18 weeks, 1 day

Since I was traveling last week for work we didn't get a picture, but I can't tell a big difference between 16 weeks and 18 weeks. BabyCenter.com says the baby is the size of a bell pepper or 5 1/2" and 7 oz this week, which is considerably different that the avocado or 4 1/2" and 3 1/2 oz which is what it has for 16 weeks. So, although you can't see a big difference on the outside, there's a lot going on inside. The only complaint I have is in regards to these crazy pregnancy hormones which have led to some emotional breakdowns. One minute I'm ready to throw something and the next I'm in tears. I hope this is a spike that will go down soon.

We're looking forward to the gender ultrasound next Tuesday. If anyone has suggestions on baby items you can't live without, send me an email! There are so many options. I'm sure it's going to be hard to choose. Also if you have suggestions on daycares in the Columbus area, let me know. I've been getting some input from people at work which is very helpful.

I'll be sure to post next week so you can hear the "big news" and see Baby Bitner's ultrasound pictures.

16 weeks, 1 day

BabyCenter.com says to get ready for a growth spurt during the next few weeks. Well, I can tell my belly's ready to expand. It's been itching like crazy and I have been slathering on the Palmer's Tummy Butter.

For those of you keeping up with the baby size / food comparison, Baby Bitner is the size of an avocado this week.

Went to the doctor last week and although I have yet to gain any weight, my fundal height is right in line with my week of pregnancy. My next appointment will be my next ultrasound where James and I will find out whether we're having a boy or girl. Then we can start the process of figuring out names and determining what items we need to register for. I've already started to get great input from some friends with little ones of their own. So much to think about.

James has been working diligently on the upstairs bathroom. It looks wonderful and is such a drastic change from before. Once I get the shower curtain and a few things to furnish it I'll post a before and after picture.

James and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary this Friday and his 28th birthday on Saturday.

14 weeks

Picture taken at 13 weeks, 5 days. It's been a busy few weeks with the holidays. We received 2 Christmas presents for baby Bitner; a Purdue bib from James' parents and a stuffed Pooh from my parents. My brother also got us a baby's first year record book and Your Baby's First Year Week by Week book.

We (mostly James) started working on the bathroom upstairs. We've gutted it and are replacing everything except for the bathtub. It will be so nice when it's complete and then we can move on to the nursery. I'll post before and after pictures when it's done.

The baby was the size of a medium shrimp at week 13 and is the size of a lemon this week. It's growing like crazy. People keep asking if we've started picking out names yet. In case you're wondering, we haven't. We've been talking about it and going through name lists online, but have decided to not spend too much time talking about it until we know whether it's a boy or girl. We should find this out in a little over a month.