19 weeks

My tummy (aka the Stump lump) is starting to look more baby belly like and less cookie belly like. Though with a too big fleece I am still able to hold out on telling work. Don't worry, I'm not totally crazy. I have my reasons.

(looks as if the mirror got schmutzy since the last picture I took)

As the week has gone on I have become more convinced that I am feeling the baby move. Whether it's kicking, or rolling around, or just squirming, I can't tell yet though. The movements are seemingly random. So who knows what gets this little one going.

I've begun to overwhelm myself with all things baby. I signed us up for a Cloth Diaper workshop in May, I've starting browsing stuff for the baby's room, and reviewed 20 bajillion different stroller, carseat, high chair, etc. options. We started to look into Childbirth classes and read up on how to pick a good pediatrician. It's a never ending list. However, I think of the baby tasks I've started investigating so far, the most daunting has been trying to figure out what we will do for childcare after my maternity leave elapses. Determining what's best for us and best for our baby given our circumstances is hard enough, but then we were faced with the how much it would cost. I think I'm still in sticker shock.

We've got a lot to do and it's driving my over-research tendencies into overdrive. Pray that I survive. In more mellow news, here's the baby's growth report:

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing 6 million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.