Monday, November 30, 2009

13 weeks!

Just got back from the doctor for my 12 week appointment (a week late) and had the dreaded blood tests. I was given a backpack full of stuff (magazines to coupons to samples) and paperwork to fill out and bring back before our 36 week appointment for the hospital when we deliver. I was also sent home with a giant container to do my first 24 hour urine collection. Yay!!! It has to be kept in the fridge. They do one now so that they have a baseline for later down the road if I have hypertension or warning signs of preeclampsia.

Then we finally got to the fun...FINDING COOKIE'S HEARTBEAT!
It took a while (because the baby is still so small and they move around so much) but she finally found it! It was high 150's low 160's, right where it should be. Then I scheduled my 16 week appointment and was on my way home.

Now the usual!

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Same. I weighed myself this morning and despite all the pumpkin cheesecake over Thanksgiving I didn't gain any weight. I guess cookie was hungry over the holiday. However, I had a possessed scale at the doctor's appointment, it says I am 10 lbs heavier than my scale at home????!!!!! no way, hopefully it was because I drank like a gallon of water so that I could give them a urine sample, and I had jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers on, and I just had lunch.

How Big is Baby?: The size of a peach. This baby is getting big!

Maternity clothes? Well, I didn't wait to buy more. I bought 3 pairs of pants, a pair of capri's, and a shirt on black friday. How could I pass all of that up for $23?

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: The fatigue is hitting me.

Best moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat today. High 150's Low 160's

Movement: None.

Food cravings: Not much. Just major food aversion. Pizza! However I've found a gluten free way to satisfy my craving that J likes too.

Gender: 27 more weeks. I can't believe how soon that feels.

Labor Signs: No way.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Search for the Christ Child this weekend. However that is not pregnancy relates, so I guess just being able to absorb the fact that this pregnancy is starting to feel more real.

Weekly Wisdom: Don't buy food that sounds good expecting to be able to eat it the next day.

Milestones: Your baby is 2 1/2 to 3 inches long, the size of a medium goldfish. She weighs about one ounce. Your baby is shorter than a finger, but her face is already showing individual features and characteristics! Her ears are now developed enough that she may be able to hear when you sing, hum, or talk. And her vocal cords will form this week—soon she'll be able to sing back. Your baby spends her time in your womb flexing her new and developing muscles and joints. Bouts of prenatal hiccups are strengthening your baby's diaphragm, which is preparing her respiratory system for breathing. Less glamorous but highly necessary organ systems for making hormones, absorbing nutrients, and filtering waste are also in place this week. The pancreas, gall bladder, and thyroid have developed, the kidneys can make urine, and her bone marrow is making white blood cells to help fight infection after she's born.

Monday, November 23, 2009

12 weeks!

We're getting dangerously close to the end of the 1st trimester! I'm still feeling great, people at church have even joked with me "Are you sure you're pregnant? I felt horrible".

Onto the survey!

How far along? 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Same.

How Big is Baby?: The size of a plum

Maternity clothes? I'm in love with my one pair of dress pants. I'm going to wait before committing to buying more.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Eh, somenights great and somenights horrible. However the fatigue has gotten horrible this week. I feel like i start the day on 1/4 tank and am running on fumes after 7 pm.

Best moment this week: Telling everyone on Thanksgiving!

Movement: None.

Food cravings: Not much. Just major food aversion.

Gender: 28 more weeks. This pregnancy is going way too fast.

Labor Signs: No way.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Finally telling everyone and the relief.

Weekly Wisdom: Still more sleep.

Milestones: Your baby's crown-to-rump height is 2 1/2 inches, or about as tall as a squash ball. She may weigh as much as half an ounce. This begins the age when the fetus starts to look really cute in those womb pictures. If you had a womb camera, you'd be able to see your baby's proportions changing, with the growth of the head slowing down to let the rest of the body catch up. Arms, legs, and fingers are also growing out and tapering to look more like a newborn's, and your baby's posture becomes less curled and more upright. Isn't it amazing that every person in the world was once the size of your thumb?

Monday, November 16, 2009

11 weeks

How far along? 11 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Same.

How Big is Baby?: The size of a lime

Maternity clothes? I got a pair of pants. They are amazing.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Some awesome nights, some not so awesome nights.

Best moment this week: Working on how we're going to tell everyone on Thanksgiving.

Movement: None.

Food cravings: Not much. Just major food aversion.

Gender: 29 more weeks. Wow that sounds really close

Labor Signs: No way.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Sharing the news at Thanksgiving.

Weekly Wisdom: Sleep. Sleep. And sleep some more.

Milestones: Your baby is about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long and weighs about a third of an ounce, the size of a peanut. This is a big week for your baby's growth—she'll double in height. At the end of the week, her head and body will be roughly equal in length. This week also starts an active phase for her - she can turn somersaults, roll over, flex her fingers, hiccup, and stretch. You won't be able to feel her movement for another month and a half. She's floating in lots of amniotic fluid. Her limbs are developing from webbed paddles into arms and legs that have well-defined fingers and toes. Fingernails, toenails, and hair follicles are also beginning to form. Your baby's testes or ovaries have developed, though the sex probably won't be visible on a sonogram for at least another month. Intestines have developed at the place where the umbilical cord meets your baby's body. The intestines are now able to make constricting movements, though there won't be anything to digest until later

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

10 Weeks

Well the doctor moved my due date yesterday to June 7th. So yesterday was technically 10 weeks.

How far along? 10 weeks and 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: I'm thinking about 4 lbs

How Big is Baby?: Your baby is now about an inch long and weighs five grams, or one-sixth of an ounce, roughly the size of a garden beetle

Maternity clothes? Soon, I think we're going to go sometime this week.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: I've hit the hunger week, I woke up last night to have a bowl of cereal.

Best moment this week: Seeing the baby!!! Heartbeat of 180bpm and a moving baby

Movement: None.

Food cravings: Ice cream.

Gender: 30 more weeks, but John says he is definitely feeling it's a girl and started referring to Cookie as she every now and then. However, we both thought the twins were both girls, and we were absolutely wrong.

Labor Signs: No way.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Sharing the news at Thanksgiving.

Weekly Wisdom: Hormones will rule your life. You will get angry and cry at the washing machine, the tv, the cats and then you will be so mushy that you have to go love on the cats all within 2 minutes.

Milestones: This end of the two-month mark is a landmark date for your baby. It's looking more human all the time. If you could look inside, you'd see a thumb tip-size translucent creature that's unmistakably human. Kidneys, lungs, genitals, and the gastrointestinal tract are all present, though far from fully formed. Your baby's bones begin to form in his limbs, a process called ossification. The floor plan for your baby's structure has been laid down, and the next thirty weeks will be about expanding and developing on this blueprint. If your baby is a boy, his testes are already producing testosterone. A Doppler handheld device can usually detect a fetal heartbeat by this point. Once the heartbeat is detectable, your chances of miscarrying in the first trimester are immediately lower: between five and ten percent.

God,
I can't thank you enough for our miracle. Thank you for allowing me to love this baby more than I've ever loved in my life, and I haven't even met Cookie yet.

Monday, November 9, 2009

letter #1

Dear Cookie,
I have never been so scared, nervous, excited and happy in my life. Seeing you today was surreal. As your daddy I of course worry about all kinds of things you won't have to worry about for a long time, I get worried I'm not doing things right or smart enough to prepare for your arrival, but Mom and I have a strong faith in God that He will help us and guide us in our journey together. There sure are so many things to do here, I'm sure your going to have fun and I can imagine you being here with us enjoying all our blessings. We will see you soon.

Dad

Introducing Baby Cookie!


Dear Cookie,

Today Daddy and I got to see you for the first time and I can't believe how much I could love you already. It's shocking to see that you really are in there. I'm treasuring the pictures that we were able to take with us.

I am savoring every moment that you are with me, growing in me, and I love you more as each moment passes. The doctors say we will get to meet you June 7th and until that day I will hold precious every moment. I dream about who you will look like and what you will sound like, what color hair you will have, and what color eyes, what will be your first word, what your first smile will look like and what your first laugh will sound like.

You have a special piece of my heart that will belong to you and only you. I've loved you before I saw you today and there will be no end to it.

There are so many people who can't wait to meet you, so please keep growing and I will keep loving you.

Love,
Your Mommy

Thursday, November 5, 2009

9 Weeks!

Well unfortunately due to my trip to St. Lucia I had to miss out on week 8, but today we will start again with Week 9!

How far along? 9 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Not really sure because I got glutened.

How Big is Baby?: A green olive, wow.

Maternity clothes? Not yet.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Great! just some crazy pregnancy dreams.

Best moment this week: starting to feel like there really is a baby in there and knowing Monday is the first ultrasound.

Movement: None.

Food cravings: Still salty food.

Gender: 31 weeks till we find out!

Labor Signs: No way.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I am looking forward to: Our first ultrasound on Monday!

Weekly Wisdom: Heat is evil to a pregnant woman!

Milestones: 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