2 1/2 Inches of Baby

From crown to rump our baby is now 2 1/2 inches!

I completely meant to have a bit of sugar before the ultrasound, but became so obsessed with making sure I drank enough water to give us a clear picture that I forgot the sugar. It wasn't until we were watching the screen and he/she didn't want to move around too much that I figured out I had forgotten.

Without any prompt however he did stand up for a second to show off, but half a second later he was back to laying down with his feet propped up. The only other movement he gave us was was some bobs of the head and a few kicks to look like there was a dance party going on. Even my laughing didn't seem to budge him from his resting spot.

The tech finally pushed on my stomach a few times to get him to move in a position that she could get the needed measurements from, but he obliged just long enough to get those measurements before laying down again.

At least he's found a comfy spot...and we still got to see movement :) Which was absolutely amazing and so much more thrilling than I would have ever thought.

We get the results from the test to make sure there are no chromosomal diseases in about a week and everything is going smoothly. The heart beat is now in the high 140's which they said is good and strong.

++ Writing "he" is more normal for me than "it" or switching it up all the time. We're not trying to keep a secret of what the gender is. In fact we have 2 more months to find out which is going to be a very long wait for us. So, until then, I'm just using "he" even if Michael thinks that is jinxing it.

Start of a belly pic

It doesn't look much like a baby bump, more like just a bit of chunk. From this week forward I'll take a belly picture every week as I move from looking like I've had one too many servings of fries to a formed bump.

12 Weeks!

This is the last week of the trimester, and I'm already feeling so much better! I don't want to sleep all the time, most foods don't disgust me anymore, my appetite is back. It is all just so much better!
The only hassle now is finding some pants to fit. I honestly hadn't had too much of a bloat up to this point and all of a sudden this week my stomach just kept expanding. First my pants were a little uncomfortable, so I went two days with maternity pants. Then yesterday I tried to fit in some looser dress pants and ended up not even being able to button them because it felt so strained. That's why I figured the perfect Friday field trip for a pregnant co-worker and I would be to visit some resale shops this afternoon to see what we can find.
As for belly pictures, there isn't really much of anything noticeable, but I will start taking and posting with these surveys. Just not this week, because I woke up late this morning and completely forgot.

* How far along?: 12 Weeks!
* Total weight gain: I am now even. No weight gained and none lost.
* How big is baby?: The size of a plum. They say about 2 inches, but we'll know for sure on Tuesday when we go in for the next ultrasound.
* Maternity clothes?: My jeans still fit great, but making the switch to maternity for all other pants.
* Sleep?: Don't need nearly as much :)
* Best moment this week?: Today I guess, because the weekend starts tomorrow and that makes me happy.
* Movement?: Too early
* Food cravings?: No real cravings, just really loving all sorts of veggies
* Labor signs?: None for a long time
* Belly button in or out?: Innie
* What I miss: When we go to a sports bar the beer looks really good, but water is ok.
* What I'm looking forward to: The next appointment on Tuesday afternoon so we can see our little one again.
* Milestone: Making it through the week. Does that count?

Today's Breakfast

Yesterday evening I made a stop to the grocery store because my hunger is starting to increase and the snack machine probably does not have the best calories in it.
1) I actually went to the grocery store and bought tons of good stuff and didn't spend a ton. I kept it close to $25!
2) There were no sweets in my basket!
Michael laughed when I came home with yet another bag of grapes since we ended up trowing out a whole bag just last week, but I promised this one would be eaten. Then there were apples, oranges, carrots, mushrooms and cheese cubes to round out the snacks.

This morning because I was running late I didn't get to lay in bed and eat my normal bowl of Fruity Pebbles while watching the Today show, so I took one of my snacks out and had apple slices and peanut butter for breakfast.

Absolutely amazing!

Now it's time to get started on the chocolate milk I got. I have to add some sugar somewhere :)

199 Days

According to my countdown ticker...we're under the 200 days mark!

Not a big moment in development or anything, but kind of wow.

Pants that Fit

Tonight I'm going to find some maternity pants.
Definitely don't need any shirts yet, however I need to stop wearing my form fitting tops since the form isn't looking so fit anymore.
Michael and I can both see a little bump, whether it is my uterus or bloat, there is definitely a pooch in my lower stomach and it makes it very uncomfortable to wear my normal dress pants. Even with the belly band today and my pants unbuttoned, I had to unzip them a little so that I didn't feel so constricted. If I'm gaining around the waist line, I don't know from where since I'm still down in weight.
Anyway, I'm very excited to find some early pregancy (without that strange panel) pants today and show off my new fitting pants tomorrow :)

11 Weeks!

Not a very eventful week...thankfully. By the end of the week my nauseousness seemed to finally go down, so I'm excited about that and hoping it stays that way. Poor Michael spent time cooking a great dinner this week, grilling chicken and making great sides and everything, but when it came time to eat all I could handle was rice and butter.
I'm starting to get my weight back though and am almost back to even. I know it is for a good cause, but it is very difficult to get excited about gaining weight and the fact that my pants don't fit comfortably.

* How far along?: 11 Weeks
* Total weight gain: Almost back to the weight I started at
* How big is baby?: The size of a lime...which sounds huge considering last week was a walnut
* Maternity clothes?: Using the belly band so I can keep my pants unbuttoned. May go look at some pants soon.
* Sleep?: With class and work I'm more than exhausted all the time (Same as last week)
* Best moment this week?: Not baby related - I gave my first lesson in class and aced it!
* Movement?: Too early
* Food cravings?: Anything that is not chicken, except fried chicken tenders, still love those
* Labor signs?: None for a long time
* Belly button in or out?: Innie
* What I miss: Nothing really
* What I'm looking forward to: The very relaxing weekend Michael and I have planned
* Milestone: I know it isn't "bump" yet, but I can definitely see a little pouch in my stomach that I can't suck in.

The Gender Debate

Everyone has an opinion on the gender of our little one. There is the hope of a boy so Michael has someone to watch football with, but also the thought of a girl to be best friends with our niece. It will be nice to finally know, but there is still some time to wait for the "official" reveal.

To fill in the time though...we've tested out Old Wive's tales and every other predictor there is. Below are some of the responses.

Chinese Gender Predictor

This is just a table that based on the mother's age and month of conception, will tell you the gender of your child. According to the table on thebump we're having a girl. However, there are apparently several versions of this table floating around out there that will give you different answers.

Madame Z's Birth Predictor

By filling in several questions about your favorite color, current weather and everything non-baby related you receive a full prediction about the birth of your baby.

"The day you deliver, outside will be hot. Your baby will arrive in the early evening. After a labor lasting approximately 14 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 9 pounds, 15 ounces, and will be 17 inches long. This child will have medium green eyes and a lot of blonde hair."

I took this prediction yesterday also when the weather was just cloudy, not dark, and the prediction said our boy would be 13lbs, 13 oz. Very glad that didn't show up again :)

Old Wives Tale Quiz

I can only take the first part so far, but after inputting whether I was craving sweet or savory, or if my hair was stringy or full of body I learned that there is a 60% chance for a boy and 40% chance for a girl.

Intelligender

The most expensive and confusing one yet. After spending $30 for this at home test, we were excited to see what it said. This is all based on what color the liquid changes to after waiting for 10 minutes. I followed the directions to the T and believe it was the correct color for a girl, but when I took the jar in to the bedroom to show Michael it suddenly turned the color for a boy. Because you're not supposed to move it, I'm going to stay with the girl prediction.

10 Weeks...a little late

After moving back a week, we're finally at 10 weeks.
The past week has been a little crazy. On Tuesday we had a little scare that everything wasn't going to turn out well. After an emergency doctor's appointment and ultrasound, we were relieved to hear that everything is fine, and the baby is growing just perfectly. I'll make sure to post that ultrasound picture later, because you can actually see arms and legs in it...or at least in my mind you can.
Anyway...the 10 week check in.

* How far along?: 10 weeks and few days
* Total weight gain: Still down 2 pounds, but think I'll start gaining little by little soon.
* How big is baby?: The books say the size of a prune, but I'm going with Walnut (sounds better)
* Maternity clothes?: Nope, everything still fits fine
* Sleep?: With class and work I'm more than exhausted all the time
* Best moment this week?: Knowing that everything is fine
* Movement?: Too early
* Food cravings?: Changes every hour
* Labor signs?: None for a long time
* Belly button in or out?: Innie
* What I miss: Nothing really
* What I'm looking forward to: 12 week appointment and ultrasound...you should be able to see a face then!
* Milestone: Making it through the week without going crazy

We have a heartbeat!

On Monday morning we went in for our second appointment and the first ultrasound. The room was dark so that it was impossible not to stare at the glowing flat screen tv mounted on the wall. The technician began the ultrasound and almost immediately you could see our little one.

I could tell it was a baby, but other than I was completely lost on which side was up. The part I thought was the head was actually the yolk sak and the head was on the complete opposite side.

After some quick measurements we were able to hear the heartbeat. 160 beats per minute!

Old wives tales say that 160 and below is a boy...

The doctor moved us back a week, so once again I am finishing up week 8. No big deal.

Below are the pictures we received during the ultrasound. The head is on the right side and the umbilical cord on the left. In four more weeks we go in for the NT Scan and get another peak :)