Week 12

12 w 6 d

The first trimester is almost over...just a few more days!  The past 4 weeks have flown by, unlike the first 4 weeks after the BFP.  Right now, the appointments are 4 weeks apart, so it appears we'll find out the gender of the baby right before my birthday, and I am looking forward to it.  I haven't had any more gender dreams; the dreams are very random and bizarre.

One of the worst dreams I had was I was riding the Harley, fell over, picked the bike up, and then started cramping and later lost the baby. :(  Has me freaked out.  There was more to the dream, like riding the Harley with a few people from work who were on bicycles as they were headed to work on a Saturday, and I was headed to McDonald's to buy a sausage McGriddle.  It was again, strange and weird, but the ending is what I did not like, and while I still lift weights at the gym, it is much different than picking a 500 to 600 lb motorcycle off the ground.  I've had two offers on it, but one turned out to be a scam and the other found a cheaper bike at the last minute (though, not as loaded.:)  )  So anyone reading this, I would like to take the time to remind you, it's still for sale!

How far along?: 12 weeks 6 days
How big is baby?: According to What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Started the week as the size of a Plum and about to be a Peach.
Weight gain?: No gain this week, so I remain at 5lbs 
Stretch marks?: No
Maternity clothes?: None yet.  Though I decided yesterday to quit wearing a belt since every time I sit down the buckle presses into my stomach.
Sleep?: Sleep is great, no issues.  Dreams are still crazy and bizarre.
Best moment this week?: Hearing the heartbeat on the Doppler at the doctor's office, and then finding the HB at home with my Doppler. 
Worst moment this week?: Another crazy week at work, but manageable.  Nothing too bad.
Food cravings?: MAC & CHEESE!  and fried Cat Fish...still waiting on the hubby to fix me some!  To be fair though, every time one of us stops at the grocery store they are either out, or have a whole lot of fish packaged (family size) and no one is around the meat department to separate it.
Symptoms?: None lately!  Woo hoo
Exercise?: Cardio and weight lifting continue.  I played tennis this week, and it was awesome to be outside.  Though my knee the next day wasn't so happy with me...guess it's time to change out the orthotics in my tennis shoes! 

Gender?: Too early to tell
Movement?: Nope, still too early
Belly button?: Still in
What I miss?: I'm sure tonight I will miss beer and good shots - it's my sister's bachelorette party.  Guess I'll be sucking down the water and playing DD. :)
Labor signs?: too early!
What I'm looking forward to?: The warm weather - 80 deg Fahrenheit in the forecast for tomorrow!

12 Week Appointment

Quick and easy appointment...pee in a cup, take the blood pressure, weigh in, and see the doctor (~5min).

The doctor found the heartbeat very quickly, which was cool to hear.  In addition, I bought a Sonoline B 3MHz Doppler from eBay (brand new) last week, and it arrived today.  So I paid attention to where the doctor could hear the heartbeat, and I tried at home.  It definitely took some time, and I found my own heartbeat many times and struggled to find the baby's.  BUT I found it, and it was cool to hear.  http://qik.com/37821342/98a22868  I need to figure out how to get the video off my phone since the file is too large for me to send it to my email.

I also talked to my doctor more about being Rh-...so I requested that he send my husband to get his blood tested for type/Rh since AJ doesn't know it.  No need to get a shot if AJ is also RH-, though only 15% of the population is, and AJ believes he is A+...but doesn't know for sure.  He's not big on having blood drawn, but come on!  I gave 9 vials already, though I was a regular blood donor.  It's better for him to give the blood and know his type than for me to blindly receive the shot at 28 weeks.  However, I am thinking statistics are against me, and I will receive the shot, but he can go through a little discomfort, too!  At least he can have a beer afterwards!

Week 11

11 w 6 d

There is definitely a protrusion!  My flat stomach is definitely gone, and so is the bloaty feeling.  It's not noticeable when I'm not showing off my stomach, but I can definitely tell and so can my mom.

How far along?: 11 weeks 6 days
How big is baby?: According to What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Started the week as the size of a Lime and about to be a Plum.
Weight gain?: It appears I had a 2lb weight gain this week for a total of 5 lbs, which was weight goal for the first trimester.  When the first trimester ends is debatable.  Some people say 12 weeks, others says 13.3 weeks. 
Stretch marks?: No
Maternity clothes?: Nope!  Clothes fit well...even brought out the shorts this weekend since the weather is so beautiful.
Sleep?: Sleep is wonderful!  Though I have a habit of waking up 5 minutes before my alarm during the week and at 5am on the weekend.  Dreams are very vivid and bizarre!
Best moment this week?: Taxes being done and we are receiving a sizable income (first time since we have been married!).  Also, spring weather has arrived, and it is wonderful. 
Worst moment this week?: None really, very good week
Food cravings?: MAC & CHEESE!  I love that stuff. 
Symptoms?: Seems that they have disappeared.  No bloat, no exhaustion.  Yipee!
Exercise?: Cardio and weight lifting continue.  Gym work outs are better with my renewed sense of energy 

Gender?: Too early to tell
Movement?: Nope, still too early
Belly button?: Still in
What I miss?: Chocolate cake, and lots of it.  I had a dream I ate a whole Publix Fudge cake, and it was delicious.  So you can imagine, I woke up craving chocolate cake.
Labor signs?: too early!
What I'm looking forward to?: Going back to the OB on Wednesday, hanging with my sister at her bachelorette party, and enjoying more of the wonderful, spring weather.

ENERGY!!!

Not that I am drinking Red Bull or caffeinated beverages, but I have my "wings" back as the Red Bull commercial would say.  I feel like doing cart wheels in the yard to express my happiness to have energy...but I am not graceful or coordinated enough to do cart wheels! 

It feels like fatigue has left my body, and my energy levels are back to normal.  I have an extra spring in my step, and I don't fall asleep when I sit on the couch or lay on the floor with my dogs.  My work outs have been better, and I can stay up until 9:30 PM (6.5 hours of sleep...) without a nap right after work!

Hooray for energy, especially with the weather being warmer.  The dogs love it because I come home and walk them.  I love it because my work outs are better, and I  can concentrate during the middle of the week to study for the PE Exam that I take in April.  I hope my energy is here to stay!

Week 10

10 w 6 d

The bloat subsided at the end of this week, and I might be as bold to say that I have a bump; I've always had a flat stomach, and it's definitely not flat anymore! When I poke on my stomach it's hard - not all airy, puffy like it was to start the week.  Who knows...

I was happy to reach the 10 week mark, one-forth of the journey is over!  Plus, the double digit week count seems very reassuring to me. 

This week I began to think about maternity leave and when I should start it - my mom delivered all of her kids early, and a book I am reading (with lots of documented studies and research) say that the majority of women who continue exercising throughout their pregnancy up to delivery generally deliver between 38-40 weeks.  So with that knowledge, I am thinking of beginning leave two weeks prior to my due date.  But it's just thinking right now, eventually I'll hammer out of plan, but there's still plenty of time. 

How far along?: 10 weeks 6 days
How big is baby?: According to What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Started the week as the size of a Prune and about to be a Lime.
Weight gain?: No gain this week, but the bloat isn't so bad, and I think the 3lb weight gain is legitimate.  My goal was 3-5 for first tri since that was the recommendation.  Only 2 weeks and some days left!
Stretch marks?: No
Maternity clothes?:Not yet.  Pants fit fine - though some of my shorter shirts don't tuck in, so I try to find something to wear under them and keep the top shirt untucked.
Sleep?: One nap this week, but twice I went to be at 8PM.  To be fair though, I get up at 4AM, so that's 8 hours of sleep.  But on Thursday and Friday, I felt I had an energy surge and stayed up until 9:30PM!  And I never felt the need to nap.  I also bought a body length pillow on Friday since I wake up in the middle of the night with a full bladder but am too lazy to get up - I'm a stomach sleeper! 
Best moment this week?: Feeling like I have a ton of energy on Thursday and Friday! 
Worst moment this week?: Monday, I was sooooo exhausted and wanted caffeine, but I didn't give in.  Also, I found out my favorite root beer adds caffeine to it (Barq's), and only in limited markets do they sell the caffeine free version  (Utah).  BOO.
Food cravings?: Mac & cheese continues to be a favorite, and I keep wanting fast food, even though I rarely eat it.  Weird.
Symptoms?: Bloat was bad at the beginning of the week, and it appears the exhaustion lessened as the week went on.
Exercise?: Cardio and weight lifting continue.  I'm happy with my gym time - finally having energy back makes a difference. 

Gender?: Too early to tell
Movement?: Nope, still too early
Belly button?: Still in
What I miss?: Really wanted caffeine for a boost of energy, but happy I didn't give in
Labor signs?: too early!
What I'm looking forward to?: Going back to the OB in less than two weeks...hopefully they'll try to find the HB with the Doppler.

Must Resist the Urge...

How often do you see pregnant women in food advertisements?  Never? Rarely?

Why would they have pregnant women in the advertisement, when they must know that those women will crave almost anything they see on tv or in ads! There's no need for appeal or cutesy theme songs, just flash the food on the screen with the words "yuuuuummmm." and you will have me craving something at your restaurant.  Right now, I could really go for Outback's loaded cheese fries, but I am using all my will power to resist!  I also think how awesome it would be to order McDonald's chicken nuggets, Taco Bell chalupa, Burger King french fries, and a Chic Fla La chocolate milk shake.  Next up, some Bojangle's chicken and biscuits, pizza from any major chain restuarant, Krispy Kreme chocolate iced donuts, and an ice cold root beer (Not Barq's because it's caffeinated). 

All I think about is food, so I have to avoid the television so I don't give in (too much)! Maybe in one of my wild and crazy dreams, I can go on a fast food buying adventure to satifsy all of my cravings and wake up not wanting to dash out to the nearest place for their greasiest creation!

Week 9

So instead of a weekly stomach shot, how about a image of how I feel!  Seriously, who wants a belly shot of all that bloat.  Though due to where my jeans sit, I can still wear them despite the bloat, but my shirts just don't wear the same.  I can see the protrusion underneath, even though it might not be obvious to others. There's definitely less shirt tucked into the jeans.  

How far along?: 9 weeks 6 days
How big is baby?: According to What to Expect When You’re Expecting: Started the week as the size of a Green Olive and about to be a Prune
Weight gain?: Well, it appears I gained 2 lbs this week, but I blame the bloat.  Anyway, the gain this week would give me a total gain of 3 lbs (mass).

Stretch marks?: No
Maternity clothes?:Not yet.  My pants still fit very well.
Sleep?: Sleep continues to be my best friend.  I love the weekends because I am able to sleep 10-11 hours, and my body definitely needs it.  Last night I went to bed around 8:30 AM, and I didn't get up until 7:30AM despite waking up at 5:30AM and 6:30AM...
Best moment this week?: Telling the big boss that I am pregnant and wanting to take the 3 months off.  I was afraid of how he would react, but he was very happy for me and could see I already had a plan.  We talked through my plan (who would cover my work and how we would assess if they were able to take it over) and even discussed finding an intern for the fall semester.  He did make me laugh by saying if I planned it better we could have had a summer intern; I was the one who suggested a fall intern because I had previously completed a fall, spring and summer internship while in college.  So it was a very good conversation, and I'm glad I finally spoke to him.  Later in the day, he did ask if he could call me "Pudge."  I love when he has a sense of humor...means he's in a good mood!
Worst moment this week?: Work was crrrraaaazzzzy.  Felt like four Monday's and a Friday.  So glad it's over.
Food cravings?: See post below.  Too many, though I am not giving into them.
Symptoms?: Bloat has outweighed exhaustion.  By the way, only one nap this week.
Exercise?: Swimming and weight lifting continue.  I finally have energy back and can work out like I use to without giving up. 
Gender?: Too early to tell - though I had another dream last night about a baby boy.  We had brought him home from the hospital, and I was walking him around the house to show him all the colors because it made him smile and laugh.
Movement?: Nope, still too early
Belly button?: Still in
What I miss?: Nothing this week that I can think of.
Labor signs?: too early!
What I'm looking forward to?: Cleaning the house!  Not having energy has made it where I do NOTHING around the house except eat, sleep, and study.  I can't stand a messy house, but something has to give!

Okay, I give in, here's the weekly bloat shot. :)

Cravings & Aversions, Pet Peeves, and Super Powers

Cravings & Aversions

• Macaroni and Cheese (any variety - boxed, casserole, crock pot, cafeteria style, etc)
• French Fries from Burger King, Chick Fil La,Arby's curly fries
• Fast Food - Taco Bell chalupa, Bojangles chicken and biscuits, Subway Meatball sub, McDonald's chicken nuggets, and pizza (I rarely eat fast food)
• Pickles
• The Big Cheez-Its
• Barq Rootbeer (esp. since I quit drinking caffeine since I found out I was pregnant)
• And for aversions, the local sandwich shop (Pat's) chicken salad THAT I LOVE and all the desserts I made for my sister's bridal shower.  Who could possibly not want to gobble these up, but it made me sick to even think about eating any of it.  Between texture and sweet, I just can't manage.

Pet Peeves

Random, I know...not necessarily pregnancy related, but I just had to get it out!  I guess I get irritated more easily, though I just grin and bear it, well except for the units thing.

• US Customary Units (please, let's use metric)
• People who don't return shopping carts after their use
• People who don't hold the doors for others

Super Powers

Wow, can I smell things...good or bad, I have a strong sniffer.  It's said that your smell sense can be amplified when pregnant, and the experts are correct.  Stinky trash hits me like a ton of bricks even before I open the garage door.  Or when the dogs decide to not go outside and pee on the (faux) hardwood floor.  I almost get sick if I am cleaning it up (when AJ isn't around).  In addition, when people cook yummy food in the kitchen at work, I can't help but get hungry.  People cook bacon, and it's like I instantly know before it's even warm. MMMmmmm, bacon.  Love the smell.  I just hope when the baby is born, the super smelling power diminishes...