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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Swimming, anyone?

Did Houston do something wrong to deserve all this from mother nature? Seriously. I'm so sick of this raining. For those that aren't from Houston or surrounding areas, you should be aware that this is not normal rain. We'll go weeks with nothing and then we'll have these major hardcore rains that come down so fast that nothing can keep the water down. Thus= flooding everywhere. This morning was about the 4th (maybe more?) major storm in the last 3 weeks. It got to be too much, and we got some freaking water in our house. It shouldn't be too much to fix, but it's darn annoying. Some houses around us/in the city haven't even been fixed by Ike yet! Now, we're just waiting to hear back from our insurance. Thankfully, we're smart people and bought flood insurance even though it's not necessary for where we live. Living in Houston without flood insurance=dumb. 

Let's hope that I can make it to work! The flooding has gone down for the most part, but I typically get there and home by way of the worst-flooding intersection in the area. It's definitely still flooded, I can guarantee it. 

Monday, April 27, 2009

10 weeks!

Double digits! 25% complete. There's a lot of big steps associated with 10 weeks. Crazy!



  • How far along? 10 weeks
  • Total weight gain/loss: down 2 more pounds. Ugh!
  • How much does Baby weigh?: 1/3 of an ounce
  • Maternity clothes? Nope, but I do have to improvise in the pants area some days
  • Stretch marks? Nope
  • Sleep: It's harder to get to sleep with some hip pains, and I'm still constantly waking up to pee.
  • Best moment this week: being able to go out of town for the weekend by myself and feel almost normal!
  • Movement: Just some major gas pains.
  • Food cravings: I'm eating a lot better, but not to the point of cravings.
  • Gender: It feels wrong to call it "she", so i'm feeling boy.
  • Labor Signs: Nope
  • Belly Button in or out? Innie
  • What I miss: not really worrying about my weight.
  • What I am looking forward to: 2nd tri!
  • Milestones: A weekend away by myself
My Baby:
All of your baby's vital organs are now formed and functioning, so the risk of defects decreases this week as your baby becomes less susceptible to outside influences. Phew! Other exciting developments include:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body.

While testes or ovaries are completely formed now, don't start decorating the nursery. You won't be able to see your baby's gender for a few more weeks yet.

Your baby is really on the move now. In an ultrasound you might be able to see your little acrobat flailing his or her arms and legs and doing somersaults worthy of Cirque du Soleil. You still won't be able to feel any movement, so if you feel something "kick" in there, it's probably gas.

In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length. You might feel like you're increasing 30 times in weight at this point, too, but we can assure you're not—because, honey, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

Your baby now weighs a third of an ounce, about the same as two small, Starbucks-sized packets of sugar, is about 2 inches long, the length of one of those sugar packets. Isn't that sweet? 

Friday, April 24, 2009

Appt. update/ultrasound!



There's my little babe, as of Monday. A whopping 25mm- almost 3x as much as it was 2 weeks earlier! That's the most insane part for me. We got to see the beating heart again, which is always a relief. Then, a complete shock for me, he found the heartbeat on the doppler! What a wonderful sound! I wasn't expecting that for a few weeks since I kept reading that you couldn't hear it until about 12 weeks. Overall, it was a great appointment. All my bloodwork came back great. The only issue that he can see is weight gain. I was prescribed a bowl of Blue Bell (ice cream, for those that aren't in the south) a night. Either that or something else of similar substance. I've been doing alright this week. We'll see if it helps! I'm supposed to gain 35lb. 

He also talked to me about the possibility of vaginal vs. cesarean and said that I'm basically at a 50/50 chance for either. It all depends on the size of the baby. If the baby is bigger than 8 lb, then I'll most likely need a c/s. We'll attempt a vaginal, but he wanted me to know the possibilities. Ideally, I'd like to have a natural delivery, but I'm flexible to whatever ends up being the best for my baby. J would like to have a vaginal, as well, since my dr. lets the husband actually "catch" the baby, so it would be like he delivered his own child! 

I'm off to a bachelorette party for the weekend and will return with an on-time (hopefully) 10 week post!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

9 weeks!

Call it pregnancy brain, laziness, or just being too darn busy. I completely forgot to post my 9 week update yesterday. Check back in a few days for my doctors update from yesterday!

(say good-bye to those jeans, at least without a bella band. They're not fitting so comfortable with that mass of bloat I have going on)
  • How far along? 9 weeks
  • Total weight gain/loss: down 4 lb. I got yelled at my doctor :(
  • How much does Baby weigh?:4 grams
  • Maternity clothes? Nope
  • Stretch marks? Nope
  • Sleep: The darn pee attacks have returned. I literally got up 7 times the other night to go to the bathroom!
  • Best moment this week: feeling a bit better about my relationship with food
  • Movement: Nope.
  • Food cravings: Things still don't sound great, but I'm not completely averse to the idea of eating.
  • Gender: It feels wrong to call it "she", so i'm feeling boy.
  • Labor Signs: Nope
  • Belly Button in or out? Innie
  • What I miss: sleeping like a champ
  • What I am looking forward to: getting completely past the m/s
  • Milestones: I ate some meat. Big deal!
My Baby:

By the end of Week 10, your baby graduates from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one." It also translates to "I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and so are you!" Other highlights this week:

Your baby has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" (really just the developing spinal cord) has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column.

Your baby now has discernible fingers and toes, which will explain the steady stream of kicks and punches you'll feel down the line.

Junior's skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Tooth buds are forming, although your baby won't get any teeth until six or seven (or eight or nine or 10) months after birth.

Baby's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week. While you may feel like you're losing as many as he's gaining, we can assure you it's not permanent. "Pregnancy brain," like nausea and bloating, is a temporary symptom that soon shall pass. (And then you'll get "Mommy brain," but we won't go there now.)

If you're baby is a boy, he's started producing that macho hormone testosterone. And whether your baby is a boy or a girl, the kidneys are creating copious amounts of urine. Lucky for you, you won't have to change a diaper for another 30 weeks.

Baby weighs only 4 grams and measures 1½ inches, about the size of a mondo Brazil nut.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Spa Day

I got a much needed pedicure with my sister today. It felt SO good, and now my toes look all pretty. Just in time to kick off the wedding season with a bridal shower brunch tomorrow morning. I seriously think I have at least one wedding-related activity every weekend until July. Geez. It's going to get expensive. 

The world is now exposed to the excitement of Baby H. We have told all that were important enough to us to tell, and it is now spreading quickly. Very quickly. I have a comment on my Facebook wall already! It doesn't say "pregnant" or really even allude to it, but it says that she's so happy for me and J. My phone exploded this afternoon. It was crazy! It's so nice to not have any secrets anymore. I've even been offered a baby shower already, which was totally unexpected. 

As far as this weekend, J is out of town. So, I'm going to be completely bored (besides the bridal shower). Hmph.

Stats:
-8 weeks 4 days

Monday, April 13, 2009

8 weeks!

The spotting stopped Friday morning, so I'm happy to report that the weekly post is still going strong! 

Sorry it took me so long. I've added the Easter belly shot in hopes all will forgive. 


  • How far along? 8 weeks (which seems incredible to me)
  • Total weight gain/loss: I STILLneed to get a scale...
  • How much does Baby weigh?: 2 grams
  • Maternity clothes? Nope
  • Stretch marks? Nope
  • Sleep: It's been amazing, although I still have slight discomfort when I'm in certain positions too long. I've been sleeping constantly.
  • Best moment this week: realizing that the spotting was gone!
  • Movement: Nope.
  • Food cravings: I'm well into the food aversion stage. Nothing ever sounds good. Ugh.
  • Gender: After a freakishly realistic dream 2 nights ago, I'm feeling the boy vibes.
  • Labor Signs: Nope
  • Belly Button in or out? Innie
  • What I miss: liking to eat
  • What I am looking forward to: possibly hearing the heartbeat at our appt next monday!
  • Milestones: first weekend vacation and first Easter, sorta.
My Baby

Big news! You may be able to hear the heartbeat this week with the help of a Doppler, an ultrasound device that captures the chug-a-chug sound of baby's heart. The first time you hear baby's heart, your own heart may skip a beat—it's the first real evidence that there's someone growing inside you! If you can't hear the heartbeat, no worries, your doc will just check again in a few weeks. Other amazing developments this week:

Baby is beginning to move, but you won't be able to feel anything for some time.

Baby is growing nipples and hair follicles (although there's still a chance you'll be giving birth to a baldy!) His pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and anus are all in place, ready to poop and pee a dozen times a day when he's born. Your baby's head is half the size of his body and his little chin is tucked into his chest. His tiny tail is beginning to shrink away, giving Junior a more human and less amphibious look.

Until now, all pre-babies look the same "down there." This week, however, your baby will begin to develop either male or female genitalia. In layman terms, your baby is beginning to develop her hoo-ha or his wee-wee. While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks, the version you'll give birth to is being developed right now.

At this stage, your developing fetus is 1-inch in length, about the size of a martini olive (you remember martinis, don't you?) and weighs a mere 2 grams—a little less than a penny.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Darn spotting

Yesterday, I flipped out. When I went to the bathroom yesterday evening (about 5pm), I had a substantial amount of spotting. It was all brown, thank goodness, but it was quite a bit. I had a little bit more throughout the rest of the evening. I had a meltdown. J was withdrawn, as he does when he gets upset. He was nice enough to call the doctor for me, but, of course, they were closed already. So, we've decided to just believe in our baby. We're both stubborn, hard-headed people, so the odds are in our favor that this little toot is, as well. My mom calmed me down a little bit, which upset me. Just in a different way. I was overcome with sadness at how experienced my mother is with miscarriages/stillbirths. I continuously felt like crap, so that kept hope alive. Today, I'm happy to report that there has been no spotting. We're continuing our plans on going to my parent's farm over the weekend for Easter. If there was ever a weekend for hope, it would be this one, right? 

I'm excited about hanging out with my niece. The worst part about these weekends is that J and I have to fight the incredible urge to steal her. We'll see what happens. :) 

Stats:
-7 weeks 4 days

Thursday, April 9, 2009

My niece, the big cousin

First off, let me introduce you to the most perfect little girl in the world (for now, that is- lol): Alexandra, or Aly

I apologize- this is the most recent picture that I have right now. It's from Christmas. She's almost 2 1/2 now. Big girl. The reason for this post is that my sister sent me 2 e-mails the other day regarding how excited Aly is about us having a baby (we're her favorite aunt and uncle). At first, her reaction was that she didn't need another cousin (she has 5! All on her daddy's side), but she seems to have warmed up to it a bit now. Prepare for ultimate cuteness...

E-mail 1

Yesterday, I (my sister) asked Aly if she wanted Vera and Jony to have a baby and she said yes, and she asked if the baby was coming over now. I explained to her that the baby was teeny-weeny and was inside Vera's belly right now trying to grow. She showed me with her fingers how little the baby was and then we together made the baby grow bigger and bigger until she said it was too big. I asked her if she wanted the baby to be a boy or a girl, and she said "not a boy or a girl, a BABY!" She kept asking when the baby was coming over and her reference kept switching between he/she. Her other first reaction was saying she wanted to touch the baby's hair and hands and belly button. Then she started talking about all the things she could show the baby: how to run, dance, sing, and play (and we added a few more things she could show the baby, too). We told her that the baby would grow so Vera's belly would get big like mine was when she was in my belly but now she is too big to be in my belly (this stems from a discussion we had when she saw a picture of me pregnant.) We told her that soon she would be able to feel the baby kicking in Vera's belly so she started kicking and saying she was kicking like the baby, but then we showed her how it would feel on her hand when she really did feel it. She was very excited about it, and after we thought she lost interest she would bring it up again. When we were getting in bed she told me to keep talking about the baby so I had to keep talking about how the baby would grow and soon would be able to play with her. After seeming sad that the baby wasn't coming over I told her she could help me plan a party for the baby so people could buy the baby lots of fun stuff, and she asked if the party was for her, but seemed quite fine that it was for the baby.

E-mail 2

I forgot to tell you that I showed her the ultrasound and she confirmed that it was your baby.

I told Aly we were going to the gym tonight and she asked if the baby was coming. She told me she wanted to hug the baby but she can't because it's in Vera's belly. I told her she could start talking to the baby now through your belly button so she was practicing: Hello baby, where are you? What are you doing? (All yelling really loud). She was so funny.


So, I love my niece. I can't wait to hang out with her this entire weekend. I'll report back to see if she yells into my belly button, lol!

Stats:
-7 weeks 3 days!


Tuesday, April 7, 2009

7 weeks!




  • How far along? 7 weeks
  • Total weight gain/loss: I STILLneed to get a scale...
  • How much does Baby weigh?: 1 gram
  • Maternity clothes? Nope
  • Stretch marks? Nope
  • Sleep: It's basically all I do, it feels like. I have a few moments of uncomfort, but I'm too tired to care.
  • Best moment this week: seeing that little heart beating! Amazing.
  • Movement: Nope.
  • Food cravings: Enchiladas and pizza. I'm loving anything with cheese and bread lately.
  • Gender: I'm starting to cave towards the male feelings that J has.
  • Labor Signs: Nope
  • Belly Button in or out? Innie
  • What I miss: I'd still like my appetite up and back to normal
  • What I am looking forward to: starting to tell the friends and family!
  • Milestones: First ultrasound- seeing that beating heart!

My Baby:
This week, your little tadpole is starting to look a little bit more human. Other exciting developments include:

Your baby's eyelids, ears, upper lip and the tip of his soon-to-be adorable button nose are forming.

Junior will also sprout webbed fingers and toes this week—which you'll be well aware of in a few months, as baby starts early gymnastics classes inside you.

Baby's tiny heart has separated into four distinct chambers and is really ticking now—at a rate of 150 beats per minute. That's more than twice your resting heart rate (even when Brad Pitt is on the screen).

Your baby is now a little more than ½ inch long, about the size of the rock in Eva Longoria's engagement ring, and is about as heavy as the check Tony Parker wrote to pay for it.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Ultrasound!


That's my baby! ONE (sorry MIL, haha) healthy little babe with a beautiful beating heart! As soon as that dildo cam was placed in, it popped up so quickly! What an amazing experience. We got 2 pictures (same thing, though) of our 9mm baby. My due date was moved up a day to November 23, but my doctor was very impressed that I was so correct! He literally said, "You were right!" He then told us a story about how he "fought" with a woman throughout her pregnancy about when she conceived, so he always is impressed with the women how are so accurate. He demoted me from PNVs to 2 Flintstones a day to help keep the nausea away, so I'll head out and pick some of those up later today. I also got my blood taken which went surpisingly well. J still took me to Smoothie King for my favorite smoothie afterwards, though. Now that we've seen that everything is going well, we've started the telling process some more. EEK! Both parents were given the go-ahead to tell close friends and family, so the word will be out in about 5 minutes, lol. 

Since my EDD was changed, I'm actually 7 weeks today! I'll still post the weekly post tomorrow and then start it on Monday next week. Yay for moving up a day!

Stats:
-7 weeks!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Some Updates

There's no way I could think of a clever post title right now.

1. We have now told J's parents, his sister/bf, and my sister/brother-in-law/niece. All are very, VERY excited! It makes me happy that they're all so ecstatic about this thing inside me. Of course, my niece, when asked if she would like another cousin (she has 4 from her dad's side) responded with, "No. I don't need one." lol. She'll get used to it. Maybe it will be a boy? That'll give her a break from all the cousin estrogen.

2. I've started working a second job at Curves. It's a great place to work, and I really enjoy it. I've only worked these past 2 days, however. It should be a good place to take it easy and earn some money before the babe takes it all away. ;) 

3. Morning sickness. The all day nausea has moved in, and I hate it. I'm not a fan of not liking food. Tonight, I actually enjoyed my dinner (enchiladas! cheese, of course. Meat is currently disgusting) and that makes me really happy. Yesterday morning, I was so dizzy and nauseated that I almost didn't get up to go to my sub assignment. But, darn it if I'm not going to get that awesome crib we want. So, I sucked it up and went. J has been AMAZING. He made me toast after my sick spell yesterday and then today before I got up, so I could eat and feel better. He picked up dinner tonight, so I could eat at home. And, he's been doing all the cooking and cleaning around the house since I absolutely cannot. 

4. Exhaustion. I thought I was an excellent sleeper before and that I knew what tired felt like. Wrong. I feel proud of myself if I don't nod off every few minutes. I'm actually about to go to sleep now (about 6 hours earlier than usual) and plan to sleep until at least noon. I'm freakin' excited about having nothing to do this weekend. 

I feel better now that I'm all caught up. Good night!