12-13 weeks!

Alas, another 2-in-1 week, but it's better than nothing, right? The top picture is 12 weeks, while the second is 13 :) As you can see, my tummy has grown enough that I look pudgy, but not enough that I looks pregnant...I'm definitely ready to get past the "pudgy" phase!

We have officially entered the second trimester! It's a relief knowing we made it this far, and that it's a third of the way over and done with!

On the bright side, that means that the fatigue and nausea are REALLY subsiding! On the down side, the heartburn is kicking with with a vengeance! I'm going to need to buy stock in Tums and Rolaids at the rate this heartburn is going...the kicker is that I'm fine all day long, but as soon as 5 rolls around, it hits. And of course it hits hard! I can take Zantac too, which helps on those really bad days.

In really exciting news, we went to the doctor's on Monday for another visit and ultrasound. She was really pleased with everything, and even told me I have a pretty placenta! I suppose that as far as placentas go, it's a nice one, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's pretty :)

They took the nuchal measurement, which is where they measure the thickness of the back of the neck to check for chromosomal abnormalities such as Down Syndrome. It's not 100% or anything, but can be an indicator. It looked fine, though, so at least that's one less thing to worry about! They'll most likely still do a blood test to rule out some other possible complications as well.

The ultrasound was amazing, as usual! Alex got very excited about the "monster". I suppose that when you see the baby face first, they do all look a little bit like monsters and aliens! We told him that no, that wasn't a monster, it was the baby and he nodded understandingly, got up, walked over, poked me in the belly, and said, "oh, baby!"

Peanut was napping at first, but woke up after a few minutes and started dancing and jumping all around! I pointed it out and Alex started dancing and jumping around as well :)

Perhaps the most exciting part was realizing that I've actually been feeling Peanut dance! I'd been having little flutters and thumps here and there, but not really anything super significant...not enough to make me think it was anything other than my insides squirming around. However, I saw Peanut jump at the exact time I felt one of the little flutter thumps, so that at least pinpointed what I was feeling :) Ever since, Peanut has been incredibly active! It's such an awesome feeling - feeling Alex move around was definitely my favorite part of being pregnant with him, and I'm looking forward to those "real" thumps with Peanut as well!

The ultrasound technician had a student with her, so she got to play around while the tech wrote up her report, and Alex and I got to see Peanut a little bit longer.

The heartbeat is a healthy 162 beats per minute - according to old wives tales, a heartbeat over 150 means that it's a girl...but Alex's was in the 150s and he is most certainly not a girl :)

A front view of the alien baby!

Here's a side view, complete with crossed ankles! Peanut was waving at us as well :)

By now, Peanut has a well defined chin and a nose, as well as fingerprints, toenails, and fingernails! Bone is starting to replace cartilage, and she is about 3" long and 1 ounce. She'll quadruple in size in the next month or so!

10-11 Weeks!

And so it begins...I'm getting lazy already! It's just so easy to get distracted and forget to post anything! The top picture is 10 weeks, and the second is 11 :)

The past two weeks have been rather easy. The nausea is pretty much passed, but I do get a little queasy around bed time. I think that's mostly from not eating much between dinner and bed, so as long as I get some crackers or something in my belly, I seem to be fine!

The cravings are getting more frequent and more random. I've been dreaming of Samoas, but due to the Girl Scout cookie schedule, they are completely unavailable! However, I have a friend trying to track down a box or two for me...I will party if and when I get those!

I'm craving more and more sweets - nothing specific, just sweets in general. They say that indicates a girl, so we'll see if that old wives tale stands true!

The fatigue is really easing up as well, which makes me VERY happy! There's still a level of tiredness, but it's nowhere near how bad it was before. I can make it through the day without a nap, anyway, and can make it through at least one full chapter of a book before bed!

The nesting instinct is starting to hit hard. Wednesday night, I got a deep burning need to clean the kitchen at about 11 pm! My super sniffer kept smelling something stinky in the living room. It wasn't really anything foul, it just smelled like not enough vacuuming and not enough dog brushing. I sprinkled two jumbo boxes of baking soda in the living room and vacuumed the next morning. It smelled better, but I could still smell something! So then when I cleaned the kitchen the next night (and boy, did it need it!), it seemed to get the remaining odor away, and my nose has been happy ever since :) So between the renewed energy and the nesting, the house may actually stay in some semblance of order from now on! I'm not getting my hopes up, but a girl can dream, right?

And of course, here's the weekly "my baby this week" update :)

As of 10 weeks, the baby is no longer an embryo - it's officially a fetus! It's still growing, and is starting to move. Fingerprints are beginning to form! She or he is about the size of a strawberry.


As of 11 weeks, the baby is growing its teeth buds and taste buds - and it can swallow! If it's a boy, he's already starting to produce testosterone...it really does start early, doesn't it?? A girl would be growing almost 2 million eggs in her ovaries (it'll drop down to about 1 million by birth, then a mere 200,000 by the time she's in her late teens).

9 weeks!

It's so hard to believe it's been 2 months already! The nausea seems to have pretty much completely subsided. Now I'm just hungry all the time!

I've started getting cravings now...first eggs (especially soft boiled, which I'm sure are not advised since they're not thoroughly cooked!), now cheese dip. You know, like the plastic cheese dip you get from Taco Bell with your nachos! Wendy's makes the best chili, chips, and cheese, so I've been eating that a bit more often than I care to admit. Fruit has also been at the top of my "foods to have" list! I found white peaches on sale the other day, and worked my way through those rather quickly. Fruit smoothies are awesome too - I find them on sale and stock up! The really thick ones are the best ones though - like the Boathouse and Odwalla ones. Yum! If I weren't so lazy, I'd make my own....

My clothes are all getting tighter, and I've finally (yay?) started gaining weight. Granted, my weight has always fluctuated 2-3 pounds, but it's higher than it's been in a long time. Fortunately, we live in SC where I can live in sun dresses all summer long!

I remember being absolutely fascinated with reading about how Alex was developing each week, so I'm going to do that with this little peanut as well. It's really just mind blowing how a perfect little person is growing in my belly! This week, she or he is starting to look more like a person...just look! Little fingers and little toes are already formed, and she or he's about the size of a strawberry. The baby can already move enough that an ultrasound could see her or him dancing :)