12+ Weeks!

Doc appt tomorrow morning... will post an update after the appointment!

For now, here is the 12 week babycenter.com update:

How your baby's growing:
The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

11 weeks

Today I woke up and I didn't feel pregnant! It was almost concerning until I got a look at my growing profile in the mirror and remembered that there is, in fact a babe in there! I think better days are ahead as I approach the end of the 1st trimester. :-) Already, the nausea is almost gone (knock on wood) and I am beginning to see an improvement in my energy levels. Yeah!

Recently we have received some children's books for the babe, which has been so much fun. I am a big fan of children's lit and I am counting on those of you that are knowledgable to teach me a few things and give me suggestions for a must-have reading list. Aunt Bobbi gave us "The Giving Tree" which has to be one of our childhood favs. Ellen sent "Pat The Bunny" which is too cute and will for sure be a fav of the babe. Over the weekend Amy gave us "This Little Piggy Went to Prada." I had so much fun reading it yesterday! Amy is one of the few banking on a little girl, but added that this book includes things that we should teach a boy as well! I had never even heard of this book, but it is SO cute and has beautiful illustrations as well. You all should check it out! www.thislittlepiggywenttoprada.com

Over the weekend Brad and I got some good practive as we babysat Lyla (almost 6 months old) for an afternoon. Everything went great, until Ms. Lyla got tired and starting fighting a nap. She was having fun and didn't want to sleep! Brad actually was the one that calmed the babe to sleep - he did a great job! We both had so much fun and it was a good dose of reality!

Week 11 babycenter.com update

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

HA!

This is really how I am starting to feel as my belly grows and the numbers on the scale go up each week!

10 1/2 weeks

So, I am just about 10 1/2 weeks... That means a tad more than 25% through this pregnancy! Magically this week the nausea has subsided quite a bit (YEAH!) but unfortunately I am still exhausted and I am recovering from a cold/sinus infection. I spent most of the weekend in Snowshoe feeling kind of ill and returned on Sunday with a fever. The doc prescribed Tylenol for the fever and not much else, but I am starting to feel much better. Brad and I have both been sick, but are recovering - so now I am working to desanitize my office and home! Brad has taken good care of me, even when he was a little under the weather himself and I appreciate that very much. The weekend in the mountains was still fun and at least one of us was able to enjoy the ski slopes! I did, however enjoy a pre-natal massage while we were there. I think I need one of those every week! ;-)

I can see and feel my belly starting to stick out. It is definitely time to invest in some new pants! Mom got me some cute maternity dresses and I have been wearing those - they are so comfy and cute, even though I am not that big yet. Thanks again Mom! Guess I may shop around this weekend. Next doc appt is April 1st. I am going to ask her if we can do the next ultrasound a few weeks early and plan for the second week of May. My sister will be in town and I would love for her to be there when we find out the sex of the baby. Maybe they will be willing to do it at 18 1/2 weeks, rather than 20 weeks? Let's hope! Check out the babystrology thing - it is actually looking like a babe now! :-) Mills is relieved that it has finally lost it's "tail."

Babycenter.com update:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

9 Weeks (and a few days)

Morning sickness/ALL day sickness has unfortunately not passed me by completely. The past week and a half has been a little rough around the edges - with a few days of tardiness to work and a lot of time on the couch. BUT - I know that I have thus far had a very smooth pregnancy with few bumps in the road. (knock on wood) I hear nightmare stories about how sick some Mom's have been and I still consider myself lucky! I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as far as the 1st trimester goes and I am really looking forward to this supposed RUSH of energy that you experience in the 2nd trimester! My main complaint is that I am still extremely exhausted all the time. I could sleep all day and all night! Certain smells and foods are added daily to the "YUCK, NO WAY" list and my emotions are in full swing. Thankfully for Brad, so far I am just a weeper and have not had any terrible mood swings. The dumbest song or commercial sets off the waterworks. Usually it is at night when Brad is working - so he hasn't fully experienced the sudden and unpredictable onset of tears! If I could see myself during one of these episodes, I am pretty sure I would laugh. I will take the tears over the extreme moods any day. So far I haven't turned into the wicked witch. Let's hope "Hurricane Katie" stays at bay.

We are off to Snowshoe this weekend... a ski weekend we planned long before we got the news. Unfortunately, due to my doctor's recommendations - I won't be skiing. Although I love to ski and had been looking forward to this trip, it is really not worth the risk. I guess I will have to find other ways to entertain myself and relax while everyone else is skiing. I am calling today to book a massage and some other spa services. :-) If nothing else I will catch up on movies, reading and napping! Basically my usual weekend activities - but with a view!

Here is the latest www.babycenter.com update:

How your baby's growing:Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

What happend to February?

February flew by and I can't believe it has been a month since I took those tests! I thought this was interesting info and wanted to share. Hard to believe that so much has happened in just 8 weeks! I am feeling ok. Just experiencing the normal symptoms that go along with pregnancy and some days are certainly better than others. :-) I have slept my way through most of the 1st trimester and I think that my emotional episodes have terrified Brad. He has been a good sport so far and I appreciate that very much!

This is from my www.babycenter.com update.

How your baby's growing:

Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby —about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Although it is hard to imagine now, in a matter of two weeks it will actually look like a baby! It makes me appreciate why I have been so tired - there is a LOT going on in there! Too bad we can't get another pic/ultrasound until May! Practicing patience is not something I am very good at these days! Next doc appt. is April 1st, but I am sure I will update you all before then.