Every (little) heartbeat

Yesterday we went to the doctor for our checkup and got to hear the heartbeat! I know that television makes everything bigger for effect, but they shouldn't make it so loud (Yes, I am talking about friends). I was just a light sounding beat, but it was there and strong!

I started on a new diabetes medication last night...one that is supposed to do the same thing as Metformin. I go back in two weeks to make sure that it is working okay. Keep your fingers crossed!

11 - almost 12 weeks pregnant

Our fig-sized baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under his gums. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As his diaphragm develops, ourtiny tenant may also start to get the hiccups. Because he's still so small, though, I won't feel any of his workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20. Shucks!

We go to the doctor today to hear the heartbeat. I am ready to see the doctor again for obvious reasons, but also because I have had a case of the stomach flu:(. I have missed a day and half of work this week! I am feeling better today, but still not able to keep much in my stomach.

Our baby looks so strong!

You can actually see his/hers eyes, arms, and legs! The baby looks so strong already!

We get to hear the heartbeat in two weeks!

Due date: November 4th. Just in time for me to have meat at Thanksgiving! Apparently, the baby doesn't like it! He/she does like fudge rounds and pizza though.

Time left: 30 weeks (25% of the way done!)

Weight Gain: Zero lbs. I had gained 4 lbs, but lost it when I started getting morning (actually, evening) sickness.

People are beginning to question...

Okay, I just want to wait until Friday after the ultrasound to tell everyone we are pregnant...BUT! people are beginning to ask around if I am pregnant and have had a few people outright ask me! We told Brian's co-workers tonight at wine down Wednesday, but I am still waiting until Monday to tell my work. I just have to get through one more day...I have Friday off! Woo Hoo!

I am 9 weeks pregnant!

Our new resident is nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce, but he's poised for rapid weight gain now that his basic physical structure is in place. He's also starting to look more and more human. His embryonic "tail" is now completely gone and his body parts — including organs, muscles, and nerves — are kicking into gear. His eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. He has earlobes, and by week's end, the inner workings of his ears will be complete. His upper lip is fully formed, too, and his mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The tips of his fingers are slightly enlarged where his touch pads are developing. All major joints — his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles — are working, enabling the baby to move his limbs. As for his heart, it has divided into four chambers now, and the valves have started to develop. External sex organs are there, but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. :(

Our ultrasound is this Friday and I can't wait! After that, we will be telling work and church. I had a lot of trouble keeping my mouth shut at church last Sunday and it will be nice to get it off my chest. I also know that some family members have been waiting the spill the beans, but just wait until next Sunday and we can tell the world!

2 months pregnant

Our baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. She's constantly moving and shifting, although I won't be able to feel these womb wiggles for several weeks yet. Her embryonic tail is disappearing, and her eyelids practically cover her eyes. Still slightly webbed, her fingers and toes are growing longer. Her arms have lengthened, too, and her hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart. Her knee joints have formed, and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. With her trunk straightening out, her head is more erect. Breathing tubes extend from her throat to the branches of her developing lungs. The nerve cells in her brain are also branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Though you may be daydreaming about your baby as one gender or another, the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl.

Brian and I had a checkup last Thursday and the doctor asked about our medical history and had questions about our labor! I was surprised that they were asking me if I wanted an epidural and who our pediatrician will be! We have another ultrasound next Friday and then another appt two weeks after that. I can't wait until the tenth week is here so that I can tell the world and not worry so much!

I am two months pregnant (And showing!!!)

We will be telling everyone in two weeks...but man, you think they'd be able to figure it out!

And here's Brian at 2 months...

Helllllo Morning Sickness!

Okay it is more like midday and night sickness. I was just bragging on Sunday that I thought I might be spared! I was feeling pretty sick yesterday afternoon and I had to leave the table at lunch today because I thought I was going to be ill. Nothing sounds good to eat. I tried to eat tacos at lunch (but they were making me sick), so I had half of a grilled cheese sandwich. At dinner I tried to eat chinese, but instead had a cinnamon raisin bagel, which was delicious! As long as I don't think that my brother used to tell me it was bugs instead of raisins in raisin bread:). He used to tell me that so that he could eat my bread, but since it is the only thing I want right now he would have a hard time prying it out of my hands!

I went and bought my first maternity clothes today, which was really fun. My friend Holly told me about great deals at Kohls and I got pants for work and a pretty black shirt. Holly also let me borrow some of her maternity pants. Thanks Holly! I have been using the Bella Band for about two weeks now because I can't comfortably button my pants!

I am having so much fun right now and don't mind being sick! I feel blessed that I get to enjoy everything about pregnancy!

I am seven weeks pregnant!

Our baby still appears to have a small tail (actually, it's an extension of his tailbone), which will disappear in the next few weeks. But that's the only thing getting smaller. Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry (YUM, Brian's favorite) — he has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers, which already have some color, and the tip of that nose we'll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin and his veins are clearly visible. Our little one also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a loop of the baby's growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. I can't feel his gyrations yet, but our baby is like a little jumping bean, moving in fits and starts around his watery home.

I can smell everything. Brian calls it my spidy sense. The smell of soft batch cookies, my all time fave, makes me gag. I was making meals for my church food swap and Brian had to take over b/c I couldn't stand the smell of cream of chicken soup. We went to church yesterday where they had painted earlier in the week. I felt queasy the whole time from what I thought was an overpowering smell, only to find out that no one else can smell it.

I thought that I was going to make it through my first trimester without getting sick, but everything stinks! I ate some crackers today and really felt a lot better.

I really don't mind all of these things and am actually excited by them! I have another doctor's appt this week the the OB nurse. She will take all my medical history, check my hormones, etc. I am supposed to have another ultrasound next week.

2 ultrasounds later...

I went back to the doctor today to get my second ultrasound so that the doctor could check on the baby. It was amazing. Everything looks perfect! Brian and I could see the baby this time and we could see its heart beating! It looked like a little beacon light flashing, like the baby was saying "Don't worry! I am right here, see?" The baby became really real for us today!

I am 6 weeks pregnant!

The baby's heart is growing and dividing into the right and left chambers. But the most exciting part is that her tiny heart is now beating (at a speedy 100 to 130 beats a minute) and pumping blood throughout her body. The cells that will make up all of the baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across).
If you could see through my uterine wall, you'd find an overlarge head and dark spots where the baby's eyes and nostrils will be. Shallow pits on the sides of her head mark her developing ears, and her arms and legs appear as protruding buds. Her hands and feet look like paddles, with thick webbing between the developing digits, but her fingers and toes will soon become more distinct. Below the opening that will later be the baby's mouth, there are small folds where her neck and lower jaw will eventually develop. (Inside, her tongue and vocal cords are just beginning to form.) The baby's intestines are developing, and tiny breathing passages are beginning to appear where her lungs will be. She's also starting to build muscle fibers and, halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs.

Despite our stressful weekend, I am still in good spirits and feel pretty good. I am tired and a little weepy though! Morning sickness is supposed to rear its ugly head this week, so we will see how that goes!

Off bedrest!!!

I went to the doctor today and my hormone levels have tripled!!! The doctor was very optimistic today and I will probably have another ultrasound this week just to make sure that everything is in order. I am feeling a lot better and it was nice to get off the couch today. I am still having some pains on my sides, but the doctor said to rest easy unless I begin to bleed.

Thanks so much for everyone's prayers and sincere concern! It is wonderful to have such great friends at such a stressful time!

On bedrest...

So this is my second day of bedrest...I have been watching a lot of television and our friends Brad and Cassie came over last night with Tim to play games and relieve some of my boredom. What I thought was going to be a long day turned out to be a pretty fun one! Plus, my friend Becky came over to keep me company and brought a pig for the baby! It is really cute and I ended up falling asleep and using it as my pillow. Apparently, Brian and Becky were laughing at me while I was asleep!

To make a long story short as to why I am on house arrest, I am having some weird pains on both sides of my abdomen that started on Friday afternoon. I tried to call my doctor, but they close at 2pm on Fridays. Then, I tried to go to urgent care so that I could at least talk to someone. They treated me like I had leprecy and wouldn't see me. Of course, I got so frustrated and Brian and I decided to go to the ER. We were there for 4 hours and the doc gave me an ultrasound and said that everything actually looked great. I got to see the baby and it looked like a little sac with a dot floating around in it. He said my lining looked good and that I should stay off my feet until Tuesday. I haven't had any bleeding, so I am trying to stay optimistic.

Tomorrow, I go back to the doctor to check my hormone levels and to make sure that they are rising. I have been praying a lot and hope that God is going to bless us with a healthy baby.

To top things off, I bit into a taco last night and swallowed the cap off my front tooth without even realizing it.

I guess when it rains it pours...

Here I am at 5 weeks!

And here's Brian at 5 weeks...

I am 5 weeks pregnant!

<------ Don't worry, it will begin to look more like a baby next week!

Deep in the uterus our embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm — that will later form his organs and tissues. The cells are forming for his major organs, including his kidneys and liver, and his neural tube is beginning to develop. This neural tube — from which the baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — develops in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel. His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form the baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue. The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to the baby, are already on the job.

I had my first battle with nausea last night, and it was a good one! I ended up going to bed at 10 pm and sleeping for 11 hours! I felt a lot better when I woke up this morning.

Brian has begun to call the baby Johnny Appleseed, since it is about the size of a seed right now!

First doctor's appointment

My first doctor's appt is on March 22nd! It is going to be a long two and half weeks until then!

I have been exhausted the last few days, on top of not sleeping well due to excitment. Other than that, I am feeling pretty good and went to a couple to baby stores today. We went to this new store called Cravings and I saw this really cute polka dotted dress. But guess what? It was $250!!! What pregnant woman could afford that!?!

Last night, Brian and I babysat Ethan from church, who is 7 months old. It was a blast! I got to feed him a bottle and change a few diapers (Brian watched the diaper changing part:) ). I had to leave to help another non-profit set up for their fundraiser, so Brian got some alone baby time and said that he really had fun. Brian has a natural way with babies and they all seem to love him.

I am 4 weeks pregnant!

<------ What the baby looks like right now...


This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until ten weeks, all of the baby's organs will begin to develop and function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be the most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.Right now the baby is an embryo consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all her organs and body parts will develop. The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow into so that the developed placenta can provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week. Also present now are the amniotic sac that will house your baby, the amniotic fluid that will cushion her as she grows, and the yolk sac that produces the baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta is ready to take over this duty.

I'M PREGNANT!!!

Well, if you can't tell from the title, I am pregnant.

I am so excited! I had convinced myself that the achiness, extreme fatigue, and nausea were all in my head. Was I ever wrong!

It is so funny, God always answers your prayers when you least expect it!