18 weeks

Here we are at 18 weeks and one day. It just doesn't seem possible to be this far along already - I say this now, right? Wait until I am 35 weeks and can't move... I'll be singing a different tune.

I have been feeling well. No nausea, energy levels are manageable but heartburn has hit. I've had heartburn with all of my pregnancies. So not fun! I tend to have it early on in pregnancy but it usually goes away fairly quickly until about the 8th month and then returns with a vengeance. This time I may not be so lucky to get a break. I need to get another bump picture up, I just haven't taken the time to take the picture. Soon... I promise! I have gained about 10 pounds since my first appointment which seems to be right on track but a little much to me. The babies don't even weigh a pound together so I can't blame them.

Lately, my cravings have been for sweet and sour... like Sour Patch Kids, Fruit Roll-ups, lemonade. Sometimes I feel the need for a nice home cooked meal but can't quite put my finger on what it is I really want. A few weeks ago, a friend posted a picture on Facebook of an appetizer on a stick (for those that don't know, Minnesota is crazy about putting food on a stick and selling it at state and county fairs, it's generally always deep fried and very healthy, hehe) and I could not stop thinking about it for a week. I've gotten over it now. The last thing that grabbed hold of me was a homemade taquitos recipe I found on-line. I took that bull by the horns and made those on Monday night. I do have to say they were quite good but did not help me in the heartburn department.

The babies are very busy little bees. I am still not feeling them move everyday but once they start moving, they really squirm around. I think they communicate with each other with their kicks and punches. It's such a fun feeling, though.

The babies are about the size of a sweet potato and weigh around 6.5 ounces. Fingerprints and toe prints are developing around this time. They are also beginning to yawn and hiccup. I was thinking the other day that I was feeling some hiccups but I thought it was way too early for that... guess not. While reading about the progress of a 18 week fetus, I was intrigued to learn that more of the complex nerves are forming. Those include the sense of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Interesting, huh?

My last appointment was last week. Everything looked good. Both heartbeats were around 150. Baby A was little higher and Baby B was a little lower. The next appointment is next week along with the anatomy ultrasound. It'll be exciting to see them again. I am guessing they will be flipping and flopping around as usual. I think they really enjoy to be on stage. At the last appointment, the doctor used a portable ultrasound machine to measure the heartbeats (a Doppler can not pick up the separate heartbeats) and the babies once again were on the move while she was trying to get the heartbeats.... cute little buggers.

Kind of a side note... when I was pregnant with Elliott I joined a message board that included other moms having babies the same month Elliott was due. These groups are so nice to have because you can ask questions about anything that may come up and not feel foolish for asking it. I have stopped visiting that message board mainly because we formed a secret group (secret group, that sounds so cheesy) within Facebook and it's much easier to go onto Facebook. Anywho, I shared my surrogacy adventures with this group of ladies even before I shared on my Facebook wall. Most of them have been nothing but supportive. There are only about 35 of us and it seems that half are either pregnant or trying to become pregnant. I recently learned that I have inspired someone else in that group to become a surrogate!! I think that is so terrific. Surrogates are definitely needed. Hats off to you, Ashley! I look forward to hearing about your progress!

Take care my friends!

Melissa