10 Weeks!

How far along are you?  10 weeks
How big is baby?  S/he is about the size of a prune this week, weighing a little more than an ounce!
Maternity clothes?  Still just varying between the Be Band and a hair tie
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  Still really struggling with the exhaustion and trying to get through each day
Best moment this week:  Hitting 10 weeks!
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Mostly the same - potatoes, goldfish, cheesecake, soup
Food Aversions?  Chocolate, most sweets, coffee, hot dogs, certain burgers... there's a lot more!
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  A good night's sleep
What are you looking forward to:  Telling our extended family this weekend :)
What was the BEST part of this week?  1/4 of the way through the pregnancy!
What was the WORST part of this week?  Dealing with Hurricane Irene

10 Weeks

We're a quarter of the way through this pregnancy already!  I can't even believe it!  Thankfully I haven't gotten sick in a week (knock on wood) and I may be starting to feel a little better.  I don't feel quite like myself, but I'm getting there.  Other than that, things have been relatively uneventful.  I'm still exhausted most of the time and have very disjointed sleep.  I honestly never realized how intense pregnancy exhaustion is.  There have been plenty of times where I have been tired or I haven't gotten enough sleep (or even pulled an all-nighter), but I can't believe that I'll be so incredibly exhausted in the middle of the day after a full 9 hours of sleep.  It's insane!  I'm also surprised that I don't look as huge as I feel in my weekly bump picture.  Lately I feel pretty large, but (thankfully) my weekly picture doesn't look all that big.  The scale has stayed pretty even at +2 lbs, so I'm still assuming it's mainly bloat.

In other news, we bought our travel system last night!  Of course we are going to do a registry, but we had an opportunity to get it 25% off, so we decided to go ahead and purchase it ourselves now.  Mike and I test "drove" quite a few strollers/travel systems, but we eventually decided to go with the Chicco Cortina KeyFit 30.  I've had my eye on that travel system for awhile, so I'm glad it lived up to my expectations.  Mike and I had looked at a few different colors online, but after seeing them in person, we decided on the Miro pattern.  I'm so glad we both agreed on it, because it was one of my favorites!  After our discount, we ended up saving over $80!

 

Our Bean's travel system!  Photo courtesy of Chicco.com

After we left the store with the travel system, we went to the hardware store to take a look at paint swatches.  Since the Bean is due in March and it's usually cold from late October - March, we really want to get the nursery painted in late September/early October, so that we can open the windows and let everything air out.  After choosing several different swatches, we narrowed our choice down to 2 different colors.  We will probably pick up some samples this weekend to figure out which one we like the best.  Even though it seems early, we have a lot to do before we can even start to paint.  We need to reorganize our basement in order to move the bookcases from the nursery down there.  After everything is moved out, Mike is going to hang a new ceiling fan and repair the wall (from the ceiling fan wiring).  Once all that is done, we can even prep the room for paint.  So much to do!

Even though it seems so surreal, we have really gotten the ball rolling on preparing for the Bean's arrival.  With the new school semester starting tomorrow, we really need to make sure that we leave ourselves enough time to get everything done in time.  By the time the semester is over, I will be closing in on third tri!

9 Weeks!

How far along are you?  9 weeks
How big is baby?  Baby is the size of a grape or green olive this week - about 1" long.
Maternity clothes?  I bought a pair of maternity jeans on sale yesterday, though I don't plan on wearing them for awhile.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  The exhaustion from early on has returned, but I still don't always sleep well.
Best moment this week:  Seeing our little Phanatic again and hearing his/her heartbeat :)
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Potatoes, goldfish, Yoohoo, cheesecake, chili
Food Aversions?  Too much to list!
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  I'm still really wanting a hoagie.
What are you looking forward to:  Telling our extended families in the upcoming weeks.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Seeing the baby again today at our dating ultrasound
What was the WORST part of this week?  I started throwing up :(

9w1d

I feel like I just started this blog, but here I am at 9 weeks already!  I can't believe all of the changes that have taken place since I found out I was pregnant almost 6 weeks ago.  Mike and I had our dating ultrasound today since I have long cycles and the baby wasn't measuring correctly based off my LMP (last menstrual period).  Since we were charting, we knew the baby would measure a week behind, but the OB requires a dating ultrasound for an official measurement to give our estimated due date.  We got to see our sweet baby again this morning and even got to hear the heartbeat!  It was the most amazing (and fast) sound!  The heartbeat clocked in at a rapid 178 beats per minute.  According to my pregnancy information, the heartbeat will gradually slow down prior to birth.  The ultrasound tech also confirmed that there was, in fact, only one baby, which I think resulted in another sigh of relief from Mike!  Our little Bean also measured between 9 weeks and 9 weeks 1 day, but since the main computer was reading 9 weeks, the Perinatologist used that estimate.  That means that our EDD is exactly what I calculated - March 27, 2012!

The newest picture of our Bean

In other news, we told our immediate families!  We decided that we aren't quite ready to tell our extended family yet, but we wanted to finally let our families in on the secret, especially since my symptoms were getting so hard to hide.  We told Mike's brother and his family first.  We wanted to wait until we had our first appointment last Monday, but they were coming over for dinner the Friday prior and I was so sick that we were worried they'd raise suspicions with other family members.  Once Mike told them, they both kind of looked at me to make sure he wasn't joking!  It was funny.  His brother gave me a huge hug and they said how excited they are for us.  After our appointment on Monday, we tried to surprise Mike's mom with the news, but she wasn't home!  We waited in her driveway for nearly an hour and a half to no avail.  In that time, we called both of his sisters (one of whom asked if he was kidding), and they were both thrilled as well.  They both said they had dreams someone was pregnant, but they weren't sure if it was me.  I didn't know they were psychic!  Finally, I had to eat, so we left a copy of the ultrasound picture for Mike's mom with a note telling her to call us.  Even though we wanted to see her reaction, she called us over dinner absolutely ecstatic!  We were so thrilled the secret was out on one side at least.

We decided to wait until our niece's first birthday party on Saturday to tell my family.  All of my siblings and parents would be there, and we really wanted to see their reactions.  I tried my best to wait for everyone to be in the same room, but since we didn't want everyone coming to the party finding out, I finally had to break the news with almost all of the family there.  We were missing a few significant others, but all the siblings were there at least.  Before the party, I asked my sister if she was excited that my niece's new cousin would be at her party next year.  At first she asked me what cousin, and I told her the new cousin.  It either clicked or sunk in for everyone at the same time because they all kind of freaked out at once.  It was really exciting!  Everyone said they were surprised, with the exception of my older sister, who said some of my recent actions (drinking Yoohoo, for instance) had made her suspicious.  As exciting as it was, we couldn't celebrate for long because guests started arriving.  After the party was over, we were able to sit down and answer everyone's questions.

Symptoms have gotten progressively worse as my hormone levels continue to rise.  My all-day sickness has progressed to throwing up as well, so I am pretty bummed about that.  I was kind of hoping hoping that the sickness would gradually start easing up, but it looks like I'm not in for relief quite yet.  Mike told me that his dad-to-be book said weeks 9-11 are usually the worst (which is what I've heard as well), so I'm hoping to get through these next two weeks as painlessly as possible.  The exhaustion from my early pregnancy seems to have returned, leaving me fatigued most of the day.  Most days I am ready for bed by 8:00, and I spend a lot of the weekend laying around.  My back has also begun to ache pretty badly, which seems to be posterior pelvic pain (per Dr. Google).  The pain is very low in my back (near the sacral region of my spine) and sometimes I can feel it in my legs as well.  It mainly causes pain to walk or stand for long periods of time.  I am also experiencing round ligament pain (RLP), which is felt in the front of the pelvis as a result of stretching of the ligament that holds the uterus in suspension with the abdomen.  Fun stuff!  Thankfully, Mike bought me a body pillow to help keep my knees in line with my back while I sleep and it seems to be helping with both my sleep and back pain.  Despite my ailments, everything I'm experiencing is very normal and could be a lot worse for me.  I am definitely blessed not to have any serious issues!

All-in-all things have been going very well.  We have seen the baby's heartbeat twice, which is an excellent sign!  Everything looks great and our Bean is growing healthy and strong so far.  Right now we are both so excited to have the support of our families and to know that the baby is doing well.  I know I say this all of the time, but we couldn't be happier!

8 Weeks!

How far along are you?  8 weeks
How big is baby?  He/she is about the size of a raspberry this week and growing about a millimeter a day!
Maternity clothes?  Not yet, but I bought a BeBand.  I am in love!
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2-3 lbs, depending on the day.
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep? Still variable.
Best moment this week:  Seeing my precious baby on the ultrasound.  I have never been happier in my life.
Any Movement?  Too early 
Food Cravings?  Potatoes, veggie pizza, soup, goldfish crackers, and cheesecake.
Food Aversions?  Most everything else.  Ugh.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  I miss things I never really wanted before, like hoagies (deli meat).
What are you looking forward to:  Telling my siblings this weekend!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Seeing our Bean.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Heaving in the car, in my office, in the grocery store, in the OB waiting room...

8 weeks - s/he's growing!

Introducing...

Our little Bean :)  Just one!

7 Weeks!

How far along are you?  7 weeks
How big is baby?  About the size of a blueberry.  Baby is about .25" long already!
Maternity clothes?  Nope.  Still using a hair tie on my jeans, but I don't need much room.
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  It varies from day to day, night to night.  Some days I have no energy, and others I feel pretty good.  At night, I either sleep great or terribly.  Some nights I really struggle to fall asleep.
Best moment this week:  Making it to 7 weeks!
Any Movement?  Too early for that
Food Cravings?  Salad with lots of veggies and Zesty Italian dressing.  I've had it for dinner the past 2 nights!  Also, pizza, spaghetti-oh's, potatoes, and boardwalk fries. :)  Oh, and water with lemon!
Food Aversions?  Pretty much the same, it varies daily.
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing
What are you looking forward to:  Our first appointment/ultrasound on Monday.
What was the BEST part of this week?  Getting away with Mike and seeing our friends at the beach.
What was the WORST part of this week?  Being nauseous the whole ride to the shore on Friday.

7 weeks!  Notice my beach tan and my boardwalk food belly ;)

Another week down!  I feel like time is simultaneously flying and dragging by.  Lately I've been really wishing time away so that we can get to our first appointment, so today I called and changed the appointment to Monday!  I am excited that we don't have to wait so long, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not terrified.  I'm sure that I speak for both Mike as well as myself when I say that I just want to know that everything is okay.  It's so strange because we've never met this baby.  We've never held him/her in our arms, never rocked him/her to sleep, or snuggled together, but we love him/her so very much!  Mike has never even felt the effects of this growing baby, but I know he worries just as much as I do.  It's insane that you can love a little person that you've never met as much as we do.  I'm sure it goes for all parents-to-be, but it's new to us and it still blows my mind.

When I called the doctor's office to change my appointment today, they asked me why I was calling.  Is everything okay?  Do you have any bleeding or painful cramping?  Any loss of symptoms?  I answered honestly, nothing is wrong other than my desire to know something concrete other than what I'm feeling.  No bleeding, cramping, or loss of symptoms.  It really made me realize how blessed Mike and I have been thus far.  While I had two days of light brown spotting around 4 weeks, we have had no other issues.  Thursday will mark 4 weeks since I first found out I was pregnant, and not a day has passed that I haven't prayed for this baby and thanked God for our continued blessings.

My symptoms have stayed pretty consistent through the last week.  Nausea, fatigue, heartburn, indigestion, and food aversions top my list of regulars.  The heartburn and indigestion definitely caught me off guard.  I always thought heartburn was a burning sensation around your heart (duh), but for me it's much more of a stabbing pain through my chest.  Thankfully Tums alleviate the pain quickly for me.  The nausea is still most prevalent in the morning and evening, and although I haven't thrown up, I gag on a daily basis.  Even though it sounds crazy, I worry when I have days where my symptoms are less awful than others.  I always question whether my symptoms are less than another day.  I'm obviously insane, but I'm hoping that I will have peace of mind on Monday.

I feel like I always say this, but I am just so thankful.  I still have days where I can't believe I'm pregnant.  I can't believe it finally happened for us.  I can't believe that next spring we'll have a sweet baby to bring home.  We are just so blessed!

6 Weeks!

How far along are you?  6 weeks
How big is baby?  About the size of a sweet pea
Maternity clothes?  Nope, though I do have to use the hair tie trick with my jeans
Weight -Loss or Gain?  +2 lbs
Stretch marks?  Nope
Sleep?  I am SO tired, but the past few nights I have been having such trouble falling and staying asleep.
Best moment this week:  Making it to 6 weeks :)
Any Movement?  Too early for that
Food Cravings?  Nothing sounds too great anymore
Food Aversions?  Sweets, peppermints, coffee
Belly Button in or out?  In
What do you miss:  Nothing
What are you looking forward to:  Getting away this weekend!
What was the BEST part of this week?  Starting my new position at work
What was the WORST part of this week?  Being so sick all day Sunday

6 weeks

6 weeks!  I feel like this is such a big milestone.  We found out we were pregnant super early, so we are just thankful for every day with this little Bean.  All of my pregnancy information says that sickness/nausea usually starts kicking in full force between 6-8 weeks for most women and that has been really true for me.  Every day has been an increase in symptoms for me.  I have been feeling pretty horrible when I wake up in the morning.  A lot of people say that once you eat, the nausea subsides, but for me it's pretty consistent through the morning.  I may or may not get a break in the late morning/early afternoon, but then it returns in the evening.  Most of my commute (both to and from work) has been spent praying I don't have to pull over to throw up.  I bought peppermints to help soothe my stomach, but not only did they not help, the sight of them revolts me now.  I have also been having some pretty intense indigestion and heartburn.  Tums have been my friend lately.

My energy level is still pretty low, but I have been having trouble sleeping.  The past two nights I have had trouble falling asleep and then I continually wake up nauseous.  On top of that, the pregnancy dreams have had me on my toes!  OMG, nothing could have prepared me for the crazy pregnancy dreams.  I have had dreams about celebrities, dreams about aliens, dreams that Mike turned into a werewolf, you name it.  SO weird.

Food is becoming less and less appealing to me now.  Along with the peppermints, most food turns me off.  Lately there's nothing that I actually want to eat.  It's more or less that I have to eat.  For the past 10ish years I have had a cup of coffee every morning.  Recently I switched to decaf, not because I don't want any caffeine, I just don't want to spend my entire caffeine "allowance" on a 16 oz. morning coffee.  However, yesterday morning the thought of brewing a cup of coffee literally made me gag.  I didn't even want to look at the k-cup.  So, now it's Earl Grey for me.  Interestingly enough, my mom said that both her and my sister had the same coffee aversion during their pregnancies.

On top of all of that glory, I'm still feeling pretty bloated.  I've been using the hair tie trick with my jeans, which is wrapping a hair tie through your jeans' button hole and looping the other end over the button.  I wrap the hair tie pretty tightly because I don't need much extra room, but it does help me feel better throughout the day.  Also, my hormones are still completely out of control.  For example, last night Mike accidentally broke an ice cream scoop that my Gran had given us years ago (and knowing her it was probably from the dollar store).  Well, I completely lost it.  I was hysterical.  I kept apologizing because I knew it was an absolutely insane reaction, but Mike just hugged me and told me how sorry he was.  I ended up laughing hysterically (while crying) about how ludicrous the situation was.  Holy hormonal mess!

I recently said to Mike that you try and wish and pray to get pregnant, and then it happens and you consistently feel your absolute worst.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade being pregnant with this precious baby for anything in the whole world, but I do think I'll enjoy my pregnancy more when I'm feeling a bit better.  Right now I'm just chubby and crazy and tired and sick, but if it means our sweet little Bean is growing big and strong, I'll take it.  I can't think of a better reason to feel this way.