Baby update

Your pregnancy: 17 weeks (from babycenter.com)
How your baby's growing: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. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

This morning I had another appointment at the women's clinic! It was so short after the other one, because this saturday I leave for my 6 week trip.
I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow, and everything looked fine - got to hear the heartbeat again!! :) - I've gained a couple of pounds since July (really have no idea how many - it depends so much on what scale I step, or on what (time of) day, but lets say about 5lbs or so). I only have 1 pair of regular jeans left that fit comfortably, and my belt is loosened by 1.5 notches :) - yes, a little belly is there!
The appointment for our 'big' ultrasound is set too! - Tuesday November 25th! I'll be 23.5 weeks by then, but the doctor said that they should be able to see everything fine, as long as you come in before 24 weeks (right now, at 17 weeks was a little too early). I cannot wait!
I also asked the doctor about the safety issue on board the research aircraft I blogged about earlier (can't fly beyond 20 weeks pregnancy), and he said it is mainly because by that time your belly really starts poking out, so if I was to get jolted around due to turbulence, my little one wouldn't be that protected anymore. I figure I will just see as I go along, and see how turbulent the flights are. If I find that everything is safe, I will continue my job, but if I think - in the least bit - that things are becoming unsafe, then I'll have someone else take over my job.