22 Weeks

22 Weeks! Baby is definitely getting noticeably bigger every week now as evidenced by the size of the belly, which is starting to look alarmingly rotund these days, and her movements are getting stronger (a little) day by day.  Matt got to feel a good thump last night, which was great! We were laying in bed looking at lists of names together, and she must have known we were talking about her! I think the name we were looking at when she popped Matt was Laqueesha (and why the HELL did that come up under a list of Gaelic origin, I ask you?), and I'm certain that was a "You two had better choose something a little better than that for me, I mean there are millions of names out there and you're looking at Laqueesha?".  She should weigh just over a pound by now, and we are now 2 weeks away from the brink of viability - I can't imagine that there is a human baby in there who albeit with MAJOR medical intervention, could survive outside the womb.  We will appreciate another 15-18 weeks inside, though, thank you very much little girl. 

Here she is in profile at 22 weeks :) 

We are having trouble with the sharpness of the photos of late. I have a great camera, a great lens, a fairly good understanding (at least I thought) of settings to use in various conditions, and most of these belly shots have been slightly out of focus or the white balance is off, or something.  In fact, I feel sorta disappointed in the Tamron lens I got for my camera this summer, but I'm 99.9% sure it's not really the lens but user error ;).  Need to work on that, and spend some time with the book I have on using this camera (2 years later, natch). Of course, for these shots, I'm also asking someone else to use my camera who doesn't spend much time with it.  Maybe I should pull out the Powershot A430 point and shoot, and we'd have better luck with these pics. Any of you photographer friends have any tips for sharper pics taken indoors after dark (my Thursday week turnover day lends us to taking these either before work or after work, in the dark with artificial light)?

With the Christmas holiday now 8 days away, I have been pushing myself to get things ready this week, and have spent late hours decorating, shopping, baking, and making projects for gifts.  I love to do this stuff this time of year, and although it feels hectic and last minute I do get satisfaction from knowing I did something creative and it turned out well enough to give someone! This week I baked approx 4 dozen molasses spice cookies for Matt's classroom holiday party (recipe originally from Cook's Illustrated, courtesy of www.simplyrecipes.com), power-shopped after work until 10 PM on Wednesday night, and made Lavender-Lime Sugar Scrub for gifts.  Consequently, my pregnant body has said ENOUGH and told me so when I tried to get out of bed today.  I literally could not stand long enough to even think of getting in the shower, so I am home, resting instead of at work today, and while I feel slightly guilty about that, I have to remind myself that my body is doing the work of two right now, and some days I will just have to rest.  (Holy Run On Sentence, or at least Overuse of Commas Batman). But, I wanted to share my scrub recipe and some photos for fun :) 

Sugar Scrub 

-Equal parts natural ("raw" or turbinado) sugar and oil - I used half Sweet Almond Oil and half Grapeseed Oil, but you can use any kind you like.  (One 24 oz bag of sugar filled 2 of these containers from Michaels)

-Essential oils for aromatherapy purposes - I used a combo of Lavender and Lime, and let me tell you it smells heavenly! Wish you had a scratch and sniff screen, cuz this is the bomb.  I know it's for skin, but I seriously wanted to taste it! 

Mix sugar, oils until all moistened and glistening, and then add essential oil - drop in a little at a time until you reach the desired potency of the scent - those babies can pack quite a punch and you don't want to inadvertently clear the sinuses of your gift recipients! Then, scoop into jars, add a square of spare fabric and tie with a ribbon. Perfect for gifting! 

So there you are, 22 weeks recapped.  6 weeks until the 3rd trimester, and also 6 weeks until they recheck the placenta previa.  Hopefully I'm not told to go on bedrest, but we'll figure that out as we need to! 

Happy last week before Christmas! 

21 Weeks

I can't quite believe another week has ticked by...December is quickly speeding past as it usually does, and along with it so are the weeks of this second trimester.  7 weeks left until the third trimester begins! This week my belly is really starting to feel like a pregnant belly.  I'm noticing sensations of internal and external stretching that are somewhat uncomfortable at times, as though I'm walking around with a post-Thanksgiving belly full of food all the time!  I don't believe I have as yet adopted the pregnant lady waddle, although there are times when I feel like it! Maybe I should ask someone to walk behind me and assess that...

Inspecting my un-clad self after a shower the other night (as I have developed the slightly disconcerting habit of doing), I discovered the appearance of several silvery white stretch marks on my sides.  I do believe these have been there since sometime in middle school (another period of awkwardly rapid growth, it seems), but now that my belly is starting to tug at the sides they are showing their sneaky little selves again.  I'm not sure if the fact that I had them earlier in my life means my skin is just prone to getting them and I can look forward to all kinds of new lovely, probably purple ones in the coming weeks, or if I still have the chance of escaping with a smooth skinned belly.  Of course, I have no choice but to wait and see, and although I know no amount of cocoa butter or belly oil will stave them off, I'm still doing my best to moisturize the heck out of my skin under the premise that it's winter and who wants dry, itchy skin on top of stretch marks?! Bring on the Burt's Bees Mama Bee belly balm!

21 Week Belly:

I really need to have these taken at the beginning of the day instead of at the end...

Tidbits:
Dinner last night - tostitos and salsa, chocolate ice cream (I guess this is probably why they have pregnant ladies take vitamins)

Pregnancy cleavage is obnoxious.

Pregnancy skin is still weird.

Pregnancy dreams are weirder. Like the one where the baby was born with all of her baby teeth? Yeah like that.

The room that will become the nursery at my Mom's is in a state of unbelievable possibly pre-hoarding stage disarray.  We have MAJOR work to do after the holidays.  See for yourself:

So anyway, there you have it.  Our life at 21 weeks, in a nutshell.  

20 Weeks - Halfway to a baby

While I hate to start a post with an apology, I do have to say I'm sorry for the delay in getting this updated this week...of all weeks! Big News! Last Thursday was the halfway point for me in the pregnancy, 20 weeks, and we had a midwife appointment that went well that day.  My blood pressure remains normal, baby's heart rate is hovering in the mid-150s, and my weight gain has been modest so far, which is all good news.  Not much else to add there, things just keep rolling along normally.

Then on Friday we had our much awaited ultrasound.  Baby is growing right on track and weight is estimated to be about 13 ounces right now.  Our sonographer spent plenty of time checking out each part of baby's development, head to toe.  Every major organ system is looking normal, all structures and bones are growing normally, all fingers and toes seem accounted for.  Femur, humerus, feet and hands are measuring right on track.  There seems to be no evidence of a cleft lip or palate.  Brain development appears normal so far.  The heart appears to be perfect from every angle they could get (which was a lot!).  Little one is stubborn and would.not.move for the longest time for them to get a good peek at the profile, so I was asked to get up and pee, and do a few jumping jacks to get it going! We asked the tech not to tell us the baby's sex, but write it down and we would open it together after the appointment.  After all the measurements were taken, a perinatologist looked them over and then met with us to discuss everything.  By and large, baby looks like a healthy, fabulous little 20 week fetus.  There was one particular measurement which was slightly "abnormal", but they discussed what this might mean, and also that it can be off in the spectrum of typical babies very often as well.  Without getting into too much detail, I will say that although it was a surprise to both of us that we didn't walk away with a "perfect" assessment, there seems to be no real need for concern regarding baby's health or development at this point.  On that note, here are some cute pictures of our little one!

Right Foot 

Left Foot 

I like to call this shot "skeletor" - front view of baby's skull, with a creepish looking hand curled up

Profile, with arm across the top

However, they did discover that I have a total placenta previa, grade 1.  Basically, a little bit of the placenta is implanted covering the cervix.  They felt that this would likely resolve over the next part of the pregnancy, but they want to repeat an ultrasound at 28 weeks to check it again.  If it hasn't moved, we will start discussing what this might mean for the remainder of pregnancy as far as restrictions (i.e bed rest! ugh!) and for delivery.  If it is still there at 32 weeks, they will most likely plan for a c-section.  Not much else to say about that at this point, but hopefully it resolves itself and we won't have to discuss it further!

So, for those of you who haven't already heard, we did find out the sex of the baby. DISCLAIMER - Mark if you are reading this, stop now!!! And for any of you who know Matt's father, please do not tell him! He doesn't want to know, and we will do our best to honor that wish for him.  Anyway, the tech was quite sure he saw what he needed to see (I'm pretty sure I saw it when he did too).  He wrote the sex down and we decided to go to the Michigan Theater and open the envelope on the landing where we got married.  It was really sweet, and totally Matt's idea.  It was a perfect way to find out that we are going to have a daughter! It's a girl :) Neither of us were surprised to see that word written on the paper, but it was so wonderful to know that we can now start calling baby "her" and thinking of names.  No, we don't have any front runners yet, and I think we might keep that little part a secret until the end when we do!


I know this post is getting super long, but I wanted to end with a belly pic from 20 weeks.  Halfway - think it's half as big as it's going to get? Haha, yeah right! I look like I could use a good nap here. Hope 21 weeks photographs better.  I'm wishing I was a bit more creative with my weekly shots, but I guess there's still some time left.  

  

Tminus 4 days until The Ultrasound

The week is here :) On Friday we have our 20 week ultrasound, and I could not be more excited! I can't wait to see how much baby has grown in 8 weeks since our last glimpse.  I am not really feeling anxious about anything being wrong with development, but if it is I'm glad we'll have the opportunity to know now.  I'm excited for the chance to find out if this baby is a girl or a boy, to put a little more detail into the dreams I'm already creating for this first child of mine.  Of course I know that just because a baby has specific parts between its legs doesn't mean it will be a "girly girl" or "all boy" or whatever.  My little girl may want to play hockey, and my little boy may want to be a gymnast (or insert whatever other gender-specific activity here), but none of that matters to me.  I know that people say "as long as it's healthy, I don't care what it is" and to some extent that is true for me.  But I guess I would say, I hope with all my heart that my child is healthy so that he/she never has to know that pain that I see every day, and so that our family doesn't have to make the choices and certain sacrifices I see families make in order to care for their sick children, but if he/she isn't perfectly healthy, I will still love every ounce of their being, boy or girl.  That said, I really don't care if our baby is a boy or a girl, and I really do hope he/she is healthy as can be! And I hope we get confirmation of both on Friday (well, confirmation of one sex or the other, that is).

I think baby's movements are getting strong enough to feel from the outside! I spent some time on Saturday morning just me and the baby getting to know each other, and I could see little twitches every now and then ripple across my belly corresponding to the same sensations inside.  I hope that this is the week when Matt gets to feel his baby move, too.  I hope that makes it feel more real to him.  I've been the one experiencing everything, pleasant and not so, and of course it feels real to me.   But he's been an observer so far, and I think that this week might be the one that starts to turn that switch for him - seeing the baby growing and thriving on ultrasound, and hopefully feeling its first little movements for himself.   C'mon baby, kick it up!

Thankful (19 Weeks)

             Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today marks 19 weeks, along with the day that we Americans traditionally gather and give thanks for our family, friends, good food, a roof over our heads, and jobs we either love or hate, but still provide us with the all important bread and butter.  This year, the motions were not much different than in the recent past.  I got up this morning, had my coffee (Ok, only one small little cup this year...fine) looked through some Black Friday sales ads, and then got to work on my contribution to the Smith family feast. This year it was sweet potatoes, and I threw in an impromptu cranberry curd meringue tart for good measure.
             However, as I worked my way through the ingredients and made piles of dishes (yet to be washed) in the sink and kept looking at the clock realizing I'd waited just a little too late to start, I had in the back of my mind the notion that there was someone else along for the ride this year.  Someone who is currently causing me to tie my apron strings a little looser.  I'm nearly to the halfway marker of this pregnancy, and while it feels every bit of 19 weeks some days, there are moments when I realize it's flying by, and before I know it I will be the mother a baby in my own arms.  People ask how I'm feeling, people ask if they can touch the belly, people want to know if I can feel the baby moving or if we know the sex yet (well...most of the time people ask if we know the "gender", which bugs me the grammarian in me, because gender is really a set of characteristics that are socially constructed to distinguish male from female, and sex is the biological distinction of genetic traits which makes one physiologically male or female...but I digress).  And all of those things are fun, outward markers of the idea that I am in fact, gestating a future human being that will join the world in give or take another 20 weeks, but they don't really come close to the thoughts or feelings I have about this process or about becoming a mother.  I don't need to write those all out here, good lord there's still 4.5 months for that, but I do want to express that Thanksgiving just feels different this year. Better. Because while I've always been thankful for the things mentioned above, it's also really easy to take them for granted at times. But this year, I am truly in awe of the amazing thing happening in my own body, and knowing that in a few short months I will be the mother of my very first child.  Matt will be my baby's father.  That blows every other Thanksgiving out of the water. I'm thankful for a healthy first half of my pregnancy. I'm thankful for a job with flexible and understanding coworkers who have picked up a little slack when I just haven't been able to some days.  I'm thankful for a husband who cares deeply for me and the child we are going to bring into the world in April.  I'm thankful for my mother offering space in her home to us so that we can truly get started on the right foot after baby is here.  I'm just thankful for the opportunity to fulfill the most prominent goal in my life - becoming a mother.  I feel full of promise this Thanksgiving, like the feelings I have now will only continue to grow and multiply and expand along with my belly.

I hope you all have something special on your mind this year, however big or small.  Happy Thanksgiving, my friends and family.

Pregnancy Hives? Dry and yet oddly oily skin? And other pregnancy induced skin issues....

Ok fellow friends who've been down this road before...what is up with the strangeness of pregnancy skin? I know I'm more prone than your average person to develop freakishly random bouts of hives for no apparently good reason (Abby and Chrissy, you might recall a certain severe "sesame seed allergy" induced case...which may or may not have been related to extreme stats finals anxiety...).  I have been known to have other sensitive skin issues related to using new products, etc.  However...for some reason this week, my skin has hit some new peak of weirdness.  The skin from which my eyebrow hair grows is flaking - literally just peeling! And yet, I'm broken out in the space between my eyebrows! How can skin less than 1.5" apart have such vastly different degrees of moisturization? And, as I type, I've developed several randomly spaced hives on my chin, right temple, and under my neck, which I seem to get some variation of about once per week.  They always just go away on their own accord, but still odd and mostly annoying. And the itchy skin thing I've read about...it's starting. I'm trying to moisturize daily with the Palmer's cocoa butter lotion, which smells fabulous and feels great, but by midday by midsection (and the girls, sadly) are itchy all over again!

Anyway, not much more substantial to report at this moment other than my sneaking suspicion that skin conditions are dramatically impacted by pregnancy hormones.  Baby seems to be growing and stretching a lot this week, as I've noticed on and off mild crampy, tightening feelings in my uterus since Sunday (Hmmm, when I describe it like that, it sounds suspiciously like Braxton Hicks...could it really be Braxton Hicks already? I think I'm going to stay in denial of that one for a little longer).   I mean, I noticed it first while standing outside, doing nothing at all, observing my mom on the roof in case I needed to call 911 if she fell off.  Then I noticed it again this morning when I first woke up from a sound sleep, again doing nothing physical.  Nothing alarming, and certainly nothing to make me think I need to call my midwife, but I do notice something is going on in there, whether it's a bit of a growth spurt, some BH or some other random weird pregnancy thing I have yet to find an explanation for :)

2 days of the short work week down, 1 to go and then it's Turkey Time :) And 9 days until the ultrasound!

Perks

For most of this pregnancy so far, I haven't had too many experiences where I've found being pregnant to offer any particular perks (well aside from the obvious fact that I am growing my very own preshus baybeeeeeee). Several solid weeks of near-constant nausea, way more frequent than usual trips to the bathroom to empty what seems like an about to burst bladder with an embarrassingly small amount of pee, post-work naps that get in the way of things I'd rather be doing (like watching Ghost Hunters or Glee of course) and serious food aversions, which to this food lovin' girl is about the worst sentence of all! However, I'm starting to find that there are perks to this condition I'm in, starting with:

-Elastic pants for the holidays and the expectation that my waist will continue to grow each week. No further comments needed there.

-Not having to climb up on a ladder to get on the roof to hang Christmas lights. That most terrifying, vertigo inducing, mypalmsaresweatingeventhoughit'sfreezingoutside task went to my mother this year :) The view was great from the sidewalk.

-Avoiding a day of heavy lifting yesterday while my Mom and sister moved furniture to a storage unit to make room in our garage...for things currently occupying space in the house that need to move out to make room for baby stuff in the nursery!

I'm sure I'll discover that there are more perks where these came from, but in the past 24 hours I've at least learned these little lovelies. I thought you'd like to know how I'm counting my blessings this Thanksgiving week :) (Of course there are about a thousand real things I'm thankful for, and they will have their very own post later this week).

Happy Sunday! 3 work days until Thanksgiving! 11 days until The Ultrasound!

Oh the indignity of it all

I think I have crossed the threshold and have begun to earn my rungs on the ladder to motherhood...I have now sneeze-peed! One little unassuming sneeze, and with it went the tiniest bit of my bladder control along with a little shred of my dignity! Then of course, I laughed, which made it no better, and at that point the mad dash to the bathroom was quite a sight. At least this was at home and not at work! I know this is only the beginning, which makes all the funnier to me, because as much as I think I know what's coming I really have no clue yet all the fun things I can expect my body to do to betray me over the next 22 weeks! I will say that aside from crummy "morning sickness" (which = all day sickness in my case lately) I am really enjoying this experience for the most part, but I still have so much to learn and watch my body do all on its own. This is the first time in my life when I have been able to watch my body undergo a transformation that has nothing to do with anything I have control over...it's a little strange but for the most part I'm finding it to be pretty cool. I'm used to setting my mind to they way I want to change my body and getting to work making it happen - eating better, exercise and weights to target certain things, etc. But this entire body take-over is something of a different kind of beast, a horse of a different color, and it's weird, exciting, exhausting, and a little body dysmorphia-inducing, but still such a wonderful experience I'm lucky to be able to have.

I'm still waiting for the little movements to turn into bigger movements, but I guess I shouldn't wish that to happen too soon because I'm sure a point will come when I wish someone would stop kicking me in the ribs already! I'm just excited for the day when Matt will be able to finally feel something going on in there after all these months!

New hair for mamatots!

I went on a whim and cut my hair tonight...it was just too boring, limp and lifeless and it needed some style. I had a cut sort of in mind, and then just let Ashley go for it, and this is the result!

In other news, I am 18 weeks today. According to my updates from babycenter.com here's the approximate state of baby's development by today:

"Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces. Baby's busy flexing its arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. Baby's blood vessels are visible through its thin skin, and its ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from its head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around its nerves, a process that will continue for a year after it's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound."

So with that in mind, here are some pics of the belly today to mark the occasion:

So there you have it :) 2 weeks from tomorrow we get to see your bits, littlest one! :)

Impromtu pic update

17w6d - taken on my friend's phone at work (with my lovely office tag behind my head), but figured some of you can't have enough pics! I'll do my usual weekly shot at home tomorrow, too.

Zumba tonight, and then off until after Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to a break but I guess I should really try to do something in between or I might be sorry! Baby's always pretty active after class, so it's fun to sit in the car on the ride home and feel baby getting its salsa moves on :) Dance, baby, dance!

The Second Coming...

...of morning sickness/nausea :( I've been telling everyone who asks just how great I'm starting to feel, and then BAM! The past 2 days have been non-stop nausea with near puking close calls. I'm told that this is a sign of a healthy pregnancy, but good grief little one take it easy! I've also been told that this kind of ongoing nausea is a sure sign of a girl (everyone at the dentist's office tonight were in agreement and will be quite surprised if you turn out to be a boy, little one!) No pics tonight, as I'm looking about as green as I feel...but I do have some cute new maternity dresses to sport and will be sure you see one of them this week for my 18 week photos!

Also...16 more days until the Big ultrasound! I'm not sounding too anxious about it, am I? I guess you all know me well enough to know I'm not one for patience ;)

Countdown to "The BIG ultrasound"

Well friends, I'll be 17 weeks on Thursday, making today 16 weeks 5 days. Our "Big Ultrasound" is scheduled for Friday 12/3 at 1:00...if this baby cooperates we should have a determination of Boy or Girl in 3 weeks and 3 days :) I'm going to start talking to baby now to let him/her know that I'm not leaving that appointment without hearing and seeing what kind of bits it's sporting, so it better not be feeling shy on December the 3rd.

Noticeable movement has been sporadic in the past week, but I'm still feeling it here and there. Can't wait until it's more consistent and I can definitely identify what is a foot vs a booty, etc. One thing I am aware of is my now cantaloupe sized uterus...sitting with my knees up feels weird now because I am totally aware of this large organ in the way where there didn't used to be anything noticeable!

I just received my teaching schedule for Zumba winter term - my last class is scheduled for March 30, the day before my 37 week mark! If I can make it that far, I think I deserve something...not sure yet what it is I feel I should get, but I have plenty of time to think about it! I'm giggling a little bit at the thought of an almost full term pregnant me salsa-ing and merengue-ing in front of a paying audience, but at least I don't teach where there are mirrors, right?

Speaking of the roundness, for those of you wanting a physical update here you go!

Not much in the way of non-baby related news to share. I am getting into the pre-holiday spirit and looking forward to some baking and cooking and general holiday cheer with friends and family. The next 2 months are going to fly! Can't wait to see you all in the next few months!

We have movement!

Just a super quick update to say that I can feel baby moving now!! It's still very slight and I can only feel it when I'm sitting quietly, like at the computer :) He/she is saying "hello fans!" right now! I guess baby liked Zumba tonight - doing his/her own little salsa moves in there :)

We have our 16 week appt with Holly tomorrow, so I'll update more and attach new photos then. I was just too excited to wait and save it for tomorrow's post!

love, mama t

This baby likes candy

Apparently, Baby Smith is just like his/her mama, and loves some candy! Thank goodness for Halloween, and the fact that we had about half as many trick or treaters as we did candy supplies :) Plus, a recent Yale study states that eating chocolate can reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia , and a Finnish study showed babies whose moms ate chocolate smiled and laughed more. They were less fearful in new situations. The babies of mothers who ate chocolate while pregnant seemed to have a more positive mood than babies whose moms didn't eat chocolate. I think that is reason enough to keep a steady supply on hand, and we're in luck!

Today I am 15w4d, and I'm hoping this week goes by quickly. We have our next appointment on Thursday and I'm anxious to hear little one's heartbeat again. I feel like things are starting to settle as far as morning sickness, but I still don't have a huge appetite (other than the above!). I'm really looking forward to the next ultrasound in a few weeks- the Big One where we'll hopefully hear it's a...boy or it's a...girl! (I'm leaning strongly towards girl at this point folks!) I wish we could have one at every visit. I just love to see how much baby has grown since the last time, and it's just incredible to see that there really is something amazing happening in there, even if it doesn't feel like much yet. I'l definitely update you all when I do for sure feel the baby move, but so far I'm just guessing and nothing has been so obviously a baby yet that I can be certain.

Tomorrow is election day, and to be honest I feel very disconnected from the political world at this point in time. I haven't researched all of the candidates much, and truthfully I have to say that I have come to feel a bit disillusioned about the difference that my vote really makes. But I do feel that my child's future depends on our freedom to vote, and the climate in which we raise our children, although much of it is shaped within our own household and the choices we make and the values we teach, is to some extent determined by the political powers that be, and voting is our means to influence that. I want to raise my child in a home of acceptance, a home where each person is free to truly become the person they are meant to be...but I don't feel so certain that outside the walls of the homes we create that each person is really free to be the person they truly are. There is so much greed and hate and a lack of acceptance of differences, and it scares me to think that despite growing up in a home with love and safety and boundaries and trust, my child will still grow up and into a world where they could be hated and harmed for the values they hold, the values we will work so hard to let them learn. And so with that in mind, I guess, I will vote tomorrow and hope that in some way, it influences our corner of the world enough...

15 weeks!

Tomorrow marks 15 weeks officially :) We have our next appointment in one week, and then we will schedule "the big ultrasound" for sometime between 18-20 weeks. It's exciting to think in approximately a month, give or take, we could find out if there is a tiny son or daughter in there!

This week in Baby Smith's development:

"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces - about the size of an apple. Baby is busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in its lungs begin to develop. Its legs are growing longer than its arms now, and he/she can move all of his/her joints and limbs. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, baby's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but it is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl!" - thank you BabyCenter.com for the weekly updates :)

I feel like I am starting to turn the corner with regard to the morning sickness - in general it's better, although dinner tonight ended up not working out...oh well, bygones :) I'm still doing my Zumba classes twice a week, and overall I feel like I'm pretty much right where I should be. I can't say for sure, but it's possible that I felt a tiny little "tap tap tap" that might or might not have been baby's movements yesterday...I've been vigilant for more signs, but nothing strong enough to be certain yet. Hopefully soon! Any mamas out there - when did you first feel movement?

And for those dying to see my mamaness in the flesh (haha ALL of you, right?) here are some belly shots :) Enjoy. If one can be so inclined to enjoy my pale, currently expanding midsection, that is :)

yikes...that looks surprisingly larger than I imagine it does...

It's always a little better covered up :)

Second Trimester Baby!

Woohoo! Today marks the beginning of the second trimester :) I'm looking forward to several months of "feeling my best" (I keep hearing this so I'm going to go ahead and believe you people who keep giving me this positive light!) and all the fun things that will occur in the next 3 months. I will begin to feel the baby move this tri, and we will get to find out the baby's sex in about 5 weeks. Matt teased me last night at the grocery store because I was actually looking at food as we walked through the aisles again, so he said I must be ending the first trimester! I really am looking forward to eating again and hoping a wider variety of things begin to sound appealing soon (you know, instead of Sprite, pretzels, yogurt, fruit, and cereal).



This week, in Wee Smith land: "Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of the baby's body size now. If the baby is a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce." Pretty amazing what's going on in there already!



I don't have a 13 week pic yet, but I'll post a shot from last weekend that shows some of the 12 week bump, if you look closely :) It's shadowed, but you can see it!

12w4d

Short post tonight, as I'm post-zumba and still pre-shower, but I wanted to get these scanned in for your viewing pleasure! We had our "First Trimester Screening" today, and got some wonderful ultrasound photos of baby! The tech said baby was cooperative and we hope it's going to stay that way :) So cool - it was flipping around and bicycle kicking its* little legs like ca-ray-zay!

Baby's profile - look at the little button nose (and my mom says those cheekbones)!

Profile - baby flipped sides and has a hand up by its* forehead

Foot - labeled as such. Toes pointing left, heel on the right

Baby showing its* leg moves - kicking! Also looks like the hand is in its* little mouth!

So there you have it :) Next pictures of Wee Smith will not be until 18-20 weeks (right around Thanksgiving) when we can hopefully find out the sex...but guesses welcome as always! I still have no feeling, and am even more confused after looking at these - thought I'd totally know after seeing it's profile, but no. Oh, and the heartbeat was 159 bpm today, right where it should be she said. Not only could we hear it, but we could see it beating away in there too!

Belly pics of me to come...not tonight, I'm just too sweaty and gross for ya'll to see :)

All the love,

T, M and baby S

*edited from the incorrect it's meaning "it is" or "it has" to the correct its, a possesive pronoun meaning "belonging to it". Blame the unforgiveable grammatical lapse on the baby...it doesn't know proper English yet. :)

Thank goodness for Friday, and 12 weeks

This week has been a long one, I'm afraid. Not because of any overwhelming badness, and not because I've really felt that terrible, but I'm just really glad it's Friday again. It's true, I'm not feeling great every day. In fact, some portion of most days I feel pretty darn pukey and gross...but it's all a reminder that my body is doing something amazing. Sometimes it's hard to remember when I'm sitting at my desk having yet another meal of Sprite and pretzels that the reason I feel this way is because I am busy, like, growing a human being! I think I might need to get one of these to remind myself from time to time :)

Yesterday marked 12 weeks...one week left of the first trimester. Baby is now just about 2 inches from head to rump (my favorite!) or about the size of a lime. He/she developed reflexes this week, like sucking and opening/closing fists and curling toes, and will squirm around if I poke on my belly (not that I can feel anything, but so I'm told...). We didn't get it together and get a photo last night, but I'll do it tonight! I think I've pretty much rounded the bend and will be leaving non-maternity pants behind for a while. Which means I have shopping to do!

We have our first trimester screening appointment on Monday - we will have an ultrasound and get to see baby Smith again, so rest assured that photos will follow! The screening combines a blood test and ultrasound to measure a risk profile for Down Syndrome and Trisomy 13 and 18. I have a good feeling that all is well, but it will be nice to have peace of mind and reassurance.

In other news, it's baby's first Michigan - MSU game this weekend! Go Blue!

Autumn Farmer's Market

Matt and I spent the morning in Ann Arbor, which is always one of our favorite things to do on a Saturday morning. We had brunch at Cafe Zola, which I unfortunately lost before we even left :( and then headed over to the Farmer's Market. Fall is so bountiful at the market - see for yourselves!

Heirloom tomatoes and peppers

Pumpkins!!

Fall harvest flowers

Sweet bell peppers

There's something about the buzz of October at the market...farmers and vendors squeezing the last lucrative weeks out of their harvest time, and people crowding elbow-to-stroller-to-push cart to get a look at what goods await them. Aside from chilly fingers and noses, we ended up coming home with:

-Michigan Maple Syrup

-Fresh raspberries to freeze for smoothies!

-1 Butternut squash

-Honey Crisp apples

-Michigan strawberry and raspberry jam

-Sweet red and green peppers

I'd say that's a good way to start an October weekend! Not sure what baby Smith thinks about it all yet...at least it let me know about breakfast!

Fall also makes me feel cozy and crafty, and that means crochet and sewing! I have many a baby project up my sleeve, and am about to snuggle up with a ball of yarn and get busy! Updates to come :)

11 Weeks

2 more weeks left in the first trimester! Can't believe we're about 1/3 of the way there...

We had an appointment with the CNMW today, and got to hear baby's heartbeat! They said it was between 166-170 beats per minute, which is right on track for this stage of development. Everything else checked out just fine today as well (blood pressure, my weight, etc) and we are scheduled for an ultrasound on October 11 to assess risk markers for Down Syndrome and the Trisomies. I don't have any real concerns that any of that is going to be high risk, but I am looking forward to having another chance to see baby and get some updated photos to share!

Speaking of photos, I do have a belly update! The update is, regular pants really just don't fit any longer...I broke down and bought some maternity pants tonight. I am looking forward to lounging in elastic waisted bliss for the next 6 months or more, though, so it's not so bad!

I'm cautiously crossing my fingers that the past few days are an indication that some of the nausea may be subsiding...it was pretty constant and unpleasant during 9 and 10 weeks, but I'm feeling a bit better the last 2-3 days it seems. I am however eating my weight in smoothies - I told Matt this child is probably going to hate smoothies by the time he or she can eat semi-solid food! But at this point, I'm going to go with whatever works and sounds at least minimally appetizing!

10 Weeks

My weeks turn over on Thursdays, so today is 10 weeks on the dot. I have not been great about getting weekly pictures of the belly, but honestly it's not very cute to look at these days! In general it seems to be getting thicker and possible a bit rounder, but more in a That chick might wanna work out a little more, or go ahead and lay off the Dairy Queen kinda way, at least to the casual observer. That said, I'll see if I can get Matt to take some tonight after work, to document the current state of things bellyish.

For the first few weeks, I thought maybe I'd breeze through this whole first trimester thing without too much of a problem...little to no nausea, some tiredness, but nothing a nap or two couldn't fix, and otherwise nothing much to show for the fact that my body is busily growing the beginning of a person. But, about a week ago I think the hormones may have started to peak, and I feel much more like a 1st trimester pregnant person might...more consistent nausea, both at the beginning and the end of the day, total exhaustion (in the I may have taken a nap in my office the other day, or fallen asleep outside on the bench waiting for Matt to pick me up at the end of the day kind of way), and one episode so far of actually puking :(. At least I know this means things should be going as expected, and I keep reminding myself that many a pregnant woman has it FAR worse, so I should be thankful this is all there is so far.

I am very excited that today is the first day of autumn - as you all probably know it's my absolute favorite season, and even though it is forecasted to be 90 degrees today, I'm feeling like the season is changing in front of my eyes. Last night there was a large harvest moon rising in the sky, and our pumpkins were finally ready to be picked from the vines. Driving into work this morning (albeit a frustratingly long trek today with traffic) we could see that the fields of corn are browning out, and the soybean plants are taking on a beautiful golden color, which was gorgeous in the early morning misty sunlight. My personal goal for the end of this week is to get outside with my camera and document some of this beautiful season unfolding in front of me. I've put it out there, and hopefully I will hold myself accountable! Pictures to come :)

Anyone have any favorite fall recipes they are excited to make? It just may be the one and only thing that sounds good to me on a given day, so share! And think of the baby :)

xoxo,
Tanya

First Ultrasound!!

We had our first ultrasound today, as the title suggests :) According to the measurements (and my own calculations which I assume to be quite accurate if I do say so myself...) she determined we are at 8 weeks today actually. Baby has a strong fast heartbeat, and everything looked great! So the new due date is 4/21/11. I like it! Here are some pics of our offspring :)

Top pic: Head on the right, limbs all out

Bottom pic: head to the left

So anyway, that's the main update for today! Not feeling super ambitious about the writing tonight, so this is what there is! She wants me back in 3 weeks, so we'll get to listen for the heartbeat again then!

Football Saturday!

8 Weeks

Yesterday was the Michigan season opening game at the Big House, and baby Smith was along for the tiring ride. We tailgated with some work friends of Matt's before the game, and then got to the stadium early for all of the "Rededication Game" festivities. All that walking made me short of breath, so we had to take frequent breaks just to rest...who knew something the size of a raspberry would take it out of me? I even got a few pics, so for your viewing pleasure here you go.

Tailgating

We walked over to the section where we had tickets Senior Year - such a great place to watch the game! And you can maybe, just maybe, see the beginnings of a "baby bump". Or maybe it is just from the previously mentioned tailgating.

Belly Shot from before the game, and before tailgating. It was never super flat to begin with, but I can't suck it in any more!

I have plans to do a more creative maternity photo series but I haven't quite figured out what I want to do, so stay tuned. Check this blog out - his 2 series are tabbed at the top. http://pacingthepanicroom.blogspot.com/ Of course I'm nowhere near as talented, nor will I be taking my own shots, but I'd love to have something creative to look back on this time. We'll see what I can come up with...

love to you all,

Tots & Baby GB (that's Gummy Bear for this week)

Dinner options

Tonight's dinner ended up being:

- one soft serve ice cream cone

- a handful of pringles, original flavor

- one bite of pork tenderloin, which, *Gag

- cooked carrots with brown sugar and butter

- a bowl of mashed potatoes with melted cheese

- a glass of milk

I guess I wasn't going for a totally well rounded list of food groups, but I'll take whatever sounds minimally appetizing!

Still no pics - will work on that this weekend, especially since it's the first home Michigan game! GO Blue! You better believe this little peanut will know his/her roots!

Breaking the news

Well, I've been meaning to get a blog up and running to keep our nearest and dearest abreast of the goings on in our lives, and this seems like as good a time as any! We have slowly been leaking the news that Matthew and I are going to be parents sometime in April 2011! At this point, the due date is April 16, 2011, but it's still early enough that that is subject to change. I have been feeling pretty well overall until this week (7wks 5days today) and in general my primary "symptom" is just fatigue. I sleep so much! I do have some passing waves of minor nausea, but nothing that has me running for the BR or anything, so thank goodness for that! We have an appointment scheduled with our Certified Nurse Midwife on 9/9/10, and hopefully we will get to see the little gummy bear on ultrasound then!

I will most likely post the "belly bump" pictures as there is something to see, but for now there's just not much to look at! I need to rope Matt in to take some pics soon, though, so I can remember what I once looked like before things get crazy :)