21 weeks!

It’s almost Christmas time!! I’m so excited to spend the holidays at home. We’re flying back to California tonight and we’ll be there for 12 straight days. It’s the longest I’ve ever visited home since I moved…. I can’t wait! We have lots planned… I can’t wait to see my nephew! We’re taking him to Disneyland, going to see Christmas lights and all sorts of fun stuff! I can’t wait to see everyone and ring in the new year at home! I’m also really looking forward to the Mexican feast we have every year for Christmas Eve… Tamales, Rice, Beans, Chili con Carne and beef and potato from Ramona’s… YUMMMM.

This Saturday we also have our 4D ultrasound booked! I’m so excited to get a sneak peak at baby’s facial features! I know she’s not fully grown yet so she won’t be chubby baby like the ones I’ve seen, but it’ll be cool to see the face move and be able to get a clear view of it. I’m really excited!

Currently baby girl is the size of this yummy looking fruit:

Your Baby: Week 21

Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Symptoms: Back pain still… and sweelllinggggg. It’s like the minute I hit 21 weeks my ankles were like “It’s go time.”

Food Cravings: I think we’re back to Clementine’s.

What I'm most excited about: The 4D ultrasound this weekend, hitting the 24 week viability mark…ddecorating the nursery, going home so baby girl can hear my family’s voices!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing new really this week…

21 week (work picture) haha



20 weeks!

20 weeks…. I seriously thought I would never get here. I am still in pure maternity bliss. I love being pregnant! Especially now that I can feel baby girl moving all the time now! She’s so active, I absolutely cannot wait until we’re able to feel it from the outside so that Daniel can share my joy. I’ve been sitting with my hands over my stomach while we’re watching TV to see if I can feel anything. I’ve put Daniel’s hands on my stomach too and have felt her kick, but Daniel doesn’t feel them yet. Soon enough I hope!

We had another ultrasound this week. The anatomy scan that I had done at 18 weeks wasn’t super successful when they were trying to get a good view of her heart. She just wasn’t cooperating and wasn’t in the proper position to get a look at everything they needed to look at. This time when we went back I laid off the juice and only drank water before the appointment. She was still having a dance party in there! She was still so active and when she finally did calm down, she was curled up like a little shrimp in the corner of my stomach and the tech couldn’t get anything she needed to get. The scan lasted about 45 minutes. The majority of the time she was trying to get the baby to move, but baby girl wasn’t having it. She ended up having to do it vaginally. I was so not prepared for that. My legs weren’t shaved or anything and Lord knows how long it’s been since I’ve had a pedicure. Lol… I’m sure they’re used to it though. So once they got a better view she was able to give us lots of pictures. We even got some 3D picture sneak peaks! Next Saturday is my 4D elective ultrasound… I can’t wait to see her more! I’ll be in L.A visiting my family for Christmas, so I’m happy they get to go to one ultrasound. Here are the pictures that we got at the ultrasound yesterday.

She's the size of a banana this week!

Your Baby: Week 20

Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

Symptoms: Back pain still… the Snoogle helped tremendously, but I think it’s time to stop sleeping on my back. It seems to get worse if I lay on my back too long.  Running noses, itchy throat and phlegm has started to get worse… they did say that the 2^nd trimester was going to get a little more…. Damp was the word they used. They were right!

Food Cravings: Nothing really stands out… I’m still completely obsessed with Mexican food, Taco Bell more specifically.

What I'm most excited about: Decorating the nursery, going home to see my family and have a 4-D ultrasound and reaching the "viability" point... which I believe is about 27 weeks.

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Registered, starting to think up themes for my own shower. :)

Here is my 20 week belly:

19 weeks!

Ahh!!! We're almost half way there!!

Today I am currently 19w5d... Insane. Time is really flying by. Tomorrow we have an appointment with a possible pediatrician.... then on the 13th we go for another ultrasound so they can get a better look at baby girl's heart and then I fly home to California a week after that! Two weeks from today!!

While we're home I scheduled a 4-D ultrasound so that my family would be able to get to experience an ultrasound with me and we can get good pictures of baby girl's face and get a good idea of what she looks like! So crazy how technology has advance so we're able to do things like that, it's so awesome!

I'm feeling soooooo much movement lately. I can't wait until I can feel it from the outside so Daniel can feel her kicking too! Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the bond it's creating between the two of us... it's only between me and her. I love it.

We registered this weekend! Man was that draining! My favorite thing we registered for is the nursery decor. How cute is this??

The nursery is what I'm most looking forward to right now. Other than meeting baby girl obviously, but I can't wait to get her room all together! I collected Sleeping Beauty collectibles when I was younger and I've saved the more expensive pieces. I plan on putting them in her room and adding to the theme. I can't wait!

This week she is our little mango....

Your Baby: Week 19

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Now I want a mango....

Symptoms: Oh the night time back aches! I ordered a Snoogle and I can't wait for it to get here! I am noticing I am getting more and more uncomfortable sleeping and just relaxing on the couch. If I'm wearing pants that are too tight I just feel so constricted and I need to reposition myself a lot more frequently now. My nose is super runny, which they said during the 2nd trimester you may experience more "dampness" everywhere.... snot is one of the aspects of it, but we won't get into the rest. 

Food Cravings: We're back to Mexican food... and fruit again.

What I'm most excited about: Decorating the nursery, going home to see my family and have a 4-D ultrasound and reaching the "viability" point... which I believe is about 27 weeks.

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Registered, starting to think up themes for my own shower. :)

 

Here is my 19w4d bump:

 

 

18 weeks and It's a.......

BABY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow.... it seriously feels amazing to know I have a beautiful baby girl growing inside of me. We took a last minute gender reveal picture to post on FB....

The scan went well as far as I know. I do have to go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound because they didn’t a good measurement of her heart. I did see 4 little chambers beating though so I think that’s a nice reassuring vision to keep. I just keep looking on the bright side, at least I get to see our baby girl again. Maybe this time I’ll get a different tech and we can get more pictures! The same tech I always get just gives me two little ones… I want the ones of her feet that they took too. Those cute little feets that I can’t wait to kiss!

I was so nervous going into the appointment. I just wanted to see a healthy baby in there with the heart beating away. She was super active! The tech asked us if we wanted to know what we were having, of course we did! She told me that they usually didn’t look for the sex until after the scan was complete. However, she got a pretty good shot of the inside of the legs (the money shot) closer to the middle of the scan and asked us “Do you see those three little lines in between the legs?.... Looks like it’s a girl!” I cried so hard. I was shaking the table and the tech had to remove the wand until I stopped crying. She goes “This is why we don’t tell you until the end, here are some tissues.” Lol…. I don’t care, I was so happy to finally know! After she showed us that shot, she showed us another really clear shot and froze the screen and goes “Here we go, there’s the perfect shot right there! Congrats on your girl!” I was ecstatic.  Daniel was so happy too, he kept kissing my hand the whole time afterwards.

My visit with my friend was really fun, she was happy to be there for our appointment. I called my sister before we came out to the waiting room and told her that it was a girl. My mom and my sister were also convinced baby was a girl, so they weren’t very surprised, but also very happy.

I got our first little outfit for her! I’m thinking it’ll be a nice take home outfit. I just have to get some hand covers and a nice little hat for her to wear. We already have the perfect little grey shoes to go on her… they were the ones we used in our reveal picture.

We also got two more pictures of our sweet girl!

That is so my chin....

She's waving again!! 

We are thrilled. I can't wait to meet her!!

This week, she is the size of a sweet potato! (According to the bump)

Your Baby: Week 18

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

Symptoms: No real symptoms to report... other than peeing a lot. 

Food Cravings: We're back to Mexican food...

What I'm most excited about: Registering!!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Bought our first outfit...

My Bump:  Here I am at 18w4d:



Week 16 and 17!

Kind of a crazy week, I completely forgot to update last week and just decided to combine the two weeks. I'm totally thrown off right now, so many random things happening at once. First, we find out if baby is a boy or girl in 5 DAYS!! What??

Thanksgiving is TOMORROW! Wasn't it just a few weeks ago it was August and I was peeing on sticks?? I have the next week off for the Thanksgiving holiday and I also took Monday and Tuesday off bbeeccauuseeeee....

One of my best childhood friends flew into New York last night to surprise me!! Apparently her and my sweet husband have had this "Operation Surprise Teddi" thing going on since freaking September! I am not one that can easily be surprised, I'm pretty skeptical and pretty darn sneaky. Kudos to them for pulling this off, I seriously had NO CLUE.

Last night in the middle of the night, closer to 1am, my bedroom light flips on and I wake up (apparently yelling obscenities) and my bestie is saying "Hi Friend!!" And my father in law was standing there videoing my reaction... It took me a while to come to and realize what the heck was going on. I just sat there staring at them for a good 2 minutes until my father in law goes "Wake up, this isn't a dream!" So crazy, I am still in shock. So she'll be here till Tuesday and she gets to be here when we find out, so awesome!

Here is Becky.... friends since age 6/7... met in Sunday School

Sooo yeah, needless to say, I can't concentrate right now.

That could also be baby brain too, because I have found in the past few months that it is indeed real. Poop. Like I wasn't enough of a klutz already!

Last week the baby was the size of one of my favorite fruits... an Avocado!

Your Baby: Week 16

Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

Ahh s/he can hear me!!

Currently baby is the size of an Onion....

Your Baby: Week 17

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

Crazy insane how much the baby is growing!

Symptoms are the same from week to week so I'll just combine the two:

Symptoms: Headaches.... kind of subsiding, but still there.

Food Cravings: Nothing really that stands out.

What I'm most excited about: TUESDAY!!! The Anatomy Scan... totally excited..

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week...

My Bump:

 

Here is 16 weeks:

 

 

Here is 17 weeks:



15 weeks!

 We officially have less than 3 weeks before we find out what baby is! I'm so excited... I feel like once we know the sex for sure we can figure out names, nursery theme and all that fun stuff! Maybe even register shortly, oh so fun! It'll feel so much more real! You know what else is making it feel real??

MOVEMENT! That's right, we have movement, ladies and gentleman! It started yesterday afternoon... I was at work patiently waiting for the clock to turn to 5pm and I started to feel little pokes or flutters... then again... and again... and then again... for about an hour intermittently. Seriously, it felt so amazing. I wasn't sure what I was feeling was the baby at first or just gas. Lol, if you know me you're probably laughing right now. Then today around noon I started feeling it again, same sensation, but more active and all in the same spot as last night. I'm pretty sure it's the baby in there poking away, "Mom, I'm getting hungry!" So we're eating chili right now... currently the thing I'm craving.

Currently baby is the size of an orange!

Your Baby: Week 15

Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now out measure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

Haha that's funny, cause I'm pretty sure I can feel them. Although I'm half way through week 15 already, well on my way to week 16!

Symptoms: Headaches.... ugh. I'm trying to stay as hydrated as possible though to help.

Food Cravings:  Salads with hard boiled eggs and croutons. Chili and anything spicy I can get my hands on.

What I'm most excited about: Picking out the baby furniture... decorating the baby room... Finding out of SHE is a SHE!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week...

My Bump: 15w4d



Happy Halloween! 14 weeks!

Happy Halloween!!

I am sporting my "skeleton baby" shirt today:

Today I am 14 weeks 4 days. Time is dragging and flying at the same time. It feels like I just found out that I was pregnant, but then again when I actually think about all that has happened since, it seems like forever ago. I'll take it. I don't want it to go too fast! I heard this quote that absolutely gave me chills...

 "Don't wish away the nine months that you get to assist God in a miracle."

Isn't that amazing? It's so true.

I've been playing with the home Doppler my friend let me borrow and we heard the heartbeat again at the doctor's office for my 2nd trimester check up.... it's down to the mid 160's.... both times were averaging 164-165... still kind of higher than most. It's a lot easier to find now that the baby is bigger and I've had some practice! It's never any less amazing each time I hear it.

I think sometime next month (November) we'll start looking for furniture for the baby. How exciting! I think once we find out if baby is a he or she, we'll also begin the registry. You can never be too early right? One look at a "must have" list and this girl went cross eyed.

Currently baby is the size of a lemon! (According to the bump, but according to me it's wrong. How can you go from a peach to a lemon? Our peaches are a lot bigger than our lemons. I think the bump has this one mixed up.)

Your Baby: Week 14

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

Wow, my baby has hair! Insane.

Symptoms: My boobs are still a little tender. Still peeing in the middle of the night. Constipation reared it's ugly head again. Ugh.

Food Cravings:  Salads with hard boiled eggs and croutons. Apples and apple cider.

What I'm most excited about: Picking out the baby furniture... decorating the baby room... Finding out of SHE is a SHE!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week...

My Bump: 14w4d

 

 

13 weeks!

I can't believe I'm already at the 2nd trimester!! 1/3 of my pregnancy is already over. Sad! But also, that means we're closer to meeting this little baby!

I had an OB appointment on Monday morning. They told me that my blood results came back from the NT scan and that my Vitamin D levels were low so I have to take Vitamin D supplements. Currently my Prenatal Vitamins are only giving me 400 IUI a day, and my doctor is recommending that I take 1,000 IUI a day. She says it'll help with my energy levels. That totally makes sense! Kind of crazy though because I drink milk like it's going out of style. I probably drink a gallon a week or more.

So the good news was after they took the measurements of the baby and tested my blood, the risk of any Trisomy's (Downs or Trisomy 13 or 18) is 1:12,000. Super low risk! So that's very exciting to hear. Also I didn't hear, but I'm assuming that she tested negative for Cystic Fibrosis since that's what they tested for and she didn't say anything about that test. I'm just assuming it's a good result or I'm sure they would have gone over that with me at the appointment.

November 27th we'll find out if baby is a girl or a boy!! Like I've stated before, I've always had really strong girl vibes, but I always hear people keep telling me to not dream of that pink nursery just yet, so we'll see if I'm right or not. I've had a load of girl dreams and so far I've had two boy dreams. We'll see what that all means! I really can't wait to find out if she's a she or not! I think once we find out, we'll register for the baby shower.

So on Saturday I'll be 14 weeks. Crazy!!! Currently baby is the size of a peach! (According to the bump)

Your Baby: Week 13

Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

Symptoms: Fatigue... STILL. Kind of comes and goes, but hits hard at the 1:00-2:00pm mark.

The bloat ... except it feels different. It's harder and looks more like a baby bump!

BOOBS! They finally have some relief!

Food Cravings:  Salads with hard boiled eggs and croutons.

What I'm most excited about: Picking out the baby furniture... decorating the baby room... Finding out of SHE is a SHE!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week...

My Bump: Is that a bump I see??

12 weeks!

This was an extremely awesome week! We got to see the baby yesterday and got a few good pictures of her. Daniel was able to be there and he was also so amazed and everything we were able to see.

Before the appointment, they told me about an hour beforehand to drink at least a quart of water or juice. My appointment was at 8am so at 7am, I downed a quart of juice and tried my best not to puke it all up. Let me tell you, I was close a few times. By the time we got to the doctor's office, I was ready to explode. I don't think my bladder had ever been that full and where I had to hold it, on purpose! Not only that, but I knew that when my appointment started, on my bladder is where I would feel all of the pressure of the ultrasound wand and it would make me want to pee my pants even more. I couldn't even cough or else pee would come out.

So I get up on the table and she put the WARM gel on my stomach to start the ultrasound... the warmth did NOT help... Then she tells me my bladder is way too full and she can't see anything... UM, what??? She then asked me to go and let a little bit out to where "I'm comfortable." Well, the only point I would be comfortable would be to let it all out. So I ran to the bathroom and let some out. Man, did that feel good. I stopped myself, (yay, kegal strength!) and then went back to the room. Got back up on the table and she put the warm gel on my stomach again.... "Your bladder is still too full, but let me get some measurements first and then you can go and let some more out."

At this point my bladder was almost numb, she took measurements and I went back and let some more out. This time, a significant amount, almost to where I didn't think I had any more left in there. But I did. I got back up on the table and felt so much more comfortable! She then showed us our baby. So cute!! She was she just chillin' in there like she didn't have a care in the world. Well, she doesn't, but she looked so comfortable. She was relaxed with her legs bend and crossed at the ankles, needless to say, we didn't get a good angle of the dangle shot to take a sex guess...  However, we got to see the heartbeat flicker, arms moving, legs moving, we saw all 10 fingers! What a relief you feel once you see all the digits! All 4 limbs and everything... such a sight. Here are some pictures:

See those fingers on top of her head? She was waving!! Like "Hi, Mom! I'm good in here, stop worrying about me. I'm just being lazy!"  Look at that little stomach... I can't wait to kiss it!

Such a wonderful sight to see.... I can't wait till we can see her again! That will mean it will be our anatomy scan and we'll find out if SHE is really a SHE and I was right all along or if SHE is really a HE and my motherly instincts suck... Lol.

I go back to my OB on Monday for an appointment and hopefully my results from the NT scan, and hopefully will be booking our anatomy scan then too!

Today I am 12 weeks 4 days. Less than a week to the 2nd trimester! Currently baby is the size of a plum! (According to the bump)

Your Baby: Week 12

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Symptoms: Fatigue... STILL. Kind of comes and goes, but hits hard at the 1:00-2:00pm mark.

The bloat ... except it feels different. It's more at the top of my rib cage.. like something is definitely there that wasn't before. Maybe my organs are being pushed up now?

BOOBS! They finally have some relief!

Food Cravings:  Mandarin Oranges and Mexican food. And oddly enough...beer.

What I'm most excited about: Picking out the baby furniture... decorating the baby room... Finding out of SHE is a SHE!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: We've started to look at baby furniture and talk about which room we're going to make the nursery.

My Bump: Nothing really to show... still kind of fat mixed with bloat. FLOAT? Lol...

Here is my 12w3d shot:





11 weeks!

I'm actually almost 12 because I'm posting SUPER late this week. Somehow blogging week 11 completely slipped my mind. I didn't even take a bump picture this week until my birth month board posted their Hump Day Bump Day thread and realized I never took my picture. So I snuck into the work bathroom and snapped one. It's super awkward looking because I was trying to hold my scarf up along with my badge and take it fast enough in case someone walked in and wondered what the heck I was doing.

Anywho... we have 4 more days until our NT scan!!! I can't wait to see the baby again and see how much she has grown! I'm also excited for her/him to look more like a baby instead of a duckling with a floating head. Lol. I'm excited for Daniel to be able to be there with me this time so we can experience it together. So many girls on the boards that I participate on, on The Bump have said that theirs were so active. I can't wait to see her move and dance around!

Also... we're out to the world!! It feels SO good to be public. We "came out" to Facebook yesterday after a good dinner with the last group of friends that we wanted to wait to tell in person. We announced with the following picture:

Then, my Facebook blew up. Poor Daniel signed onto Facebook after work yesterday and had almost 215 notifications... he was pretty blown away.

Also, I was able to borrow a fetal Doppler from my friend at work and got to listen to the heartbeat a few times at home. It's seriously the most amazing sound ever. The first time I tried I was closer to 11 weeks and it took me a good hour to find it. The 2nd time took me just as long, but I figured out that it works better on a full stomach. A few nights ago I did it right after dinner (baby likes Red Robin just like her mom!) and I was able to find the heartbeat in about 5 minutes. The heartbeat is still pretty high!

Notice how I keep referring to baby as "her"..... that's because I'm pretty sure she's a she.... we'll see if my instinct is right in a few weeks!

I also bought my first baby item this week.... gender neutral of course. Boy or girl, my child is going to like Mickey Mouse.... cause it's in our blood. How cute is this?!?! I got a size 18m, so hopefully by the time baby is 18m, she'll fit into it.

So.. I'm currently 11w6d... baby is the size of a lime! According to the bump:

Your Baby: Week 11

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Symptoms: Fatigue... STILL. Kind of comes and goes, but hits hard at the 1:00-2:00pm mark.

The bloat ... except it feels different. It's more at the top of my rib cage.. like something is definitely there that wasn't before. Maybe my organs are being pushed up now?

My boobs are still super sore.

Food Cravings: Mexican food. Imagine that! Before I was pregnant I craved Mexican on a regular basis... now it's just heightened.... and Mandarin Oranges... juice.... and Mexican food. Did I mention Mandarin Oranges?

What I'm most excited about: TUESDAY!! Seeing the baby again.... seeing her move around and wiggle and look more like a baby.

Something I've done to prepare for baby: We've started to look at baby furniture and talk about which room we're going to make the nursery.

My Bump: Still more of a blump. Here is my 11 week shot... (Really 11w4d)

10 weeks!

I have exactly 3 1/2 weeks until the 2nd Trimester. That's really exciting! It gives me a piece of mind and hope that some of these symptoms will finally fade away. I really can't complain though, I have it better than a larger percentage of women who have morning sickness. I really should feel grateful and I do, but it will be nice to have some energy back and be able to eat again.

Two weeks from tomorrow is our NT scan! I'm excited to be able to hear the HB again and see our little baby in there moving around. S/he has fingers and toes now and moves her/his limbs around! I'm excited to see a baby shape in the u/s scan and not just a little blip.

We still haven't come out on FB yet. There are a few more friends we're waiting to tell in person first before they have to find out on FB. Also, I'm not going to lie, I kind of want to hear the HB one more time for some more reassurance to know everything is growing well in there....

Baby is the size of a prune this week! What an ugly little fruit.... let's say baby is the size of a kumquat... not a very nice sounding word, but it's a prettier fruit. However, the bump only has prune...

Your baby at 10 weeks:

• Baby has working arm joints, and her cartilage and bones are forming.
• Her vital organs are fully developed and they're starting to function.
• Her fingernails and hair are starting to appear, too.
• Plus, she's swallowing

I like that they're referring to the baby as "she' as that is what I think it is... we'll see
 in about 8 weeks!



Symptoms: Fatigue... STILL. Nausea came back this week....I puked for the first time! Lol....

The bloat kind of went away, and I lost 6lbs? Umm. Ok.

Pooping... what's that?

Peeing... I know what that is!

My boobs are still off limits. Totally sore and growing! I'm already a DD, I'm scared to think what I'll be at the end of this pregnancy....

Food Cravings: Mexican food. Imagine that! Before I was pregnant I craved Mexican on a regular basis... now it's just heightened.... and Mandarin Oranges...

What I'm most excited about: Our next ultrasound! Hearing the heartbeat again... maybe getting a nice "angle of the dangle" educated guess if baby cooperates. Being in the 2nd trimester. Coming out to more friends and and posting our announcement picture on FB!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week.

My Bump: Still more of a blump. Here is my 10 week shot... (Really 10w2d)

9 weeks!

The past few weeks I've definitely felt more pregnant and it feels more official. I came out to the uppers at work, my boss, the supervisors and more co-workers. We're still not on FB yet... we're trying to tell our closest friends first in person before they have to find out on FB.

My first appointment was last Thursday! I was so happy to be able to talk to my OB and get a piece of mind about everything. She was very informative and very patient with me as I went through and asked her all of my questions and expressed all of my concerns. I really am so blessed to have her as my doctor! I love her!

All of our appointments through November are scheduled! We did opt for the 12 week NT scan, mostly for the extra ultrasound and to be able to see our risks for Trisomy or any chromosomal defects. It's also another chance that Daniel will have to hear the heartbeat which is always an awesome thing. So in less than 3 weeks I'll be able to see our little baby again! October 17th cannot come fast enough!

Our baby is now officially a fetus!!! Hooray!!

Today I am 9 weeks 3 days, exactly one month from what is technically 2nd tri (13w3d), but I'll be happy to reach 12 weeks! It's such a large milestone and it feels good to be close to it!

Baby currently is the size of a green olive! (According to the bump)

Your Baby: Week 9

Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!



Symptoms: Fatigue... It has come back with vengeance! It left for a little and then came back and said "Tricked you!"

Nausea has subsided (let's hope this stays away and doesn't come back like fatigue did). I still have some food aversions though which is ok. As long as I stay away from them, I'm golden.

Still a little bloated, but still haven't gained any weight, so that's a plus!

I'm super stopped up.... well it's on and off for the most part. I find when I forget to take my prenatal I can finally go. Colace and I are best friends right now.

I'm also finding that I'm waking up to pee the same time almost every night. I can't go a full night without emptying my bladder. Which is ok... makes me more at ease for that extra symptom.

My boobs are still off limits. Totally sore and growing! I'm already a DD, I'm scared to think what I'll be at the end of this pregnancy....

Food Cravings: Mexican food. Imagine that! Before I was pregnant I craved Mexican on a regular basis... now it's just heightened.

What I'm most excited about: Our next ultrasound! Hearing the heartbeat again... maybe getting a nice "angle of the dangle" educated guess if baby cooperates. Being in the 2nd trimester. Coming out to more friends and family and taking our announcement picture and posting it on FB!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really new this week. Just brainstorming really about all the changes we'll have to make in the coming months.

My Bump: Still more of a blump. I'm SO bloated.  I still don't look pregnant to strangers, but I find the maternity pants give me more of a "B" belly definition..... Here is my 9 week shot:

 

 

Blood results!

Good birthday news!!!


So my doctors office just called to confirm my appointment for tomorrow afternoon and since I still hadn't heard from them about my blood results, I decided to ask if they had come in. She said they had and put me on hold to have a nurse speak to me.

I waited for the longest 3 minutes ever for her to come back on the phone and tell me that the nurse was going to have to call me back or I can get the results when I come in tomorrow. I told her I really just wanted to know if it was good news or bad news so I can breathe again.

About 15 minutes later a nurse called to tell me everything was great, the levels were high and they had no concerns!! I can breathe!!!

Thank you, Lord!!! Happy birthday to me! Best birthday present ever!!!

8 Weeks!

I can't believe I am well on my way to 9 weeks... that's really exciting! Especially after everything we went through on Friday... Seeing that heartbeat was seriously amazing.

Although, I am still waiting for the call from my doctors office to see what my HCG hormone levels were. On Friday evening the office called me saying they received the results from the labs, gave me my blood type (which I already knew) and then told me that according to the viability ultrasound, the pregnancy was viable, but then she told me, "We'll get the results back in a few days, in the meantime, TRY to have a good weekend!"

Well, the weekend was going to be much better enjoyed had she not said it like that. Daniel thinks I may be reading too much into it, but how can I not?

But I have to keep telling myself, today I have a healthy baby growing inside me, the heartbeat is strong and the doctor said she didn't have any concerns. The little raspberry was measuring right on track and I have not had any more bleeding.... so that is what is keeping me from stressing.

So we're at 8 weeks! Well technically... for some reason I find myself updating the blog on Tuesday's which is 3 days past the week change, so today I am 8w3d... but.... Baby is the size of a raspberry... (via the bump)

Doesn't that look delicious??

Your Baby: Week 8

Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

Symptoms: Fatigue...still. It has subsided for the most part, but I still find myself nodding off every now and then. My boobs still hurt, not as bad as they did in the first few weeks, but still pretty bothersome, especially in the mornings when I wake up.

Nausea has somewhat subsided. I still have some food aversions that I never had before... which is ok. I'd rather have that than be puking.

Still a little bloated, but still haven't gained any weight, so that's a plus!

I'm super stopped up.... well it's on and off for the most part. I find when I forget to take my prenatal I can finally go. Stool softeners are my best friends right now.

I'm also finding that I'm waking up to pee the same time almost every night. I can't go a full night without emptying my bladder. Which is ok... makes me more at ease for that extra symptom.

Food Cravings: I've been craving oranges... the fresh juice mostly is what I want. I did have a craving last night for re fried beans. Maybe it means I need more vitamin C and fiber in my diet. I still want Tito's. I can't wait till Christmas so I can finally have some!

What I'm most excited about: My appointment is Thursday... I'm hopeful to get some good news then. Maybe we'll be hearing the heartbeat again? Who knows. I am waiting for my doctors office to call me back so I can get my HCG levels... that will put my mind at east.

Something I've done to prepare for baby: I broke down and bought some maternity pants this weekend. They're SO comfortable. I also bought a bella band so I can still wear my pre-pregnancy jeans. I am down to one pair anyways so there really wasn't any point in buying more unless they were maternity. So maternity it was. 

My Bump: Still more of a blump. I'm SO bloated, especially last night when I took this picture. I also feel like the maternity pants and bella band define the blump a little more and make it more pronounced to actually look like a bump.... However I still don't look pregnant to strangers. Just fat. :)

Friday morning scare...

So this morning around 10am, I’m at work. I go to the bathroom, tried to go #2  (I’m totally stopped up right  now) and nothing. I don’t know if I pushed too hard or something, but when I wiped there was bright red blood. A little too much blood to be considered spotting. Needless to say, I freaked the hell out and ran back to my office to call my OB.

They were able to get me in right away for a viability ultrasound and blood work. I literally had 20 minutes to get to a place that was 20 minutes away. They told me if I was late, they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to get me in again today.

Unfortunately when I went in to tell one of the supervisors since my boss is gone today, she was in a meeting with one of the other supervisors and I was already bawling. So I totally outed myself, which is ok. They both were very supportive and told me to leave and keep them updated. She said I didn’t have to come back today if it wasn’t good news.

So I called Daniel, he left work and we both hauled ass to the OB’s office. He got there too late to see anything, but I got my first surprise u/s! Everything was measuring perfectly. I’ll be 8w tomorrow and my EDD is still 4/27. The HB was a strong 174 bpm and I saw it on the screen and she let me hear it! It was the most beautiful experience. She printed me out one picture and didn’t even have to do a vaginal u/s which I was super surprised about. I think it was because she was in such a hurry.

She didn’t give me really any reasons why I would be bleeding but it has since stopped. Nothing ever showed up on my underwear and seeing the u/s I guess she wasn’t concerned at all. I did have to give some blood so I’m waiting on those results still. My first prenatal exam is next Thursday where I’ll see my normal Dr. and I’m going to express these concerns with her. But for now, our baby is healthy and growing and we couldn’t be more relieved.

I’m so sad though that Daniel missed it. He works about 10 minutes further from the office than I do and he was walking in as I was walking out. He had the most concerned look on his face and when I told him everything was ok I saw him visibly relax. His eyes got so sad when I told him I heard the HB and he realized he missed it, but I got to show him the picture and he was super excited again.

I was a freaking mess. I don’t think I ever prayed so hard in my life! But here is a picture of our little raspberry!

I'm happy we were able to get an early u/s, but I would have waited the extra 5 weeks to never feel that scared again. 

Week 7

Week 7 is here... and my appointment is a week and 2 days away. However, I decided to call the office yesterday to ask them what I should be expecting at the first appointment. Obviously I was hinting around at getting an u/s, but sadly, no u/s will be performed. They said the first u/s they do will be at 12 weeks for the NT Scan. I'm a little disappointed. I just wanted to hear the heartbeat and see how everything is progressing. So now I'll have to wait until mid October.

Boo.

On a positive note, I can officially say that I am more than half way though the first trimester! That's exciting! I feel like the 1st trimester is such a huge milestone to get through. Filled with worry and what ifs and excitement all at the same time. I will be so much more excited once I know the little heart is beating, she/he is growing beautifully and everything is the way it should be.

I guess all this worry never really goes away, huh? It's all just preparing me for mommyhood.

Currently baby is the size of a blueberry! (Via the bump.)

Your Baby: Week 7

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Symptoms: Holy fatigue, Batman. Can I please just nap all the time? I feel like a huge lazy bump on a log. All I do in my spare time is nap, or think about napping, or wonder when I'll be able to take my next nap. I can't wait to get some more energy back.

My boobs still hurt, not as bad as they did in the first few weeks, but still pretty bothersome, especially in the mornings when I wake up.

Nausea more than before, but still not full blown morning sickness. I really can't complain. I know most women that are as far along as I am are puking their brains out. I really can't complain. I've been holding it down for the most part. Sucking on hard candies (minty or fruity) has been helping ward some of that off. Plus it helps with the nasty taste in my mouth that seems to never go away.

Still a little bloated, but haven't gained any weight, so that's a plus!

Food Cravings: My appetite has decreased immensely, which is why I think I haven't gained any weight (I've actually lost some weight), but surprisingly, the things that don't make me nauseous to smell is fast food or restaurant food. Anything homemade right now makes my throat tighten. I know, that's terrible.

What I'm most excited about: Well, I'm not as excited anymore for my appointment since I won't be seeing the little gummy bear... but I am excited for the 1st trimester to be over and to get some energy back!

Something I've done to prepare for baby: Nothing really from last week. I did buy What To Expect When You're Expecting.. I started to read that. I also bought a few baby name books. I have a STRONG intuition that we're having a girl, so right now I'm only focusing on girl names.

My Bump: Still no bump yet, although I feel like I look bigger from the past pictures, although I weigh less... funny how that works.