to see the original one in the theater, so it was like a walk down memory lane. And they were in 3D! I forgot that for some reason this can make me feel kind of sick, but I got through and am really glad I stuck it out. We would highly recommend!

Kali and I...

So on Saturday I went to Target and Old Navy just to browse through baby things... it's so hard not to buy a lot of stuff! I didn't, I managed to only get a couple outfits, but I had to put a lot back... everything is just so freaking cute! I got a little fleece sleeper that says I Love Daddy on it (I couldn't resist), a fleece jumpsuit with a matching onesie, and a couple other things. It's hard because you actually have to think about when she'll be wearing them... for example, it's fall so all the warm winter stuff is starting to come out, but since she'll be born in early spring, she'll only get to wear that stuff for a little while, and then it will be mostly summer stuff... but it's still so cute I want to buy it anyway! :)

This weekend we're going to Albany to have a family BBQ on Sunday with the Hall family, Rick's brother's family... we don't get to see them very often so we're excited to spend some quality time! Hopefully the weather will still be sunny, I don't know about you but I am LOVING the weather! It's finally cooled down, but it's not stormy or anything yet... I actually get to cuddle up with a book and a blanket in front of the fireplace at night with a cup of hot cocoa! Fall is my favorite! :)