Week 13: Peach

Black, just for you mom :)

Week 13!  Only 3 days until the end of the first trimester.  Can we all then breathe a sigh of relief?  I am ready!

Baby is the size of a peach this week (2.9 in and 0.81 oz).  Can you believe she's forming vocal cords and teeth?  And even though she's still teeny, she already has fingerprints.  Her 
intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in her tummy.


How big is baby: The size of a peach.  About 2.9 inches long.  She now weighs in at about 0.81 ounces.    

Weight gain/loss:  +4 lb this morning.  

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still no complaints!

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still starving all afternoon.  Unfortunately, I ran out of Trix on Sunday  :(  Aaron couldn't believe I polished off a large size box in one week :)  Ooops!  Still loving pizza.  McD's always sounds good too.  I'm being good though and not indulging.   

Exercise:  Walking and DVDs.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  Still big at night.  Maybe I should start taking morning pictures too as a comparison.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Everything ok since last week.  

What I'm loving:  Just being pregnant.  Hitting the 2nd trimester soon!  Although, omg, that means I am 1/3 of the way through!!!  CRAZY.  Starting to think about trading in my car, the nursery, registry, etc.  Basically, everything I've been putting off until we are out of that scary 1st trimester.

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal cramping if I don't drink enough water again.  This is supposedly from my uterus growing.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  2nd trimester in THREE DAYS!  

Best moment of the week:  My mom and I plan to go clothes shopping on Mother's Day and I'm so excited!  Only a few weeks away!

Weekend Recap

What a whirlwind!  Friday I got up bright and early at 4:30am to travel to Chicago for work.  Come to find out after I had already made it halfway to the airport, our plane was delayed an hour.  Lovely.  The meetings went well and wrapped up around 4pm Chicago time.  We headed back to the airport and I pulled into our driveway at about 10pm.  I was exhausted to say the least.  I put on my PJs, washed my face, gave Aaron and kiss, and went to bed.

Saturday was day 1 of spring cleaning.  I hate spring cleaning.  But I know I need to do it so I decided Saturday was as good of a day as any other.  I tackled the kitchen and the dining room.  The only thing left is the inside of the oven, but Aaron has agreed to help with that since the cleaning fumes probably aren't the best thing for me to be breathing in.  At night, we went to a space downtown Aaron's firm had been working on.  After the lecture, we went to our friends' Amy and Jamie's to celebrate the kickoff of Amy's b-day week.  We had so much fun catching up, eating, and drinking (water for me).

Yes, I have OCD...and have a list.

Sunday we were able to enjoy brunch with a few of Aaron's old and current coworkers.  The food was amazing!  I will definitely be making Matt's breakfast pizza at some point.  It was nice catching up and hearing all of the baby updates from friends. 

We got home late afternoon and it as time to tackle the bathroom.  Aaron did yard work and grocery shopped for me.  And we decided to treat ourselves to Mitchell's for dinner.

As always, it went by way too fast.  Next weekend, we have my youngest SIL's graduation from UofM on Saturday followed by a family dinner celebration.  I also hope to get to the living room for spring cleaning...one room at a time right?

Raging Hormones

Can I blame these on pregnancy???  I definitely had quite an evening last night. Thankfully, Aaron just took it in and let me rant and realized I was having a "moment" as he called it.  Yes, at the time it made me even more angry, but thankfully he isn't one to argue back when I'm being irrational :)


Don't worry.  Tonight is going much better!

Week 12: Plum

Not in love with this picture, oh well! :)

I'll probably say this every week from now on.  But seriously, a plum.   

Most of her critical systems are fully formed!  She's about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly.  She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, she'll likely move.  She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.  Her brain is developing fast!

How big is baby: The size of a plum.  About 2.1 inches long.  She now weighs in at about 0.49 ounces.      

Weight gain/loss:  +2 lb the other day.  It varies depending on what I ate the night before.

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still sleeping great (minus getting up to go to the bathroom).  I feel like an end is in site with the extreme exhaustion.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  STARVING ALL AFTERNOON.  I can't eat enough.  I've stocked my lunch bag with fruits and veggies to snack on every hour.  Also, Trix aren't just for kids.  I could eat them every.single.meal.  Unfortunately, they don't fill me up for long, so I can't eat them for breakfast before work.  I do indulge in a small bowl after work sometimes though :)   

Exercise:  Walking.  And I tried one of my new pregnancy DVDs finally.  And wow, am I sore!  It's quite a humorous workout though :)  It feels like it's working at least.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  No difference here from last week.  It's definitely bigger at night.  Food baby still around.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Everything ok since last week.  

What I'm loving:  Just being pregnant.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal cramping if I don't drink enough water again.  This is supposedly from my uterus growing.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  Second trimester coming soon!!  I think most people go by 13 weeksish?

Best moment of the week:  So so so thankful for friends and family...

For an amazing, thoughtful BFF.  I swear sometimes she has ESP.  I was just thinking of clothes shopping this week and when I'd start going and voila!  This was waiting for me in the mail today.  She's the best!

For friends and family, for the thoughtful cards.

For an awesome friend (who I wish I still shared an office with) who provided me tons of great resources for baby books.

I feel so blessed!

Week 11: Lime

Aaron had to work late so I was on my own taking this one.

Ok, folks.  I feel like a lime is a pretty substantial size.  Crazy! 

• You can't see it, but she's moving fluidly and gracefully in there.  Everytime we get an u/s, she's ALWAYS kicking her little legs.  And I went to the doctor yesterday (more on that later), and she said baby was moving all over based on where the hear beet was moving.
• Her skin is see-through, but she's on her way to looking more like a baby.
• Her fingers and toes aren't webbed anymore.
• Tooth buds, hair follicles and nail beds are forming.

How big is baby: The size of a lime.  About 1.6 inches long and about a 1:1 head to body ratio.  She now weighs in at about 0.25 ounces.      

Weight gain/loss:  0 lb (back to pre-pregnancy weight)

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still sleeping great (minus getting up to go to the bathroom).  I'm able to stay up later, but I definitely have no desire to get out of bed in the morning before 8am :)  Although, I do drag myself out for work.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not feeling fabulous late afternoon/at night.  We had steak fajitas last night and I was gagging them down.  Tonight I'm craving grilled cheese and tomato soup...which I know Aaron will just love ;)   

Exercise:  I've gone to the gym a few times and been on walks.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  No difference here from last week.  It's definitely bigger at night.  I have certain work pants I can't even attempt to wear normally (i need to bust out the bella band more often).  Last night, it was completely out of control after dinner.  Definite food baby.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Spotting again.  Ugh.  Does it ever end?  Pink spotting in the morning after I "use" the bathroom and then a little brown the rest of the day until late afternoon.  I went to the doctor yesterday and she heard the heart beet right away.  She promised that I shouldn't feel annoying for calling/coming in.  That's what they're there for.  So hopefully everything goes away soon so I can relax until my next real appointment on May 2.  

What I'm loving:  Knowing that my parents, our siblings, and my BFF all know! :)  Now I can finally talk about it with other people.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.  Minimal spotting again.

What I'm looking forward to:  May 2 for our next appointment.  Then I'll finally start telling everyone and give our parents the ok to tell extended family.  

Best moment of the week:  Obviously, telling those we've told so far.  It's so amazing to see/hear their reactions.  All of the love and prayers are just awesome.  Also, hearing the heart beet on the doppler to ease my fears a little (for the time being).

She finally knows!

Most (or all) of you reading this blog know who I mean when I mention my BFF.  We met our first day of kindergarten and became fast friends.  It's so crazy to think that we are both under 30 and have been best friends for about 25 years.  Our friendship definitely reaches beyond the norm.  Her family has become mine over the years.  Her sister Kate is the older sister I never had.  And her parents are amazing and have done so much for me (in fact, they were our master and mistress of ceremonies at our wedding).

Stephanie and I were fortunate to go to the same grade school and middle school (we had a short blip of a few weeks in sixth grade when she transferred to Rockford, but thankfully she quickly came back).  We went to the same high school and even decided on CMU together.  It came time for her to graduate and she went to the Detroit area while I was still at CMU for another semester.  Thankfully, my job would land me right back in her area :)  Luckily, there was a room for rent in her house and before we knew it, we were back together again.

Since then, things have changed with living situations.  We both got married and jobs have taken Stephanie and Jon to different cities (Chicago and now Cali).  But the most amazing part is that there is nothing different with our friendship.  True, I don't get to see her as often, but that just makes our visits even more special.  She's still one of the very first people I call with good news or bad.  We still talk and e-mail all of the time. 

I was finally able to break the exciting news to her last night and I could just hear her excitement :)  It was so nice to finally be able to tell her EVERYTHING.  And I apologized for lying to her for the past month and half about my fake doctor's visits and fake tests I was having run.  Thankfully, she forgave me ;)  I just can't wait to share this new chapter with her.  She's going to be the best BFF auntie ever.

Love you BFF!

BFFs

Reveal: Part 1 of ?

We finally told our parents this weekend!  I am so happy :)  We broke the news to my in-laws Friday night when we got into town and then headed over to my parents to tell them as well.  Aaron's parents were very excited.  My mom could not believe that I told Aaron before her :)  She was obviously kidding...I hope.  She got all teary eyed when she saw the u/s picture and asked for a copy of her own.  She kept saying all night how excited she was.  I'm so glad she finally knows.  She's good at snapping me out of a funk, and as I go through this pregnancy journey, I know I'm going to need that from time to time.


We also told my brother Saturday morning.  He has told me several times since just how excited he his, how much he plans to spoil this baby, etc.  We told my sister via iChat Saturday night and she was thrilled as well.  I really wished she lived closer.  


All of Aaron's siblings are in the loop now too.  We asked everyone to wait to tell anyone else for a few weeks.  


Tomorrow I'm going to call my BFF and pray that I hope I talk to her (I do realize that I'll live if it waits a day or two).  This secret is killing me!! :)  She's such a part of my "family" that it's so hard having the rest of the family know and not her.


For now, here is the link to our "reveal" video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24xrHb6JKWw

Week10: Prune

I feel like I'm looking more and more bloated in these photos :)  Aaron kept asking if I was pushing out (I told him when we started I didn't want to exaggerate).  I kept telling him I wasn't.  

How big is baby: The size of a prune.  I'm ready to move on from this week.  In first grade, I had a little issue with going to the bathroom and got quite backed up.  One of my mom's attempted remedies was making me eat prunes :(  To this day, I hate them and don't even want to look at them.    

Weight gain/loss:  1 lb

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Sleeping very well and actually starting to feel like a human again.  I can actually make it past 9pm.  Granted, we're talking maybe only 9:30 or 10 but hey, baby steps right?

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not feeling fabulous late afternoon/at night.  I'm ok though as long as I snack.   

Exercise:  Doing much better here too.  Going to the gym, walking, etc.  I just feel so much better after I do it.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  It's definitely bigger at night.  I have certain work pants I can't even attempt to wear normally (i need to bust out the bella band more often).   

What I'm spazzing about:  The fact that we don't go back to the doctor until week 14, May 2.  That seems so far away :(  I know I need to get used to it though.  The appointments will only be monthly for the first 7 months.  I just have serious anxiety issues and always think the worst is going to happen.  I have to have faith that everything is going to be fine and there has been nothing so far that has pointed to there being a problem.  

What I'm loving:  No more spotting!  Knock on wood, but it's finally completely gone for now.  

Symptoms:  Tired, sick at the end of the day.   

What I'm looking forward to:  Starting to finally tell people.  Our parents are first up tomorrow night :)  I told Aaron the whole rest of the lineup after that.  

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby again!  The OB's u/s machine wasn't as high tech as the RE's so everything looked a little smaller.  But we were able to have an abdominal u/s which means baby is getting bigger!  She was kicking her little legs away like crazy again :)

We LOVE our new OB office.  There are 4 doctors and 1 PA that you rotate between.  The doctor we saw yesterday was so nice.  She was very thorough, made sure to answer all of our questions, and did not rush us at all.  I know we are going to be really happy there.

Week 9: Olive

I was really tired here...I feel like this isn't the best picture :) oh well

Month three! And she’s no longer an embryo -- now she’s a fetus. Basically that means she’s becoming more and more baby-like. 

How big is baby: The size of an olive.  

See those little legs?? :)

Weight gain/loss:  0 lbs

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Super tired...I sound like a broken record.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Starting to feel worse.  I'm ok in the mornings (besides the whole teeth brushing thing).  But come the afternoon, I feel sick, I'm starving, I'm exhausted...can I complain anymore? :) 

Exercise:  I made it to the gym once last week.  I have also gone on a few walks.  I really need to do more.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  I feel like the bloat is getting worse by the end of the day.  The 9 week picture and the 8 week picture were taken at the same time of the day and I feel like my stomach is definitely a little poochier.   

What I'm spazzing about:  Well, as you can see, we had an unexpected u/s this week.  I had spotting again on Monday and my RE told me to come in just to ease my mind.  We saw our little shrimpy kicking her legs like crazy.  Again, I worry for nothing.  

What I'm loving:  Seeing the baby look more like a baby :)  

Symptoms:  Tired.  Minimal spotting every once in a while.   

What I'm looking forward to:  Same as last week :)  Our first OB appointment on April 4 at 10 weeks.  And telling our family on Easter.  

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby again!  And seeing those little feet kick away.  I really wish they made in home u/s machines... :)

Photo Shoot

As I've mentioned numerous times, I'm dying to let the cat out of the bag.  I have never in my life kept a secret from my mom or my BFF for this long.  Thankfully the weeks have been going by more quickly than I though.  In the meantime, we've been contemplating how to break the news.  I think I mentioned the iMovie in the last post.  Here are a few outtakes.  I'll try to remember to post the full video once Aaron has finished it.  His latest idea is to put in scary Halloween music at the end with a Halloween picture since baby is due either the day before Halloween.

We didn't want Wally to feel left out :)

+ 1 !!!!

Funny picture to show us freaking out...obviously it's a joke.  We are so excited!

And as of now, we've decided to nickname baby "Shrimp" because Aaron thinks that baby looks like a shrimp in the latest ultra sound.  The second nickname (which I find way more funny) is "Eva" after the movie Wall-e.  His friend in the movie is "Eeev-a" (my best attempt at writing how it's pronounced).  And well, this baby will be Wally's friend.  I do realize that we have no idea if the baby is a girl and we don't plan to find out until our due date...but it's just too cute.  Hopefully, if it's a boy, baby will forgive us :)

Week 8: Raspberry

How far along: 8 weeks.  You can't feel it yet, but she's moving those arms and legs like crazy!  Her fingers and toes are now slightly webbed, and her tail (yes, she had one) is gone.  Baby's taste buds are now forming.

How big is baby: The size of a raspberry.  Aaron said baby was the size of a little shrimpy.  I think she's a little smaller than the shrimp we normally eat, but I'll go with it :)

Shrimp aka Eva...looking more and more like a baby!

Weight gain/loss:  0 lbs

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Still really, really tired.  I can usually push it to 10 on the weekends.  My in-laws are coming Saturday and I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to stay up so late!

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not sick to my stomach.  I crave pizza just about every day.  I have a hard time brushing my teeth in the morning now without gagging.  If I use the electric toothbrush, I'm good, but I really have to divert my attention if I use my regular one.  Seems very weird. 

Exercise:  I've been walking almost every day.  I think this week/weekend I'm finally going to venture back to the gym and do the elliptical.

Gender: We'll find out in October!

Movement: No.

The belly:  Normal size in the mornings and gets rounder at the end of the day.  I know this is just bloat at this point :) 

What I'm spazzing about:  Well, today was graduation day.  I'm excited but nervous at the same time.  It's the same time we'll see our little shrimp every week :(  We have a tentative u/s on April 4 at our first OB appointment, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  It was just so nice having that reassurance every week.

What I'm loving:  Seeing the baby get bigger and bigger!  And hearing the heartbeat :)  It was at 169 bpm today which is right on track.

Symptoms:  Tired.  Still minimal cramping (that's almost gone now) and spotting.   

What I'm looking forward to:  Our first OB appointment on April 4 at 10 weeks.  And telling our family on Easter.  This morning, I really really wanted to go home this weekend so we could share the news.  I have a hard time keeping secrets from certain people :)

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby again!  And we made a short iMovie on Sunday that we are going to use to tell our family.  Now if Easter were only sooner than 2.5 weeks away...

Fun Things

This weather has been AMAZING for March in Michigan.  I am loving it!  We already have our winter "cleanup" yard work done.  We've already had our first walk to get ice cream of the season.  I even had to roll my pants up on one of our walks because I was so hot.  This is crazy for the middle of March!

Wednesday I had a client meeting for most of the day and got done a little early so I decided to go home and enjoy the weather.  This is what my temperature gauge said.  And we're projected to have more of the same for the next week at least :)

A few years ago, my BFF introduced me to Lill.  At my first visit, I made a cute clutch which I have since taken to almost every wedding I've been to :)  When I went to visit her in the fall, we went again and I fell in love with their Lexi style.  You can wear it across your body or over your shoulder or as a backpack type purse.  I've been looking every where for a cute over my body purse.  Now I could design my own!  I soon got an e-mail for a coupon and then Aaron bought me a GC for my birthday.  I finally made the purse about a month ago and it arrived this week.  I love it!  It's perfect for spring/summer and it even goes with tomorrow's St. Patty's festivities as my BFF pointed out.  I can't wait to use it :)

Week 7: Blueberry

Our appointment went great again today.  My numbers are fabulous, baby is measuring at 7w and the HB is up to 132!  Yay!

I have a reminder on my phone to take a few photos of me this weekend to document my progress.  I think I have the starting of the bloat, at least towards the end of the day.

How far along: 7 weeks.  She's generating about one hundred new brain cells each minute.  Not only is her brain becoming more complex, but her heart is too.  Also important: She's developing a permanent set of kidneys.  Her arm and leg joints are now forming.


How big is baby: The size of a blueberry.  Baby measured 9.31 mm today to be exact :)

Length of baby measuring 9.31 mm.

Compared to last week...definitely bigger!

HB measuring at 132 bpm

Weight gain/loss:  Still haven't weighed myself...

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Super tired!  I still go to bed at about 9 every night now (yes, even the weekends).  

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Still not really feeling sick.  Sometimes at night when I get up to go the bathroom I feel a little off.  But nothing too bad at all.  I find that one minute I have a huge craving for something, then I eat it and have no desire to be near it again.  We had Anita's on Friday and it was amazing, but wanted nothing to do with the leftovers.  We had Thai on Saturday and Sunday I couldn't even stand the smell of the leftovers.  Aaron is definitely benefiting from this since he gets to eat all of my leftovers :)  

Exercise:  Still not really :(  With the cramping and bleeding, I've been trying to take it easy.  I'm still just taking Wally for walks.  We ordered a heart rate monitor for me to use at the gym (the doctor said to keep my heart rate at or below 120).  I'm just patiently waiting for that to arrive.

Gender: Still leaning towards being surprised.

Movement: No.

The belly:  Nothing noticeable besides the bloat look at the end of the day.

What I'm spazzing about:  The cramping and bleeding are still the big ones.  I had a big scare Tuesday morning.  The doctor reassured me again that it's completely normal and the baby was perfectly fine.  However, I would really just like the bleeding to stop for my own peace of mind.

What I'm loving:  Seeing the baby and hearing the HB every week :)  And seeing how fast the baby is growing!

Symptoms:  Tired.  Minimal cramping and spotting now.  Hungry all of the time, but then I get full really fast once I actually eat something.  

What I'm looking forward to:  Graduating from the RE next week.  Although, I guess it's also something that I'm slightly not looking forward to since I won't get to see the baby as often then.

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby and the reassuring HB :)

Moms

I am very fortunate in that my mom is not only the best mom, but one of my best friends.  I can honestly say that I don't think I ever went through that common teenager phase of hating my mom either.  Don't get me wrong, we fought and we still get in arguments, but they never lasted more than a day (my mom may feel differently :) ).

Yesterday, I was driving home and singing to the radio and a song came on that just had me completely in tears.  I can't even remember what the song was.  I just started thinking that, "Oh my gosh.  My grandma (mom's mom), died when my mom was 18 and was very sick for quite a while before that."  My grandma never saw my mom graduate from nursing school, and later get her BS degree.  She never got to meet any of us grand kids.  Any time my mom just needed to vent to her mom, she couldn't.  Any time she wanted to share some amazing news, she couldn't. 

And I just thought how incredibly fortunate I am that my mom is still here.  My mom is always one of the first people I call whether it's good news or bad.  She always sets me straight and tells me how it is.  She has the biggest heart.  And she truly has sacrificed so much for all three of us (dad too - I don't want to leave him out).  And there is no one else who will play endless games of Skipbo with me :)

Not telling our family and close friends has been one of the hardest things about this pregnancy.  I know that it will come soon enough...Easter is just around the corner.  But it's so hard for me to grasp that my mom never got to see the joy on her mom's face when she found out she was pregnant.  But my mom is here and I know she's going to be so incredibly excited when she does finally find out.

She's going to be the best Babushka ever ;)  I think it should stick, right mom?? :)

Edited: My mom informed me that Babushka means scarf in Polish.  Apparently I meant "Busha" or something like that :)  Oops!

Week 6ish +

As you can see from the title, I'm a little confused how far along I actually am.  I thought the doctor had said one thing, but then the ultrasound picture said another.  I'm going to confirm next week when we go back.  I was too excited about the visit that I didn't even think to reconfirm.  So, I'm going to hold off on the true weekly posts until I get it straightened out exactly where I am.


My blood levels are holding strong.  My beta was close to 30,000 (!!!) and my progesterone is holding steady in the 20s.  Still some very light spotting and mild cramping.  The doctor said he wasn't concerned as long as the spotting is light.  He said to just listen to my body and take it easy if I notice it getting any worse.  


The BEST news of today...we heard the heartbeat!  It's holding strong at 105 (which is in the very normal range for how far along we are) and the fetal pole is measuring at 2.77 mm.  So everything is looking great!  We go back in again next week (I love these weekly ultrasounds).  I was having a lot of anxiety last night so I feel so much better today.  We both left the office all smiles :) :) :)


And for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of last week's and this week's ultrasound.  It's still so crazy to think that this is real and we are actually having a baby :)

This is from last week (February 29, 2012).  Everything looked exactly as it should.

This is from today (March 7, 2012).  It shows that the fetal pole is present.  Everything still looks great!

And the picture showing the heart rate.  We both agreed it kind of sounded like white noise to us, but I'm guessing it will become more obvious once we are further along :)

Scared....

I have a very anxious personality.  All of my friends know that I worry ALL.OF.THE.TIME.  And being pregnant is no different.  I often wonder if I'd worry so much if we didn't go through what we went through back in the late fall/early winter.  I'm sure I would still worry somewhat - it's my personality.  But I find myself going to the bathroom every 30 minutes just to make sure everything is ok.  I have to do relaxation techniques when I start to feel crampy or have a backache. All of the normal pregnancy symptoms make me feel like I might be miscarrying.  I am so thankful we see the specialist so often.  Going one week seems like an eternity.  I can't imagine having to wait several weeks.  Wednesday we go in again to hopefully see the heartbeat.  I know that everything at this point is out of my hands.  I have been trying to think positive thoughts and have been praying a lot.  I just wish I could stop worrying.  Only one more day until the appointment...let's hope it goes by fast.