No suprise

It should be no surprise to anyone that I haven't posted in a month. Oops, bad me. I have been spending a ton of time trip planning, both for my Vegas trip and our upcoming FL trip/cruise combo, and my tailbone is killing me if  I sit in a chair for too long so my computer time has been limited.

Having said that, rather than trying to catch up I am going to make the next post about the past week, and then I will try to post some Vegas stuff. :).

Weeks 11 and 12: March 2-15

It is official, I missed a week! I was waiting for pictures from my friend Ashleigh and then I just... didn't post. Oops. So let me think back.

I know that starting on the first day of week 12 my nausea magically disappeared! It was amazing. I still can't handle turkey lunchmeat (not even just the smell) so Brian is stuck adding it to his own sandwiches for now. Outside of that I'm often very hungry all the time, which is actually a nice change. The insomnia continues and the ligament pain is getting worse. I had an OB appt on 3/13 and she assured me it is totally normal, including acting out how it feels (or how you look when experiencing it) and even Brian agreed that looked about right. Sprout's heartbeat was a steady 150-155, doing great!

Weight: I am still -2lbs on my pre-pregnancy weight. Rita (the OB's assistant who did our appt) says that means I get to eat my way through my upcoming trips. Score!

I am also cleared for flying next weekend and doing the cruise in May, which is awesome since both are non-refundable at this point.

Today is the beginning of my second trimester and I am looking forward to the supposed energy boost, since I am exhausted all the time.  I caught a cold from Kian which is probably not helping at all. Thank goodness it's Friday and tomorrow I get to sleep in!

Sprout is the size of a peach, about 3 inches long! Sprout's intestines are moving from the umbilical cord into his/her abdomen. Fingernails are there, and the head is starting to be proportionate, so more and more all the the time it looks like there's a tiny human in there instead of a big-headed alien embryo with a tail. XD

I have a lot coming up - Vegas next weekend which should be awesome. An adult trip, with no Kian, and lots of time to have a leisurely meal or sleep in as late as I want. I got some "grown up coloring books" on Amazon today and I plan to make good use of those too.

Now, for some pictures! All from 12 weeks - 3/11/12

Week 10: February 24-March 1

Fetus at 10 weeks

From babycenter.com:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Pretty incredible!

Symptoms:

I keep waiting for the whole "around week 10 morning sickness goes away" thing. I have great days that are totally nausea free, and then I have days where I am sick as a dog (see the previous post). The good days are starting to outweigh the bad. Post-breakfast seems to be the most commonly bleh time, and I've gotten in the habit of lunching late to accommodate that.

Fatigue - always! I am still not sleeping very well at night, and am trying to employ pillows to help. They don't help! Brian is great about letting me nap though... when he's around.

Aches and pains - See previous post for cyst madness. In between I'm still having lots of ligament type stretching/growing pain. And sneezing hurts like heck! So does things like, oh, Kian laying down and sticking an elbow in my (VERY SENSITIVE OW OW OW) boob. Then I lift up and scooch back and OW OW OW tummy muscle strain weird, OK Kian how about you not lay with me for a second while I try not to cry.

Speaking of the 'girls', they are growing again. It's about time for me to go get some new bras. OMG seriously? I remember this happening last time but I still swear it didn't happen so early. Maybe I am wrong!

Events:

We went to a "Family Friday" on base. My first burger was medium rare at best so I had to get a new one. Cooked to a crisp burger with American cheese and ketchup? Hello heaven! I keep craving them now.

Kian was great and made a new friend who was 6 and clearly Kian's hero.He could draw A-10s, he is good at math AND he likes Star Wars. Luckily the little boy was very nice and let Kian (and I) tag around behind him for most of the party.

We also got to see a bunch of the babies who were at Kian's birthday and are now SO BIG. I forget how fast it happens. And I officially have the pregnant, I want to see and touch all the babies so I remember good things are coming, thing. I don't know any of the moms of little babies well enough to ask to hold them, but I looked a lot.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful outside of my one really bad night. Brian and I had a few really good conversations in the evenings, which is always awesome.

We also booked our Disney Cruise! 5 night Bahamian on the Magic starting May 9th. Which is cutting it close for a lot of things, like planning. Who  knew there was so much info on cruising!? They also have a 24 weeks pregnant cut off date, and I will be 21 weeks. I will probably be the most pregnant woman on board! Now to try and figure out what to wear without spending a million dollars. XD

I suck and we did not take a belly pic this week, but a friend is coming to take a bunch next weekend!

Bad Night (A very whiny post)

Yesterday was one of the worst I've had in this pregnancy, I think.
I had my 'usual' nausea during the day, but it lasted from the time I woke up until about 3:30. I ate some breakfast anyway but it wasn't good and I just felt sick. When the nausea finally waned in the midafternoon, I ate some toast and then nibbled on a few pretzels. I was working my way through that second snack when Brian called around 4:15 to say he was on his way home but had to stop to run an errand, so he'd be home by 5:30. Somewhere in that following hour, all heck broke loose.
First I got horribly nauseated again.
I am pretty sure the lack of actual throwing up was sheer force of will on my part and even then it was a very near thing. Then the pain started. I believe it is just the cyst I was dealing with a few weeks ago. It seems to be in the same spot and is the same quality of pain, though it was much more intense last night. Then I was so so incredibly tired out of nowhere.
When Brian got home I was like, barely coherent. I told him I was sick and hurting and he said my hand felt like it was burning up, and asked if it was 'different', and did he need to call the doctor. Since I wasn't bleeding I said no.
He got dinner for himself and Kian and that was awesome. Somewhere in there one of the dogs had an accident and he dealt with that too, which was good because apparently by that point I was hurting enough that I was slurring my words. I was pale but my cheeks were red and my eyes looked a little funny. Brian asked at least 2 more times if he needed to call anyone or take me to the hospital.
Please realize that when I unraveled a nerve in my arm and it didn't work FOR A MONTH he was irritated at taking me to the ER, and when Kian had an adverse reaction to albuterol at 2 months he was annoyed at being stuck in the ER for 5 hours. So this must have been pretty bad.
By 7 I could take Tylenol again (because earlier in the afternoon I dumbly took some for a headache that must have been the precursor to all this), and that really helped. I am not certain I actually had a fever, but it brought my body temp down and took the edge off the pain.
I finally ate some crackers (in bed) at 9 o'clock, and that was the end of the nausea. I hurt enough to not sleep well after that though.
On the very bright side, today I am hungry and so far without nausea at all. It still hurts but it's totally bearable and I haven't even taken anything for it. I am, of course, exhausted from not sleeping but when Kian naps so will I.
So a long, whiny post from me! But I wanted to record it in case it happens again, so I can hopefully compare some or at least have a note of the date. And now you know why I will probably ignore you if you call today. If I am resting all the ringers are going off! :)

Week 9: February 17-23

9 week old fetus

From TheBump.com (who is using 'she' for this post, and I'm to lazy to change it to she/he. Not an indication of what I want or think Sprout is or anything)

• This is a milestone. She's no longer an embryo -- now she's a fetus!
• She's developing more distinct facial features.
• And she might now have a strong enough heartbeat to be picked up by a fetal doppler.
• She's gaining steam! At 9 weeks, your baby measures around .9 inches and weighs about .07 ounces.

So I have realized that I am doing these updates weirdly. Like, I am trying to post at the beginning of week 10 (though in this case I am a few days late), and post about week 9. But by the time I post, the baby isn't 9 week size/development anymore because all of the info talks about how the baby is at the beginning of Week X. I didn't really talk about development stuff last time, and to be perfectly honest I feel like my brain is full of oatmeal today so maybe this isn't the best time to be trying to figure this out. If you have any thoughts on whether I should be posting the 'start of week 10' info with my week 9 update, or the 'start of week 9' info with it, let me know! Maybe I'll change it next week.

But for now! At the end of the week, I have gained 1-2 pounds. That's what less vomiting'll do for you. So now I am -2 or -1 compared to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Symptoms: Fatigue is still a big one. I could sleep all day every day, and sometimes if I lay down to read I wake up thirty minutes later. Of course, I am still not sleeping soundly even at night. It's like this light, restless sleep that wants to happen all the time. I feel like it's sort of like the Fight Club insomnia thing. Never really asleep but never really awake. It is not as cool as Ed Norton and Brad Pitt make it seem :).
The nausea is getting better all the time. It's pretty common for me to feel icky between like 9am and 2pm, but breakfast and dinner are easier. Some days there's no nausea at all! And then I think, "Am I done? Maybe it's gone!" Only to feel awful the next day. No more getting my hopes up.
Ligament pain is a constant thing. Twice this week I have sneezed and it hurt nearly badly enough to make my cry. But I am a wimp! There's all sorts of weird stretching and growing going on down there.
Pregnant brain is such a real thing for me. I am always forgetful but now it's way worse. And I can't focus, or think of words, or type. And I forget things like... I fill the washing machine with clothes and detergent and dial the setting but don't his start. Or Brian asks me to make a phone call and I rack my brain all day and can't remember what it is. It's frustrating. See comment about my brain being filled with oatmeal, above.

Events: We went to a party at the house of one of the guys Brian was working with (he just transferred to a different area) last Sunday, where I chowed down on all kinds of food! Including the best ribs I have ever eaten. Brian was super helpful with Kian so I was mostly able to just sit and talk, which was nice.

I feel like this week passed in a haze of exhaustion and pregnant brain (it's a real thing). Kian had his big field trip last Wednesday and no school for the rest of the week, so we just took it easy. I feel like I have nothing to report!

I guess the biggest weird thing I am experiencing is my mental state. I am showing more all the time and I feel like crap so much of the time, but it still doesn't quite feel... real. Like in the end I'll have a baby. What? The novelty of the situation has worn off and I am not feeling well, but the end is so far down the road, it's like I'm in a weird miserable limbo state.

Brian continues to tell  me he thinks my first trimester with Kian was worse. I think some of the smell sensitivity was worse, but I know I didn't actually throw up nearly as much. I slept a lot but it seemed somehow easier, and I am sure there wasn't this level of ligament (or whatever) pain at this stage. We were talking about it and I decided the difference was that we didn't have Kian then. So I was the Pregnant Princess and it was all about me! So I whined when I didn't feel well and I slept when I wanted, and hardly got off the couch when Brian came home. He didn't have a 4 year old to entertain so he did a lot more cooking and laundry and helping out around the house, where now he feels like 'entertaining Kian is enough helping' (his words not mine) or 'all he has energy for'. So I think it's less that this time is easier and more that I  expected/anticipated the discomfort, I don't tell him as much when I feel rotten, and I know that if I don't do stuff it's not getting done. Kian needs to eat. He needs clean clothes. He needs to be watched and entertained and taught and taken to and from school. He needs a bath. And all these things are my job and mine alone. So I suck it up and get it done, and I try to maintain the rest of my jobs as well. Brian agrees that's probably true, and then thanked me for not whining (though not for doing more around the house necessarily).

So I think that sums it up. Sick, tired, hurting, brain dead, but trying to suck it up. And looking forward to the second trimester and feeling the baby kick and all the things that made me love being pregnant last time. It's coming, right?

Ultrasound #1 - February 17, 2012

If you click on these pictures, you will see a larger version.

Today was rainy and cool. We've had an unseasonably warm winter, and today we finally had a day that felt like February. Hooray for wearing a snuggly sweater and going to Mimi's Cafe for French onion soup before our appointment! Brian left work to do lunch with us and we brought Kian with us to the appointment.

We arrived a little early, but they were in a meeting so we didn't actually go back until about 1:10. At that point it all went really quickly because they took us straight into a sonogram room and the tech wasted no time in getting started. It was cool because there was the ultrasound unit but also a big TV on the wall, so Brian could sit in a chair with Kian and still see what was going on.

I got all settled on the bed and she said, "You're about 9 weeks along? Is this because the doctor thinks you are less than that?" My first clue that maybe I am not as huge as I think I am. To be fair, I was laying on my back at that point!

The tech was really good and found the Sprout with no problem. Even I could see right away where the head was, where the rump side was, and that there was clearly only one baby in there. Cue a rush of relief mixed with maybe a tiny bit of disappointment. I prepared myself too well! But then I could see the little heart fluttering away and I teared up and reached for Brian's hand. She pointed things out even though the view was  so good there really wasn't any need. The measurement showed Sprout to be 9 weeks, 1 day where my count had me at the day before 9 weeks. So I've adjusted things to compromise and made Friday my week switch over day (so the due date is Sept 21). Not that these things /really/ matter except to help me think about them. As Brian said, "So... now the due date is still late August?" Pretty much.

She also checked my ovaries and said there is indeed at least one cyst on my left ovary. I haven't had any pain at in that area for a few days, but it's kind of nice to know that there is one on there, that I  might have more discomfort from it but it probably will not be anything to worry about. And that it wasn't just gas pain or ligament pain when I was insisting it was sharper, different, and more intense. Knowledge is good!

She could also see the corpus luteum graviditatis on that side, which she implied meant that the egg came from that ovary. I am not totally sure how accurate that is (as in, I'm not sure both sides don't have one - need to do some more research) but if that is true, that's kind of cool to know.

Brian took the ultrasound snapshots to work or I would have posted them yesterday. He's like a kid with a cookie! After coming home last night, he did admit that he felt "a little cheated" because he was all ready for twins too. I admitted that there were some things about the prospect that seemed like they would be fun. But I had focused too much on the lack of sleep when Kian was newborn, not to mention the logistics of space and a second crib, and the additional expense, and needing an extra bedroom unless they were same sex as they got older and and and *pant*.

So mostly I felt relieved. And glad to meet Sprout and see that there really is a healthy little baby with a strong heartbeat in there. Brian grabbed the pictures and said, "Honey! There is a human being in there!" with a big grin. Pretty much! It makes it all much more real.

I talked to Kian ahead of time about what we would see, and he seemed to enjoy it though I'm not totally sure how much he really understood. He was very upset that Brian took the pictures with him and has asked to see them a ton since Brian brought them home. He calls Sprout "my baby" and asks to see "the pictures of  my baby". So adorable. I guess My Baby is better than 'beezee' which is what he was suggesting we should name the baby earlier in the week. XD

Week 8: February 9-16

Fetus at 8 weeks

From MedicineNet.com (the picture is from this article as well):
The baby is now about the size of a grape - almost an inch in size. Eyelids and ears are forming and even the tip of the nose is visible. The arms and legs are well formed. The fingers and toes grow longer and more distinct.

My weight: Still -3 lbs in spite of the visible bump and my uterus being larger than usual at this stage. Nausea, I guess!

Since I did a mid-week post and the ultrasound changed my due date a little, this post will be pretty brief!
My goal is to do a recap like this once a week regardless of other midweek posts. Reading back over the blog when I was pregnant with Kian I really like the recaps. And as much as I thought "OMG I was crazy to post my weight the whole time," it's kind of nice to be able to see it and possibly compare. So for now, I'll be tracking that too. Yikes.

2/17/12 - end of 8 weeks

2/17/12 - bare belly end of 8 weeks

This was truly a week of ups and downs. The cyst pain diminished considerably but I started having more general ligament pain. It is hard to articulate but the difference in the sensation is very obvious. On Thursday, the phone rang while I was laying down and I rolled over to get it and the sudden pain was enough to bring pain to my eyes. Even though it's not every time I bend or stretch or roll over I am trying to be more careful now.

I continue to crave fruit but have added salty things back into the mix. Pickles are fantastic right now (no, not with ice cream) because they are crunchy and juicy but also sour and salty! What a great invention. I am still experiencing some nausea but it's a lot less frequent and seems to happen mainly in the morning and anytime I let myself get hungry - so snacks are good! Other than that, smells are getting more and more pronounced and it's starting to affect my sense of taste a little. This is hard to explain too though I remember it from last time. Some things just don't taste quite like I expect them too, and I am pretty sensitive to salt. So even though I want salty things they can't be too salty. And I want fruit, but some of it tastes like the refrigerator and then it isn't good. Don't ask. Yes, in other words I am a totally picky pain in the butt. At least I am buying, fixing, getting my own food so it's not like this whole thing is bothering anyone else.
Other symptoms: Occasional headaches, peeing all the time, tons of fatigue and insomnia. The insomnia started in earnest this week, leaving me awake in bed for half the night. I told Brian I think maybe it's my body reminding me that four hours of sleep is plenty, in preparation for the Sprout's arrival. Oof.

After our appointment on Monday, I spent a lot of time first worrying about and then trying to prepare myself for the possibility of twins. I am going to do a post with ultrasound info next, but suffice it to say that was a big waste of time :). I also did some web surfing for other pregnancy blogs and things, which is fun. I should have been working on organizing stuff (since I have tubs of clothes and bags to go to Goodwill in my room from last weekend) but the fatigue is killer. I admire all of you pregnancy buddies of mine who are working full time! I have no clue how you do it.

2/12/12 New "pointy hair"

Kian had his Valentine's Day party at school and had a great time. I got him a Valentine's sock monkey that talks and he loves it and cracks up at everything it says.

Kian quote of the week:
After eating a huge lunch, I asked him if he was going to explode. He looked at me with very serious, big eyes and said:

2/12/12

"If I exploded, my body would go *kaboom sound effects* and there would be goo and blood everywhere! My skin would come off and you would see down to my bones, and I would probably be dead. So no, I am not going to explode." Right!