Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a mango or large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Think you're big now? You'll start growing even faster in the weeks to come. As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. Most likely, this is round ligament pain. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes severe.

No, I didn't sleep on the sofa, but I noticed my bump was huge and hard (and lopsided - from waking up on my left side??) and must be photographed, which I did from the sofa so as not to disturb my sleeping beauty husband who gets up half an hour after me ^_^

So, I was at work, finishing up the day, somewhat busy but nothing crazy, and all of a sudden i got a couple of light "pops" in my tummy. My whole body noticed it, and I felt really strange, like the fight or flight feeling you get in scary situations. The popping could totally have been gas or whatever, but the way my body reacted to it was what made it so different. I just kinda froze, and it continued with a few pops here and there but in the same general area (below and to the right of my belly button). I stuck my hand down there and think I actually felt a few (in my head??). I have no idea if these were actually the first baby movements I've been able to feel, or if they were indeed just some sort of gastrointestinal movements, but I think I'll go with them being the first kicks! Much more exciting that way!! ^_^

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper or a sweet potato) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Hungry? An increase in appetite is pretty common about now. Bigger, more comfortable clothes are a must now as your appetite and waistline grow. You might be having some not-so-fun symptoms, like swollen feet or hands, backaches, leg cramps and nosebleeds.

Your cardiovascular system is undergoing dramatic changes, and during this trimester your blood pressure will probably be lower than usual. Don't spring up too fast from a lying or sitting position or you might feel a little dizzy.

From now on, when you do lie down, it's best to lie on your side — or at least partly tilted to one side. (When you lie flat on your back, your uterus can compress a major vein, leading to decreased blood return to your heart.) Try placing a pillow behind you or under your hip or upper leg for comfort.

If you haven't already had a second-trimester ultrasound, you'll probably have one soon. This painless procedure helps your practitioner check how your baby's growing, screen for certain birth defects, check the placenta and umbilical cord, determine whether the due date you're working with is accurate, and see how many babies you're carrying. During the exam, you might see your baby moving around or sucking his thumb. Bring your partner along, and be sure to ask for a printout for your baby's first photo album!

Had my 2nd check-up with the midwives today, this time met with Melissa, who was super nice! Last time was with Jeanne, also great, but she doesn't do births anymore. So I'll keep rotating through the whole lot of them until the Big Day, and then I get whoever is on call at the time.

All went well at the check-up. They weighed me, which is never fun... I'm weighing myself at home every Sunday, and today I was finally at my pre-pregnancy weight (I had lost 4 pounds in the first 9 weeks and have slowly been regaining it in the last 8 weeks). That said, the doctor's scale (mid-day with all my clothes and plenty of food/liquids in my belly) consistently reads 5 pounds heavier than my "first thing in the morning after peeing and before eating or drinking and almost naked" weight. hehe. So, the number freaks me out at the doctor's, but we're more or less on the same page as far as weight gain (5 pounds is what they have - cuz they first weighed me at 8 weeks when I was almost my lowest).

They also took one vile of blood for the final part of the nuchal screening. I don't know how she did it, but for the first time in my life I didn't even feel a pinch when the needle went in. Like, really?? It's in?? Amazing!!

Then, the fun part - the doppler!! I recorded it with my cell phone's voice recorder so Ryoji could hear, and I've uploaded it below. Unfortunately only the paid account can upload sound to listen directly from the blog, so you'll have to download the file to hear it. She explained about different sounds, like at first we were getting what sounded like a heartbeat, but it was really echoeing off the uterus! When she found the real heartbeat, like directly over the baby's heart, you could totally hear it much clearer. The baby’s heartbeat was varying from 137-151, which she said is normal (anything from 115-170 apparently), and she said going up is normal as long as it comes back down. She also told me the funny garbly sounds we heard were the baby moving around, and sometimes the heartbeat would go away and she had to chase the baby around to find it again. So funny!! Especially cuz I haven’t felt any sort of movement yet, which is apparently normal with an anterior placed placenta – booooo… hopefully within the next month!

Last night I started sleeping with an extra pillow to keep me from rolling on my back. I read that by 20 weeks you shouldn’t sleep on your back because the weight of the uterus compresses some blood vessels and can lead to not enough blood getting to the baby, and me. Supposedly this would wake me up with nausea and arms and legs asleep, but I don’t wanna risk that, so I’m trying to make a habit of not sleeping on my back now. Without the pillow, I ALWAYS wake up on my back. And last night I discovered why… sleeping on your side the whole night HURTS! Hmmm… will have to look into how to make this more comfortable!

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom (the size of an onion). She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Starting to feel a bit off balance? As your belly grows, your center of gravity changes, so you may begin to occasionally feel a little unsteady on your feet. You may also notice your eyes becoming drier. Try not to get freaked out by the numbers on your scale. At 17 weeks, baby’s working on getting stronger, and your body’s working on getting bigger. That means putting on some pounds and -- we hate to break it to you -- getting some stretch marks.

My belly shot is totally smaller this week, right? Much closer to the size of my 13/14 week shot! Just shows how much an effect the bloating has! Sometimes, it's huge for days at a time. Then it'll deflate randomly and bloat back up after the next meal. Hmmm... baby is only 5 inches now, so guess it makes sense that there's still not much of an official baby bump!

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado : 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

The top of your uterus is about halfway between your pubic bone and your navel, and the round ligaments that support it are thickening and stretching as it grows. Soon you'll experience one of the most wonderful moments of pregnancy — feeling your baby move. While some women notice "quickening" as early as 16 weeks, many don't feel their baby move until about 18 weeks or more. (And if this is your first baby, don't be too impatient — you may not be aware of your baby's movements until 20 weeks or so.) The earliest movements may feel like little flutters, gas bubbles, or even like popcorn popping. Over the following weeks they'll grow stronger and you'll be able to feel them much more frequently. Of course, feeling those movements comes with other issues, like having your lungs crowded by your growing babe. That could make it seem tough to catch your breath from time to time. Don’t worry: There are some positive symptoms you might be having at week 16. For example, some moms-to-be find their hair and nails grow faster. (Your hair might actually look thicker and more lustrous and your skin might look radiant, too. Woo hoo!) Another cool fact? Baby’s starting to be able to hear your voice -- and she’ll recognize it at birth -- so feel free to chat her up.