Eighteen Weeks

Another week flew by faster than I could have ever imagined…now that I’m feeling better and have more energy, I’m more active again. I want to get out of the house and do things…which means that my weeks are really starting to fly! Of course, working full-time, being pregnant and starting on some home re-model projects might do that to anyone!

So here we are at eighteen weeks. Babycenter.com tells me that this week my baby is 5 ½ inches from head to rump and weighs almost 7 ounces. That’s about the size of a bell pepper to put it into perspective, for you. His blood vessels are visibile through his thin skin and his ears are now in their final resting spot (even though they’re still sticking out a bit). A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he’s born. If you’re having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you’re having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

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A bell pepper is MUCH bigger than the lemon that I was at what was it – two weeks ago? Man, no wonder I feel like I’m down to just a handful of non-maternity shirts that I can wear!

I’m feeling good…eating more, and starting to be hungry right before bedtime, which seems to be a common “problem” of other pregnant women that I know. I still get a little queasy after I eat, especially if I eat too much, but sucking on a peppermint/lemon drop/left-over conversation hearts seems to do the trick.

I had my first official “craving” this week…for ginger ale. And it was SO overwhelming that I had to stop on my way to work and pick some up…even though that made me run about 10 minutes late. But here’s the kicker – I don’t drink ginger ale. At all. So this was a little out of the ordinary for me. I don’t remember having any strong cravings while I was pregnant with my daughter, so this was really weird for me to experience.

Here are this week’s belly shots. Word of warning – the non-maternity shirt that I’m wearing happens to have a high waist and really made my belly look large yesterday…several people commented on how much I was starting to show! But then once the shirt is raised for the second shot, you’ll see that my belly isn’t that much larger…I’ll let you be the judge.

So that’s about it. We plan on starting some great re-modeling projects around our house this weekend, so I’ll be sure and start posting about that stuff soon. I’m really embarrassed to post any before shots…the walls are just white…and the carpet is REALLY bad…but we’ve all been there. Wish me luck with the painting (with open windows and B doing most of the work!) and I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

Silly Sundays

Back when I wrote on my wedding blog, there were lots of instances where I compared planning a wedding to being pregnant. They both do crazy things to your brain. I was more forgetful, had more “blonde” moments and was constantly losing track of things. I wrote about how much wedding planning was like being pregnant often. Or maybe that’s just me – if you planned your wedding with none of those mishaps, then more power to you. I might secretly hate you, but you probably won’t care too much!

Since this was a common theme for me, I thought that it would be “fun” to share some of my “greater” moments this week – yes, that’s fun for YOU, not so much for me. LOL. Let’s just say that I had three such events this week. Here they are in no particular order of importance:

Disclaimer: I can easily seeing that you might enjoy hearing about my crazy pregnant moments, so it’s entirely possible that this could become a weekly post!

I work on the 8th floor of an office building. The other day, when I was trying to leave the office for lunch, I punched the down button to call the elevator and then waited. When the elevator came, I stepped on and proceeded to punch the number 8 button. You know, to go down. Color me stumped when the elevator didn’t move, but dinged at me instead. Yeah, most people would have figured it out at that point (as I’ve often done in the past when I try to leave work with too much on my mind), but not this prego! Frustrated with the elevator “malfunction” I punched the 8 button again and then was amazed when the doors opened. Yeah. I finally figured it out and realized what a dumb-ass I was...luckily no one was around to witness. Except those security cameras that they keep on elevators...and now you all know about my silliness!

While taking care of our three doggies this week while my hubby was out of town, one of them got sick right in front of me one morning. The good news? It was on tile. The bad news? No one else is around to clean up the mess, which means that this pregnant woman had to do her best. Note to self - do NOT attempt to clean up doggie vomit while pregnant. Or at the very least, make sure that you have NOT eaten breakfast yourself yet when this happens. You will lose said breakfast. This is the first time that I've thrown up during this pregnancy. I've had extreme nausea and even gagged/dry heaved a number of times (too many to count) but have not actually lost a meal...until this past week.

Mentioning food problems, I have developed the strangest thing during this pregnancy. I normally do not like sauce on my pizza. If a place insists that they cannot make the pizza without a little bit of sauce, then I’ll go with VERY light sauce and walk away with the pleasure of knowing that they’re big, fat liars since other places do it all the time. But lately, at some of our favorite pizza haunts, I’ve not enjoyed the pizza as much without sauce. I hate to say it, but the pizza seems to be missing something, and I’ve concluded that I miss the sauce. Or rather little Ziggy misses the sauce and is choosing to assert his/her will over my own likes and dislikes, but I have just happily ordered sauce on the side the last week or so since B is usually with me and he also does not like sauce on his pizza. I know, we’re a match made in heaven – you don’t have to tell me! So, being alone for half of this week, I stopped to get a pizza the other night on my way home from work and actually ordered it with sauce. Where I took it home and proceeded to scrape off all of the sauce. It wasn’t as good as little Ziggy tried so hard to tell me that it would be. I managed to eat two pieces that night and another two for lunch the next day, but I’ll be honest here and tell you that the rest of that pizza is going in the trash!

Lastly, and possibly the silliest thing that I did all week was rent and watch this movie all by myself.

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At 4 months pregnant.

I thought that I was doing B a favor...he’s out of town helping a friend move, so I saved him one chick-flick and rented this to watch the other night. Yeah. Maybe not the brightest move. It was a great movie, but I’m 4 months pregnant, totally emotional, and I watch a sad movie like that?!?! I guess I had it coming. I haven’t read the book, but I knew that it wouldn’t end well from the very beginning. Oh, who do I think I’m kidding? I cried during the first 10 minutes of the movie, not just at the end. At least Penny was there curled up in my lap to comfort me and my tears...even if she did look up at me like “Hey lady – what’s all the racket up there? I’m trying to sleep!”

I think that I’ll either watch something a little more upbeat tonight (my last night of being alone) or I’ll work on projects around the house and avoid movies all together. Either one works for me!

Seventeen Weeks

Another week bites the dust...

Now that that little diddy is stuck in your heads – hello! And welcome to week seventeen for those of you following along. Things are really starting to change around here, at least in my opinion.

First and foremost, here’s what babycenter.com has to say about this week’s development: The baby’s skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs around 5 ounces now (which is about how much a turnip weighs) and she’s around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

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That seems like not that much, huh? Well, it’s a lot and a little all at the same time I guess. But the most exciting thing that I have to report is what I’ve been waiting and waiting AND waiting to be able to tell you –

I can feel the first small flutters of movement!

Yeah! I’m SO excited about this, as you know if you’ve been following along the past few weeks. I seem to remember this happening sooner with my first pregnancy, but my sense of time could be all out of whack since that was seven and a half years ago! But either way, there have been several times over the past few days hen I’ve felt what I’m fairly certain are the first little flutters of movement. I wouldn’t be quite as sure except that I’ve noticed that it’s happening each night the past two nights when I get in bed and settle down. I wasn’t 100% sure until last night...so I’m thrilled that today is my weekly update post.

You know, I have to admit though that I really thought that I would be more certain this time around. I mean, everyone knows that the first pregnancy you really don’t know what to expect and what things feel like, and that’s completely normal. But I would think that the second time around, you would be more sure about things...which has not been the case with me. But that could just be because I’m a little bit wacky. It’s ok, I’m not afraid to admit it.

I was VERY relieved to read that this week one of the changes that my body is going through is a feeling of being off-balance. Almost like vertigo. Sound familiar Maid Britney? Yep. As my belly is growing, my body’s center of gravity is adjusting to accommodate and may cause me to feel off-kilter some days. I experienced this pretty badly yesterday for several hours – to the point of almost needing to lie down – and a call to my doctor’s office went unanswered. They did call me back first thing this morning, but by then it was passed and I had gotten my weekly update and felt much better about the entire situation.

So that’s my week. I’ve had some funny pregnancy moments this week...look for that post tomorrow, especially if you need a little chuckle. Here’s my belly shots for the week. I’ll apologize up front for the “lovely” tank top ensemble that I was sporting last night. Cut me some slack – I was home alone and took my bubble bath early last night...

I’m starting to show and praying that the weather here in Austin starts to warm up rapidly. I’m fast approaching the point of not being able to wear regular shirts anymore, and all of the maternity clothes that I’ve bought are either short-sleeved or sleeveless. I mean, come on, my due date is the end of JULY – of couse I’ve concentrated on buying “cooler” clothing options! Lucky for me, cold weather in Austin never lasts much past March...so I should make it through in my long-sleeved regular tops and maternity jeans.

Oh, and I'm happy to report that we've settled into calling the "bump" Ziggy for now. It stuck with me, even if B didn't like it as much as Bocephus...so Ziggy it is!

That’s about it for me. Talk to you next time!

The Name Game

What’s one of the most popular questions that people ask you when they know that you’re pregnant? Well, running a close second behind “When are you due?” and “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?” is one of my LEAST favorite questions...”Do you have any names picked out?”

Now, to be fair...I don’t get mad or irritated by people asking this question because let’s be honest here...there’s just not that much else to ask a pregnant lady. You have to tread carefully when asking any woman certain questions and with all the extra hormones that are raging through a pregnant woman’s body asking “How’s the weather?” at the wrong moment can get your entire head ripped from your body without so much as a second glance...or so I’ve heard. I do NOT know about that from personal experience...keep quiet honey! J

But this question does kind of bother me. I’ve written before how I don’t like saying/typing him or her out all the time...so I’ve thought about coming up with something to call my bump for the time being until next month when we find out the sex of our baby and can then refer to it in the right sex. And in doing this, I’ve also decided that it would be fun to turn this whole naming process into a little game. At least, it would be fun for me!

I’ve had this big project at work lately, and it involved cleaning up the reports that our local branches turn in to the state for metal sales at our facilities. On this report, we have to list out every single person that sold regulated material to us that day and turn in certain personal information such as name, address, ID number, vehicle information and so on. So, as you can imagine, I’ve been coming across some pretty great names while helping our branches adjust to our new software during this process. In seeing all of these funny names, it struck me one day like a bolt of lightning...and yes, this was after like three people in a row that day had asked me something about what names we were choosing.

What if I came up with the most horrible name for my child that I could possibly think of? And I told everyone that’s what the name was going to be with an absolute straight poker face...just to see their reactions. Here play along with me and I’ll show you how this works:

You: (asking me) Oh S, you’re looking so great these days! I can hardly tell your 4 months along! Do you know yet what you’re having?

(Come on people, this is MY game, you had to know that I was gonna work in some compliments to myself, right?)

Me: No, not yet. We find out next month though.

You: Well do you have any names picked out yet?

Me: Yes, as a matter of fact we do. We’ve settled on Geneva Opehlia if it’s a girl. And Winston Claude if we’re blessed with a boy.

Now. Picture that whole scene in your head. And TELL ME THAT’S NOT FUNNY!!! I mean what would you say to that? Seriously. How could you possibly find something nice to say? I bet you $5 that you wouldn’t ask me again about names...

So I pitched this idea to B the other night and he (being the prankster that he is) is TOTALLY on board with this idea. But he thinks that we should change it every time we’re asked...and he even suggested that we name the bump something until we know one way or the other too. You know, something like Rufus. Or Bocephus. Or Gertrude.

And by the way, before I go any further, I do not mean any offense if any of the names that I’ve chosen to make fun of happen to be your name. They’re great names. In fact, in my example given above, there are two of my own grandparent’s names used. So I totally do not mean to say that your name stinks, just that these are not names that I would happen to choose when naming my child. Or my bump. I’m sorry if I offend. I don’t mean to do it directly or intentionally.

Back to my story. So we’ve kind of settled on Rufus for the time being to refer to my bump, although I like Ziggy...B vetoed that one on me. Anyway, we were out this weekend with the in-laws and they got into the fun too...except that FIL took it one more step further. Our last name begins with the letter G, so he started making totally outrageous names up that would give the baby good/funny initials. Really funny. Every once in a while with 4 or 5 people sitting around doing this you happen to hit on a name that you might actually like and use, so this isn’t a waste of time and energy...just in case that’s what you’re thinking. We actually hit on several boys’ names that I would consider using as middle names...so maybe it was helpful.

The funny thing is that most of the names that we suggested seem to be guys’ names. We didn’t really discuss a lot of girls’ names that were old-fashioned or horrible sounding...so most of what I have in my head right now are names for boys. And the really funny thing? Now that I’ve started this, all I can think about are names that I would NOT use...I haven’t thought of very many names that I WOULD use. So maybe I need to stop playing the name game...nah! It’s too much fun!

And don’t worry, I did this when I had my daughter too...thought for a while of only names that I would not use. Picking a name is harder than it seems, if you’re not one of those people that named your children before they were even conceived (which we aren’t). I can usually think of someone with that name that I don’t like. Or I like the name, but I know someone who named their dog that, so I can’t use that one either...it’s really harder than it looks.

So for now, I’ll leave you with some of the funnier names on our short list at the moment – you know, the short list to tell people that this is the name that we’ve chosen when it’s NOT a name that we would actually consider.

Winston
Horace
Heathcliff – one of my favorites!
Eugene
Derloris
Luther
Tosheba
Eureka
Ulysses
Niccodemus

And I kid you not, some of these names actually came off of the state reports that I’ve been working on...so yes, there are people out there named after appliances! And on a side note, my husband has banned me from making fun of any biblical names in my game...he’s such a spoil sport, because there are some good ones to be found in the Good Book. I mean, how funny would it be to pick Habakkuk, Zebediah, or my personal favorite Bible name – Nebakanezer.

Got any horrible girl names to add to my growing list? Here are some reasons why we’re staying away from family names, FAR away: Doris, Geneva, Oneida, Elmira. I am NOT making those up...and yes, they’re all from only MY side of the family! I’m pretty sure that we’ll be crossing any family names off of the list...

Sixteen Weeks

Sixteen weeks. Four months. It’s weird to think that I’m already halfway through with this pregnancy. Some days, believe me it does seem to just creep on by...and other days it’s passing right before my eyes like I’m watching someone else do it.

Yesterday was V-day and B took me out for a dinner in town, and I had the chance to get all dressed up. I actually wore a DRESS...heels and a cute bolero jacket to keep me warm. Of course, all of that was covered by my long, heavy winter wool coat since it was freezing after dark last night in Austin and SOOOO windy! But it was a nice change for us, and very sweet of him to plan all that out by himself. I knew nothing about the evening, just that I needed to be ready to leave the house at 6:30pm and that we had reservations somewhere at 7pm...I love it when he surprises me like that!

It being a holiday weekend, it actually was a VERY busy weekend for us...the busiest that I’ve had in at least a month or so. I’ll tell you all about it in another post...just know that I’m worn out...could sleep for a whole day, but since I’m honest I had to admit (with lots of grumbling!) that I wasn’t feeling bad enough to stay home!

According to babycenter.com, here’s what’s going on with little Ziggy. (More on that later – but just know that I haven’t settled on Ziggy yet...B likes to call it Rufus or Bocephus)

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Babycenter.com says that we need to get ready for a growth spurt: in the next few weeks your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. This week he’s about the size of an avocado – 4.5 inches long and 3.5 ounces in weight. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect that it has been and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are also closer to their final position as well. The patterning of his scalps has begun, even though his locks aren’t recognizable yet. He’s even started to grow toenails. Your baby’s heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as he grows.

So that’s a LOT of changes! I don’t know if it’s just me, but for something that’s only 4.5 inches long, 25 quarts of blood seems like quite a bit...but since I don’t really like to hear about blood and guts, maybe I’m a little off in my thinking. Still it amazes me to read about these changes from week to week. So much is happening inside me right now...and I still can’t feel any of it.

The good news is that babycenter.com did finally say that starting this week, I could possibly feel movements. There have been a few times here and there over the past two weeks that I’ve thought that I’ve felt things, but since they’re isolated events with no repeat “performances” I have to say that I’m mistaken. But the article that I read said that most women feel the first movements (or quickening) between weeks 16-20...so any day now. I’m SO looking forward to that time.

Here’s my belly shots for this week. I continued the shirt down shot, since I think that it shows more of my “bump” being in normal clothes. I should have taken a shot of my in my dress last night...there was definitely something to see then! But I was exhausted from our weekend, and it took all that I had to get dressed up and go out for dinner...so no dress up shots. Next time, I promise.

Talk to you soon!

Wanna Know Something?

The other day I was reading my babycenter.com update online since for whatever reason the weekly email didn’t reach me like normal and I read that it’s a great time to start talking to your baby. That it helps build the bond growing between mother and child.

Huh. I didn’t know to start this early...in actuality, I’ve been talking to my “bump” for several weeks now. Ever since I knew that I was pregnant actually, so up to now it’s just been wasted breath.

Is that kind of like talking to your husband when the game is on the tv? Those are wasted words too...I’m just saying.

Anyway, back to the point. So I read that yesterday, or the day before, whatever. And this morning, while driving to work and singing along with the radio at the top of my lungs (like normal) I happened to glance at the car next to me in traffic. The guy is staring at me. Like I have two heads or something. I’m guessing that either my facial expressions gave it away that I was singing along, or we were tuned in to the same radio station and he was getting a good chuckle.

I’ve been this way my whole life, it’s nothing new. Singing in the car while I drive is as natural to me as breathing is. I just do it, there’s no conscious effort happening on my part. Which means that I sing in the car at times when maybe I shouldn’t be quite SO obvious about it...like when you’re stuck in the morning commute to work.

But like a bolt of lightning out of the sky, it hits me. I’m no longer just singing to myself...I’m “talking” with my baby. Building the bond between us. So you know what Mr. McStares-a-lot in the next car over? Get a good look. Laugh real hard.

I will no longer feel like an idiot when I get caught singing along to my radio.

I’m bonding with my unborn child. I’m being a good mother. Deal with it.

Of course, I probably still LOOK like an idiot...LOL!

Yeah...I’m Not that Smart...

Do you have a favorite parking spot at your mall? For those of you who don’t – those that park nearest to where you’re actually trying to go, then you’re probably going to think that I’m off my rocker. And that’s ok with me. Because I DO have a favorite area that I like to park at the mall. And now that I think about it...I come by this honestly. It’s a madness that I inherited from my mother.

They say that we all eventually turn into our parents, right? Well, here’s one example of me doing exactly that. I grew up in a small town. Not just small, but small like 10,000 people, a regular Wal-Mart for years, no fast food places other than Dairy Queen and Burger King and no mall. So when we needed to go and do some shopping, we would drive 30 miles to the closest mall in Tyler, TX. And once we got there, my mom would park in her usual area. Over the years, this “spot” changed from time to time as the mall underwent changes and remodels and such and my mom scoped out a new, better place to park, but generally it was near the entrance that was next to the cleanest bathroom in the mall. I mean, it makes sense if you think about it – you’re fixing to get in the car and drive for half an hour to get home...you need a nice place to stop and pee on your way out the door and why not park close by that exit so that it’s not out of your way, right? Totally logical to me...which MUST be why I have developed this habit.

When I first moved to Austin, I parked in one area of the mall. It was near the main entrance and central to the heart of the mall. But over time, I’ve discovered that there’s a better place to park...and it’s become my “go to” spot for parking in the past year or two. It never fails, never lets me down – I usually find a spot within the first three or four parking spots from the door. I kid you not. Sure, it’s outside of Nordstrom’s where I CANNOT justify spending any of my hard-earned money...so I’m walking through a store that I’m not going to shop in. And yes, it’s at an end of the mall that doesn’t really hold any stores that I like. BUT...I can always park close to the door. And that’s important to me for some reason.

So back to my story. The other day I was reading my Google Reader and saw a post on a blog about Old Navy having a sale on Maternity clothes. A sucker for a sale, and a fan of Old Navy, I immediately clicked over to browse their online selection. I found a few tops that I liked and immediately added to my cart and then went to look at their maternity jeans. I read several blogs of pregnant ladies who are BIG fans of the Old Navy maternity jeans...so seeing them on 40% off was a nice plus. I found a pair that I think that I liked and added them to my cart. But then, upon closer inspection I start to read the comments. Almost every review written on the jeans ranted and raved about how much they loved the jeans, but how the sizing was off. Most of them said to buy one size smaller. Hmmm...this gave me pause. I know logically I should just trust what these girls are saying and order one size smaller than normal...but in the back of my head I worry about the hassle of buying them online and them not fitting and then having to send them back and blah blah blah. Just seems easier to try them on first...in the store.

Since I didn’t have any plans for lunch, I decided that I would head to my mall and try them during my lunch hour before making my decision. And as an extra bonus then I would have to eat at the mall for lunch since it was too far out of the way to stop there, try on jeans and go somewhere else to eat...ok, ok twist my arm. I lurve me some mall pizza...don’t ask, I don’t understand it either. Plus, there’s a cookie shop near my exit, right? What pregnant woman can’t be talked into a cookie? Not anyone that I know!

So I drive to the mall. Go around to “my spot” and just like normal score a spot on the second row. It’s cold outside, so this is extra cool to me. I make my dash inside and proceed to walk through the mall down to the Old Navy store. About halfway there, I realize that maybe I’m not that smart. Let me lay it out for you...Nordstrom’s is at one end of the mall, which is where I like to park. The Old Navy store is at the OTHER end of the mall, which isn’t small, and the Food Court is in the middle. As I’m walking through the mall in my knee-high boots that have a 3-inch heel, I realize that I could have actually planned this out better. I could have parked near the main entrance and been right at the Old Navy store, not to mention a few steps away from the Food Court.

Now, normally I could wear these boots all day long and not complain. And being pregnant, my penchant for heels has not changed a bit. I’m enough of a klutz to realize that I should probably invest in more flats...but my love for heels just doesn’t allow for that. So I wear my heels. And during my last pregnancy, this wasn’t a problem until the last few weeks when my feet swelled...as it’s still early in this pregnancy my heels are still on my feet. The problem that I ran into was that I couldn’t find socks that morning...so I had to wear an old pair of socks that were worn a little thin in spots. Which started bothering me about halfway through the mall.

And got worse the more that I walked...which was quite a bit, seeing as how I had to traverse the mall length twice – once to get to Old Navy and once to get back. Hmmm...maybe parking further out and having to walk through the parking lot MIGHT have made more sense today of all days.

Oh well, trudge along – grin and bear it, right? Right. Until this pregnany lady gets to Old Navy to find NO maternity section...so I wait patiently in line at the front of the store to ask an associate (as there were NONE to be found working the floor) and was informed that there is only ONE store in all of Austin that carries the maternity line. And it’s out in Bee Caves...too far for me to go on my lunch hour that day or any other day really and I don’t live exactly close to there so running by on my way home isn’t possible.

I did get my pizza roll...and ended up buying 6 cookies, not just one...so it wasn’t a wasted trip. I was back in my car so close to the front door...which was good since I was sort of limping. And I didn’t even make the pit stop in the fancy bathroom to make it all worthwhile...

So I guess the moral of the story would be that sometimes parking close doesn’t really pay off?

And just in case you're wondering about those SIX cookies, NO I didn't eat them all myself. I bought two of the kind that I like, two for my daughter and two for my husband. I ate MY two cookies over two evenings...so I didn't sit in the mall parking lot downing half a dozen cookies!

Fifteen Weeks

Another week just FLEW by me...literally, it was over before I knew it. I was so exhausted from work that I totally forgot to take my standard belly shots on Thursday night like normal. But never fear – I took them on Friday...even if it’s Tuesday before they’re getting posted! J
I’ve noticed some changes in my body this week. Most of them good. I’m starting to hit that almost popped look. Do you know the one that I’m talking about? I’ve been “showing” for a few weeks now, but it might just be that I’ve gained weight...it might not be a baby in there. That’s the look that I’ve been sporting lately. But this past week it’s really started to round out a bit more and be more noticeably pregnant-belly instead of just chunky-in-the-middle looking. That’s my most exciting news...

Here’s the update on how my little one is doing inside that belly that’s starting to look more like a pregnant belly. My baby is now about four inches long – crown to rump – and is weighing about 2.5 ounces. That puts him/her at the size of an apple. (It doesn’t say what type of apple, which annoys me. There are so many types and they all vary in size...but my husband says that I’m obsessing) The baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract (which sounds icky) and is able to move all joints and limbs. Although baby’s eyelids are still fused shut, it can sense light. If you were to shine a flashlight at your tummy, the baby would move away from the beam. Taste buds are starting to form, even though there’s not much there to taste just yet.

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Babycenter.com also says that if I was to have an ultrasound this week, that it might be possible to tell if it was boy or girl. That bums me out a little knowing that I could know now, but have to wait until week 20...oh well. Since it’s already scheduled, there’s not much for me to do about it now! And I think that the chances of getting a “good view” probably increase from week to week, so waiting 5 more weeks is probably smartest...

As far as my body changes go...I’ve already talked about how I’m showing more. On a good note, my nausea has decided to take a leave of absence...I’m hesitant to say that it’s gone for good since it does still hit me every once in a while, but my doctor (and nurse!) should be proud of how I’ve been eating this past week. Surely I’ll have gained some weight by the next time that I visit...and mentioning eating, I have a new friend. Her name is heartburn. She’s not a regular visitor yet, but she’s starting to make her appearances every so often...I’m sure that Tums will be my best friend like they were during my first pregnancy to offset the visits of heartburn. You know, kind of like when you invite an extra friend over just so you can tolerate another friend’s visit? Come on, I know other people do that too!

So that’s it for now...oh wait. My belly shots! I thought that I was gonna make a quick get-away, but I guess not. Since I’m completely out of my regular jeans now, I dropped that shot, but added a shot with my shirt down. I swear to you that in real life my bump looks bigger...

I mean, I though the rule was that the camera added 10 pounds, right? If that’s true (and I KNOW that it is!) then how come my bump looks smaller in these shots than it does in real life?

Could it be because I’m looking straight down at it? I don’t know...Talk to you later this week!

Fourteen Weeks

Goodness! I’m running a little late this week, huh? Can I blame it on a crazy week at work last week? Not that I really think that this week will be much better, but there’s a slim chance that it will...

We hit the 14 week mark last Friday, and there are so many changes going on! Here’s what babycenter.com has to say about where I am now: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout moving from one expression to another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid surrounding him – a process that will continue until birth. He can grasp too, and if you were to have an ultrasound this week, you might be able to catch him sucking his thumb. In other news, your baby is stretching out. From head to bottom he measures 3 ½ inches, which is about the size of a lemon, weighing 1 ½ ounces.

source

So things are progressing! My baby is growing, and I’m starting to lose room in my regular clothes, even my tops. I’ve given up (finally!) on my regular jeans for the most part and I’m wearing my new maternity jeans. They’re much more comfortable, except that I’m not quite large enough yet to completely hold them up...so if you see me out and about in Austin, and you see me pulling up my pants every 5 minutes, I’m maybe just a little paranoid about them falling down! No, that hasn’t happened yet...just taking extra precautions. But they’re much more comfortable, let me tell you!

Even though by the time this posts and you get to read it, it’ll more than likely to be Tuesday, I took this belly shot last Thursday night just like normal. I was wearing my normal jeans that day, I can’t remember why...but you’ll see that there’s not any room left. You can DEFINTELY see a rounding to my belly, huh?

I tried to take other pictures, but it was late, and looking back at them - they're not very good pictures...like my belly is cut off in HALF of them!

We had our 14 week check up on Thursday afternoon and although I got in a little bit of trouble with the doctor for losing weight (instead of gaining weight from my last appt), she was happy with my test results and all. And I’m happy with my progress, despite the loss of three pounds...I’ll keep eating as much as I can, keeping it all down (hopefully!) and everything will be fine. My blood pressure and all looked great, so that was good news.

Since she wasn’t my OB for my daughter’s birth, she doesn’t realize that I actually lost 15 pounds during that pregnancy before I gained any weigh...and J was still born at a healthy 7 lbs. 15 oz. I told her this bit of information again, but I’m not sure that it helped my case. My mother also comforted me Thursday night with a reminder than when she carried me, her total weight gain was only 12 pounds...for the same reasons. Maybe we’re just those women who gain our weight at the end of our pregnancies, not at the beginning. My doctor did acknowledge that women gain weight differently, and she did not insist on giving me medication for the nausea that still frequents me...but I’ve been warned. If it doesn’t improve soon, I’m sure more drastic measures might be taken!

Here’s an overall tracker for you, which isn't very exciting right now, but I plan to update the total at each of my appointments from now on...

Weight Gain: -3 lbs
Total Weight Gain: -3 lbs

So that’s my pregnancy week in a nutshell. Growing, even if the scale says otherwise. Take care and I’ll update you in just a few more days with Week 15! This will be like a short week for my readers...