16 Weeks Baby!

Baby is now the size of an avocado!
Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

How Far Along: 16 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain: I had gained 2 lbs at the doctor's office yesterday, so now I'm back to what I was at my first visit.
Maternity clothes: My jeans are definitely starting to fit a little tighter. I'm pretty sure they'll be comfortable for only a few more weeks.
Sleep: I'm no more tired than usual and I'm FINALLY able to sleep past 8 AM on my days off. Yipee! Well, if you don't count getting up to pee anywhere between 2 AM and 7 AM.
Best Moment this week: I got to hear the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office yesterday and on Wednesday at work, we got out the Sonosite machine (which is kind of like a lower grade ultrasound) and we were able to see the baby's profile and they were busy sucking their thumb! So cute! They were just moving all around and they kept putting their butt in our face! The nurse doing it said she couldn't see a penis, but she wasn't sure because it wasn't the best quality image. On Sunday, the wife of one of my patients wondered aloud if I was pregnant during our conversation. Apparently I'm showing to people who don't know I'm pregnant!
Movement: I think I may have felt it on Sunday morning when I was laying on my stomach in bed. It felt like a fluttering that kept getting faster and faster. I haven't felt it since, but most people think it was the baby. I know it's very active in there, but I just can't feel it yet!
Gender: Still unsure, but we have our gender determination ultrasound tomorrow, aka Red Pants Day (thanks Claire!!). Hopefully the baby will cooperate because there are soooo many people who are waiting for the news!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: I was craving Cinnamon Toast Crunch earlier this week. Craving satisfied and it is yummo!
Nausea: Not having any anymore (thank goodness!) and I wouldn't necessarily call what I have while in the shower or brushing my teeth morning sickness. I'm not nauseated when I wake up, I just gag severely and end up throwing up. Hopefully that will pass soon.
What I miss: Not having to worry about my blood pressure. It was elevated at the doctor's office at my last visit, but I told him it's usually only high at the office. He wanted me to keep track of it at work and I have. The results aren't good. The two times I've checked it at work, it's been 133/92 and 141/95. Yikes. At home and at my yearly employee health physical last week, it's been normal. My mom and I went to Sam's before my appointment yesterday and I took it there after walking around for 30 minutes and it was 124/80. However, at the doctor's office an hour later, it was 151/86. They were definitely concerned since I'm having feet and ankle swelling already too. They ordered some blood work, so I'm waiting on them to call me with the results and whether or not I have to go on a blood pressure medication, labetalol. I was researching it last night and it's made me nervous. It's a class C drug, meaning there hasn't been enough research on pregnant women. There has been evidence of low fetal heart rate and blood pressure at birth. I know one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure is to relax, but that's slightly difficult when the doctor may want you to take something that could harm your baby. Blah.
Stretch Marks: No new ones
Weekly wisdom: Patience is a virtue. And one that I don't come by honestly. I need to work on it!
What I am looking forward to this week: Seeing our baby tomorrow and hopefully finding out what we're having. I'll post again tomorrow!

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When I was growing up, reading was a hugely important part of my life. My maternal grandmother was a librarian, my paternal grandmother was a teacher, and my mom was a teacher. I loved books and I still love them today. I want my child to grow up loving to read as much as I did. And I want them to read some of the classic books I did. The Friends of the Library group in Houston County is having their annual Old Book Sale and my mom and I went yesterday. We went with the intention of buying children's books and buy we did! We spent almost 2 hours perusing the children's section and I found a lot of great books, including some classics like The Ugly Duckling, The Little Red Caboose, Bambi, and The Cat in the Hat. I also got a lot of Berenstain Bears, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Little Golden books. I can't wait to start reading to my baby! I got all of the books pictured below (59 books!) for $21.75!

15 Weeks

Baby is now the size of a naval orange!
Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now out measure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

How Far Along: 15 weeks and 5 days
Total weight gain: I was still two pounds down at my Employee Health physical on Wednesday. We'll see what happens at the doctor next week.
Maternity clothes: My jeans are starting to fit a little tighter in the waist. My dress pants are comfortable to fasten, but when I sit down, I feel like I'm being squeezed to death.
Sleep: I'm finally able to sleep until 10 or 11 on my days off! I usually wake up around 7 or 8 and I have to force myself to go back to sleep, but at least I'm able to do it!
Best Moment this week: Getting some great deals at Publix. See below.
Movement: None yet, but I can't wait until it happens!
Gender: I still have no idea, but people at work have started a sheet guessing what I'm having and most of them think boy. And a few of them think I'm having multiples. Um...ok?
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: Nothing crazy yet.
Nausea: All day nausea is still a thing of the past, but I'm still throwing up in the shower and while brushing my teeth pretty much every day
What I miss: Not dreading the task of brushing my teeth
Stretch Marks: No new ones
Weekly wisdom: I wish we had a Publix in Gray!
What I am looking forward to this week: Being in the final week until we get to see our little one again and hopefully finding out what sex it is!

~ ~ ~
Check out all of the awesome stuff I got at Publix this week! I signed up for their Baby Club a few weeks ago and got my first installment of coupons last week. If you are pregnant, know someone who is, or a parent who hasn't signed up yet, you should definitely do so here. I got all of this stuff for $33. Some of the coupons were free items, some were buy one, get one free, and others were discounts. That box of Pampers is a 72 count and I got a pack of 216 Pampers wipes free when I bought them! I can't wait until I get my next set of coupons! They also send you a copy of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Caring for Your Baby and Young Child .

14 Weeks!

Baby is now the size of a lemon!
Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

How Far Along: 14 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: Still down a few pounds, but not as much as last week
Maternity clothes: Pants still fitting and wearing a maternity shirt every now and then. My mom said the one I had on Saturday actually made me look pregnant. Yay??
Sleep: Sleeping well at night except for the obligatory "wake up to pee" break
Best Moment this week: Getting some great deals at the Jack & Jill consignment sale. I bought a few gender neutral gowns, an express bottle/baby food warmer, a movement monitor, and a sleep sack. If I had known what we were having, I could have done WAY more damage!
Movement: None yet, but I'm so ready for it!
Gender: I have no idea, but most people say girl
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: Buttered Popcorn Jelly Bellies. Yum!
Nausea: The all-day nausea isn't really a problem anymore, but I'm still getting sick in the shower and while brushing my teeth. On Tuesday morning, I developed these lovely red splotches from broken capillaries under my eyes due to throwing up. It made me look like a crackhead. Good times.
What I miss: Brushing my teeth without losing some stomach contents.
Stretch Marks: No new ones
Weekly wisdom: I could spend hours (and lots of money) in a children's clothing store.
What I am looking forward to this week: Spending my day off tomorrow with Thomas

I dreamed a dream...

...and it was a funny one!

I dreamed that we were at the doctor's office to find out what we were having and when they started going down the body to see what it was, the baby was wearing pants! We couldn't see what sex it was! Hi-larious!

13 Weeks!

Baby is now the size of a peach!
Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

How Far Along: 13 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: I got on the scale yesterday and I've lost 6 more pounds, in addition to the 2 I had lost last week at the doctor's office. It's got me concerned because I haven't seen the baby in several weeks and I just want to make sure it's growing as it should. I haven't been eating less because of the nausea and I wasn't ever throwing up after eating. When I do eat, I find that I'm getting fuller quicker. I guess I need to start eating smaller meals more often. We'll see how that goes at work!
Maternity clothes: My pants are still fitting, but I've worn a few maternity shirts because they're cute and I don't feel as fat in them as I do in other shirts.
Sleep: My fatigue hasn't been bad actually. I haven't been able to sleep past 8 or so on my days off, which is annoying, but oh well. At work, I get tired in the afternoons, but it's bearable.
Best Moment this week: Scheduling childbirth classes and our gender determination ultrasound for May 1st! My mom offered to pay for a 2-visit package, so we'll hopefully get to find out what we're having on May 1st (at 16 weeks!) and then we'll get to do a 3D/4D ultrasound later on...probably around 30 weeks or so. I scheduled it for a Saturday so that Thomas' parents will be able to be there. Speaking of his parents, they told us last week that they're going to buy the baby furniture for us. We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents!
Movement: None yet, but I start getting weird sensations when I hold the laptop on a pillow on my lap. Like maybe the baby is not appreciating being encroached by stuff. Who knows.
Gender: I'm guessing boy or girl, but hopefully we'll find out for sure in a few weeks!
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: Last night, I wanted a Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen, then warm glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme. I didn't get either, but the thoughts of them were yummo!
Nausea: I haven't been nauseated for 4 days now. Yay! However, this pollen has really gotten to me and I've never really been an allergy sufferer before. I've had a scratchy throat, sinus pressure, runny nose, cough, etc. I didn't get any sleep on Tuesday night because of it, so I called in to work. I called in for today too since I still wasn't feeling well. It's crazy because I wanted to call in for weeks because of nausea/vomiting, but something non-pregnancy related finally gets me. Blah!
What I miss: Being able to sleep in on my days off. I know I better get used to it, but aren't I supposed to be able to sleep now? Good grief!
Stretch Marks: No new ones
Weekly wisdom: Pollen is the devil!
What I am looking forward to this week: Going to Augusta this weekend for the Masters, relaxing, shopping, and eating good food!

Just some random stuff

This is the fun wreath my mom/Easter Bunny gave me for Easter. I love it!


This is what Thomas woke up to on Friday, courtesy of my mom. Is she the best Mother-in-Law, or what? I had to work on Friday, but we went out to dinner at Bonefish with my fam after I got off. It was delish!

Second Trimester!

Baby is now the size of a plum!
As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

How Far Along: 12 weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: I've actually lost 2 pounds. They said it was normal for this stage because of all the nausea.
Maternity clothes: I'm still not requiring any, but I wore a maternity shirt last weekend because I didn't like anything else in my closet.
Sleep: Still needing a lot and wanting to crawl under a table at work and take a nap. But that would just be gross considering I work in a hospital.
Best Moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat today! It was nerve-racking at first because the nurse couldn't find it with the doppler, so she had to get Dr. Harper in there to find it. He was seeing another patient, so it took him awhile to come in. It took him a little bit to find it too, but eventually he did. It was a strong 164!
Movement: None that I can feel yet
Gender: I'm guessing boy or girl
Labor signs: None and I hope not to see any for a long time!
Belly button: Innie
Cravings: I still crave juice, but it gives me heartburn. I actually got to satisfy my craving for sushi this past weekend with a non-raw fish roll. It was very yummo!
Nausea: It hasn't been bad today or yesterday, but on Monday and Tuesday, I thought I was going to have to call in sick to work at the last minute because I was throwing up so much. But, I didn't and went on to work. Gotta save those time and attendance points and my leave!
What I miss: Loving every minute!
Stretch Marks: Still the few new ones on my belly.
Weekly wisdom: Have faith. Stop worrying so much!
What I am looking forward to this week: Only working one day then having another one off!