17 Weeks and grateful

We've officially reached the 17 week mark, and the baby is now about 5 inches long (the size of a turnip) and weighs 5 ounces. The belly is growing rapidly, but I'm sure the extra Thanksgiving calories aren't making it any smaller, either! Here are the 17 week belly photos. Please excuse the expression in the first one - I'll tell you more about my moods later in the post! :-)

We had a great Thanksgiving at my parents' house on Thursday. We were especially grateful to have Grandpa Hank (my grandfather) there, because we didn't know if he'd be here for Thanksgiving this year after a diagnosis of Stage IV brain cancer back in the spring. He predicts the baby is going to be a boy! Of course I had my camera there but forgot to take pictures of the whole group (I must have been too busy eating!). I couldn't help imagining about what our lives will be like a year from now, with a little one at the Thanksgiving table next to us. It's sort of a mixture of anxiety and excitement for me at this point. Here is my belly after Thanksgiving dinner - EEK!

I spoke too soon about feeling better, because I've thrown up twice this week. UGH! I'm frustrated with it, but I really only feel bad in the mornings instead of feeling nauseous all day. As a treat to myself, I got some new clothes at Gap Maternity yesterday with the Black Friday deals (and my mom spoiled me with a cute new sweater, too!), and then I got my hair cut this morning, so I'm feeling a little better about things now. I blame the hormones, but it's amazing how much my mood shifts in one day, and even from one hour to the next.

Matt played drums at the tree lighting on Church Street last night, so we went down to listen to the music and partake in the festivities. It was a really fun evening, and it helped get me into the Christmas spirit. Here's Matt at the parade, and after a long day of caring for his pregnant wife: