11 Weeks!

Happy 11 weeks!

This week has been fairly uneventful honestly.  But now that I'm reaching the end of the first trimester, I definitely see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Don't get me wrong, I know compared to most pregnant women, it hasn't been that bad for me.  But between the exhaustion, heartburn, and overall just not feeling well, I'll be glad to leave some of it behind (hopefully!).  I did get a few calls from an organization I volunteer with, called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.  I go into hospitals and photograph dying or deceased infants.  Yes, it's sad, and it's hard.  But it is such an honor and privilege to be a part of.  I get to give this amazing gift to parents, the only pictures they will ever have of their children.  Friday night, I went as a shadow/assistant with another photographer.  The twins were born at 14 weeks.  Saturday, I went by myself to photograph another set of twins born at 20 weeks.  They were beautiful.  Like little porcelain dolls.  It's so interesting to see these babies outside of the womb at this stage.  I'm also so amazed at these parents and how they handle the situation.  I guess the saying is true - you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.  If nothing else, these sessions have made me appreciate every day that I get to be pregnant!

To change the subject, I wanted to share with you all a picture of my hot husband, and our current "baby", our pet ball python, Houdini!  I've been a bit sad the last few weeks, because I can't hold him since I'm pregnant.  I miss him!  And before anyone starts freaking out about having a snake in the same house as a baby, first of all, ball pythons don't have an aggressive nature.  The only reason they strike is if they see and smell their prey.  They are otherwise very docile snakes.  Secondly, we keep him in sliding locking lid cage (with a padlock!).  So we're not worried about him getting out.  I've had him for 4 years, and never had a problem with him!



So here we are at week 11!  The baby should be about 1.6 inches long, and weigh about a quarter of an ounce.  It should be able to open and close its hand into a fist soon, and should be busy kicking and stretching this week.  The baby's diaphragm is forming, and might begin to hiccup this week, though, as with the movements, I won't be able to feel it yet.  

Here's me today :)



How far along? 11 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Pants
Total Weight Gain: 9 pounds, meaning I lost 3 pounds just this week.  I honestly don't understand it.  I got my appetite back this week, so if anything I've been eating more.  I haven't been eating that healthy, to be honest.  And I haven't had enough energy to exercise much.  I guess this baby is just taking all my food!
Sleep: Tired, but I can see improvement.  Towards the end of the week, I started feeling more awake in the evenings, I didn't even take a nap one or two days this week! 
Best moment this week: Steve and I got an at-home doppler, and we found the baby's heartbeat!  It wasn't easy, and took awhile, but we found it!  We haven't heard it yet at the doctor's office, but it was kind of special being the two of us at home together.
Miss Anything?  Energy drinks, not having heartburn
Movement: Nothing yet
Food cravings: Steve and I just went for a walk, and I told him I wanted orange juice and ice cream.  Not mixed together, just at the same time.  Yum :)  And anything salty!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Gross smells, and for some reason, the smell of bacon still grosses me out, but I can eat it.
Any other symptoms? Not too emotional this week, soreness, tired, indigestion/heartburn, some shortness of breath, peeing a lot!
Have you started to show yet: Not really, maybe a little?
Gender prediction: I think it's a boy :)
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I guess not too bad this week, so happy?
Looking forward to: Midwife appointment with Steve on Wednesday :)

Good night everyone!

10 Weeks!

Hello!

I'm a day behind today, but yesterday was busy!  This week started off with a visit to the Dr.'s office again, but this time to meet with a midwife.  I thought it went pretty well, I was happy with her.  The biggest difference I found between the midwife vs. the nurse and Dr. was that the midwife seemed genuinely concerned with my emotional well being in addition to my physical well being.  I had heard it was this way, but I didn't really understand it until she started asking me questions about the relationships in my life and so forth.  I thought this was very interesting!  She set me up with an appointment at 11 weeks with another midwife, so I could start meeting the other 4 midwifes that work at that office.

This week we celebrated 2 birthdays in my family - my sister, Samantha, turned 15! and my Dad turned 49!  We had a family BBQ on Saturday to celebrate.  We all pitched in to buy Dad a new air compressor, and I made a cake for Sam.  It definitely didn't turn out as good as I expected, but it's still cute :)

Me and my sisters:  Sam, Autumn, Amanda, and Alisa

Friday, I took Steve out to dinner in Camden, and surprised him by going to see his favorite play, "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"!  This was to celebrate his 5 years of sobriety!  This is definitely a big deal - I've only known Steve for a little over 2 years now, and God has done so many wonderful things in his life.  One of them is that soon after he gave his life to Christ, He delivered him from alcohol.  I can't even imagine Steve as the man he used to be, I only know him as the man he is today, free in Christ :)

So, welcome to week 10!  The baby has officially made it to the "fetus" stage (from "embryo" stage)!  It should be about 1.2 inches long, and should weigh about .14 of an ounce.  The baby's kidneys, heart, liver, and intestines are forming tissue, and the fingernails and hair are starting to grow!  It has started to swallow amniotic fluid, and should be kicking and bouncing around now, though I probably won't start feeling it for quite a while.  The baby's limbs can bend, with the hands bending at the wrists, and the fingers and toes aren't webbed anymore!

Here's me at 10 weeks:

How far along? 10 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Yes - though I don't think I've grown that much, but it's just more comfortable.
Total Weight Gain: Lost another pound this week, making it a 6 pound weight loss since I found out.
Sleep: Exhausted all the time.  I barely make it through the day with a nap.  Really looking forward to this "burst" of energy I'm supposed to get in the 2nd Trimester!
Best moment this week: When I shot a wedding on Sunday, and came home to a very clean apartment :)  Thanks, babe!  Oh, AND when we found out that I was approved for medical insurance!  What a relief!!!
Miss Anything? Caffeine, NOT having indigestion :(
Movement: Nothing yet
Food cravings: Anything salty
Anything making you queasy or sick: Random smells bother me, and I feel sick usually in the afternoon and evening.  I just lay on the couch and hope it passes.
Any other symptoms?  Bad indigestion, sore and achy, cramps, tired, constant sick feeling, random crying episodes, you know - just the normal stuff :)
Have you started to show yet: It seems like it, but I don't think so.
Gender prediction: I think it's a boy :)
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Not feeling well and being so tired leads to me being irritable and moody most of the time.  But it's really an emotional roller coaster.
Looking forward to: Spending a little more time with Steve this week.  He's off work for the week due to a break between Summer Camp and the school year.  Not great for financial reasons, but at least I get to sneak in a little more cuddle time before he gets wrapped up in school and work.  Have a good week!

9 Weeks!

Hello everyone!

Oy, what a busy week!  Mommy-to-be here is exhausted!  For those of you who aren't aware, I have a bit of a hobby of photography.  Ok, maybe it's more than a hobby!  Anyways, Tuesday I did a maternity session with a woman whom I've known since high school.  She's in her eighth month of pregnancy, and she had the cutest baby bump!  Wednesday, I met up with a momma and her 8-week-old twin baby boys!  Though it seemed as soon as we got one of the twins to stop fussing, the other would begin.  But we did get some beautiful pictures out of it!

 
























Saturday, I spent all day (10am-10pm) out in the country photographing an absolutely beautiful wedding!  I don't have any pics to share from that yet, but imagine a ceremony out in the middle of a field, and the reception in a huge barn with lots of cute rustic details!  Then today, Steve and I made our way to the coast after our morning church service to spend the afternoon with our other church family!  We ate lobster (well, Steve did, I wasn't in the mood, so he ate 2!), got to see my Dad and some other friends get baptized, and enjoyed the company!

 

So here we are at Week 9!  If it seems to be going by fast for any of you, keep in mind that it's going by very slow for me!  I want my little baby to be here!  But we're still a long ways away from that!  So, this week, the baby is about .9 of an inch and weighs about a fraction of an ounce!  It's starting to look more and more like a baby each day (instead of an alien!).  The baby's heart is dividing into 4 chambers this week, and although the baby's eyes are fully formed, the eyelids will fuse shut this week, and not open again until week 27!  The facial features are becoming more distinct, and now that all the major organs are formed, the baby should be gaining weight pretty rapidly from here on out!  Here's me today:

How far along? 9 weeks!

Maternity clothes? Yes, at least pants.  Way more comfy!

Total Weight Gain: Lost another pound this week, making it a 5 pound weight loss since I found out.  But I talked with the nurse about it, and she said it's perfectly fine as long as I'm eating plenty.

Sleep: Tired.  Nothing new.  Just tired.  It takes all I can muster to make it through my workday.  Anything after that is a bonus!

Best moment this week: Getting blood drawn - as weird as it sounds - it's another step closer to all this pregnancy stuff!

Miss Anything? Caffeine, NOT having indigestion :(

Movement: Nothing yet

Food cravings: Not really 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Oh dear, yes.  A few times this week.  One of them being when Steve microwaved some bacon one night.  I started gagging, and had to go into the bedroom and close the door until he aired the apartment out.  

Any other symptoms?  I hate to admit it, but I started having nausea this week.  It's worse during the workday when I'm really busy and moving around a lot and can't stop to sit down or eat anything.  I've been keeping crackers and granola bars in my pockets which helps a little.  And the indigestion/heartburn is awful.  I can only eat very small meals unless I want to be miserable for hours afterwards.  Even with being careful what/how I eat, it's still a constant thing, but not as bad.  I looked into medicines, but Tums aren't helping much, and the other ones that are safe for me to use are just the ones you take after you eat - which considering I eat small meals constantly, doesn't really make much sense to me :(

Have you started to show yet: I feel huge, but I know it's not that much.  

Gender prediction: I think it's a boy :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Probably more moody than happy.  My stomach being in disarray most of the time makes it hard to be in a good mood.

Looking forward to: Meeting with a midwife on Tuesday!  We had the nurse's appointment on Friday, and honestly, I'm just not impressed with them.  I do have an exam tomorrow with an OB, but after that, I'm planning on meeting with a midwife, and as long as that goes well, switching over completely.  Steve and I watched a documentary this week about midwives vs. OBs, and it was very eye-opening.  Granted, it was probably biased, but the biggest thing I got out of it was how much OBs will use unnecessary medical interventions just to make the labor go quicker.  Many times this means putting the baby in distress, which then requires a C-section, and I want to stay away from that as much as possible.  I just want someone who will explain things to me as it happens, give me my options, and be supportive.  

That's all folks!  Have a great week!

8 Weeks!

Hello!  It's been quite a long week!  I can't believe I'm 8 weeks already - 2 months in, only 7 to go!  We didn't have much going on this week, which is good, because I've been too exhausted to really do anything.  I did second shoot for a wedding on the coast yesterday, which was fun.  I think the adrenaline of photographing a wedding takes my mind off my body and how I'm feeling.  Steve and I helped out our friend Shandra the other night by keeping an eye on her 2 kids during a softball game.  Here's Steve with her son, Luke, getting in his practice with babies :)  I think Luke was playing with Steve's earrings here lol

So here we are at 8 weeks!  This week, the baby's facial features are becoming more distinguished as the lips, tongue, nostrils, and buds for teeth are forming.  The elbows and knees are developing and starting to move around!  The baby's bones are beginning to harden through a process called ossification.  The baby's tail should have mostly vanished by now too :)  Our little clover should be growing by about 1mm per day now, doubling it's size from last week to about 16mm, or .63 of an inch!  

How far along? 8 weeks!

Maternity clothes? Maternity pants all the time - they don't press on my tummy - so much more comfy!

Total Weight Gain: I'm hovering around the 3.5 - 4 pounds lost mark.

Sleep: Tired.  But I find I'll have random bursts of energy about once a day, usually only lasting about 30 minutes though.  

Best moment this week: Not too much that stood out.  I'm usually happiest when I'm cuddling with Steve :)

Miss Anything? Caffeine, and being able to eat whatever and whenever I want without having to worry about how it will make me feel.  

Movement: Nothing yet

Food cravings: Not really 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just if Steve drives too fast around a curve or brakes too fast, it kinda makes my tummy feel a bit off.  

Any other symptoms? Fatigue, soreness, crying about stupid things and not being able to stop, really bad indigestion this week!  But I keep telling myself that it's much better than vomiting all the time.  

Have you started to show yet: I've been measuring around my tummy - grew 2 inches this week!  I know it's mostly bloating, but jeez!

Gender prediction: I think it's a boy :)

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Honestly, a bit moody.  I don't try to be, it just seems that everything irritates me.  I go in to Walmart and this is what's going through my mind:  "Why are you walking so slow!  Could you control your children please?  Get out of my way!  Why are you so stupid?  Could you have parked any closer to my car?!"  And that's just the beginning.  I'm usually pretty good about keeping it in my head though, except for a little around Steve :) 

Looking forward to: My nurse's visit on Friday!  I know I'm going to be poked and prodded and asked lots of questions, but it will be another step and bringing things to reality in my pregnancy!

Have a great week!