8 Weeks

How far along?   8 Weeks + 4 Days

Baby's Development:  Fingers and toes are now budding from the arms and legs, which have distinguished knees and elbows.  Data suggests the heartbeat should be around 150 at this point.  However, on Thursday, baby's heartbeat was 166....which I hope is a good thing

Total weight gain/loss:  Still around 129, so down about 5 lbs

Maternity clothes?   Nothing new, other than the pre-loved clothes my mom gave me over the weekend. She got them from a co-worker and has been holding them back to give to me.  Thankfully, she was about my size so the 3 pair of dress pants + 3 dressy tops will come in very handy.  I'm sure once I'm able to eat again, I'll fit into them before I know it

Sleep:  Still 100% non-existent :(  Though the humidifier is helping me breathe, it's not helping me sleep

Best moment this week:  Going to our 1st ultrasound last Thursday.  I was so sick and actually called to cancel my appointment and re-schedule, but they had no openings until something crazy like March 7th.  C convinced me to come home and rest, then said he would drive me back to the hospital and go into work late.  Well, once we got to the office we didn't wait long at all before going back and it was the coolest thing ever.  Of course when I saw our baby on the screen, my heart was pounding until she turned the sound on and we heard the heartbeat and saw it too.  Everything after that moment was completely amazing and the coolest thing I've ever seen.  They had a giant flatscreen so we could see everything very easily.  The tech took tons of measurements and pictures, but only gave us 2 to keep.  The heartbeat was 166 BPM, which seems to be strong.  She didn't say anything bad about a high heart rate being a bad thing, so I'm assuming it is good.  Baby also measured 7 weeks + 6 days at the time of my appointment, which is exactly on track since I was in fact 7 weeks + 6 days. Baby was also 3 cm, so already over an inch in size.  We also saw the yolk sac and the fetal pole, which I knew exactly what those things were  The only thing she pointed out was that I have a cyst appx. 3 cm on my right ovary.  She took lots of pictures and measurements of this and I'm sure my doctor will talk to me about it when I meet with her (hopefully) next week.  I haven't had any major cramping or pain, or ANY bleeding whatsoever, so hopefully it dissolves on its own and nothing comes from it. 

Cravings:  None yet and I still have no appetite.  Pretty much everyday, literally nothing sounds good and I have to force myself to eat the little that I do. I'm very much so looking forward to this part of pregnancy to pass so I can get back to eating and enjoying food in abundance again

Queasy/Sick and Symptoms:   My nausea has not died down at all and this past week, it intensified at night around the time I take my vitamin.  I'm not sure what the cause of that is, but it's miserable laying in bed feeling so queasy.  I've been laying flat on my back thinking it might help settle my stomach, but it doesn't.  My allergies/sinus that started early last week turned into a nightmare by the end of the week.  That being said,  I ended up having to miss work on Friday, which I hate doing.  I was so miserable and sleep deprived....and sneezey, congested and had a awful headache.  It went downhill quick. Thankfully though, I feel a bit better today after resting almost the entire weekend.  C dusted and vacuumed the entire house and bought me a cool-mist humidifier, which seems to be helping with my allergies/sinus and breathing/congestion problems.  We also have a HVAC appt. scheduled for this Thursday to instal a humidifier on our furnace and to switch to a better, longer-lasting filter.  Ah, I'm so lucky to be in the 20% that develops severe allergies.  I'm just glad it does seem to be related to the dogs or dander because there's not a chance they are going anywhere anytime soon

Gender:  Won't know for a while

Happy or Moody:  Still overly happy about the news, despite my physical state

Belly Button in or out?  In

Stretch marks?  No new ones
 

Wedding rings on or off?  On with zero swelling

What I miss: Having an appetite, the least bit of energy and being able to BREATHE out my nose

 

What I am looking forward to:  Actually taking pictures to see my progress... Every week, I keep saying I'm going to, but I've felt so miserable it's the last thing I want to do while at home

 

Milestones or Progress: We told our parents and C's grandparents the news on Friday and Saturday.   To do this, I made bird nests in glass jars and we put a picture of our ultrasound inside eggs for them to crack.  It turned out pretty cute and all were surprised and happy.  Late Friday night, we met C's grandparents at Beef O'Bradys.  We got there early and gave the glass jars to our server to bring to the table with our drinks.  She set them down in front of us both to look less suspicious, but obviously we didn't open one of the eggs because we told them to open theirs first.  On Saturday afternoon, we had lunch at my mom's.  Just before my brother left to pick up pizza and breadsticks, we have my nephew come inside with the jar and he told my mom he found it while playing in the backyard.  My mom was confused and skeptical to open it, but she did and I'm pretty sure she's glad she did.  Saturday night, we had reservations at Montgomery Inn for "all you can eat" ribs (which I unfortunately was unable to partake in).  We got there early as well and had the server bring out the glass jar to his grandma and she cracked the egg.  Even though C's grandma didn't realize what the picture was at first, she is completely ecstatic and called several times yesterday alone to tell him how happy she is and how we had the best idea to tell them. We're pretty convinced lucky grandbaby # 15 is already their favorite, and he/she is still in utero

7 Weeks

How far along?  7 Weeks + 5 Days

Baby's Development:  Baby is rapidly growing and will triple in size this week.  Basic facial features such as ears and eyes are becoming more developed and the tiny heart is starting to pump blood.  Arms, legs and feet are also beginning to bud.

Total weight gain/loss:  I was 129 on Sunday, so down about 5 lbs.

Maternity clothes?   Bought a cute maternity tank from Old Navy, which I'll hopefully take pictures in periodically.  I got a Medium, thinking it might fit through the whole pregnancy.  Still having the same issue with my pants, but here's to hoping I can make them work a couple months

Sleep:  Still 100% non-existent.  I took Unisom with B6 the past 2 nights and I think it's helped a touch, but I still haven't had any deep, uninterrupted sleep. I also took a 1/2 pill yesterday at work with B6 since the combo is supposed to help nausea.

Best moment this week:  Sadly, nothing monumental happened within the past week. My mom got a new SUV which we saw on Sunday - it's pretty sweet and very spacious.  Over the weekend, I spent a lot of time getting some much needed rest and did a couple things around the house.

Cravings:  None yet.... I don't have a much of an appetite and nothing sounds good, but I've been eating fairly well still.  Most of the time, I have to force myself  because my stomach feels completely icky.  I haven't had any caffeine or soda (except for 2 small sips) in almost a month and it hasn't affected me really, probably because I didn't drink much to begin with.

Queasy/Sick and Symptoms:   My nausea is still full-force.  I've been trying to eat every 2 hours or so, despite the fact that I don't want to eat at all.  I bought some protein shakes and plan to TRY to drink 1/2 each day, since they're loaded with vitamins and high in calories.  Most of the day though, I feel completely queasy and as soon as I get home, I climb into bed or on the couch until it's bedtime. It's not that I'm trying to be lazy, but I feel so bad I don't want to do anything and need to save my energy to get through the workweek. On top of my nausea, I've got a cold or something, complete with a stuffy nose, congestion and coughing.  I'm praying I can shake this over the next day or two because I'm pretty sure there's not much medicine that's safe to take.

Gender:  Won't know for a while

Happy or Moody:  Still happy about the news, despite my physical state

Belly Button in or out?  Completely in

Stretch marks?  No new ones
 

Wedding rings on or off?  On with zero swelling

What I miss: Having an appetite.  I used to love food.  But now...not so much.  All the things I used to love completely repulse me now and I feel like I can't eat as much. I used to inhale a footlong sub, but now I can barely stomach a 6-inch.

What I am looking forward to:  Actually using my chalkboard.  It's finished and looks good...I've just felt so bad I haven't felt like writing anything or taking any pictures.

Milestones or Progress: Over the weekend, I stained the laundry room cabinets and the doors are now on.  It looks so much nicer and hides all the clutter.  Now we need to finish the countertop and C plans to build shoe storage.  Looking forward to completing this project so we're one step closer to having an organized house, especially since the laundry room is a high-traffic area off our kitchen and connected to the garage.

5 Weeks

On Wednesday, I made a call to the nurse at my doctor's office.  She gave me several suggestions to help with my nausea and headaches that haven't subsided in a whole week.   She confirmed this is a very common symptom in the 1st trimester and noted I could be getting dehydrated by the end of the day or it could be a low blood sugar issue. One thing she recommended is that I eat something literally every 1.5 hours or so, preferably something with protein (small snacks she suggested were: a hard-boiled egg, a handful of nuts, string cheese, yogurt, 2 peanut butter crackers).  She also suggested I try drinking Sprite, ginger ale or some tea and noted that lemon, peppermint and ginger tend to help with upset stomachs - sometimes warm, sometimes cold and even suggested to freeze each of these in ice cube trays and suck on the ice cube, so maybe I'll give that a try. She also gave me the "okay" to keep taking Tylonel, but in moderation of course and only if I need it and recommended I try a Benadryl with or without a Tylonel before bed.  She was confident that Benadryl is super safe and has been on the market for many years and it helps with many things in pregnancy, so I will give that a try too.  I'm hoping to pick up some vitamin b6 to take 2x's a day as she recommended to see if that lessens my nausea.  It takes 3 days to see any kind of improvement, so I would like to stop somewhere tonight to pick some up, along with some tea perhaps.

How far along?  I'll be given a definite date in 1.5 weeks by my doctor, but according to LMP (1/3/14) I am 5 weeks.  According to O (1/18/14) I am only 3 weeks.  Usually, the doctor uses LMP even if you know the date of conception so for now, we'll go with 5 weeks

Baby's Development:  The embryo is dividing into 3 layers of cells this week - the top layer will become the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves and backbone), the middle layer will develop into the circulatory system and the bottom layer is where the lungs, intestines, thyroid and other major internal organs will develop

Total weight gain/loss:  I am currently  ~136 lbs.   I've gained none so far, although I gained appx. 6 unrelated lbs within the past 6-9 months

Maternity clothes?   Nada, but I'll have to figure something out soon in the wardrobe department. I only have 3 pair of work pants I can comfortably fit into as it is and the others, I've been using the "hair-tie-through-the-button-hole" method for months to get some more life out of them, but I'm not sure how much longer this will fly.  My shirt covers the top, so who cares?

Sleep:  Has been 100% non-existent since I found out the news

Best moment this week:  Scheduling the 1st Appointment and hearing C sound excited about it

Cravings:  None.... I love food and nothing sounds overly appealing.  I've been eating really well, but I'm waiting for the day when I make or order something, then as soon as it's in front of me, I'm completely disgusted and can't eat it

Queasy/Sick and Symptoms:  Headaches off and on for almost a week now and I've been nauseous pretty much continuously since Sunday, which I'm hoping my nerves are just contributing to.  Maybe it'll subside in another day or so?  I haven't actually thrown up yet and I'm trying to stay hydrated and suck on candies to help

Gender:  No idea and I can happily say I have no preference

Happy or Moody:  Happy of course

Belly Button in or out?  Completely in and I like it that way

Stretch marks?  None, except for some light old ones I've always had on my hips

Wedding rings on or off?  On.....I have zero swelling and thankfully, they're a tad loose

What I miss:  Not much has changed yet, other than feeling exhausted from not sleeping.... so I'll say sleep

What I am looking forward to:  Crafting the announcement idea I came up with to tell our parents

Milestones or Progress:  I finally got around to buying the remaining supplies needed to make my chalkboard I plan to hang upstairs in the future nursery or on the main floor

Now I need to get around to the photo thing......I'm promising myself to take my 1st picture next week