Well, I haven't felt anything again since my last blog, but what I did feel that one time felt so weird.  I guess it could've been gas, but it felt so different!  I haven't felt anything since but I wonder if that could be because I just haven't noticed.  The last time I felt something, it was VERY light...hardly noticeable.  Plus sometimes I think I felt something, but I'm not sure what and by the time I have a chance to sit quietly and pay better attention the movement is gone.  I've also read that at first the movements can be few and far between and that they depend on how hard the baby is kicking or moving.  I very much want to have the experience of feeling the baby more.  Plus it will be such a comfort to be able to feel the baby regularly and be able to tell from his/her kicks and bumps if everything seems normal or not.  Sometimes I just get scared that everything might not be going ok.  Last night, I was reading posts online on one of the baby sites I go to, and some posts were from people that talk about not feeling the baby and then finding out that there was no heartbeat at their next ob appointment.  That scares me.  My next ultrasound is on September 19 so that should alleviate my worries.  Plus I will find out if the baby is a boy or girl!  Yay!  If it's a boy we are naming him Caleb Michael.  If it's a girl we are naming her Arielle Hope. 

I've had a little bit of heartburn lately if I am not careful what I eat at night (such as... no nachos after 6 pm).  I've also always had issues with my back (due to a fairly large bossom) so of course my back is hurting which can affect my sleep sometimes.  I've also been having some symptoms lately that people may not normally associate with pregnancy.  They're weird.  For one thing, my nose is stuffy more often and when I blow my nose I see little drops of blood.  If I hadn't already seen that a stuffy nose and even frequent nosebleeding is common during pregnancy, I would've been worried.  Apparently, the blood flowing closer to the face causing "pregnancy glow" also causes a stuffy nose and nosebleeding. 

I have grown three inches since my last belly picture at 14 weeks.  From reading about the baby's growth and my own growth in my book "The Pregnancy Journal", I may actually have grown three inches within the past couple of weeks.  I am also steadily gaining weight and I get hungry more often now.  I usually have to have the usual three meals plus several snacks, and I usually have to have a snack sometime in the late night hours as well.  I have now gained all of the weight that I lost during my first trimester back so that's good.  As for cravings, well I've been craving the apple juice slush from Sonic a lot.  Slushes seem to be a common craving, but the kind of slush I crave changes.  I started off craving ICEEs, especially the white cherry ICEE that the Target close to us have.  Then, I was craving the red cherry ICEE at one of the gas stations.  Now, I crave the apple juice slush all the time.  That's my main craving; Chris is always going out to get me an apple juice slush.  I've also been craving kolaches and croissants a lot lately.  My sweet husband once went out at 5:30 am because I just HAD to have kolaches for breakfast and the only reason I even waited until 5:30 is because that's when the donut shop opened anyways... so it wasn't possible to get any before that...hehe.  I haven't been craving anything weird yet except that I once had a craving for chili cheese fries with pickle relish on top.  OH yeah... pickles!  I love pickles!  More on food cravings and my changes in food preferences in general in my next blog.

It has been too long since my last post.  I am four months pregnant now!!  Well, 17 weeks to be exact.  At five months (20 weeks) I will be halfway through this pregnancy!!  I had an ob visit last Thursday, and everything is going great.  Chris got to go with me so he got to hear the heartbeat again.  I go to ob appointments now looking forward to hearing the heartbeat.  It lets me know that my baby is doing well.  The little baby's heart was beating at a steady 154 beats per minute which is normal and healthy.  I am starting to gain weight rather than lose it so that is good.  I haven't gained too much weight... I lost 8 lbs during my first trimester and gained 3 lbs back this past month.  The doctor says I should be gaining more weight soon. 

He told me that the baby should be 8 ounces when I am 20 weeks and a pound when I am 24 weeks and 2 lbs when I am 28 weeks.  My next appointment with the ob is on Sep 19 when I am 21 weeks... it would've been a week sooner, but Chris and I are going to Corpus Christi the week before (kind of a military paid vacation cuz he has a conference to go to there).  At the next appointment I will be having another, more detailed, ultrasound.  I should be able to see organs and find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl.  If it is a boy, we've decided to name him Caleb Michael.  If it's a girl, we'll name her Arielle Hope.  The doctor said we get ultrasound pictures for free of course, and we can also buy the DVD of the ultrasound for $20.  Chris and I are going to get the DVD.  The doctor also told us that the appointment when I am 28 weeks will be at the hospital in Henderson which is where I will be delivering the baby.  There will be another ultrasound at 28 weeks, but it will be a 3D ultrasound... I don't know what that will be like, but it sounds interesting.  Also, at 28 weeks my monthly ob visits will then be biweekly ob visits.  At 28 weeks I start my third trimester so the doctor will want to see me every 2 weeks instead of just once a month. 

This past month, I've felt great!  I have no morning sickness, but I do have more gas and bloatedness.  Each week after I hit 3 months, I felt better than the previous week.  Now, I never get nauseous at all.  I have been feeling a little off this week, but it's been because I've been sick with a cold and I've had a bad cough.  I will be 18 weeks on Saturday and I am excited because I should be feeling the baby soon !!  They say that sometimes a first time pregnant mother doesn't feel the baby until 20 weeks because she doesn't know what to expect, but I am determined to pay extra attention to my belly and try to notice the "butterflies" or "popcorn popping" feeling that I have read and heard about.