13 Weeks...

The last couple of weeks have been so much better in the sickness department. I am so glad to be over the majority of that all day nausea. I still have it some during the day but not everyday. The worst time for me is in the evenings. Since I have my appetite back, all I want to do is EAT! So by the end of the day I don't feel too well. I'm still learning what works for me though so I don't overdo it everyday. I am still pretty tired around noon everyday and usually try to take a nap if I can. Just makes for a less cranky momma by the end of the day. :)

Today was my second visit with Dr. Deed and I was glad Kyle got to go with me this time. I was surprised to see that I had only gain 1/2 pound since my appetite has returned. It may all catch up with me next month though. Oh well...I have a good excuse to eat although I have really been trying to make healthy choices as much as possible. Dr. Deed was just as excited as we were to try and hear a heartbeat. However, baby was not cooperative this morning. Mostly all we heard was my heartbeat and just a split second of baby's. Since she couldn't measure the beats per minute with her doppler, she decided we should just take a peak and measure it that way. I told her that was fine with me! I always welcome a peak inside the belly. :) Of course baby was fine and the heartbeat measure 163 bpm. We actually got to see the spine and both arms moving around. Baby even moved its head some for us. I cannot wait to be able to feel all that moving around in there. Baby seems very active too...should be fun!

We still haven't told Brady that he is going to be a big brother soon. He is always talking about his baby sister though like he already knows what's to come. The kid may have some kind of intuition about it...who knows. He is going to be a great big brother though. He has been so helpful in taking care of me while I've been sick. He turned FIVE last week and I think he is at a perfect age to be my big helper when baby arrives.

Like always, I have included some information about baby this week. Lots going on in there and every week I am amazed at how God creates these little lives.

How your baby's growing:

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

12 Weeks...

The first trimester is almost over! Yay! I am feeling so much better for the most part...only small bouts of nausea mostly in the evening. I still feel pretty sleepy during the day but I am not sleeping well at night either. So I am taking advantage of some naps. :) In the last week or two I have noticed my belly growing. This is such a welcome thing because it gives me more peace about the progression of this pregnancy. I have really been fighting doubt and fear that something can still go wrong even though the four ultrasounds I have had prove everything is fine thus far. That is something I am working on though and I feel that it will subside the further along I get. Next week's doctor's visit can't come soon enough! I am ready to hear baby's heartbeat!

We have had a lot of stuff going on around here this past week. Finally got our kitchen floor tiled and Kyle got all the trim put back down yesterday. Now we have to paint/stain it and we are finished with the little kitchen redo for now. One step closer to getting the office cleared out now that the 15 boxes of tile are gone. We still have a lot to do before our big boy's 5th birthday party this weekend. Kyle painted the garage floor and it still needs one coat so he can move everything back in. It really looks good too. I am so glad I have felt better lately so I can help him with these projects and to entertain Brady while he works on them.

I subscribe to What to Expect.com and it really gives more detailed development of baby so I was amazed to see what all is going on in there. I have pasted to progress below for you to catch up with baby's growth.

Week 13 of Pregnancy: Fetal Growth Rates

Your fetus is now about three inches long, the size of a peach — and half of that length is head. By the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.

Your fetus is about three inches long and the size of a peach at 13 weeks pregnant. But don't compare your fetus with the fetus next door. Starting about now, babies begin growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly, though they all follow the same developmental path. Growing at a universally breakneck speed now is your baby's body as it tries to catch up to the head in terms of size. Though your baby's head is about half the size of its body now, by the time your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world, the head will be only one-fourth as large as the body.
 
Your baby's intestines are also in for some big changes right now. Up till this point, they've been growing in a cavity inside the umbilical cord; but now they're moving to their permanent (and more conveniently located) address, in your baby's abdomen.  And to serve your growing baby's needs, the placenta is also growing.  It weighs about an ounce now and will weigh one to two pounds at birth (something else you'll soon be able to blame your weight gain on!).

Also developing this week: your baby's vocal chords. Because sound can't travel through your uterus (your baby's current habitat), you won't be able to hear any sounds or cries just yet, but oh boy (or girl) — those vocal chords will get a good workout once that baby is born.

11 Weeks...

I am so happy to be almost done with this first trimester. I have started to feel somewhat better during the day. I have my moments where I feel pretty yucky, but for the most part the all day sickness is waning. Yay! I am actually getting my appetite back which has proven to be bad some days because all I wanna do is eat. It doesn't usually end well when the belly gets too full. I'm learning though...and I've also given the hubby permission to stop me from overdoing it. Ha! He's not too thrilled about that job. He's always heard not to get between a pregnant lady and her food. :) God love him for trying though.

We seem to be making some headway on getting our house ready for baby. We've been moving stuff out of the office so it can be transformed into a nursery again. I have big ideas for what all needs to be done if I can just get someone to carry them out for me. I hate not being able to move furniture while I'm here during the day. I could get so much done if I weren't restricted. Ugh! We have plenty of time to get it all together though so I won't stress too much about it yet.

According to babycenter.com, baby has made some big changes recently. It's amazing that baby can be that small and look just like a baby. I mean he/she is only 1 1/2 inches long...that's tiny! So miraculous what God does in there! I am so ready to hear that heartbeat. Just two more weeks until my next OB visit and I cannot wait. 

How your baby's growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as 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 hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

10 Weeks...

Well I am a few days late with my weekly update, but as of Sunday we made it to the 10 week mark! I cannot believe I have less than two weeks left in my first trimester. I do hope that means there is an end in sight to this nasty sickness. I have tried to adjust different things in order to ease it some, but there just doesn't seem to be much I can do about it. This has definitely been a lesson for me in many ways because I am somewhat of a control freak. I do not like not being in control of my own body but I am trying to just keep on going after 10 weeks of it.

My momma came to visit me yesterday. I so needed that "Momma Time" and it really did make me feel better. Being here everyday by myself has been great in some respects because I can rest as I need to, but it isn't always good for the emotions when you just need to talk. My mom has been great to listen to me whine and cry whenever I need to but yesterday was more about laughing and enjoying each other. I really enjoyed the laughs and the few tears were helpful as well. Moms are great like that. I cannot wait to be that mom someday when my kiddo are grown. They really do become your best friend because they know everything about you and they still love you. She teaches me everyday what being a great mom is all about. I love her so much!!

I was surprised to read the babycenter.com update this week and see how much baby has changed. I cannot wait to hear that heartbeat in a few weeks. What a miracle all this is!

How your baby's growing:

Though he's 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 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.

9 Weeks...

Yay! I have made it to the 9 week mark as of yesterday. Everyday is such a blessing with this pregnancy. We celebrated Mom's birthday yesterday with almost everyone in our big ole family. All of her kids and all but one of her grandkids were there as well as her sister and brother-in-law. There were even a few extra kids there so you can imagine with over 20 people it must have been some celebration. I was happy to feel like getting out but wouldn't have let much keep me from being there anyway. There was great food and music and lots of laughter. Family is so very important and we don't spend enough time with those we love. Hard to believe as we all sat around and visited that Mom started all that. She certainly has a lot to be proud of...and her big family isn't done growing yet. :)

I had my first official O/B appointment today and it was almost too hot to go. I mean really...the car said 108 at one point. Just too hot! However, my sweet mother-in-law was happy to take me since the hubby was in meetings this afternoon. It was a short visit, as I guess most of the next few will be. Dr. Deed wanted to take a look at baby herself since the last three ultrasounds have been done upstairs. She was excited to see what was going on in there. You still can't see much from the outside at this point, but you could definitely see that baby bouncing around in there and the heart just a fluttering. Baby's heart rate was 169 this time. All were great signs and made us all very happy. She said next time I come we should be able to hear that little booger.

I am started to have more feel good moments these days and not so much all day sickness. I am learning how and what to eat that works best for me. Eating something small every 2 hours or so has helped tremendously. It's only late in the evening that I feel the most yucky. All that food throughout the day makes me feel bloated. It's all tolerable though since it is indeed for a good reason. :)

I will paste below what babycenter.com says about baby this week. It is always very interesting to see what's going on inside when I can't feel it.

Your pregnancy: 9 weeks

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How your baby's growing:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.