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!