10 weeks!

How far along?: 10 weeks 2 days

Size of Baby: a peanut or small strawberry (a little over an inch long and less than 1/4 of an ounce)

Baby Development: 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.

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.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: My starting weight was between 130 and 135 fully clothed.  I am staying within that range, though the pants get much tighter by the end of the day.

Gender: ??? (and we aren't finding out)

Movement: Not for awhile

Stretchmarks: Not for awhile

Maternity Clothes: Not yet, though I just did some consignment shopping and online shopping.  Guessing maternity pants are in my future in the next couple of weeks. I've worn a few shirts/sweaters this week that I determined I shouldn't wear again until after the info is public.

Sleep:  Inconsistent.  Go to bed early and generally wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two before going back to sleep.  Slept 11 hours on Thanksgiving night at my in-laws -- it was amazing!  Naps are pretty amazing too.

What I miss:  Nothing so far

Cravings: Lots of really healthy things like fruity candy (Twizzlers, Skittles, gummy bears, Starbursts), chips and dip, Kraft mac and cheese & fried things.  But also V8, milk, cottage cheese and carrots.  I feel like I have a traveling vending machine hidden in my purse for my constant hunger.
 

Aversions: Eggs (hard boiled are okay but otherwise no thank you), chicken is hit or miss, peanut butter and I have a love/hate relationship, apples make me sick.

Symptoms:  Hungry and nauseous all the time (though nausea is getting better), not sure who my chest belongs to, exhausted and my emotions have come out to play finally.

Best Moment this Week: Making it to double digits week-wise.  Telling my mother- and father-in-law about the pregnancy.  

Looking forward to: First OB appointment and telling more people our good news.  Transitioning to a new (ish) wardrobe.

Random Updates: I'm so thankful to have not thrown up yet (knock on wood), but will gladly take any symptom that comes my way as it means things are progressing.  The last 2 days I have had a sensation of lots of stretching in my abdomen.  I love it!

Emotional Days Part Two

I'm still here.  Baby and I are both doing well.  Baby is growing, growing, growing and we got to see his heartbeat again on Thursday at 8 weeks 6 days.  It was beating away at 168 and a sound I will never grow tired of hearing.  In fact, I videotaped it as my husband wasn't able to be there, so I have it on my phone and listen to it at least once a day.  (funny story -- I asked the nurse at the RE's office if I could videotape when she turned the heartbeat on and she said yes, but that they don't leave it on the heartbeat sound very long because it drains the energy.  I thought "really -- cause I haven't paid you thousands of dollars over the last several years to help with your energy bill?")  Anyway, I have graduated onto my OB, who I will see the first week of December.

My absence from blogging has partially been because I am exhausted.  Like in bed at 8:30 every night exhausted.  Hubby thinks I may be the most boring person on earth and he is likely right!  Unfortunately, early bed time equals early waking time when I usually move to the couch for a little reading and then hopefully a bit more sleep.  I'm generally nauseous and hungry at the same time -- so very hungry.  No puking yet which I am thankful for, but will gladly take.

The other reason for my absence is that my grandmother, my last remaining grandparent and a woman I adored, recently died.  She had been in the hospital and on the day of my first ultrasound, when I called my parents to tell them the good news, found out that the decision had been made to move her to hospice (which I am very grateful for).  I'm not going to go into details, but this has been such an emotional 3 weeks -- both happy and sad and full of memories.  I will say she stayed true to herself and stubborn to the very end, and I am so grateful for the few moments I was able to spend with just her, when I was able to tell her I was pregnant.  By then she was not conscious, but in my heart, I believe she understood.

My grandma had 4 children, 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 15 great great grandchildren.  My dad, who wrote the obituary, wanted to say she had 14 great grandchildren...how sweet is that.  The church was half filled with just family who traveled in from all over the US.  May we all be so blessed and lucky!

I am planning to get back to blogging more frequently now...and am excited to reveal my new pregnancy blog to you sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Sending love to all of you, wherever you are in your journey!

Emotional Day

This afternoon hubby and I heard the most amazing sound in the world -- the sound of our baby's heart beating very strongly -- and I cried tears of joy!  We go back in two weeks and then will "graduate" to my OB/GYN.  Tomorrow I will be 7 weeks and Saturday I will be one day more pregnant than I have ever been.