I am SO excited about being 18 weeks pregnant today! This week, we get to find out if it’s a boy or a girl (oh my gosh, please don’t be shy, Baby!). Our appointment is on Saturday morning, and Shane and I can’t wait to see our baby on the monitor. He or or she will be much bigger than the last time we took a gander about 9 weeks ago.

I dunno yet, but I hope you’ll make a guess and vote in my poll! Check the right sidebar to cast your vote. We’ll hopefully find out on August 2, and I’ll let you know some time that day.

I know it’s a bit early to be saying this, but I’m pretty certain I’ve felt the baby move! Little pops and rolls in the correct area. It’s NOT gas or my intestines. I’ve felt myself digest food for uh, my whole life, and I know what that feels like.

It’s not too often, but it’s really neat! It’s like Baby is saying, “Hi!” or “Eat some more Reese Cups!” — not sure which.

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I told Shane that the baby has no reason to think there is anything more to the universe than it’s tiny home. I guess that means that I am the baby’s universe, heh. For all Baby knows, it’s the only person in existence. Something about my observations of babies and toddlers leads me to believe that once they’re born, they do see other people, but are still convinced the world revolves around them, lololol.

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I’ve been reading Your Pregnancy Week By Week and I’m really enjoying it.

This week, the authors write, “By this time, expanding or maternity clothing is a must for comfort’s sake.” WHATEVER! I fit in my regular clothes just fine. I’m starting to shop for maternity wear because eventually I’ll need it, but not today. Not tomorrow, either.

Maybe that’s a good thing: Maybe I can avoid the need for summer maternity clothes and just jump into fall/winter stuff.

And now, a belly pic:

You can see it, right? Use your imagination if you have to. I still am not convinced a person on the street would think I’m growing a baby. How big I look depends on what I’m wearing (I changed into pj shorts for this pic. Regular shorts came up higher and got rid of any round look I’ve got going), and the time of day. At night, I puff out more but by morning I shrink.

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I’ve always thought the number “7″ seemed significantly greater than “6.” To me, the sound of being 17 weeks pregnant sounds much more impressive than 16. Seventeen is almost 20! And that’s a half-cooked baby. Just 8 more weeks until I’m 25 weeks pregnant. It’s comforting to know that babies born at 25 weeks have a 63 percent survival rate. I’m hoping to stay pregnant until at least mid-December, though.

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From BabyCenter.com:

“Your baby’s skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she’s around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.”

Thinking of pregnancy in week-by-week terms instead of by the month really makes things seem faster! Sure, weeks can drag on, but really, seven days isn’t all that long.

I don’t feel too different from last week. Feel fine, but still need naps. I think I just like naps.

We had a name for a girl that we both really liked, but now we’re not sure if we’re going to use it. Don’t have a boy name yet, but in just a few weeks, we should be able to find out which we’ll get to use!

I bought Baby’s first packs of diapers the other day. It was a bizarre experience. Baby won’t get to use them for at least six months, but likely a little longer since I bought size 1 diapers (not newborn size).

I’m probably going to try to buy a pack or two per week so I can have a giant stash of diapers for cheap. Thanks to drugstore deals and coupons, I’ve been able to collect 142 diapers for like $5. That’s less than $0.04 each! What a deal, especially considering diapers can run $0.20 each at their cheapest.

I’m going to hop over to CVS later today (I hope) and buy a pack of Huggies. The jumbo packs are $8.99 this week, which is supposedly as low as you’ll be able to find them anymore. I have a $2 off coupon and $3.50 in Extra Care Bucks to use, so the pack will be like $3.50. Not bad.

I hope I can keep this up!

I’m keeping track of my diaper inventoy in a spreadsheet. My plan is to have a few packs in the smallest sizes but put the bulk of my stash in size 3s, where babies supposedly are for a long time. I can share that spreadsheet online, and if my mom (Hi, Mom!) wants to buy diapers for Baby, she can see what sizes I have and what I might need a bit more easily.

What Baby is doing, according to BabyCenter.com:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he’s about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too.

The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Heard the baby’s heartbeat again today. Thumpa-thumpa-thumpa…just galloping right along at 157 beats per minute today. That’s good!

I haven’t gained weight since my last appointment. Um. The doctor wasn’t too concerned and said to keep on eating well and often and the weight will come on.

I scheduled my big ultrasound for Saturday, Aug. 2! Yay! That’s the one where we get to find out if it’s a Bertha or a Billbert ;p. Three weeks and two days to go. I hope we get a clear view!

I want to look into switching to a different health care provider because I just don’t like my doctor’s bedside manner. She barely has time for my questions. I got to ask one today, and she didn’t give the answer I was hoping for. I had others, but whoops! Outta time. I know I’m not her only patient, but good grief!

Rather than asking how I feel in detail, she tells me how I’m probably feeling.

I’m sure she’s a skilled doctor (and surgeon), but she’s just not someone I want to deal with when I’m at my most vulnerable state.

I guess I shouldn’t have high expectations from her. After all, I chose her name off a list of HMO preferred providers–not a referral from a trusted friend.