Update on weeks 15-17

Having a hard time getting sleepy...guess I'll update this thing :)  

So this past Monday marked 17 weeks!   It's very exciting to say that since we've never gotten this far before :).   Since my last post we saw the doctor again last Monday and they didn't do an ultrasound, but we did get to hear the heartbeat-151 bpm :)   Since I had seen some light spotting, she also checked to make sure I wasn't dilated, which luckily I wasn't.

Our next ultrasound isn't until the end of November, which seems like so long, but I guess that's part of having a regular pregnancy :).  We've thought about getting a heart rate Doppler, just for that reassurance whenever we want.    Another thought was to get a basic ultrasound done at a place like Womb with a View, here in town, to get a little peek in a couple of weeks, so we don't go 6-7 weeks without getting to see our little gummy bear :)

Physically, I either am completely exhausted or super charged with energy.   I have "popped" out a little bit, but it's hard to see unless I wear form fitting shirts, which I've been avoiding at work, because I was waiting until Halloween to announce my pregnancy (tomorrow!).   For some it may look like I've been eating a pizza a day for lunch :) but my belly has started to round out and has gotten firmer.   I've been able to keep the weight off that I lost in the first trimester, despite the growing roundness up in front.   I've also started to feel a pulling/pressured feeling at times, which apparently is normal.  I've also started to feel a little movement on my left side (where the baby is)!   I can't feel it on the outside yet, but when I'm hungry, sing, sitting in my tower class I can feel it moving more.
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll be able to find out the gender :)
I know I'm a dork, but we've been taking some "weekly" pictures and the baby is as long as a _____ picture (in the what to expect book/app it tells you approximately how long your baby is every week, i.e. an orange, poppy seed, cantaloupe, pineapple, etc).   I tried to take a profile picture as well so you can see the "bump" :)
Thanks for checking in! :)

                                             Week 15, baby is as long as a navel orange.   

                                                      Week 16, baby is as big as a turnip (we didn't have one :)), 
                                                         roughly about 5 inches long. 

                                           Week 16 profile.  Some of this is me, but I'm definitely 
                                                           feeling more round these days :)  

I'll post my 17 week belly and Halloween baby shirt after tomorrow.  This week, the baby is as long as a sweet potato :), about 5 1/2 inches long.    Those of you who saw Ethan (baby #2) or saw pictures, he was 5 1/2 inches long so this baby should be about that long now.   

We're almost halfway!  Here's to hoping everything keeps going well!  :)