Week 18

Week 18 was a great one. We had our 18 week appointment last Friday and Baby B's heart beat continues to be an easy one to find! As soon as the Doppler hits my belly there she is, pretty fantastic. Her heart rate was in the 150 range. She has also become big enough that I can feel her kicking quite regularly. I was lying on my back on the couch earlier in the week and could feel her bumping around in there, grabbed Chris' hand and he got to feel a wee baby kick also. With Perry the placenta was positioned in the front which lead to a barrier of sorts between he and I, and meant that we didn't get to feel him move as much. With Baby B that certainly does not seem to be the case. I was hopeful that I could feel her move more, and considering we are only at 18 weeks and she is making herself known, I have a feeling that by the end of this pregnancy I will be wishing that the placenta had been in the front for this one too!

We are still on the name hunt but have gotten some great suggestions from our friends here checking the blog, thank you for that! My list is getting longer every day.  Carrie called out that the middle name will be Lou which is dead on and I should have listed that as part of my criteria! Lou is my middle name as well as my Grandmother, Aunt and Cousin on my Dad's side and I really do like the idea of following the tradition of passing it on. Plus Baby B's cousin goes by Amy Lou (formal name Amelia Louise) so in a way the girls will both share middle names. Pretty sure we can have some fun with that.

Week 18 Developments
Head to rump, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the lenght of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing hers arms and legs — movements that might be noticable more and more in the weeks ahead. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin, and her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born.