3 Months Pregnant 2013

9 Weeks, September 19-25
The doctor called to tell me my Vitamin D is low which is strange considering I go outside most days for a walk. So now I'm taking a supplement for that. At least they're little and not huge like the prenatal vitamin horse pills I take.

We told our moms this week! Yes, it's early but after our first sonogram we were feeling pretty good and thought we could share the news with just our moms since we didn't want them to guess before we told them. We told them it wasn't public yet. Well, they both immediately got on the phone and told basically everyone they've ever met. I seriously got emails from Kevin's 3rd cousins congratulating me.

Our moms are happy because they're getting another grandbaby!

Baby progress: Baby is the size of a grape/olive! Baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form -- as do tiny teeth. The embryonic tail is completely gone.
Symptoms: mild nausea, cramping, sore boobs, hair loss, sleepiness, bad skin
Cravings: SALAD (had it at 9:30 AM one morning), FISH, nuts, American cheese
Anti-cravings: None really
My Weight Gain: 1 pound (Last time 2 pounds)
Compare to week 9 with James

9-week belly picture

James and Grandma reading "I'm a Big Brother"

10 Weeks, September 26- October 2
Cathy visited on Saturday, and on Sunday people came over for football and food. We took James's to his first dentist appointment. Sarah and I went to Fall for Dance. My nausea got much worse, then it lifted at the end of the week.

Baby progress: Size of a kumquat/prune, vital organs are in place and starting to work, nails and peach fuzz hair are starting to grow. Baby's head is bulging from his or her developing brain.
Symptoms: Intense awful nausea, vomiting, sore boobs, hair loss, sleepiness, bad skin, acid reflux already
Cravings: Cheeseburger even though it makes me ill
Anti-cravings: coffee, and pasta is kind of gross
My Weight Gain: 1.5 (last time 3 pounds)
Compare to week 10 with James

11 Weeks, October 3-9
My nausea came back. I learned the hard way that I should not eat Indian food while pregnant, even if it's only the first trimester- I felt ill for hours afterwards. Mom had her surgery and it went well! We had some extra genetic testing this week since I'll be 35 when the baby is born, but it's fancy new testing that's non-invasive... and tells you the baby's gender early!

Baby progress: Baby is the size of a fig/lime
Symptoms: SO SLEEPY, sore boobs, hungry but also full after a few bites, hair loss, bad skin, acid reflux
Cravings: Very cold milk, vanilla, dark chocolate
Anti-cravings: Greasy things, spicy things.
My Weight Gain: 1.5 (last time 3-4 pounds)
Compare to week 11 with James

THREE MONTHS!, 12 Weeks, October 10-16
I was looking forward to my sonogram on Friday- it's always a thrill to see the baby moving around. I think I've been feeling movement and maybe some kicks already, and I asked the sonogram technician if that was actually possible. She said that it might be because it's my second pregnancy and I know exactly what it feels like.

Then we found out the baby's gender on Monday from our genetic testing last week!! (We didn't find out with James until 20 weeks!) Stay tuned for an announcement on that!

Baby progress: Baby is the size of a lime/prune but really we're a week ahead size-wise, so the baby is bigger. Baby is developing reflexes, and baby's nerve cells are also developing.
Symptoms: Hungry, sleepy
Cravings: Cereal, Swedish fish
Anti-cravings: I think I want coffee and then I don't finish it...
My Weight Gain:  1.5 (last time 4 pounds)
Compare to week 12 with James

12-weeks and showing already, 10/11/13

4 Months Pregnant 2010

15 Weeks, October 24-30, 2010

Over the weekend I went to a clothing swap at Becky's and tried to pick up larger size clothing or stuff that would stretch with me. I also went on a chemical-free snack-buying binge. Some big changes happened at work. Then our friends Adrienne and Pete had their baby girl Lenore!

And most exciting of all dad came home from rehab! He went up the stairs himself with a cane. We all ate dinner at the table together, though dad is still feeling side effects from the Sutent so he couldn't completely enjoy dinner. In about two weeks, he takes a break from the Sutent so we have big plans to make sure he enjoys his favorite food then.

Milestones: Our baby book says the baby is practicing breathing and swallowing with the amniotic fluid.
Craving: Ice cream (but since this was a pre-pregnancy craving, I'm not sure it counts, on the other hand I don't usually keep 5 different flavors in my freezer)
Anti-craving: Coffee
Symptoms: Acid reflux, bloody nose
Baby-size: Apple
Weight gain: 7 pounds (I probably should not already be gaining a pound a week!)


16 Weeks, October 31- November 6, 2010

I had some more unfortunate symptoms this week, such as breathlessness. It happened twice during the week for about an hour each time. My acid reflux was also really bad this week. We even resorted to this disgusting natural home remedy: a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a teacup of hot water. Not only does this smell like dirty feet, but it burns, thus negating any potential acid reflux cure it may or may not provide. By the end of the week I just did what my mother said and tried milk, even though the web insists that this will not actually help. Well, it did. Mom: 1, Internet: 0.

On Wednesday, November 3, I definitively felt the baby moving. Before that I had felt one or two gentle movements that were probably the baby, but this was the first time it was so clear that I knew it had to be the baby. Baby's twitter was updated accordingly. I felt the baby a few more times later in the week. Most notably Saturday after half a cup of coffee. Baby went crazy for a few hours after that. Sorry if I just gave you ADD, baby.

On Friday we had our 16 week, alphfetoprotein (AFP) test. I don't really know how I feel about all these tests, but my doctors act like it's nonnegotiable so I try not to think about it. I also got the flu vaccine including the H1N1 vaccine with no mercury.  I know I'm supposed to, so I did, but it makes me nervous nonetheless.

One of my doctors also said that he would throw in a free sonogram at this appointment so we could tell if the baby is a boy or a girl. But because it was free they used the low-technology sonogram machine that's used for the 8-week appointment. We couldn't really tell what gender the baby is, and the sonogram looks like random squiggles.  But the doctor took a guess. Not helpful.

Come on now, what is this? And look at the Dr's caption: "MAYBE A BOY??"

The week ended on a sad note. Dad had been home from rehab for almost a week, when his kidney symptoms returned so we all took him back to the hospital on Friday. We had him admitted to the oncology floor again (last time they sent him to the renal floor which is not best for all of his related problems).  The doctors suggested that the kidney problems were pretty minor, but since he's been in the hospital he has also developed nausea and extreme pain in his leg due to the tumor there. The tumor had been getting smaller for a few weeks, but it seems bigger again. Mom is doing everything in her power to help dad with the nausea and pain, while we wait to see if his kidney symptoms will abate again on their own.

Milestones: I can feel the baby moving. Our baby book says the baby's eyes are working now and that baby is becoming sensitive to belly touches.
Craving: Red meat, Italian hero (cold cut rules be damned), corn
Anti-craving: None
Symptoms: Acid reflux, breathlessness, headaches, round ligament pain, bloody nose
Baby-size: Avocado (Mom says it would be more like a small Haas avocado)
Weight gain: 8 pounds