14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 3 1/2 inches

Baby’s Weight: 1 - 1 1/2 ounces

Development: My baby can now make facial expressions! He/she can grimace, frown, and squint. His/her arms have been growing a lot and are now in proportion to the rest of the body.

Weight gain/loss: I don't have a scale at my parents' house to weigh myself, so I'm not sure.

Maternity clothes? I got some great tops for Christmas, but I can't wear them yet.

Best moment this week? This is the first time I've seen any of my relatives since I got pregnant, so it's been pretty exciting for everyone.

Symptoms: Some nausea (I took my prenatal vitamin in the morning before eating and got violently ill while out at a restaurant for breakfast), stuffy nose, breakouts, pulling and stretching pains (I tried bowling and bowled worst game ever due to pulling pains in my side every time I released the ball), some short bursts of energy (I've been keeping active with the Wii and I went sledding today).

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing specific. I just get really hungry.

What I'm looking forward to: An actual baby bump that doesn't just look like fat.

Milestones: I'm officially in my second trimester!

What my baby looks like this week: (No picture of me this week. I'm visiting family for Christmas.)

14 Weeks Pregnant

13 weeks

How far along? 13 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 3 inches

Baby’s Weight: .81 oz or 20 grams

Development: This is the last week of my first trimester. Baby has developed fingerprints, and if it's a girl, she has 2 million eggs in her ovaries! Baby can make a fist and suck his/her thumb now.

Weight gain/loss: I gained 3 pounds this week...yikes!

Maternity clothes? I'm down to 1 pair of jeans that fit. I tried to wear my maternity jeans once but they were too loose.

Best moment this week? Telling my principal! It was such a relief to get it off my chest. She was really happy for me and she's very supportive about me taking the last month of school off.

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore & swollen boobs, stuffy nose, breakouts, extreme thirst, and headaches.

Food cravings/aversions: I keep meaning to eat vegetables or have a salad, but I just can't bring myself to do it. All I want to eat is junk food and sweets.

What I'm looking forward to: Finding out the sex! It seems so far away...

Milestones: We went public this week! Everyone knows now.

What my baby and I look like this week:

13 Weeks Pregnant

Garlic and Cake Frosting

Last night I was putting frosting on a cake while DH was doing dishes. All of a sudden, some horrendous odor wafted from the drain. It smelled like garlic from 3 days ago. That smell did NOT mix well with the smell of cream cheese frosting and I froze in place, trying not to puke on my cake. The more I thought about the smell, the worse it got.

DH started laughing at me and so did I. Soon I was laughing hysterically, but also gagging a little, and tears started pouring down my face. The harder I laughed, the harder I cried and I was literally sobbing, but laughing like crazy.

I had to leave the kitchen since at that point I was sobbing, laughing, and coughing all at once. Once I composed myself, I tried to go finish frosting the cake, but every time I thought about setting foot in the kitchen, a new wave of disgust washed over me.

I started laughing and crying all over again, and by now I had to pee, so a little pee came out too. What a hot mess I was! Lol...DH had to finish frosting the cake.

12 Week Ultrasound!

I'm so excited to almost be done with the first trimester! We got to see the little guy (yes, right now my husband and I think it's a boy) on Thursday at 11 weeks 5 days. The baby was moving around like crazy, waving his arms and legs a lot. At one point, I was able to make out the fingers on one of his hands! Here's our latest picture:

And here's what happens when I'm bored and playing around on Picnik, lol:

12 weeks

How far along? 12 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 2 1/2 inches

Baby’s Weight: 1/2 ounce (the weight of two sugar packets)

Development: Baby's eyes have moved to the front of his/her head and the ears are in place. Fingernails and toenails are developing this week, and baby is able to swallow now. Baby is also developing reflexes.

Weight gain/loss: I've gained about a 1/2 pound this week.

Maternity clothes? I'm officially packing on the pounds...my "fat pants" are now too tight to button...yikes!

Best moment this week? Seeing the baby flailing its arms and legs at at our ultrasound on Thursday. It was so neat to see the little hands waving around. It's really starting to look like a little person!

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore & swollen boobs, stuffy nose, dry skin, and some spotting this weekend.

Food cravings/aversions: This week I'm loving mandarin oranges, Mexican food (especially enchiladas), and cookies

What I'm looking forward to: Our NT scan is on Tuesday, and I'm pretty nervous, but hopeful that there are no major problems with the baby. I'm looking forward to getting over this hurdle and sailing into the 2nd trimester.

Milestones: If all goes well with our NT scan, I will tell all of my friends, coworkers, and Facebook this week!

What my baby and I look like this week:

12 Weeks Pregnant

11 weeks

How far along? 11 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 2 inches

Baby’s Weight: 1/3 ounce (the weight of two sugar packets)

Development: Baby is now able to move around a lot and do somersaults!

Weight gain/loss: I gained 2 pounds this week

Maternity clothes? I don't bother buttoning my favorite pair of jeans anymore. I love my Bella Band!

Best moment this week? This morning I tried to hear the heartbeat with my doppler, and I put the wand directly on the baby on the first try! It registered the heartbeat instantly! I'm now able to find it in about 10 seconds each time I try.

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore boobs, stuffy nose, and dry skin with breakouts...fun!. I'm also noticing that my tiny boobs are getting fuller--I'm finding myself almost spilling out of some of my tops.

Food cravings/aversions: I've been craving pizza and cookies...that might have something to do with the 2 pounds I gained this week!

What I'm looking forward to: Having everyone know--the thought of telling people is really stressing me out, and I keep chickening out.

Milestones: All of my baby's vital organs have developed and are functioning (they are still maturing, though), so the risk of defects goes down a lot now.

What my baby and I look like this week:

11 Weeks Pregnant

Baby's Heartbeat!

Last night was very exciting...we were able to hear baby's heartbeat loud and clear at 10 weeks 2 days on my Sonoline fetal doppler. I won't get to hear the heartbeat for another couple weeks at the doctor's office, so it was a huge relief to hear it this early. Here's the video (sorry the right side got cut off!):

9 Weeks

How far along? 9 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 1 inch

Baby’s Weight: .07 ounces or 2 grams

Development: Baby will start to develop male or female genitalia this week...I can't wait to find out what we're having! Baby is now officially a fetus and no longer an embryo.

Weight gain/loss: I gained almost 2 pounds this week.

Maternity clothes? Yesterday I didn't even bother trying to button my jeans. I wore my Bella Band all day and it was FABULOUS.

Best moment this week? The queasiness and bloating today actually had me feeling pregnant for the first time.

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore boobs, stuffy nose, and sore throat. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold again for the second time since I've been pregnant. I've also had a few days of mild queasiness in the morning about a half hour after breakfast. It usually goes away if I eat something else (usually toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk). I'm also burping a lot, and my new toothbrush is making me gag easily.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing sounds too exciting, except for maybe cookies.

What I'm looking forward to: It will be another 3 weeks until I hear the heartbeat, so I went ahead and ordered a home doppler! The Sonoline Fetal Heart Prenatal Doppler is sensitive enough to detect a heartbeat from 8-10 weeks! Several ladies on The Bump have said that they heard the heartbeat clearly at 9 weeks, so I caved and bought it. It should get here around Thanksgiving.

Milestones: We told our parents last weekend. The news on my husband's side of the family is spreading like wildfire, so most people will know by Thanksgiving (when we were originally planning on announcing). It's sort of a relief, since there will be tons of people at Thanksgiving, and I don't really want all that attention on me.

What my baby and I look like this week:

9 Weeks Pregnant

10 weeks

How far along? 10 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 1 1/2 inches (the size of a kumquat or prune)

Baby’s Weight: 4 grams

Development: Baby's skeleton is starting to grow and harden and the "tail" has become the spinal column. Fingers and toes are visible, and baby's brain is developing 25,000 new neurons every minute this week.

Weight gain/loss: No change this week

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I picked up some cheap maternity jeans yesterday at Black Friday. I won't be able to wear them for a while though.

Best moment this week? I told my grandparents I was extra hungry on Thanksgiving b/c I was eating for two. They were very excited. I'm sure they've told their siblings by now, so everyone on both sides of our families know at this point. It's kind of a relief to have people know...we were very nervous to tell our families.

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore boobs, stuffy nose, and sore throat. I feel as if I'm constantly on the verge of getting sick. I've also had several shooting pains from my tailbone to my pelvis. I think it's called sciatic nerve pain.

Food cravings/aversions: On the way to visit family on Thanksgiving I was STARVING. We were close to a Taco Bell, so my husband suggested that. I wanted a Crunchwrap (w/ beans instead of meat) SO bad. Turns out Taco Bell is closed on Thanksgiving. I almost cried.

What I'm looking forward to: We're having dinner with some close friends tonight, and I think we're going to tell them.

Milestones: We heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time on my new Sonoline Fetal Heart Prenatal Doppler. At this point, it is very fleeting when we hear it, but I will post a video when we can hear it consistently.

What my baby and I look like this week:

10 Weeks Pregnant

How I Told My Parents I'm Pregnant

We just announced our pregnancy to my parents! They live out of state, so I called my mom and told her to check her email. We are new homeowners, so we often send them pictures of our latest home improvement projects. My husband was on the other line holding a tape recorder up to the phone. They both screamed when they got to picture #3. The document we sent them was titled "Home Upgrades." Here is what the email said:

Here are some pictures of the kitchen shelf we built above the kitchen sink, along with some other new additions.

You're Going to be Grandparents!

Their reactions were perfect. Screaming, laughing, crying, etc. Tomorrow we will tell my husband's parents in person.

We have a heartbeat!

Yesterday we got to see the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was amazing! It was this perfectly round little flashing light and the baby has grown so much in the last 2 weeks!

My doctor told me that now that we've seen the heartbeat, the chance of miscarriage is only about 3%, compared to the 20% or so before the heartbeat. We feel like it's safe to start telling people, so we'll tell our parents this weekend. Our next appointment is in 4 weeks and we will hear the heartbeat then.

Here's the ultrasound from yesterday at 7 weeks 5 days. The baby's head is on the left, and I think the umbilical cord is on the bottom right. The yolk sac is behind the baby, so you can't see it.

7 Weeks

How far along? 7 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 1/3 - 1/4 inch (the size of a Tic Tac)

Baby’s Weight: Less than 1 gram (right now it's about the weight of an eyelash)

Development: Baby is 10,000 times bigger than he/she was at conception! The umbilical cord is now visible, and so are the mouth hole, tongue, nostrils, and ear indentations. Hands and feet are emerging, but they look like ping pong paddles!

Weight gain/loss: Down 1 pound from last week. Overall, I'm down 4 pounds since conception (but I was dieting then).

Maternity clothes? Not this week, but yesterday after lunch I resorted to fastening my jeans with a rubber band and I wore it like that for the rest of the school day. I need to remember to always carry a Belly Belt with my when I'm wearing jeans.

Best moment this week? I made it through my first week of parent conferences without puking on anyone! Morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet. One of the parents asked if I had kids and I said "not yet." Then he said, "But I can see you're married, so you're probably working on that!" Lol, it was funny but so inappropriate and uncomfortable. I'm finding it harder and harder to keep my news to myself.

Symptoms: Fatigue, frequent urination, sore & swollen boobs, stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, backache, and head rushes (like when I bend over and then stand up too quickly--I feel like I'm going to fall over). I have also noticed a few new veins showing on my boobs and I'm constantly bloated and feeling like I'm bursting out of my pants. Hawt!

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing in particular, but everything looks and sounds good. I got an ad for El Torito in the mail and I wanted everything on the page. Then someone on The Bump message board mentioned ice cream and now it's all I can think about.

What I'm looking forward to: Taking my baby to a pumpkin patch next year! I'm loving all the adorable pumpkin patch pics on Facebook.

Milestones: I had my first spotting scare this week...does that count? It was on Tuesday and I haven't had any since, so hopefully everything is fine. Our next ultrasound is Thursday and we should hear a heartbeat then.

What my baby and I look like this week: (I had a hard time sucking in the bloat on this one.)

7 Weeks Pregnant

6 Weeks

How far along? 6 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 1/8 inch

Baby’s Weight: Less than 1 gram

Development: Eyes, ears, mouth, arm & leg buds are starting to form

Weight gain/loss: My scale tells me I gained 3 pounds this week. Is that possible?? I blame the bloat...

Maternity clothes? I love my BellaBand and Belly Belt.

Best moment this week? I'm feeling really sick and crappy right now, so I'm having a hard time thinking of anything.

Symptoms: Frequent urination, sore boobs, fatigue, bloated, stuffy nose & sore throat--but I think it's actually a cold. My mood varies from day to day. I'm irritable at work one day, and the next day I'm happy and upbeat.

Food cravings/aversions: Chocolate is sounding better and better. I couldn't care less about vegetables. And my Del Taco big fat chicken taco was heaven.

What I'm looking forward to: Hearing a heartbeat on November 11.

Milestones: I had my first OB appointment on Thursday. No heartbeat yet, but Dr. Hill said "everything looks perfect!"

What my baby and I look like this week:

6 Weeks Pregnant

First Ultrasound! 5 weeks 5 days

Today I went in for my first ultrasound. Going off my last menstrual period, the doctor assumed I was at least 6 weeks. The embryo was too small to see a heartbeat and was a little hard to find at first. The OB said I looked between 5 1/2 and 6 weeks pregnant. I informed her that I chart and I know I ovulated late--on Cycle Day 18 instead of 14. She said, in that case, everything looks perfect.

I think it's odd that professionals don't let their patients know about the variation in ovulation and how that affects the size of the fetus. Most women are probably told that the fetus is slightly small, when in fact it was probably just a case of later ovulation. That seems like it would cause a lot of needless worry. I'm sure I'd be freaking out if I thought I was 6 weeks 2 days and there was no heartbeat. We could barely even see the baby on my ultrasound. But for 5 weeks 5 days, everything is perfect.

She will wait until my next ultrasound to measure and give me a definite delivery date. My tentative date she gave is June 21, 2010, but that is with an ovulation date on CD14. It looks like Fertility Friend is right on track with my real date of June 25. I will go in again on November 11 to hear the heartbeat. Grow, baby, grow!!

5 Weeks

How far along? 5 weeks and 0 days

Baby’s Size: 5/64 of an inch or 2 millimeters

Baby’s Weight: Less than 1 gram

Development: Baby's heart begins to beat this week and the brain is starting to grow!

Weight gain/loss: I’m still down 5 pounds, since I was dieting at the beginning of my cycle. I lost 6 pounds but gained one back, so I guess I’m technically up 1 pound? I don’t really how to measure this, lol.

Maternity clothes? I wore a Belly Belt for the first time to work yesterday. I used the smallest setting, but it made such a difference. My pants were so much more comfortable when I sat down!

Best moment this week? We figured out when we’re going to tell family and friends. November 14 will be parents and close family. Extended family will find out on Thanksgiving when I show up wearing this:

Symptoms: Period-like cramps on and off for the last week, fatigue, and sore nipples--which as of last night changed to full blown boob pain. Now I feel like my boobs are both really bruised.

Food cravings/aversions: I really don’t care for fruit right now (I normally eat a lot of it), but I crave protein and carbs instead. I really look forward to sandwiches for lunch!

What I'm looking forward to: My first OB appointment on Thursday!

Milestones: My ticker has changed from the smallest size (poppyseed) to an appleseed! It feels good to be making progress!

What baby looks like this week:

5 Weeks Pregnant