A Baby Update...Finally!

We've been so busy with podiatry school interviews (and catching up in school after the interviews) that I haven't had time to give a baby update...until today! So, here it is: our baby update for Week 16.
From "What to Expect": "With a whopping weight of anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces and a length of 4 to 5 inches (just larger than a navel orange), your baby is growing up fast. Muscles are getting stronger, especially the back muscles, enabling your little one to straighten out even more. Your baby-to-be is looking more and more adorable, with a face that has eyes (complete with eyebrows and eyelashes) and ears in the right spots. What's more, those eyes are finally working! Yes, your baby's eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. Your baby is also becoming more sensitive to touch. In fact, he or she will even squirm if you poke your belly."
Updates from Weeks 13-15 include: our baby's intestines are now in their permanent place; Garbonzo now has vocal chords, a longer neck and a more erect head, head and body hair, and can now also breathe, suck, swallow, wiggle it's fingers and toes, kick, flex, and move it's arms and legs.
I can't believe how quickly our little one is growing and developing! I mean, it's actually looking and acting like a real baby now! Some of my personal experiences that coordinate with what I've shared from "What to expect" are that (1) I am "showing" now (just a little bit, but my pants are definitely feeling tight!), and (2) for about the past 2-3 weeks, I've been able to feel little Garbonzo kick and squirm inside me! The first time it happened, (about 3 weeks ago) I was in bed (just after waking up), and it felt as though Garbonzo had done a quick flip or two in my tummy. I thought, "Am I actually feeling our baby?" And then, as similar things started to happen on a regular basis (about a week later) I knew I was indeed feeling our baby move inside me. It's been so fun and exciting to feel the baby and KNOW that it's really in there! Now we're just waiting until those kicks and squirms get strong enough so that Travis can feel them (there have been a couple of times when I have been able to feel the baby kick with my hand pressed against my belly, but never when "daddy" was around!). And, yes, I'm still feeling nauseous, but being able to feel our baby, and know that it's there, makes still being sick feel so much more worth it.
Oh, and since I never did post and say how things went at our Nov. 4th Dr.'s appointment, I'll go ahead and tell you now! The Dr. told me that, from the results they got back from all of my tests and from feeling my belly, that everything looks and feels good and normal--Hooray! The Dr. also did an "ultrasound" on my belly, where I got to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time! It was so emotional and exciting! It's heart beat so fast, and the sound of it was kind of like Darth Vader breathing (being muffled), but it was a wonderful sound to me. =) I didn't want to stop listening to it. And then, at the end of the appointment, the Dr. told me to come back in 6 weeks for another (real) ultrasound...which means...that on December 15th we get to find out what the gender of our baby is!!! I can't wait! I was window shopping online for baby stuff the other day (again), and got so excited about buying things for our little one, realizing that in just 3 short weeks, we'll know if we need to be looking for everything "pink" or "blue."
We're so grateful everyday for the opportunity to be parents-to-be, and look forward to the day (about 5 1/2 months from now) when we'll finally meet the newest little Holloway!