15 weeks!!

Well, we had a lot of fun this weekend with Patrick & Rose. They're friends we had back in TX (Patrick was Caleb's best man, and the other grad student under Dr. Lloyd back at UT) but have since moved to NJ. I knew we missed having them around, I just didn't realize how much I missed them! It was great to see them again, and hopefully we can get together again sometime. They mentioned that if we ever want to go on a cruise, we should talk to them and maybe we can all go together... Fun stuff!

I am 15 weeks now and just saw the doctor again today. It was just a routine check up and they took some blood to run a few tests, but I did get to hear Thumper again! Last time, when they listened to the heartbeat at 10 weeks, Thumper's heartbeat was about 160 (beats per minute). Today it was 142, which is well within normal - they said anywhere from 120-160 is good, and that it's not surprising that the heart is calming down a bit now that things have developed more. Anyway, it was funny because every time the nurse found the heartbeat, Thumper would move away! We've got a wiggler! Caleb laughed and said he's picturing chasing a giggling toddler down the hall. Very fun indeed.

At this point, Thumper is about the size of an apple - 4 inches from head to butt - and about 2 1/2 oz. Hair folicles are developing and the baby is starting to breathe the amniotic fluid (exercising those lungs!). The skin is still very translucent (as it will be for a while still) and the ears are ALMOST to where they belong. Oh, and the baby can see, although its eyes are fused shut until just before birth. At this point, if you shine a light on my belly, they say baby will move away from it and turn its head.

Nausea and fatigue are still constant companions, but are still manageable. A friend also introduced me to Preggie Pop Drops (also Preggie Pops) which are hard candies and suckers that are supposed to help with morning sickness. It helps take the edge off a bad afternoon, but they're hard to find - only specialty pregnancy places carry them! I did find some more today, so now I'll just have to ration myself. *winks* Anyway, that's about all I can think that's new... Here are a few shots from this weekend, for your enjoyment:

Patrick & Caleb, shoveling the driveway

We took them to the Mall of America where we grabbed lunch

at the Rainforest Cafe! Their first time there...