Just Dance!

I'm paranoid.

This, of course, is a normal state of being for any expectant mother, I'm sure. But sometimes I think I'm right there on the edge, you know? The edge of the cliff that falls right off into looney-land.

Every little thing freaks me out. Every little twinge is amazing and terrifying all at once. I question everything.

So it should come as no surprise that, after having had 24/7 morning sickness, I called my NP in a panic on Friday because I felt ...

FINE.

I know, I know. (You can shake your head now.)

In any case, she invited me to come on in first thing Saturday a.m. so off I went. Almost as soon as I walked in, I was called in to get weighed, etc. I explained that I really needed to know that everything was ok before I leave for Rome this Friday. She reassured me that it was no problem and we got started.

She whipped out her trusty portable u/s, put the wand against my stomach and there was my baby

doing backflips!!!

It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! So graceful and fluid. Like a beautiful ballet. In that moment, I was forever and completely hooked. I knew everything was fine and I could go on my trip and not worry.

With every little milestone, I get a little more confident, a little more appreciative of this process. I believe it's going to happen just a little bit more. I'm so grateful for this precious little somebody who just seems to have happened into my life, and I can't wait to meet him/her.

Since I'll be gone on vacation, I'm posting my weekly status update now. Here we go ...


How far along? 10 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: A lot
Maternity clothes? Um, yes.
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: Can't get enough
Movement: None (unless you count seeing my baby dance this past weekend!)
Food cravings: Had to have some california rolls and some shrimp tempura rolls
Gender: Don't know yet but I'm feeling like it's a girl.
Labor Signs: None
What I miss: This week, sushi
What I am looking forward to: My Dad's face when I step off the plane and he realizes I'm pregnant. (Yes, I'm showing)

Milestones: Hitting double-digits!!

A Prune

"At just a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighing 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 body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his 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 hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches."

A Pimento!

How far along? 9 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: A lot
Maternity clothes? Yes, but also rocking the famous elastic trick
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: Can't get enough
Movement: None
Food cravings: No cravings. I'd classify it as being closer to aversions. I'm hungry ALL the time but nothing ever sounds good to me.
Gender: Don't know yet.
Labor Signs: None
What I miss: Not being sick...UGH!
What I am looking forward to: Hearing the baby's hb again on the 27th, and actually having a bump!

Milestones: Having to use the aforementioned elastic trick.

"Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!"

Going Strong

Just a short update on my visit with the NP this morning.

As you may recall, I was lucky enough to get my appointment pushed up to today, instead of having to go through another whole week of waiting. Unfortunately, since it was a last minute appointment, it wasn't a lengthy timeslot, which meant I couldn't get into the ultrasound room.

The good thing is that the NP has a portable u/s machine.

Exciting!!

So, no, I didn't get to hear the heartbeat again, but I did get to see it. There it was, this little mass in the middle of the screen that you can't really even tell is a baby. But there was no mistaking that flutter. It was clear as day and such a beautiful sight to see. Just like a little butterfly.

Amazing.

The NP said everything looks great and the heartbeat is nice and strong.

Thanks for all the thoughts and well-wishes, ladies. It is so very appreciated!!

xoxo

Heartbeat, Horoscope & Hunger

Good news...

The appointment I had scheduled to hear the baby's hb for next Friday, the 14th, has been moved up to... tomorrow!!

EXCITING!!!

I'm excited for a couple of different reasons.

First off, I was wondering how on earth I was going to make it through one more week without hearing my baby's heartbeat again. The anticipation has been killing me!

Secondly, I know I'm not actually "showing" yet but the bloat has made a fast and furious entrance and people are starting to stare. So, I was struggling with whether or not I should tell my boss. One half of me was saying, "tell him", while the other was saying, "you can wait one more week."


I actually hadn't planned on telling him until the first tri was over but then I figured I'd let him know right after my next appointment, just so I could be sure that everything was going well. What to do? What to do? So I did what every girl does when they find themselves in this kind of pickle -

I checked my horoscope.

Well, that didn't help because it advised me that today was not the day to share my secret, but, as I mentioned before, people are looking at me funny these days, and I'm thinking it might be best to tell my boss before the rumor mill does.

Then, as luck would have it, the doc's office called and said they needed to reschedule me. On a whim, I asked if they could add me to the schedule for tomorrow and there was an opening.

(and the choir sings) Hallelujah!!

So 2 problems solved - I get to hear my baby's hb and I get to tell my boss.

In other news, I am absolutely ravenous.

I'm hungry at least every 2 hours but it's like none of the food ever reaches my stomach. I swear the nausea is causing the food to get stopped up somewhere between my esophagus and my chest so I almost always feel empty, though my waistline says something entirely different.

Would you believe I actually had to wake up with a roll this morning? And I don't mean the "roll out of bed" kind of roll, (though that would have worked just as well in my current condition). I mean, the doughy, carb-filled, starchy kind that you pop in the oven until it's just warm enough to melt in your mouth kind of roll.


Ugh! As sick as I've been, carbs and lemonade are the only things that don't totally gross me out so I find myself constantly rummaging in the fridge for them.

Anyway, that's where I'm at for today. I'll post an update tomorrow after my appointment.

Until then, send one up for us, k?

xoxo