18 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

How your life's changing: Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline increase. Look for specially designed maternity clothes that can accommodate your expanding belly.

You may have heard that you should avoid lying on your back during your last two trimesters. Here's why: When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein (called the inferior vena cava) that returns blood from the lower half of your body back to your heart. Lying on your side (or even partially tilted to the side), particularly your left side, prevents this compression and improves your blood flow. Try placing a pillow behind you, or under your hip or leg for comfort.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during your second trimester your blood pressure is probably lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

If you haven't already, you'll probably have an ultrasound done sometime this trimester (usually between 16 and 20 weeks). This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking her thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

How I'm doing: Obviously, we've been really busy with not a lot of time to update here. The weekend before last we were up in Davis. We got to spend some time with my parents, Grant and Anna. We had a really good time. It was nice to spend some time in Davis where we really haven't been since we moved away over 4 years ago. It was good, of course, to spend time with my family. We went to a UC Davis football game at their new green stadium.



Surprisingly, they won the game too. So we had a good time.

Then it was a short week back at work and then off for Thanksgiving break. It won't come as a shock to those of you who know Scott well but he had to work Thanksgiving morning in the lab. Stem cells and hardcore scientists don't recognize Thanksgiving as a day off work. So we got a little bit of a later start than usual but luckily dinner reservation could be pushed back a little bit to accommodate our late arrival. We made in to Palm Springs to Harriet and Kay's for a nice dinner with the Pope's and smaller-than-usual group of family and friends. After dinner, football, and a game of poker we were on our way to San Diego. It was our first time in San Diego since the fires so things looked quite a bit different. We spent the rest of the long weekend in San Diego--Scott and Jim power washed the whole house, we did a little holiday shopping, and helped get a few things in order after the recent post-fire renovations.

The baby is doing well. It's been quite active--especially the past few days. I can definitely tell that its little bones are hardening since it's kicks are getting stronger. It's especially active around the end of my workday--when I'm getting tired, I'm sure that's a sign of things to come. So far Scott hasn't been able to feel anything from the outside. Hopefully that will happen soon. In the past two weeks someone outside of the people I specifically told asked me if I was pregnant. That was an exciting day. Two people in the same day actually. I'm starting to feel more pregnant since I can feel the baby move more frequently and stronger.

Only a little over 2 weeks until we find out if this baby is a boy or a girl!