Dear Baby... 17 Weeks

Dear Baby,

Well, you're really determined that I experience ALL the possible side effects of this pregnancy, aren't you? The heart palpitations were scary but not necessarily painful, however, wearing the 48 hour heart monitor was extremely uncomfortable and itchy! And not being able to shower the whole time was not necessarily pleasing to your father, I don't think. But it was all worth it to make sure that the episodes aren't putting any stress on you. Palpitations often occur during pregnancy, but we just wanted to be on the safe side and get it checked out.

After also checking for a thyroid problem and anemia, the doctor did discover that my blood count is low, so now I'm taking iron supplements three times a day to help keep us both healthy. My EKG looked fine, but the cardiologist will do an analysis of the heart monitor recordings in the next week or so and we'll keep our fingers crossed that everything is fine there, too.

Also, I thought we were over the whole morning sickness thing? Puking up that chai tea latte earlier this week was just a waste of $4, hon. I've also been feeling quite a bit more tired this week, but the iron deficiency could be the culprit there... we'll see. Oh, and I'm sorry I got so upset the other night and spent a while sobbing in bed, but that SportsCenter documentary on Steve Gleason was just too much for me to handle! 

This week your skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and your umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. You weigh about five ounces and are around five inches long from head to bottom and could fit nicely in the palm of my hand... how cute! You're also developing some body fat (join the club) and practicing some survival skills like sucking and swallowing.

Yesterday we spent Thanksgiving at Grandpa's house, and everyone was so excited to hear about our plans for you. I'm not really into the whole Black Friday shopping thing, but I might try to fit in some maternity clothes shopping on Sunday... Momma's gettin' chubby!

Of all the things people have to be thankful for right now, I think me and your Daddy are the most fortunate. Growing you, our teeny tiny human, has been our most amazing accomplishment thus far, and we are so lucky to get to experience it.

Love Always,

Mommy