15 Weeks (and Counting)

 

Baby is the size of an: Orange (about 4 inches long).

Development: Baby's legs are now longer than his/her arms (quite the accomplishment). Also, even with eyes still fused shut, he or she now can see light inside the womb (er...NO idea how much light can actually penetrate in there - seems to me like it'd be a kind of dark place - but, hey, this is what the baby development websites are telling me, so I'm going with it).

Weight gain: Am up five pounds from my starting weight. Whoa, Nelly! The consolation is, it seems to be all in my midsection.

Maternity clothes: Not wearing any yet, but I definitely have transitioned into wearing my regular clothes differently, and I'm pretty sure the maternity stuff will have to come out before too long. My shirt today keeps trying to roll up like a window blind. Not cute.

Sleep: Not great. I no longer can lie on my stomach, and I'm trying to train myself not to lie on my back either (that'll become a no-no in a few weeks). Couple that with the general feeling of tightness/discomfort and occasional sharp, stabby pains (see "symptoms" below)...and still getting up a lot to pee...and it's not been fantastic. And I'm only 15 weeks! (Can't imagine what it'll be like in a few months.)

Morning Sickness: Not too bad, really. I still get pukey right around bedtime, but it's not nearly like before.

Aversions/Cravings: No aversions except Chick-fil-a (WHAT. THE. HECK??). Cravings, not really, but I did have my first "Oh, good grief, pregnant much?" moment a few days ago, when I realized in the middle of lunchtime that I was dipping my Cheese Nips into Dijon mustard. I'd had a little pile of it to dip my sandwich in, which isn't a pregnancy thing for me, actually; I do that normally...heart me some mustard...but Cheese Nips in it? Hoo, boy... I find myself wanting Dijon all the stinking time. In fact, now that I'm talking about it, I want some...

Bump: Yep. See Exhibit A above. Also, thank Alex for taking that picture. Otherwise, you would've been stuck with this dark, not-so-great self-pic:

Symptoms: Still very tired. I also am having what supposedly is round ligament pain...meaning that the tendons supporting baby, uterus, etc, are starting to stretch out, and it HURTS. It aches, and I get occasional very sharp, stabbing pains. Yet another pregnancy delight you don't hear much about before actually getting pregnant. Lovely.

I miss: Being able to lie on my stomach.

I feel: Like I want something mustard-y. Ha.

Looking forward to: The gender-reveal ultrasound a week from today. SO praying that Baby cooperates so we can know if it's a boy or girl.

Daddy moment: Alex did some awesome man-labor for me this past week and did the hauling on this bad boy, which I found on Craig's List and will be using to store the baby's things:

 

 

Yes, it's living in the living room. Call it a "buffet," if you want. (No room in the bedroom.) Anyway, Alex spent probably two hours borrowing a truck, engaging a friend to help with the lifting, driving across town to get it, unloading, etc. End result: baby's thing have a home, and I'm a happy girl.

14 Weeks

Well, y'all, I had noble plans to redeem last week's crap picture with something oh-so-cute and Pinterest-inspired this week (think chalkboards and fruit-of-the-week props and good lighting and whatnot). Yeah. That didn't happen. Thus, I present yet another crap picture...though I should point out that I did at least crop out the view of my bathroom sink. You're welcome.

Real bump-age, no? It looks HUGE to me.

(And I proooooomise I'll try to do better with the pic next week.)

Baby is the size of a: Lemon.

 

Development: Baby's kidneys, liver, and spleen are all formed and functioning now, and he/she is wiggling around and maybe even sucking his or her thumb. Cute, no?

Weight gain: Noooo idea. I haven't weighed...admittedly, I'm kind of scared to. Ha.

Maternity clothes: No, but they're starting to sound mighty appealing (elastic waistbands? heck, yeah...). I have bought some things here and there (like a pair of brand-new gray maternity slacks I found for $4 at Goodwill...score!), and am stashing them away for a few more weeks. Until then, the hair-tie trick is still working with my jeans.

Sleep: Great, for the most part, though I'm waking up SO exhausted in the mornings, much more so than before...seems like the tiredness is increasing. I guess that comes with becoming a walking human-growing factory.

Morning Sickness: Still hanging around and sucking like always, but I'm having good days here and there (insert the Hallelujah Chorus here), so maybe things really are improving now.

Aversions/Cravings: Not really any aversions anymore--sometimes the idea of a particular food will still turn my stomach, but there aren't any things that I just generally can't eat anymore. Meat, for instance, is doable again (which is awesome...I was getting worried about a lack of protein, which I know the baby needs). And I'm eating veggies like nobody's business - loving salads almost every day.

Bump: Yep. I look like I swallowed a cantaloupe. Though, honestly, with my clothing, most days it usually still is in the "Pregnant or too much Dunkin Donuts?" category.

Symptoms: Still nausea here and there, and major tiredness. Maybe crankiness? (Alex could answer for that one, probably. Heh.)

I miss: Having a flat stomach. I look forward to having a "real" baby tummy (one that's obvious to everyone and worthy of maternity clothes).

I feel: Relieved to be in trimester 2...it feels like such a landmark.

Looking forward to: The gender-reveal ultrasound in two weeks!!! Also, not baby-related, but a trip to L.A. to see friends over Labor Day weekend. Bring on the sunshine.

Daddy moment: Alex loves my stomach, and I'm so grateful for that because it helps me not to feel so self-conscious over the whole "bump that is not yet an obvious baby bump" thing.

First Tri Survival...a Little Bit of Retrospect

So, now that the first trimester is over, I figured it might be worth giving a shout out to some of the things that have been my "must-haves." Most of these, admittedly, have to do with handling the ever-present pukiness. Anyway, for what it's worth...

13 Weeks - Hello, There, 2nd Trimester...

Trimester 2 starts this week! Woo hoo! I know I skipped Week 12 (oops), but to make up for it...finally a "belly picture." And, I have to tell you guys...I do have a belly already. Seriously. Sorry for the crappy quality, but it's the best I could do. In the future, I'm going to have Alex help me with this, I think. Anyway...

 

So. See the belly? Yep. Everyone kept telling me, "Oh, since it's your first child, you won't show until like 15/16/18/1.2 gazillion weeks..." Yeah, right. This little bump is for real, and according to the OB, whom I saw this past week, it's really baby. She says that due to my small starting size and narrow hips/structure, baby basically had nowhere to go but up, and it's already riding high. And though he/she is only a few inches long at this point, my uterus is much larger. So there you have it. :) A bump already.

Baby is the size of a: Peach (about 3 inches long).

Development: Baby is developing vocal chords and moving and flexing his/her arms and legs.

Weight gain: When I was weighed at the doctor's office, the scale said I've gained two pounds!

Maternity clothes: No, but my pants definitely are tight these days.

Sleep: Okay. When I do sleep, it's pretty good, but I've been up a lot feeling sick.

Morning Sickness: I thought it was leaving, but I've had some pretty rough days and evenings lately. Maybe it's just going out with a bang...I hope...blech.

Aversions/Cravings: I'm doing MUCH better on this front - eating meat again (not a lot, but chicken hasn't been a problem lately, anyway). Certain things still sound awful, but all around I'm able to eat mostly normally again.

Bump: Yep. I truly thought it was all just "blump," but...well, see above.

Symptoms: Nausea. And exhaustion...seriously, I've been more tired the last week or so than ever before. Maybe this one's just kicking in late.

I miss: My jeans fitting. Ha.

I feel: Relaxed. Relieved to be in the second tri finally.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender in the next 2-3 weeks. Yay!!! We're planning to have an "elective ultrasound" at a local clinic at around 15/16 weeks, since my OB won't do another ultrasound until 20 weeks...and I'm too impatient to wait until then. More info to come...