Growing....Growing....And Growing

I don't understand how a shrimp is supposed to be larger than the lime. ????

Week 13 - It's A Shrimp On The Barbie

How our little one is growing:

Fingerprints have formed on baby Gallup's tiny fingertips, his/her veins and organs are clearly visible through his/her still-thin skin, and his/her body is starting to catch up with its head — which makes up just a third of the body size now. If baby Gallup is a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Our baby is almost 3 inches long the size of a medium shrimp and weighs nearly an ounce.

According to http://www.babycenter.com/ here is how my life is changing: 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. More good news: Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift around this time. Birth is still months away, but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow.

I am feeling great. Again, another very busy week so it's hard to tell if my exhaustion is from that or pregnancy...probably a little of both. Although I am still not wearing maternity clothes I have bought a few things, and that is very exciting. I went through my closet on Saturday and switched my clothes. Now my closet has free flowing lose clothes and the few maternity items I have purchased.

Sunday I will begin organizing our guest room (it's full of clothes that don't fit and gifts) so that we can move C's desk in there. Then I can start working on cleaning out the office and my craft/wrapping closet (which is a disaster). I hope to get those things done in two weeks so we can start replacing flooring and doing other things. Before I know it we will be fining out the sex of our baby and then the real nursery planning begins. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

12 Weeks - You Put The Lime In The Coconut

Our little sweet pea's fingers will soon begin to open and close, and his/her toes will curl, muscles will clench and the mouth will make sucking movements probably wanting to eat the yummy food mommy is now able to eat (no more morning sickness aka all day sickness). In fact, according to babycenter.com, if I prod my abdomen, sweet pea will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. The intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and his/her kidneys will begin excreting urine into its bladder. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in our baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. The baby's face looks unquestionably human: sweet pea's eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his/her head, and the ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, sweet pea should be measuring just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

According to babycenter.com here is how my life's changing: Your uterus has grown to the point where your health care provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.You may begin to feel heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who've previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a lot of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you're lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin (or get worse) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.

It's very obvious to C and I that I'm showing. I have a definite baby bump and I am outgrowing some of my clothes already. Thankfully I lost some weight right before my pregnancy so I have bigger clothes that I am able to wear right now. As I said before my nausea is gone - thank you Lord, and my energy is coming back. Although this week is a very busy week with something to do every evening I am feeling more like myself.

To celebrate our "little lime" I'm going to drink a lime and coconut collada tonight at happy hour. I'm joking, but I might put some lime in my water - ha!

Spoiled...Spoiled With Love

This sweet card is from my mom

I posted this on my other blog too, but I also want it on our "pregnancy" blog, so if you read both blogs...sorry. Since the announcement of our sweet pea on the way we have received several things from loved ones.

My mom bought me a bella band from Motherhood Maternity and they gave her a gift bag (that she gave me of course) with a bunch of coupons and a bottle in it. My doctor's office also gave me a book and a nursing guide gift. I think both of those are so thoughtful and cool.

We received this card in the mail from Uncle Greg and Aunt Sandra, they are so sweet and thoughtful.

I really want to thank everyone for the sweet baby gifts, cards, blanket, pregnancy books, maternity clothes, butt paste (to my husband from my mom) - ha, pregnancy prayer guide (from my sister), and baby book. We know that everything was given in love. (The book on the bottom, second from the left was a book my mom was given when she was pregnant with my younger sister and she found it a few months ago, how neat is that?) My mom and sister have given me all the pregnancy books you see.

This beautiful blanket was given to us by my dear friend Kristin. It has this beautiful passage from 1 Samuel "For this child I have prayed."

My husband and I had this made almost 2 years ago when we had one also made for our nephew.

I bought this right after Christmas this year at Target for $2. It says "Mommy's little joy."

You've Captured My Heart

It was very fitting that two days after Valentines Day I had my second doctor's appointment. The exciting news is - WE GOT TO HEAR SWEET PEA'S HEART BEAT! C went with me to our appointment again this time, because we were told we would get to hear the heart beat and I wanted him to experience something for himself with this pregnancy.

When we got to the doctor's office we only waited a few minutes (this is the nice thing about being seen first thing in the morning) and I got my blood pressure checked - good and my weight checked (I've already gained 3 pounds). I didn't think I had gained any according to my scale at home, but the doctor said gaining 3 pounds was perfect in the first trimester. Then she asked many questions about my history and then about our family history. Then she said we would check the baby's heart. It took her what seemed like 5 hours to find the heart beat. It was actually 5 minutes, but that is a long time. Inside I started freaking out a little, and then I looked over at C and he could tell I was worried and told me to calm down. Finally we heard our precious sweet pea's heart beat. The doctor said it was very strong and sounded really good - 160 bpm. When she said this I threw my arm over my face and said "Thank you God" and blew out a huge sigh of relief. I'm sure I'm being extremely dramatic, but that really scared me. I'm sure in the months and years to come I will be scared by many things and I will laugh about the 5 minutes I had to wait to hear the baby's heart beat.

Because my insurance will only use a certain lab (which my doctor's office does not use very often) they did not run all the tests they were supposed to from my paps mere last time so they had to get one more sample and I had to have a full vaginal exam again - uggg - I wasn't expecting that.

So far this has been a great day, and I will be smiling even more now. It's amazing how much we already love our baby and he/she is so tiny. We are truly blessed beyond measure. Thank you God for answering our prayers.

11 weeks

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. His/Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his/her gums, and some of his/her bones are beginning to harden. He/She's already busy kicking and stretching, and his/her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as his/her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that his/her diaphragm is forming. [ from www.babycenter.com]

Being pregnant has been just the most wonderful thing in the world. I wake up and the first thing I think every morning is we're having a baby. I can't quit smiling. I have never been more happy in my life. Every day I spend time thanking God for this wonderful wonderful blessing. No matter how yucky I feel it does not damper the excitement and thankfulness I have.

I can hardly wait for my next doctor's appointment which is Monday. I am really hoping we can hear the heart beat, and that everything is progressing nicely and as it should.

For This Child I Have Prayed

I came across this passage from 1 Samuel. It sill amazes me how God's word speaks in my daily life. In 1 Samuel 1:27-28 Hannah says "I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord."

I can't think of a more perfect verse to describe how I feel about this baby God has blessed us with. I remember years and years ago my mom explaining to me that she finally realized and accepted that we were not "hers" but Gods. That conversation has stuck with me for all of these years, and I will treasure it for years and years to come.

10 weeks - Manicures and Pedicures

Though he/she is barely the size of a kumquat— a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his/her body rapidly grow and mature. He/she is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his/her kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His/her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his/her heart, and his/her feet may be long enough to meet in front of his/her body. The outline of his/her spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his/her spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his/her developing brain and sits very high on his/her head, which measures half the length of his/her body. From crown to rump, he/she is about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches. [from http://www.babycenter.com/]

Wow! It's hard to believe that so much is happening to something so tiny. I cannot believe how much sweet pea has grown in the last week. This whole process is truly a miracle, and it makes me appreciate even more how awesome and loving our creator is.

Over the last few days I have felt much better. I am wearing the sea bands that I bought last week, and they take away most of my nausea, unless I'm not eating enough. This week I have felt more tired, going to bed around 9:30 p.m. the last four nights, but I probably get the same amount of sleep as I did when I went to bed at midnight because of my frequent visits to the bathroom. I am very thankful that so far this pregnancy has been a dream. I feel much better then I ever imagined I would. I find comfort in knowing that so many people are praying for this to be a healthy and safe pregnancy - thank you.

It's been a great week!

Our Little Sweet Pea

For weeks now we didn't know what to call our baby. We called him/her peanut, nugget, it, baby, jr. Saturday night my husband said isn't our baby the size of a sweet pea? Jen, my sister-in-law immediately said that is what you should call your baby. I agree, it is precious. So from now on you will be hearing about our sweet pea.

Feeling Good

After a week of feeling pretty sick, I finally went and bought some "Sea Bands." Within 30 minutes of putting them on the nausea went away. I feel like I can function normally. I can hang out, go out and today I actually did laundry and cleaned (a little). If you know anyone who is pregnant and experiencing "morning sickness" aka "all the time sickness" suggest sea bands to them. They work for me!

The Sea-Band is a knitted elasticated wrist band, which operates by applying pressure on the Nei Kuan acupressure point on each wrist by means of a plastic stud. Because the bands do not use drugs, they do not cause any of the side effects associated with anti-nausea drugs and can be worn on each wrist whenever you feel nauseous. They are suitable for adults and children.