Week 16

It's amazing!

I've done this "pregnancy thing" now three times, and I still find myself going to pregnancy websites...just to see where we're at. A lot of times, there is SO much information out there, that I just get overwhelmed and don't bother, but this seems to be a simple, to the point, website...which I greatly appreciate.

I'll give everyone a weekly update. I think it'd be neat to look back on this some day too. I truly believe that God created our minds to "block" out certain things, one of which being pregnancy and especially child birth! Although, it could easily be that my family are typically excellent "bottlers" when it comes to emotions, and it just runs in the genes!!! :)

Here is Rebekah's Update for Week 16:
Mom and baby are doing fine. I keep telling everyone that I think this one's gonna be a girl. I have said that from the beginning!! We are hoping for a girl, but whatever is in our plan, so be it. I'd be nice to be able to use Sam's clothes instead of buying all new stuff. Not only that, but they'll will be born in the right season too!!

I keep having this wonderful "pulling" sensation, which I conveniently remember (now that I am pregnant again) from the first two pregnancies. I have not been sleeping since I was about 2 months pregnant. I don't think that there has been a single night that I have made it all the way through. BLAH! At least, with Sam, I was able to sleep up until I was about 6 months pregnant! I have attributed this to my significant weight loss, but who really knows.

Rachel and Sam are doing great. Rachel is constantly trying to help me because she doesn't want me to have to do anything (I'll never argue with that)! She is convinced that if I do too much, that I could hurt the baby. She even wants to help me get up out of the chair. I am still VERY capable of this feat, but I'll humor her. It's so great to see how caring she really is. Every day she makes me smile. Sam is still to the point that he will randomly come up to me and rub my belly (even though it's not all that big), and say, "Mommy's baby". Hopefully, he'll adjust well to the new addition.

Rusty is, of course, wonderful. He is taking care of nearly everything. I have gotten better since the end of the first tri-mester, but there for awhile, he was cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of the kids, etc. I was no better than a bump on a log.

**WARNING TO THE SQUEAMISH**

-This quite possibly is too much information for you-

This is from the website: Week 16

Your Baby's Development:
Your baby now weighs about 3.9 ounces (110 grams) and measures about 4.7 inches (12 cm) in length from crown to rump. Your baby can hold his or her head erect, and the development of facial muscles allows for a variety of expressions, such as squinting and frowning.

"Oh, if only I were this skinny!" Rebekah seemed to say.

Your Body:
Between weeks 16 and 18 of pregnancy, your health care provider may offer you the maternal blood screening test, also known as a "triple marker" test or "triple screen," which measures the levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a protein produced by the fetus, and the pregnancy hormones hCG and estriol in the mother's blood. The results of the triple marker test can tell moms whether their babies are at risk for (not whether they have) neural tube defects such as spina bifida or chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. Out of every 1,000 women who take the test, about 50 will have abnormal results, but only one or two women will actually have babies with a problem. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and advantages of this test.