Tuesday, November 30, 2010

17 Weeks

Wow! No posts between weeks 16 and 17!  Well, it isn't because life has been quiet.  We all had a stomach bug over Thanksgiving weekend.  It was AWFUL!  I wasted a lot of my medicine because I kept throwing it up.... before we realized it was actually a bug.  No medicine would have helped.  We are all better now...hope that never returns!
Here is all about week 17, the week of the onion:

Your baby's skeleton is changing-- from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now, and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Less to say this week.  I am feeling movement pretty much daily now.  More often after I eat, and more if I eat something sweet.  We heard the heartbeat the other day at home loud and clear...it was super fast like a galloping horse!  Now I've read a lot that says a galloping heartbeat and anything over 140 is usually a girl... so my instincts may have been wrong in the beginning! I can hardly wait for the big surprise party to find out!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

16 Weeks!

I can't believe it!  16 weeks seems like real progess! ha ha!  Here's all about the week of the avocado:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now,he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Up and Down

My sickness has really been unpredictable recently.  As of last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I was feeling much worse!  I even woke up in the middle of the night a few times and had to get up and take one of my pills.  NOT good!
Then...all of a sudden yesterday afternoon I felt much better!  I even skipped taking a pill at lunch today and none this evening and still feel great.
Who knows?!?!?  Maybe it's really related to when the hormones make a big jump.  Or diet related.  I've been drinking more orange juice and eating more sugar recently....and that seems to have helped?!?!?!  Could be sugar dips making me sick? 
I have no idea, but all I know is I feel much better today!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Boy or Girl?!

This morning's appointment went GREAT!  
As usual, I was called right back, and on my way into the back area I noticed that there was a flyer and business cards displayed advertising Bradley classes!  YAY!  This doctor will be supportive of Bradley natural childbirth, which is our goal!  I had heard some horror stories about some doctor's not approving of patients who take Bradley classes because they end up being very educated and opinionated about the birth experience.  It was a big relief to see that they are supportive of this method!  Also, they were completely fine and non-pushy about my turning down the down's and cystic fibrosis screenings.  
The heartbeat was found quickly and easily....measured in the 150s.
And, we scheduled the 20 week appointment and ULTRASOUND! YAY!
We are planning a party to reveal "boy or girl" for our family and friends...and us too!
The plan is to take the results (picture) to a bakery and they will make the inside of the cake pink or blue.  We will all find out at the party when we cut in to the cake!
I've already reserved the church for the party, ordered the cake, and sent out evites.
What will we do if for some reason they can't tell boy or girl?  Well...the party is scheduled the day after the ultrasound so we will have time to cancel.  And I'll just get the cake made with Christmas decorations instead and we'll take it to a Christmas gathering. :)
Five weeks until the next appointment.  Which also means only FIVE weeks until CHRISTMAS people!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

15 Weeks!

The week of the orange! 
I am positive that I felt the baby moving yesterday! I have felt a few flutters here and there previously, but there was no mistaking it this time.  It was very neat!
I am feeling much better.  The doctor prescribed Reglan, and it has been a wonder drug!!!! Works much better than Zofran did for me.  I am happy to have something that I know will work even will I feel my worst!  Not sure if I am to the point of feeling better without it, I haven't been brave enough to try.
Here are the facts about week 15:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

My appointment is tomorrow morning.  We should be scheduling the "big" ultrasound so we will know when to expect to find out boy or girl!!!!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Back to the Drawing Board

I have been MISERABLY sick today!  Worse than I have been this entire pregnancy.  Threw up everything I ate all day.
I guess I'm going to go back to the Unisom at night.  That seemed to be working out okay before.
Corey is picking up the prescription my dr. gave me last time but it is for Reglan.  I really did not want to take that drug because of what I've read about it.  But, I am so miserable right now that I may take it just to see if I can get back to the Unisom routine working.  I can't even keep down a chewable antacid! UGH!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

14 Weeks

How am I feeling at 14 weeks?  Well...right now, I feel pretty good.  The sickness hits mostly late at night right now.  But, I haven't been throwing up at all anymore.
I skipped my nightly b6 and unisom for the first time in MANY weeks last night.  I was taking it at night because that was helping me feel better during the day, but I thought maybe since I was feeling better anyway, that perhaps it wasn't helping much anymore and could just be making me lethargic and feel worse now.  We'll see how that goes today.
I will be needing to buy some maternity clothes soon.  I am so reluctant to do that, so reluctant to buy anything actually.  I still just can't believe it I think.  As much as we are planning and as sick as I've felt I just truly still can't believe it's happening! ha ha.

We are in the week of the lemon:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.
In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches, and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.


I go to the doctor next week! I am very much looking forward to it!!!!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Second Trimester

I guess I am officially in the second trimester now!  40 weeks divided by 3 is 13.3....not sure how that would translate into days, but I am 13 weeks and 4 days, so pretty sure I am there by now.
I felt really great last week, as I mentioned in my previous post, but something has changed in the past 3-4 days.  I have felt very nauseous and even threw up again one night this week.  Antacid seemed to help, and yesterday I felt great again, but today back to bad.  Oh well. 
It's probably from sugar.  Sugar has been making me feel really miserable.  Last night Corey made homemade Rice Krispy Treats per my request and that's probably why I feel so bad today.
We started the pre work on the kids room rearrangement today.
After a lively conversation about which room would work best for what purpose (baby or kids sharing) we decided that Katie's current room will be the room that Katie and Noah will share together.  And Noah's room will be a play room/catch all until we get the basement play room finished, at which point Noah's room will be turned into a baby room/nursery/guest bedroom.
Katie currently has a full sized bed.  It is very cute, painted black, but distinctly a girl's bed.  If we find out we are having a girl, we will use her bedroom suit in the nursery as a spare bed (anyone whose ever had a baby/todder will know how valuable an extra bed in the nursery can be) and it can be used for anyone who comes to help when the baby is here. The dresser can even be used as a changing spot by just adding a pad.  And, if we're having a boy, we'll just look for a cheap alternate headboard to go with the set and we already have the dresser/changing table we used with Katie and Noah which is unisex. It will be nice to have an extra bed.  Especially since the kids are each getting their own loft/bunks for Christmas, we will have plenty of room for company now! 
Speaking of the loft/bunks, I am excited about the kids new room.  We are planning to do a rock and roll theme bedroom and they will each have a canopy/tent over the top loft area which will be a book/reading/quiet/private area for each of them since they will be sharing a room.
Our goal is to have the kids moved together in their new rooms for Christmas, then focus on the basement play room.  Then, we will have next summer to work on the nursery/baby room.  What does a 7 month old really *need* for Christmas anyway?  I think a room of their own would be a great Christmas gift project for him/her! :)
We are not even going to pretend that we will need a nursery before the baby is actually here, or even immediately after he/she arrives, ha ha.  We have a bedside co-sleeper that we used with Noah, and there is plenty of room in our bedroom for a small crib until we get a nursery done.  Since I nursed both Katie and Noah for a full year and being in the room with us works out great for us until they sleep through the night, we aren't going to waste time and energy preparing a nursery when what we REALLY need is a playroom for the kids!
In all honestly, the nursery will probably be functional by then most likely...as in a space for a crib and chair or something, but it's definitely not on our current to-do list. Our "must-haves" for the baby's arrival consist of very few things:
1. car seat
2. diapers (newborn only, natural, we are going to cloth after the newborn stage)
3. wipes
4. sleepers/clothes
5. blankets

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

13 Weeks

I have felt really well the past week.  Especially compared with how I was feeling before.  I haven't had to take any medication other than my nightly unisom and b6 (suggested by the dr) because late at night I tend to start feeling pretty badly.  I am extremely tired and taking a nap most afternoons.  If I don't eat every few hours I start to feel bad also.  But as long as I stay on top of snacking I feel pretty good.
I am almost into the second trimester.  I can't believe it.  I know the holidays are going to make things just seem to fly into the late second and even third trimester.  It will be here before I know it.
This is the week of the peach.  I definitely feel my insides shifting around.  It's almost exactly two weeks until my next appointment.

Here is the run down of week 13:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce. This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside.