Awkward Stage

So apparently I am entering the awkward stage of pregnancy...that is if I wasn't already there. This is when I need this t-shirt:

So basically I walk around looking like I'm getting fat or have a serious beer guy. The whole plan was to continue wearing my regular clothes for a while.....this worked when it was cold since baggy sweatshirts hide yourself well. Well, now that its warm.....the little tank tops I like to wear don't quite work. Really I just look like a white trash porn star who had a few too many beers the night before. Probably not the best look going.

Hello 2nd Tri - 13 weeks!

Baby is about 3 inches & the size of a peach!

He or she now weighs about 2.5 ounces and is roughly 3.5 inches in length. Little hairs, known as lanugo, will start to cover their body this week, as their sense of taste and smell are further refined. Their cozy little amniotic sac is also increasing in size and mass as it continues to fill with more fluid.

Gifts from Grams

Little baby is already being spoiled.....

I'm pretty sure there isnt anything cuter than tiny onesie for a baby!

The other funny thing is that when Ryan & I met in college - I had the EXACT same cloud print sheets on my bed! They're super cute.

12 wk Appt

This morning I had my 12 wk appt with my midwife JoAnne. Everything went really well - I got the okay to start exercising again and to stop taking the progesterone cream. She gave me a note that will allow me to sign up for prenatal yoga class too.
I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time - it was at 150 bpm.
I asked her about the almost fainting episodes and she just said that it happens so some people and its typically either low blood pressure or low blood sugar. I keep snacks with me all the time to keep my blood sugar up and there's not much you can do about low blood pressure. So she just said if I feel that way to make sure I sit down & take it easy. She also told me that I need to start gaining weight -- Ryan wasn't really pleased with this development.

12 Weeks, 1 Day

Here's my pic:

I feel like I'm starting to get a little bump there - either that I or ate too much again. I just started feeling hungrier the past couple of days. My weight is still steady - no gain so far.

Today we also had our NT scan~! It was soo exciting to see the little baby - he/she was moving all around! The heartbeat was at 152 bpm & baby was measuring just slightly ahead at 12 wks 3 days. The very good news is everything looked perfect - the fluid behind the neck measurement (which measures risk for downs syndrome) was only 1.5 mm, with 1-3mm being normal & everything over 3/3.5mm putting you at risk. So baby looks all good! I go back for another blood draw on May 22nd (16.6 wks) and then will get the remainder of the results after that.

Here are some awesome pics from the ultrasound:

12 Weeks!

Even though your little Einstein’s body is still growing quite rapidly 2 inches long right now, the overall super-speedy growth of their amazing brain continues to leave the head proportionately larger than the body— and is actually slightly more than one third of their total body mass! The head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest. Your baby is also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare the lungs for future air respiration.
The big news: your little pooper is now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to the mother’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and your baby will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to your for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to your baby.

Under 200 days to go....

199 days still seems like a really long time though...

Anyway...wanna see a really cute picture?

How adorable is that? If only it was a john deere tractor instead of a ford. If you didnt guess, that's Ryan circa early 80's.

And yesterday Ryan printed this tshirt for the baby...

And now you have been overloaded with adorableness for your day!

camera up & running

I know you love pictures....

Baby Book/Keepsake from Aunt Lara

Card from Aunt Jesse

Card from Grams

And some of my first babies just because they're cute...

Daytona looking sad because she just got spayed & Tres who is out of control all the time

and its Wednesday...

We are now the proud (?) owners of a new 30 year fixed mortgage! Oh yes, we finally closed on the re-fi .... it only took about 6 months because they really wanted to bring it down to the wire and verify my employment the day before I was laid off!! Snuck by on that by the skin of my teeth. Writing big checks still makes me want to barf since we had to pay off our loan we took for the business in order to get the mortage. So now we have the pleasure & added stress of re-applying for that loan....this is when we find out how much Bullshit Obama was shoveling at us. Oh please if we can actually get a business loan (you know, he was all about helping & aiding small business owners!), I will eat my words. I promise.
Thankfully, Ryan bought me an omlette after we signed our lives away, which made me feel a little better.
So one thing crossed off of that 'things that stress me out way too much' list.

Also, I would highly recommend NOT reading anything about SIDS while you are pregnant. For some reason in the "baby bargains" book I am reading, they wanted to go in depth about how crib bumpers can cause infant death/suffocation. This is not something you want to read/think about while enjoying your frosted mini wheats at 7 am. It will induce a panic attack I tell ya!

Other than that....still feeling good....still down those freaky 2 pounds (but I'm not complaining).
Also had my dentist appointment today (see this day rocked, right?!) and thankfully was told I could put off getting my crown until after the baby is born as long as my temporary filling continues to hold up -- see, good news!

My camera died

So I seem to have lost the battery charger piece for camera. Its driving me nuts that I can't find it. So the good news for you is that I wont force you to look at picture of my fatness this week. The bad news is that you have to wait to see pics of the new gifts & cards we got!
Other than that....I seem to be slightly too stressed. I think I slept like 2 hours total last night - I woke up 7 times. Of course I got up to pee each time (just in case that is why I was waking up), but really I just couldn't shut off my mind from the constant worry. We are suppoed to be closing on the re-finance of our house tomorrow and that has me freaking out of course.
Then I just keep thinking of all the stuff we need to get for the baby. Do you have any idea how much crap you need to buy?! And then you have to worry about what's safe too! So you can't go buying a cheap crib or anything because it could have lead paint from China or be made from MDF which will leak formaldehyde for some reason and poison your little baby. This is insanity I tell you. Then all this stuff takes Months to get ordered in AND you are supposed to have it set up in your nursery 8 weeks Before the baby comes so that it can "air out" its toxic fumes!
Are you in a panic yet?! Cause I sure am......

11 Weeks - a lime seems so big!

Maybe you’ve noticed… your baby is a super-duper grower! Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week and has already achieved fruit-size-status comparable to a plum. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches.They're also developing their swallow reflex this week. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

My first purchase...

I just couldn't resist....


Apparently you're supposed to play lullabies to the baby & then after it's born play the same music & the baby will find it soothing. So when I found country lullabies, I had to buy it.

Because if this kid ain't country...I'll kiss your ass...

Heaven

Oh yea -- 3 egg ham & cheese omlette with a side of sausage. MMmmm good. I didn't really pay much attention to the homefries or toast - it was really about the meat & eggs.
I can't get enough meat, cheese & eggs. And no wussy meat like chicken - give me red meat & pig. Yum.
And yes, I went to a diner in the middle of the day to get this & I went by myself and I really didn't care if I looked like a starving loser. It was damn well worth it!!

10 wks, 1 day

Ryan has insisted he take over the 'picture taking' duties. He claims that if I keep taking them myself, they won't look right or I won't be able to at some point or some other weird explanation that I gave up trying to understand. The only problem here is that Ryan can be the slowest moving person around. So it takes me approximately 5 seconds to snap a quick photo of myself in the mirror; I go & get him involved and it becomes atleast a 5 minute ordeal. But I digress.... I let him take the picture this morning. He then told me that I had a "pouch" - luckily for him there was no gun within arm's reach.....

So here it is - 10 weeks, 1 day & I look like I ate WAY too much. Total weight gain/loss - I'm actually down 2 lbs. Yes, I know its a conundrum to have lost weight, but your belly is bigger. I have given up on reason and put all my faith in baggy, loose clothes.

10 Weeks! 1/4 of the way Done!

Your astonishingly tiny baby has been hard at work growing as fast as possible—almost doubling in size in the past three weeks! Amazingly, you’re in for a repeat size doubling performance within the next three weeks! Your tiny champion still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of their development. What’s more, they’re getting ready to make their first baby poop! Your little one’s major organ systems are developing, including a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through their bowels. The final shiny gold star on their fetal behavior chart for the week: your little scrapper has already developed defense mechanisms to protect them on reflex!

Also of note - baby's tail is now gone! And If your baby is a boy, his testes will start producing the male hormone testosterone.

You'all will have to wait for a pic until tomorrow because I forgot my camera at work.

Dollar Tree employees are nice

So this week I have been feeling like I am about to pass out quite a few times. The first time wasn't too bad & I figured it was from low blood sugar or something since I was waiting for my food at Panera. So I made an extra point of trying to eat something every 2 hours or so and I keep a whole snack jar in my purse. The last two times though, I had eaten fairly recently. Today was by far the worst & most embarrassing. I was in the check-0ut line at the dollar tree and I really felt like I was about to pass out - I got really hot, blurry vision, felt sick, everything - so I decided my best option was to lay down so I didnt whack my head if I did faint. Apparently, I must've gone really pale as well since the manager rushed over to me and helped me down, they got me a chair & some water and after I stripped some layers off and sat there for 5-10 minutes, I started feeling somewhat better. I was soo embarrassed but everyone was so nice. I had just eaten a bowl of cereal before I left the house, so it couldnt have been low blood sugar. My only guess now is a maybe a drop in blood pressure, I usually have low blood pressure to begin with. Im not sure though. I guess it if it keeps happening, I'll give my midwife a call and see what she thinks. Apparently, I am not to stand in lines for a while.

ZZzzz

I was goin' to write a post today....but this happened instead....