17 Weeks

This past week has been pretty uneventful. On Thursday David and I went to Dave and Julie's going away party for all the guys and their wives who work with Dave. It was at a bar, and of course, the owner was in the Marine Corps for a bit. That (not surprisingly) led to a Marine Corps story, but also free beer, which everyone enjoyed tremendously. Tonight we are going to Dave and Julie's house for their personal going away party, which I am looking forward to.
This morning, I had my first stranger ask me when I was due. I was standing in line at the dress give away for the Marine Corps Ball, and the woman behind me politely asked if she could know how far along I was. It was exciting to have someone random notice that I'm growing a small child in my stomach, not just eating too much. :)

Symptoms this week have been pretty mild. I got sick after work on Wednesday, which I am pretty sure was because I had no food in my stomach. That might have been baby Klutts' way of telling me to eat, and now!
I try not to mention too much about boobs on this blog, just in case there are men who read this, but I do have one complaint: they are huge, they hurt, I am getting really bad stretch marks, and it is not fun.
One crazy thing that I am noticing a lot lately are my veins. Pregnant women carry 2/3 more blood in their system than normal, so your veins need to accommodate that. My body looks like a road map! You can see blue veins on my chest, stomach, legs, and arms. I think it's gross. David thinks it's funny (does that really surprise anyone?).

How the baby is growing this week (taken from babycenter.com)
The baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger. She can move her joints, and sweat glands are starting to develop. The baby is about the size of a turnip or large mango.

The baby is continuing to move around a bit, especially after I eat. This week I treated myself to a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. I did get the full on caffeinated drink, and the baby looooved it. I have been staying away from caffeine my whole pregnancy, and I figure one coffee every once in a while won't hurt. In the time it took me to finish my conversation with Love and Texas, get in my car, and drive to Texas' house, the baby was kicking a lot more than she has been so far. I guess any baby would like their first shot of caffeine!

My next appointment is on Monday, and I will post an update on how it went. Have a great week everyone!