Fourteen Weeks

Sorry I am just now posting, guys...I'm just having a "blah" kind of day!  I'm just not feeling very well (despite my walk this morning, which I thought would give me some much needed energy), and I cried twice before two o'clock (for no reason, like usual).  I guess it's just all these blasted hormones!  Oh well...tomorrow will be a better day, right?

Now, let me stop whining (sorry for that, y'all!) and update you on our little Peanut's progress from this week...

Symptoms:

-mild nausea (part of why I'm not feeling well today...yuck)
-fatigue (not nearly as bad as before though, and I think the exercising has a lot to do with it!)
-moodiness (as evidenced by my frequent crying spells)
-increased hunger (this is getting worse...I swear, I am an endless pit these days!)
-gassiness/indigestion
-nasal congestion/bloody noses (mainly in the morning or when I lay down)
-mild cramps/ligament pain (since my uterus is growing and hips are trying to spread...ouch!)

Size of Baby:

Lemon (around 3.5 inches and 1.5 ounces)

Milestones/Happenings:

Peanut has doubled his/her weight since last week, and should do it again this week!  He's getting too big to "hide" behind my pelvis, and should be "popping" up from behind the pelvic bone and into my abdominal cavity any day now!  He's covered in that baby fine hair, called "lanugo", which will keep him nice and cozy in there.  The kidneys are making urine, which he tinkles out into the amniotic fluid and then swallows again, repeating the process (gross, I know).  The intestines are also "practicing" for when they will have to digest food.

Food Cravings/Aversions:

-I'm finding myself cravings fish tacos again...and I have to admit, I may have eaten them three out of four nights last week.  Sooooo good!

-I also want french fries.  Every day.  Morning, noon, or night.  Yummm...

-Some things still don't taste very good, like hot coffee (or any hot beverage) and certain cuts of meat.  But pretty much everything else is fair game at this point! ;)

Belly Pic:

I'm really not seeing a whole lot of change in the last few weeks, but I'm sure that will change once Peanut "pops" out!  I'm hoping it'll happen soon!

Alrighty, time to go feed the Peanut-ster!  PTL for my awesome MIL, who made homemade lasagna and banana pudding...otherwise it might have been a frozen meal kind of night! lol

Praying you all have a blessed week!

13W4D

Gooooood morning, guys!  

Just wanted to drop in and let you all know that Peanut and I are doing well!  I assume he/she is still growing like a weed in there, and from what my pregnancy apps say, he should be on the move pretty much all of the time now!  (I still can't feel any acrobatic movements, but I probably won't until somewhere around sixteen to twenty weeks.)  Only three weeks left till our next appointment with Dr S, our anatomy scan at the 4D ultrasound place, and our Gender Reveal Party!  I can already tell that's going to be a GREAT week---bring it on!! 

I hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the week filled with God's blessings!  Peanut and I will check back in Saturday for our usual Pregnancy Progress Update! :)

Thirteen Weeks

Guess what????

We made it!!!  Peanut and I are officially in the second trimester!!  This milestone makes me even more amazed (if that's possible) at God's faithfulness and ability to perform miracles!  His love is never-ending, He answers His children's prayers, and He is worthy to be praised (this day and every day)!  Who will join me in praising Him this morning?? :)

Whew.  That's good stuff right there!  Okay, now that I've gotten my worship on, let's see what ole' Peanut's been up to this week...

Symptoms:

-moodiness (I have a feeling this isn't going to get any better until after Peanut arrives...sorry, in advance, to anyone I snap at or randomly cry in front of! lol)
-fatigue (not NEARLY as bad as the last few weeks! I think this has a lot to do with my increased activity level)
-increased hunger (OMG...this is serious, y'all.  I'm like a never-ending pit.)
-bloody/stuffy nose
-bigger tah-tah's (no longer sore though--yaaaay!)
-nice, bright blue veins on my tah-tah's, upper arms, and thighs (this is due to the increase in my blood volume...it increased as much as 60% during pregnancy!  Wowzers!)
-nausea (on and off, but I'm pretty used to this now)

Size of Baby:

Tangerine (around 3 inches)

Milestones/Happenings:

Now that we're in the second trimester, Peanut will concentrate on growing at a rate of about one inch per week (wow!).  His body will start to catch up with that big noggin' of his, which accounted for half of his size the last few weeks.

Peanut can smile now (better start practicing for those photo ops, cause Mommy likes to take pictures! lol) and may even put his thumb in his mouth, even though he hasn't quite developed all of his sucking muscles yet.  All twenty teeth have formed and are hidden underneath the gums in that tiny mouth of his.

Food Cravings/Aversions:

I'm really eating like a horse now!  There are still some things that don't sound good or "taste funny" (like pork, some seafood, and coffee), but for the most part, I'm not having any problem finding stuff to eat!  I'm trying not to "eat for two" (I only need around three-hundred additional calories a day at this point in the pregnancy), but instead just eat sensibly when I'm hungry...but I swear, it seems like every hour! lol

Baby Bump:

I'd say The Bump is a little bigger than last week...what do you think?

Well, guys, I'm off to join my friend for a walk in the park!  This Mommy's gotta get her exercise so she and Peanut can stay healthy! ;)  I'll check in again soon, so stay tuned!

12W4D

Happy Wednesday morning, y'all! I love Wednesdays because they're my "halfway point" to starting a whole new week of pregnancy!  Today we're halfway done with our last week of the first trimester---eeeek!!

Since we don't have any doctor's appointments this week, there's really not a whole lot going on.  My MIL and I did happen to stop by a baby furniture boutique during an outing yesterday, and (of course), I feel in L-O-V-E with a nursery set.  Being the OCD planner that I am, I would have loved to have ordered it yesterday (yes, I am that confident that it's The One), but I decided to wait until my mom comes up to see us for the Gender Reveal Party (in Feb) so I can get her (and my soon-to-be SIL's) expert opinion(s).  You know what they say: Mamas know best! ;) I also want to make the final decision on the wood color once we know Peanut's gender...my husband and I are definitely set on expresso for a boy, but kind of torn between that and white for a girl.  I tell you, these are some serious decisions, people! lol

Now that the furniture is pretty much decided on, it's time to move on to bedding, which will be my project for today!  There are so many choices out there; so many color combos and themes!  The possibilities are endless!  Guess I'd better start narrowing it down, huh?

So, I was reading my "Celebration of Life" devotional this morning (my sweet baby daddy got this for me the day we got our second beta back), and thought the message was so wonderful I just had to share it!  Here's an excerpt from today's devo, entitled "Being Patient":

"...Psalm 37:7 commands us to "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him".  But, for most of us, waiting patiently for Him is hard.  We are fallible human beings who seek solutions to our problems today, not tomorrow.  Still, God instructs us to wait patiently for His plans to unfold, and that's exactly what we should do...So the next time you find yourself drumming your fingers as you wait for a quick resolution to the inevitable challenges of being an expectant mom," (or the challenges to make it to that point) "take a deep breath and ask God for patience.  Be still before your Heavenly Father and trust His timetable: it's the peaceful way to live."

And the quote for the day is this:

"No matter what we are going through, no matter how long the waiting for answers, of one thing we may be sure.  God is faithful.  He keeps His promises.  What He starts, He finishes, including His perfect work in us." -Gloria Gaither

Doesn't that just give you the glory bumps??  Next time you're feeling more impatient than usual, remember that God's plan is flawless and totally worth waiting for!

Twelve Weeks

Ok, so apparently I was a little off on when the second trimester starts, so Peanut and I won't officially hit that marker till the end of this week (not the beginning like I thought).  But oh well---we're still going to celebrate his/her twelve week "pre-birthday"!  (Feel free to do the happy dance with me...y'all know how it goes ;) )

So, this week has been rather exciting!  Let's see what's been going on...

Symptoms:

PTL these seem to have gotten better over the last week!  Either that or I'm just getting used to them all! lol

-nausea (kind of getting used to this)
-moodiness (there's no getting used to this...I feel bad for my poor husband!)
-bigger tahtah's (I DEFINITELY could get used to this! hehehe)
-extreme exhaustion
-on and off headaches
-(painful) gassiness/indigestion

Size of Baby:

Small peach (around 2.5-3 inches long from head to hiney)

*Last week, one of my Pregnancy Apps said he/she would double over the week...but now I'm thinking that's not the case.  But still, Peanut is healthy and growing on track, and that's all that matters!

Milestones/Happenings:

Peanut's intestines that, at first, grew inside the umbilical cord (weird, right?) will now move into his abdomen.  Now that he's using the placenta for nutrients, it will start to grow in size to accommodate for Peanut's ever-increasing needs.  (At birth, the placenta may way as much as two pounds!)

In non-developmental news, Mommy had some big milestones occur this week, too!  Not only did I have my first OB appointment with Dr S, but I was also cleared to start exercising again!  Eek!  I've already been out for two walks (the weather has been yucky here), and it feels so good to be doing something active again!  But don't worry, I'm not doing anything too cray-cray.  I'm trying to stay in shape, not win any races!

As if the permission to exercise wasn't awesome enough, I'm also being weaned off of the estrogen and progesterone!  Last Sunday, I started taking them only every other day, and tonight will be my last dose of both!  MAJOR eek!!!  My tush is quite grateful! lol

More big news: my husband and I went ahead and made our 4D ultrasound appointment for the same week as my sixteen-week visit with Dr S.  We will find out what Peanut is on Valentine's Day (which will make me 16W5D)!  How exciting is that?!  But don't go thinking I'm going to come home and spill the gender beans the same day...you guys have to wait to find out until the rest of the family does at our Gender Reveal Party that Saturday! I know it'll be agonizing, but I promise it'll be worth it! :)

The last major thing to happen this week was my crossing over into maternity-wear territory.  That's right, folks, I am rocking the paneled pants!  And OMG, does it feel soooo much better!  The tummy sleeve was helpful for those three weeks or so (and I probably will still use it for pants that I really want to wear but can't button), but the combo of the undone buttons and the tight tummy sleeve kept cutting into my growing belly, and it was not pleasant!  My MIL and I spent a whole day doing some maternity shopping, and I made out like a bandit in the pants department!  Now if I could only find some more shirts that were long enough to hide the belly panel on the pants but actually fit in the boobs and belly...guess there will be some more shopping in my future!

Food Cravings:

Almost everything.  (I'm serious about this...my appetite is back with a vengeance!)

Food Aversions:

Not much anymore!  There are some things that just don't taste right to me, but all in all, I've been eating pretty well!  Guess those pregnancy pounds will start to pile on now, huh? ;)

Baby Bump:

There's not too much of a difference between this week and last week's photo, but I'm sure The Bump will grow very quickly in the next few weeks!

Even though I don't have an appointment this week, I'm still going to try to post at some point mid-week just to check in and let you all know how Peanut and I are doing.  I hope you guys have an awesome and blessed weekend! :)