15 weeks and counting

I know, I haven't been keeping up very well this week. To be honest, there's really nothing to report. I see the doctor again a week from Monday for my 16 week appointment, but we won't have an ultrasound again until 20 weeks. My clothes are beginning to not fit so I've been shopping for cheap maternity clothes, but I haven't had a lot of luck. Last weekend, Khan went to visit the family in St. Pete, and I went shopping with the girls and I picked up a few things on clearance racks here and there.

So, as I have nothing to report, I'll share what I read about what's going on with me and baby at week 15:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

You've probably gained about 5 pounds by now (a little more or less is fine, too) and are well into the swing of your pregnancy, but you may still be surprised by an unexpected symptom now and then. If your nose is stuffed up, for instance, you can probably chalk it up to the combined effect of hormonal changes and increased blood flow to your mucous membranes. This condition is so common, there's even a name for it: "rhinitis of pregnancy." Some pregnant women also suffer nosebleeds as a result of increased blood volume and blood vessel expansion in the nose.

You'll probably feel your baby move sometime between 16 and 22 weeks, even though she started moving at 7 or 8 weeks and you may have already witnessed her acrobatics if you've had an ultrasound. Veteran moms tend to notice those first subtle kicks and jabs — also known as "quickening" — earlier than first-time moms. (A woman who's been pregnant before can more easily distinguish her baby's movements from other belly rumblings, such as gas.) Your build may also have something to do with when you'll be able to tell a left jab from a hunger pang. Thinner women tend to feel movement earlier.

Women have described the sensation as being like popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, butterflies fluttering, a tapping sensation, and bubbles. You'll probably chalk up those first gentle movements in your belly to gas or hunger pangs, but once you start feeling them more regularly, you'll recognize the difference. You're more likely to feel these early movements when you're sitting or lying quietly.