17 Weeks!

I am 17 weeks pregnant this week! I have been feeling good. I had a pretty easy first trimester, so I didn't see too much change when the second trimester started. I don't feel like I have as much energy as I did when I was pregnant with Kiley but that might be because I am taking care of Kiley too! Being pregnant and carrying around a 20 pound toddler is quite a work out. Now that the weather is nice, I have been able to walk every day which helps boost my energy.

In the beginning I had a very strong craving for pickles and lemons. That has kind of gone away, but I am still a sucker for sweets, which most of you know is defnitely a pregnancy thing for me. I hardly touch sweets when I am not pregnant!

When I was pregnant with Kiley, I took my first belly picture at 19 weeks. I am starting earlier this time because I think I popped out faster the second time around. I thought it would be fun to have Kiley help me. Her job is to hold the numbers and look cute for the camera. I think she is a natural.

Baby's development this week: Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — the lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Baby weighs 5 ounces now and is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby can move its joints, and its sweat glands are starting to develop.

The baby is getting ready to double in size and I can already tell the growth spirt has begun. I am a bottomless pit and never feel full.
We find out the gender a week from Monday (the 19th) and are super excited. We have some names picked out, so hopefully we will be able to start calling baby a name instead of baby #2 very soon! Stay tuned!