We are now down to 6 weeks!!! Im still feeling great. Im sleeping less and less between peeing and Ellie playing and my new friend acid reflux I dont sleep much lol. I also now use ricky as leverage to get in and out of bed. Oh and i almost forgot my feet swelled up a bit after spending the day at the zoo with the kids! Thats never happened before lol. Still eating my ice and im hitting the nesting stage a bit. Molly had her first baby shower and I face timed with all her friends. They were all sooo excited for her it was very sweet. They also got to see my big belly! Im very glad she gets to have all the fun of the baby showers plus gets to drink at them! Lucky her lol. Here is what Ellie is up to this week! Your Baby

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he or she has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum this week, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That’s one reason why you’re probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there’s less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you’re even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here’s what you’d see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his or her eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his or her own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections. 

Only 7 weeks to go!!! Ellie is really starting to get some good kicks in lol she also lays on one side or the other so my belly looks all crazy lol. Shes pushing around in there now! I guess space is running out! Im still eating my ice and feeling great! Im really not sleeping and toss and turn at night but im trying to not wish moment’s of this away so many women would love to do this and im so lucky to get to!!!! Some days I feel huge then others I think I look to small lol. I went this week for a amazing massage thanks to Jon and Molly they are honestly way to kind! Im so blessed to have met such wonderful people through all this! I think thats my favorite part is meeting people I would have other wise never met! Here’s what miss Ellie is up too!!! Your Baby

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that’s a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). You’re likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby’s signature rocking and rolling. That’s because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in preparation for birth. That’s because the fetus’s head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don’t worry if your baby hasn’t assumed the head-down position yet. There’s still a good chance he or she will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.

While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won’t be long before you’ll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas). In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby’s digestive system is all set and ready to go.

And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his or her skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over. Though weeks away from D-day, your baby’s looking more and more like a newborn.

And speaking of that big day, hope you’re resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you’re likely feeling these days).

Only 8 weeks to go!!!! I was having some issues this past week when working and busy I started seeing spots and felt like I would pass out!!! So I called the dr of course they wanted me to go to labor and delivery to be checked out. By the time I got in the room and they checked my blood pressure I had been in a bed for 10 mins so I felt fine so of course they said well you look great lol. I have been on the iron pills so Molly thought that could be the problem so Dr. Sammons said I could stop taking them and see how I felt and also keep a food log of what I was eating. So far I feel great no more issues since I stoped the pills! Seems odd iron pills could make a difference but I dont know what else it could be… when I was there and hooked up to the monitoring stuff I recorded Ellie’s heartbeat for her mommy and daddy! Thank God she was just fine! Im sleeping less and less and getting very winded doing little things like carrying Everett up the stairs for bed lol. Im also getting a few Braxton hicks and TMI WARNING my boobs are leaking a little!!! Ellie’s milk is coming lol. I hope Im able to pump well for her. Im worried about that I’ve never not had the baby right there to just feed so I hope this goes well. I really want her to have the best! Here is what Ellie is up to this week!!!                                                      Your Baby

As far as growth goes, your baby’s still on a roll, measuring an impressive 18 inches and weighing in at more than three pounds. You can still expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet.

Your baby’s brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can’t smell anything right now, but that’s only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

So what’s your little dove doing all day while you’re busy feathering your nest for his or her arrival? Making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands and feet along your uterine wall, and even sucking his or her thumb. In fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb that they’re born with a callus on their thumb (what a little sucker!).   

Omg in case anyone is doing a count down like me! We only have 9 yes 9 short weeks to go!!!!! Woohooo everything is going GREAT! Not much to tell so here is what Ellie is up to this week!!               Your Baby

Your baby’s height and weight haven’t changed much in the past week, but the big news is your baby’s brain gain. Until now, the surface of your baby’s brain was smooth. Now, your fetus’s brain is taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. The reason for this change in appearance? Those wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue — a necessary change as your developing baby prepares for life outside your womb, and the street smarts he or she will need.

Another big change this week: Your baby’s bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells (before, tissue groups and then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells). This is an important step for your baby, because it means he or she is better able to thrive on his or her own once born (with a little TLC from you, of course).

So it’s in with the new (brain cells, red blood cells) and out with the old (lanugo). Much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering your baby’s body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat and the brain are regulating your baby’s body temperature (so no need for that furry coat anymore). But you may see a few leftover strands of fur on your newborn’s back and shoulders.