BB: 11 Weeks

11 weeks and going strong. Time is really flying by, it is hard to imagine I will be out of the first trimester in just two weeks (they consider 13 weeks to be the first trimester). I have our 12 week doctor's appointment next week. I will probably fail the weigh-in (it is just wrong to get weighed right after the holidays), but other than that I think everything is going good.

From the baby center:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

A Kumquat?

Wow, week 10! Everything is going pretty well. My nausea is pretty much a non-issue, but I am still pretty exhausted. I look forward to catching up on my rest when my company shuts down for Christmas (I will not have to go back to work until the 5th).

From the Baby Center:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Nutcracker with Staci

On Saturday, December 13th Staci and I had a had a "date night" to go see the nutcracker. We started off the evening at Uchi, which is one (if not the) best sushi restaurant in Austin. We filled up on a California roll, Spicy Tuna roll, salad, crab / avocado dish and a peanut butter dessert. It was delicious! If you have never been, I highly recommend it, but you must go early (they open at 5) because they only take limited reservations. We had a funny experience with an unused white bowl... lets just say that the wait staff was eager to clear the table of used dishes, the only problem was that the bowl had not been used yet (it was awaiting salad) and there were about 5 attempts to take it from us, one was successful.

After our yummy dinner we went to The Nutcracker at the Long Center. We had awesome seats and really enjoyed the show. It is something I have been wanted to do for years, but Brian did not have must interest in going.

Staci and I had a blast and look forward to more date nights in the future!

Salado Christmas Stroll

On Friday night Brian and I went to Salado with our friends Tania, Kimball, Maya, Barbi, Amanda and Jeff for the annual Christmas Stroll. We ate dinner at the Stagecoach Inn and then walked around town looking at all the stores and enjoying the scenery. It was a great time hanging out with friends and getting into the Christmas spirit.

The only downfall was that I did not get my afternoon nap, so I was totally exhausted all evening. Naps are a new found necessity if I am going to stay up later than 8:00. Needless to say, I think I was asleep in the car before we even go out of Salado.

9 Weeks: The tail is gone!

From the Baby Center:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

The Word Is Out!

Well I am happy to say that almost everyone knows about BB and the response has been amazing. Brian and I are so blessed to have such a supportive, loving group of family and friends. This CHRISTmas season is going to be even more special because of the amazing gift God has blessed us with. I am trying real hard to eat right, rest and exercise, but some days those cheeseburger, chili dog & cheese steak cravings take over. I am still very exhausted, but have found working out during lunch gives me extra energy to make it through the day. Tonight my friend Shelley is coming over. She purchased a fetal heart rate monitor when she was pregnant with Hayden and is going to let me borrow it. I am hoping I will be able to hear the heartbeat tonight, but it may take a couple more weeks of development. Tomorrow we are 9 weeks!

The First Look

Well today we saw the doctor and everything looks good! BB is 2cm with a strong heartbeat at 167bpm. The sonogram was so amazing, I cannot believe I have a little life growing in my belly! Seeing the baby, hearing his heartbeat and watching his heartbeat in his itty bitty body was incredible.

Brian really liked Dr. Solomon, which was very important to me. When Dr. walked into the room he said "Well that did not take long", haha. I just saw Dr. Solomon a few weeks ago for my annual and we discussed getting pregnant, etc. They took 4 vials of blood, I should get the results in a couple of days.

I cannot even express all the different emotions I am going through right now, it was just totally an amazing experience. Now only 12 more weeks until we can find out what we are having!

Our Baby: Week 8

Things are going well! We see our doctor tomorrow for the first time and cannot wait to see the baby and hear his heartbeat!

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.