Andrea’s Weblog

The baby is now supposed to be 16 inches long and weigh about 2 pounds.
She can now open her eyes and look around at all the exciting things
happing around her. My belly is definitely growing, but it doesn’t seem
big enough to accommodate a baby this size.

Frank has enjoyed poking the belly to see if it kicks back. I’ve warned
him never to wake a sleeping baby, but I have to admit it is pretty fun
when the baby does start to respond.

I’ve been complaining to Frank about my belly wrinkle. It’s the spot
where my ribs stop and the belly abruptly begins. Frank informed me
that this is no longer a wrinkle, but a full-blown crease. Crease just
sounds so much more permanent!

The skin on my belly is definitely stretching. To illustrate this,
without getting too personal (but you are reading a pregnancy weblog),
I’ve always had a couple curly hairs under my belly button. They were a
very close bunch until fairly recently. Now they are now scattered over
a 1.5 inch area. So, in other words, the skin that used to be about the
size of an ant is greater than the size of a quarter. I’ve also started
to get a faint stripe of darker skin running down from my belly button.
Frank is puzzled by the fact that I would develop a racing stripe when
I’m anything but fast anymore.

Another noteworthy change is my poor belly button. It looks like it’s
been run over by a steam roller. The little crevices that used to be
invisible are now flattened for all to see. The strange thing is that
this flattening causes it to stick out more against the round belly so
it is visible through many shirts.

Sneezing is increasingly uncomfortable—I’m afraid I’ll crack a rib
every time. I’ve learned that proper sneezing preparation is a must.
You see, the abdominal muscles actually divide during pregnancy and run
down each side of the belly instead of straight down the belly. These
muscles, at least mine, are very sensitive as they adjust to their
ever-increasing load. I’ve figured out that the only way to sneeze
without experiencing pain is to make sure you are sitting up straight.

I’m sure there will be more fascinating changes as the belly continues
to grow. People are still telling me that I’m tiny, but I definitely
don’t feel that way.