Wow!  I can’t believe I have been pregnant for 4 months!  This has been such an exciting and life-changing time for me.  I am so excited to look forward to a growing baby bump, feeling the little one move, finding out the gender, and sharing the happiness with friends and family at our upcoming baby showers within the next few months!

Here’s what Baby Jones is up to this week: 

• Baby is about 4 1/2 inches long and is the size of an avocado!  
  
• Baby weighs about 3 1/2 ounces.
• Baby is now beginning to hear sounds.  Andrew talks to the baby at least once a day.  I talk to the baby too, but I don’t think he/she will have a problem recognizing my voice since he/she hears my voice all the time.
• Baby’s toenails are growing.
• Baby is forming tastebuds!

Here’s what is happening with me this week: 

Symptoms

• Back aches have continued.  I got my first prenatal massage on Friday and the massage therapist was surprised by the number of knots in my back. 🙁  Hopefully it will get better with massage and stretching.
• I had terrible headaches this week!  I think they were from staring at my computer screen more than I have been and not wearing my glasses.

Food Aversions

• Chicken
• Cheesy flavored foods (cheez-its or anything else with artificial cheese flavoring)

Food Cravings

• Meat
• Celery
• Baked potato

Sleep

• I think I went to bed at or before 8pm almost every night this week!  It was the first week of school for the students and I was on my feet a lot.  It definitely wore me out, but I will get back into the swing of things soon.

Other Updates

• We had our monthly prenatal appointment!!!  Our midwife was out, so we saw a nurse practitioner who also works in the office.  She was very kind and provided a lot of information.  She also had the best luck out of all three different ladies that we have seen so far with finding the baby’s heart beat.  As soon as she placed the doppler on my tummy we heard the steady and quick beat of our little one.  Of course, I had happy tears and Andrew smiled from ear to ear.  It’s interesting at this stage since the baby is still so tiny that I can’t feel any movement that hearing the heartbeat is so amazing as it affirms that there is really something growing inside me!
• Andrew will put up a poll in the next week or so that will allow everyone to make their best guess on whether Baby Jones is a BOY or GIRL!  We will find out in just one month!!! 🙂