Weeks 12, 13, 14, 15

Weeks 12, 13, 14 and 15
How far along?: Yesterday marked 16 weeks, but since I'm so far behind and just starting week 16 I'm not going to count it yet :) To my defense, between being busy at work, 1+ week without power because of Hurricane Sandy and our anniversary trip, things have been busy

Total weight gain: Between 3-5 pounds - it fluctuates but I'm glad it's going up

How big is baby?: Week 12: Lime; Week 13: Tangerine; Week 14: Nectarine; Week 15: Apple

Maternity clothes?: No

Sleep?: Yes but still getting up in the middle of the night for the bathroom. I'm also at the point where I'm trying to sleep just on my side, although it just looks like a little bloat and not a big belly

Best moments?: Getting the results back of my Tay Sachs test that I'm not a carrier, and having a safe trip to London and Paris with Rob for our anniversary

Movement?: I thought I felt a little blip the other day although most websites say it may be a little early

Food cravings?: I wanted a vanilla milkshake for a while and Rob got me one when we got back from our trip - yay!

Food aversions: I've been pretty lucky and haven't had anything really turn my stomach (knock wood!)

Labor signs?: None

Belly button in or out?: Innie

What I miss: Nothing really, although watching what I eat around the holidays has been stressful. I accidentally had a small bite of goats cheese; drank about a cup of tea each day while in London (although I had several small cups during a tasting at the Twinnings Tea museum), and got a cold and sore throat after our trip so I had some Vitamin C cough drops. I thought that would be safer than herbal or medication cough drops.

Here's a photo from our 12 week sonogram:

Milestones: Officially in the 2nd Trimester!

Yes, I'm a Worry Wart

I've always had a type A personality. For example, I wouldn't change out of my uniform unless my homework was done. I'd freak if my bed wasn't made. I'd never leave my room without it being organized and everything in it's place. I studied all the time so I got good grades. Yea, that kind of crazy. What 5-year-old do you know acts like that?

Anyway, with that type A personality always came a barrell of nerves and the pressure to get straight As. That self-inflicted pressure has just gotten worse since I found out about the baby. I've opted for almost every prenatal test. I worry if what I'm eating is okay for the baby. If how I'm laying is affecting him or her. If Buster jumps on my stomach is it hurting the baby? The list has been endless. They say it's common with first time parents and I'm sure it will just get worse when my little one is born. But I want to vent about how these blood tests have been the death of me lately, especially when I just want them to come back saying everything is okay.

To start, during my first visit I had eight viles of blood taken. I don't mind the blood being withdrawn and thank God they all came back negative so I don't have any crazy disorder or disease. However, since Rob is of Jewish decent he got tested for Tay Sachs and it turns out he's a carrier. Fabulous, right? I was a wreck. I had to go for bloodwork to make sure I'm not a carrier and am now patiently waiting for those results. On top of doctors not being responsive, the blood tests taking weeks to process and the hurricane/blizzard/10+ day power outage which has managed to delay the results, it's been stressful to say the least.

Then last week I had a neuchleal translucency scan. High point: we got to see the baby again and got some really cute pictures. Low point: finding out my blood test shows a low PAPPA-A protein in the placenta, which can affect the baby's growth and put him or her at risk for Downs Syndrome. Although I'm still in the intermediate range it's still very scary to have your risk of having a baby with a chromosomal abnormality be 1 in 496 rather than 1 in >10,000. Unforunately it's all out of my control and there's nothing I can do except go for more ultrasounds to make sure the baby is developing properly. If he or she isn't growing on target by 28 weeks, I'll be put on bedrest and probably have to have the baby early. The nurse was somewhat reassuring during yesterday's appointment saying that in 85% of the cases everything is fine and that she has this conversation around 1-2 times per week. However, it's still very nerve-wracking. It's not like I'm pregnant at 45 and expecting to be in these high risk situations. I'm 29. Jeeze!

Even before the test, all I was praying for each and every day is a healthy baby and those prayers still continue in full force. Stay safe and grow strong, my little bambino. Mommy loves you! xoxo

Weeks 10 & 11

Not too much has changed in the last few weeks, but here's the update:

How far along?: 11 weeks
Total weight gain: Maybe a pound or two
How big is baby?: Week 10 was the size of a kumquat - whatever that is; Week 11 is a plum
Maternity clothes?: No
Sleep?: I'm sleeping but found it's hard to fall back to sleep after I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night
Best moment this week?: Getting our first baby gift from Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark - an adorable baby robe! I can't wait to use it in 7 months :)
Movement?: According to my updates he or she is moving in there but I can't feel it.
Food cravings?: I haven't had any crazy cravings yet - or at least nothing out of the ordinary since even before I was pregnant I could always "go for something." One day during last two weeks I had a craving for Pasta Fagioli soup so I ordered it for lunch the next day. I also could have gone for a grilled chicken gyro with waffle fries or a Greek salad, although I never really was a big fry person and I can't have the feta cheese on a Greek salad. We were all ready to have that for dinner and then Rob's mom weighed in saying it wasn't healthy for the baby - although I'm not sure how grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and pita bread is unhealthy. Either way, that killed my desire for that dish.. for now.
Food aversions: It's not a food but lately my mouthwash has made me want to gag when I use it
Labor signs?: None
Belly button in or out?: Innie
What I miss: Nothing really lately
What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to seeing the baby on the songoram again nexy week but also somewhat nervous for the nucheal translucency test. Fingers crossed it comes out okay.
Milestones:
- Not feeling exhausted at night - a huge step!
- Telling my bosses and HR this week.
- According to my weekly pregnancy updates, it's an exciting week for the baby:
Starting with week 11, the baby is now officially called a fetus. Your baby has continued to grow. Now almost two inches long, your little one has been engaged in some heavy acrobatics, kicking, and stretching inside your womb. Remember, even though she is getting bigger, it may be some weeks before you feel her moving around. His skin, though still paper thin and transparent, is forming a protective barrier around his body. His tiny fingers and toes have begun to separate into unique extremities, and he's also begun to open and close his fists. The first signs of where her teeth will form appear this week, as tiny tooth buds begin to pop under her gums. She may even have her first case of the hiccups, as her diaphragm begins to develop.

Baby's First Picture

October 10th was a very, very exciting day. We had our first sonogram!

Of course Rob played it cool but it was definitely a mix of emotions for me - the fear that something might be wrong, worry that we might not hear a heartbeat and the excitement of seeing the baby for the first time. Thankfully, everything is on track for a May 13 due date and the baby appears to be healthy. I actually let out a little scream when I saw the arms and legs move - which startled the doctor - and I shed a few tears when I heard the heartbeat. I actually asked her to turn the sound on again so I could hear it again. Never in my life have I seen or heard something so amazing. I still get teary eyed thinking about it and can only imagine what a wonderful and emotional journey we have ahead.

Our Bambino Week 9

Weeks 8 & 9

How far along?: 9 weeks and a few days :)
Total weight gain: Maybe a pound or so - not sure it fluctuates
How big is baby?: Week 8 was the size of a raspberry; Week 9 is a cherry or olive
Maternity clothes?: No
Sleep?: I'll get up once or twice a night for the bathroom and still tired early
Best moment this week?: Definitely the sonogram!
Movement?: He or she is moving in there but I can't feel it. It was sooo amazing to see the arms wiggle a bit on the sonogram
Food cravings?: During week 7/8 I had a crazy craving for a shrimp tempura roll. When I finally had it, I was surprised it wasn't as delicious as I expected. I also wanted a white cheese and spinach pizza so we got it from our local pizza place and it wasn't very good. So far my cravings aren't meeting my expectations, although Rob seems to enjoy me wanting to eat out more
Food aversions: Anything green seems to make me queasy (broccoli rabe, salad, spinach) and red peppers give me heartburn for days
Labor signs?: None
Belly button in or out?: Innie
What I miss: I could go for a cup of coffee or a turkey sandwich or a spicy tuna roll - none of which I can have
What I'm looking forward to: Telling my Grandma and Poppy on Saturday
Milestone: There were two this week - 1) The first sonogram: hearing the heartbeat and finally seeing our little miracle 2) Telling my grandparents they were going to have their first great grandchild :)

The Bambino: Weeks 6 & 7

When I wrote this post, it was marking week 7! During week 6 we went to the doctor to confirm the pregnancy and stock up on reading material about what not to eat, what tests to consider getting and confirm the due date of May 13. We go back to the doctor on October 10th to hear the heart beat and see what the little bambino is up to!

How far along?: 7 weeks
Total weight gain: 0
How big is baby?: Week 6 was the size of a pea; Week 7 is a blueberry
Maternity clothes?: No
Sleep?: Yes, and I'm definitely feeling more tired. Lately I'm tired by 7:30 and on the couch by 9
Best moment this week?: Last week going to the doctor and having her say everything looks good so far
Movement?: He or she is just getting cozy; too small for movement
Food cravings?: Not yet, although I do go through waves of nausea which is really frustrating and not fun
Labor signs?: None
Belly button in or out?: Innie
What I miss: Since I'm so tired I could go for a cup of coffee to give me a jolt but am staying away from caffeine
What I'm looking forward to: Our doctors appointment on the 10th to hear the heartbeat
Milestone: Telling our parents and siblings. My moms reaction was the best. And for some reason my siblings and their signficant others all had a strange feeling we were expecting.

And Baby Will Make 4!

I'm very excited to share that we're finally pregnant! Buster will be a big brother come mid-May and Rob and I will embark on the exciting adventure of parenting!

They always say it happens when you least expect it and boy did it ever. After debating a vacation for the last few months we finally booked a trip to London and Paris to celebrate our five year anniversary back in August. Since it's taken nearly a year for it to actually happen, I figured the odds were against us. Coupling that with the our busy travel schedules for work, never in a million years did I think we'd get pregnant this time around! But I'm very excited, thankful and relieved it finally happened.

I know this post is a little delayed but we didn't want to jinx anything by sharing the news too early. However, I still wanted to document some special miletsones along the pregnancy so I snagged the below from a friends blog to help keep track of the details. I'll also try to post pictures documenting the belly bump along the way :)

How far along?: 5 weeks
Total weight gain: 0
How big is baby?: Estimated to be about the size of a seed (I've read orange seed or sesame seed)
Maternity clothes?: Better not be!
Sleep?: Yes, and I'm definitely feeling more tired
Best moment this week?: The four positive pregnancy tests
Movement?: He or she is just getting cozy; too small for movement
Food cravings?: Not yet
Labor signs?: None for a long time
Belly button in or out?: Innie
What I miss: Nothing major yet, but there are a few things I know I'll miss already!
What I'm looking forward to: Telling our families and friends
Milestone: We're pregnant!!!!!