18 Weeks and so excited!

I have so many reasons to be excited for this week. First and foremost, I finally get to see my sweet little baby this week via ultrasound. I've been waiting for this for months and it might be the only time I see him/her until "labor" day. I'm so thrilled to find out the sex but to also just make sure everything is growing okay in there. My appointment is on Friday at 1:30.

After the big ultrasound, Neil is taking me out for a birthday date to celebrate my 27th birthday (it's on Sunday)! It's so crazy that he and I met around my 16th birthday. We were just children and now here we are preparing to have a child ourselves! It's nuts!

I'm hoping for sushi for my birthday with something yummy for dessert! We will continue the birthday celebration with our friends Elizabeth and Sy (who's turning 28 on Saturday). We are doing our annual birthday evening at Oktoberfest in downtown Cincinnati. This year will be much different than years past - less beer (well, no beer) and more food! I'm really excited to dance to the Klaberheads and just have fun and celebrate!

So yeah - I'm 18 weeks today! Almost halfway there. It's going by so fast. I'm just so lucky to be having a relatively easy pregnancy so far and to have so many great people rooting for us and for the baby! We borrowed some awesome baby things from our friends Joe and Melissa. Their baby Josiah is 19 months and they are waiting a while for the next baby, so they had some things to get out of their basement for the time being. They gave us a great bassinet, a baby bathtub, a jumperoo and an awesome swing that plugs in! Everything is wonderful! I'm so excited to have the baby here to try it all out. Thanks guys!

Here are my weekly updates for week 18:

How Far Along: 18 weeks today!
Total Weight Gain: About 7 lbs
Maternity Clothes: Today, all maternity. But I can still wear a lot of pre-pregnancy tops. Maternity pants are a must!
Sleep: Still sleeping well!
Best Moment(s) this week: Being productive this weekend with Neil even though it was hard work. We cleaned and organized a lot! We got to relax some too though. It was a great weekend.
Gender: Can't believe we find out in 4 days! I'm still thinking boy!
Movement: Occasionally I feel some kicking and moving and I can hear thumps on my fetal doppler.
Baby's heart rate this week: Right around 145-150.
Food Craving: Dairy. Cheese, yogurt, milk!!
Symptoms: Feeling good. I get tired easier and walking around a lot wears me out really fast! I've had a few days at work where I'm on my feet all day, and that is getting hard!
What I miss: Nothing right now!
What I am looking forward to: My birthday and the gender reveal of this little baby! Cannot wait for that! I'll probably try to wait to reveal on the blog and facebook until I've told family and friends over the weekend.

Here's to a great week!