16 Weeks

Yay! We love reading everyone's comments, so thanks for posting them!
The baby should be about 4 1/2 inches now - about the size of an avocado (that's for Aunt Rez), and probably weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. In the next few weeks, it will be going through a growth spurt and will nearly double in size. The eyes, which are still closed, are moving toward the front of the head and the ears are close to their final position. The baby's circulatory system is working hard, pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, which will increase to about 190 quarts a day by the time its born.
We had a doctor's appointment earlier this week. We heard the baby's heartbeat, which sounded very healthy. And I had my blood drawn to do the quadruple screen where they test for downs and spina bifida. Hopefully everything will look good. She measured my belly and so far it measures 12. I don't really know what that means, but I guess it will get bigger as my belly grows. Patrick did tell me earlier this week that I looked pregnant. I reminded him that I am pregnant, so that could possibly explain it. He says that I am also exhibiting signs of craziness. I disagree, of course. I think I'm perfectly rational at all times. Granted, I may be emotional, but I always remain rational. I have good reasons for those emotions.
The baby had its first trip to a NASCAR race this past weekend. My dad was in town and we went down to Charlotte for the race. We had a great time.
This weekend, my mom will be in town to help us go through stuff and make room for the little one! Patrick is going to have to get rid of a lot of stuff because all of my stuff is sentimental and I can't possibly get rid of any of it.