11 Weeks

Y’all, news of the week: we got our Doppler! This one:

It arrived Saturday afternoon, and as soon as I got home we busted it out of the package, while having a convo something like this:

    Me: “You know, we probably won’t hear anything…it’s still really early.”
    Alex: “Yeah, I read the back of the box. It says this thing is for starting at 14 weeks.”
    Me: “Won’t mean anything bad if we can’t hear it.”
    Alex: “Yeah, but we can try.”
    Me: “Sure, yeah, just try. Might as well.”

Yeah, trying not to get our hopes up. But we greased my stomach up with baby oil gel and started probing, and, within about 4-5 minutes—heartbeat!

It seriously is the most amazing thing. I found my own heartbeat first (must have picked up on the sound from a nearby major artery) and could tell it was mine from the speed. But then when I moved the Doppler just a centimeter or so to the right, I suddenly heard a faint chugga-chugga-chugga sound (a lot like a train)—far faster than my own heartbeat. Pushed the probe in a little deeper, turned up the volume, and there it was! We pulled out Alex’s phone and used the timer to clock the beats—heartbeat was somewhere in the 160-165 range, which is right on target. So. Amazing.

We used it again the day after, and I found the heartbeat within probably 20 seconds, since I knew where/how to look this time. It was coming through beautifully—strong and loud. There’s something so incredibly reassuring about it, knowing that Baby is there and okay. Best $17 I’ve spent in a LONG time.

Anyway…on to the week’s stats:

Baby is the size of a: Lime (1.6 inches, .25 oz.).

Development: Baby is forming tooth buds, and some bones are beginning to harden. The diaphragm is forming, too, which means that he/she could even be hiccupping, though I obviously can't feel it yet.

Weight gain: No change from last week. So still down four.

Maternity clothes: No. The funny thing is, this weekend I actually wore my skinny jeans—the ones I haven’t been able to wear for the last few months (the thighs had gotten too snug; oops). I guess losing a few pounds made the difference…but I did have to use a hair band looped around the button so the waist would fit. I’m having to wear looser dresses/tops these days so that the “blump” isn’t obvious.

Also, I did hit a garage sale Saturday morning and bought a bagful of maternity things (shirts, dresses, sweaters) for later, when I need them. I figured if I could get some nice things for so cheap, better to buy them now and put them in the closet for this fall.

Sleep: Meh. Not too bad, I guess. Still waking up multiple times per night, but it's okay.

Morning Sickness: I thiiiiink (knock on wood) it might be getting a little better. I still get nauseated in the evenings, but the onset comes much later (like 7:00-8:00-ish instead of as soon as I get home from work). I’ve been feeling queasier in the mornings than before, though—but that’s mild, so I can’t complain.

Aversions/Cravings: A ton of foods still sound horrible (especially Chick-fil-a, and that sort of breaks my heart; ha), but I did manage to eat some chicken here and there the last couple of days.

Bump: Still just the "blump," though I think that's actually gone down a bit since last week.

Symptoms: Just the nausea, though, like I said, it's lessened a bit. Overall, I don't feel too bad.

I miss: Not so much right now. I think maybe I'm on the uphill, albeit slowly/gradually, toward trimester two. I'm thankful for that.

I feel: Happy. Excited.

Looking forward to: The next doctor's appointment, which is next Wednesday.

Daddy moment: Alex loves the Doppler (I do, too). Last night, he kept reminding me that we needed to pull it out and do a quick listen so we could "say goodnight to the baby."

10 Weeks!

Baby is the size of a: Prune. (Could they have picked an uglier “fruit” for this week?)

Development: Baby now has arm/leg joints and is forming cartilage and bones. He/she is also growing fingernails and hair follicles. Cool.

Weight gain: I've gained back one pound of the five I’d lost. So still down four pounds.

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes, nope. Fat clothes, you betcha'.

Sleep: Waking up a lot (too pee, to feel nauseated, to pee again, I'm too hot, I'm too cold...and so on), but otherwise...decent?

Morning Sickness: Yuck. Evenings are still the worst, but mornings are getting icky, too. I’m truly hoping for the second trimester to be better.

Aversions/Cravings: Still struggling with most foods sounding horrible most of the time, but I have been able to eat a tiny bit of meat a couple of times—first time in weeks, so that’s good.

Bump: Have been incredibly bloated this week, to the point that it seriously looks like a bump. The “blump” (bloat-bump), as I not-so-affectionately refer to it.

Symptoms: The ever-present nausea. And the fact that having a bowel movement has become a herculean effort. (Seriously, folks. Do NOT take pooping for granted.) Other than that, doing okay.

I miss: Feeling thin. Ha. I guess I better get used to this one. But, in fairness, I do look forward to having a real baby-belly; it’s just this “I look like I ate too many donuts” stage that I hate.

I feel: Sick. But happy. Even the sickness, crappy as it is, makes me oddly happy--I think because it makes me feel like Baby is doing okay.

Looking forward to: Getting my Doppler in the mail! I ordered an Angelsounds one from eBay a few days ago. Like this:

It should be here by Saturday (Monday at latest). It’ll be fun seeing if we can find baby’s heartbeat at home.

Daddy moment: Alex LOVES my blump. Ha. I’m trying to hide it, obviously, and hate it, since it’s not “really” baby yet…but he always wants to see it, kiss it, etc. It’s sweet. Also, he got major husband points this week for telling me, when I was debating whether going to bed at 8:30 p.m. made me a bum, “You can do whatever you want. You’re pregnant!” (Magic answer, husband. Use that one often.)

9 Weeks!

Baby is the size of a: Green olive.

Development: Baby is almost an inch long now and this week has officially left "embryo" stage for "fetus" stage--which means that all major organs are now formed and from here out will be growing and developing. Facial features are beginning to form, too.

Weight gain: Lost a couple more pounds, so I'm down five.

Maternity clothes: Nope.

Sleep: Decent, I guess.

Morning sickness: Mostly evening sickness, and it's NO FUN.

Aversions/cravings: Pretty much no change on this front. No cravings, really, but lots of aversions--to pretty much everything except fruit. I'm eating fruit like nobody's business. Still can't handle meat.

Bump: Nah. Just some bloat. Lovely.

Symptoms: Nausea. Constipation. Skin breaking out. Ah, the magic of pregnancy.

I miss: Oh, how I miss enjoying food--the meal-planning, shopping, cooking...smelling it, eating it. Um, I also miss being able to poop. (TMI? Yeah. Well, it's the truth, y'all.)

I feel: Pretty gross. But also excited and happy.

Looking forward to: Next appointment in three weeks, which will be the 12-week mark.

Daddy moment: Alex has gotten to where every morning he tells both me and the baby goodbye, and then texts me at some point during the day to say, "How are my bebes?" or "I miss you two" or something to that effect. Cute.

Misc./other highlights: We had our second ultrasound Tuesday (7/16), and Baby looks great! Here he is:

He/she is still measuring three days ahead of pace (so 9 weeks, 4 days...which makes him technically a Valentine's Day baby. Sweet.) Heartbeat was strong at 168 beats per minute. We could see his arms and legs, and he was even wiggling around...dancing? :)

8 Weeks

Baby is the size of a: Raspberry.

Development: Baby is developing fingers and toes and has wrists and elbows now, too. Ears and eyelids are forming as well.

Weight gain: I've lost a couple of pounds. Some "diet."

Maternity clothes: No way, dude.

Sleep: I'm waking up a lot more than I used to, mostly from feeling sick, it seems.

Morning sickness: Who came up with the name “morning sickness”? More like all-day-and-especially-evenings sickness. Sigh…

Aversions/cravings: I can’t handle meat at all. Or sweets, generally. I find myself mostly wanting salty and sour foods—salt and vinegar baked chips, lemonade, Greek yogurt, pickles, etc. (I know, the pickles are too stereotypical, right?) Other than that, I’m mostly sticking to bland/stomachable things (toast, oatmeal, grilled cheese sandwiches, dry cereal, potatoes…). And a lot of fruit.

Bump: No.

Symptoms: Lot of nausea.

I miss: NOT feeling like I'm going to puke all the time.

I feel: Nauseous (getting the picture?).

Looking forward to: Second ultrasound a week from tomorrow! Baby should be significantly bigger than last time we saw him/her.