Week 19: 11/11/08 - 11/17/08

These weeks are just flying by! I am still feeling great. No complaints!! (except the occasional rib pain I get if I'm sitting in an uncomfortable chair for too long at a time, or if I eat too much...)

Only 1 more week until I am halfway!

According to babycenter, Gretchen weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. (What a weird food to compare her to!) Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now.

I started feeling some kicks this week!!!!!!! I am so excited to really start feeling her moving. She is getting big and strong. I can't wait to meet her!

2 more weeks until my next ultrasound, on 12/2!!

Week 18: 11/4/08 - 11/10/08

Hello! I can't believe I am already 18 weeks. I feel like just yesterday, I was 6 weeks and busting at the seams to tell everybody the big news!

I am feeling surprisingly great! I think this is the best I have felt out of BOTH of my pregnancies so far. No morning sickness, no heartburn... and I am feeling more and more movement every day. No full-blown kicks yet, but lots of flips and blips. Aww. :o)

According to babycenter, Gretchen is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and she weighs almost 7 ounces.

I posted a new belly pic this week if you are bored and want to check it out!

Week 17: 10/28/08 - 11/3/08

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

We are so very very very very very very happy. I was very 50/50 about whether I wanted a girl or a boy this time. I'm familiar with the boy thing and I thought Grant would have so much fun with a little brother. But at the same time, this will be our last baby and I can't imagine not ever getting to experience having a daughter. We will be so very blessed to have one boy and one girl!

The ultrasound was perfect. Her heartbeat was 145 bpm. Everything looked perfect and healthy. I do have to go in for a follow-up ultrasound on 12/2 though because the tech could not get the right angle on her heart and her face to see everything she wanted to see. Fine by me -- I can't wait to see our little Gretchen again in 5 weeks!!!!! She did have 1 EIF show up in the ultrasound but I am not going to worry about it whatsoever. Grant had 3 choroid plexus cysts in his 18w ultrasound and they are very similar to EIFs - EIFs are bright spots on the heart and CPCs show up in the brain. Both, as isolated soft markers, are nothing at all to worry about. :o) Grant's CPCs were gone by his 24w ultrasound and most likely this EIF will be gone as well.

I am feeling great this week. I think I might have had a little morning sickness 1 day but I can't even remember. I am feeling WORLD'S better now. I am hoping the morning sickness is finally finally behind me!!!

Gretchen is the size of a turnip this week! :o)

Week 16: 10/21/08 - 10/27/08

Wow, I can't believe I am 16 weeks already! I am feeling pretty good this week. I got sick on Tuesday the 21st but it wasn't too bad. The early morning episodes are the easiest!!! There were 2 other mornings I almost got sick too but I willed it away. LOL. Hopefully this week will mark the END of my morning sickness, like it did with my 1st pregnancy. I'm still going to bed really early, but at least my energy levels during the day are better now!

The baby is already the size of an avacado this week - 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces! I can't believe how big he/she is getting! The baby also started growing toenails this week! :o)

So far I have gained 11 lbs. I am not going to stress about it!!!

Only a few more days until my ultrasound on the 30th!!!

Week 15: 10/14/08 - 10/20/08

Hello! I am doing well. I only got sick 2 days this week. Woo hoo! I got back the results of my nuchal screening blood poke and also from the blood test to recheck my thyroid levels and both were good! Woo hoo!

I am starting to finally eat more healthy, now that I am feeling better. I was craving salads like crazy this week, with lettuce, cukes, strawberries, fresh mozzarella cheese, croutons, almonds, and balsamic vinegar. YUM!

The 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. His/Her legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and he/she can move all of his/her joints and limbs. Although his/her eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can sense light. So amazing!!!

Week 14: 10/7/08 - 10/13/08

HELLO 2ND TRIMESTER!!!!! :) You know, even though some weeks seem go soooo slowly, and the morning sickness has made *many* days these past 3 months really drag, I am amazed that my 1st Trimester is actually DONE and now I am moving forward into the 2nd. I am 1/3 through this pregnancy already! That is pretty amazing. Maybe it is going fast after all!

The morning sickness comes and goes now. The days I do have it, it's usually just in the morning and that is a cakewalk since my stomach is empty. I will get through this!!

The baby is the size of a lemon already this week - about 3.5" long! And he/she weighs 1.5 oz. The baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, grasp, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout as his/her tiny features form one expression after another.

I am counting down the days until my big ultrasound on 10/30!

Week 13: 9/30/08 - 10/6/08

Hello! I had my first ultrasound this week on 10/3!! I learned that there is an optional 1st Trimester ultrasound called the Nuchal Screening and I asked the NP if I could get it, and she said absolutely. The reason she didn't tell me about it up-front is because I am not 35+. It would have been nice to have been told about it. I had to do all the research myself.

The ultrasound went great! :) :) :) Everything looks healthy. I will get the finger poke results back in 7-10 days which will give me a 95% accurate reading that everything is healthy. The baby's heartbeat was 158. Baby was so cute and very cooperative. Grant got to see his baby sibling for the first time! The tech *GUESSED* girl for me, but she told me it is JUST a guess!!!!! Although she didn't hesitate at ALL when she guessed. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

My appointment with the NP this week went really well. I told her I stopped taking the Phenargan and she was fine with that, especially because I am +10 lbs. She isn't concerned at all with my weight, so I am not going to be concerned either. She feels that getting the calories in is more important than trying to keep weight off at this point in the pregnancy. She told me that some women with bad morning sickness lose weight, whereas others gain faster because all they can mostly stomach are carbs, which is exactly how I am.

I had to do more bloodwork this week to re-check thyroid levels. Hopefully they are OK!

I feel like I'm starting to really show a little bit, all of a sudden. All of a sudden my regular pants are just NOT cutting it and even my 1st Tri pants are getting too snug. But my maternity pants are way too big still. I almost need to go out and buy in-between pants.

Still getting sick most days. Blahhhhh. Although I did have a great weekend out in Rome and didn't get sick once! Hopefully it truly is tapering off!

Still feeling little flutters occasionally!!! I have been feeling them for about 3 weeks now. Nothing like full blown kicks... just sweet little flutters. :)

Week 12: 9/23/08 - 9/29/08

Happy 12 weeks to me!!!! I just celebrated with my 1st cup of coffee in 8 weeks and it is DELICIOUS. I am not sure why I haven't allowed myself any since I found out I was pregnant. I drank it through my whole pregnancy with Grant. I am starting to wonder if coffee withdrawl is part of the reason I have felt so down in the dumps lately.

I am actually amazed that I am 12 weeks along already. It seems like just yesterday I was only 4 weeks along and calling my friends and family with the big news!

The baby is the size of a lime this week! I can't believe how big he/she is getting!!!

I am still unable to wear my contact lenses. My eye doctor has no idea why the pregnancy is messing with my contacts and my OB assured me it is "normal" - just wonderful. I wonder if I'll be in glasses right up through April. This is the pits. I hate wearing my glasses. Sigh.

I stopped taking the Phenargan. I have been having some good days and some bad days with the morning sickness, regardless of whether I take a Phenargan or a Reglan or nothing at all. It didn't make sense to keep taking medicine for no reason. By the end of this week, I started noticing somewhat of a consistancy with when I get sick. I seem to always get sick first thing in the morning, and then have a lot of nausea around dinnertime. Sometimes I get sick in the evening and sometimes not. I seem to be somewhat OK during the late morning and afternoon though. Hopefully soon it will stop completely! I went through these exact same kinds of morning sickness phases with my pregnancy with Grant, too. With Grant, it went completely away by 16 weeks.

Week 11: 9/16/08 - 9/22/08

Hello. I'm still hanging in here. Still choking down as much food and Gatorade as I can manage. I had a few good days this week and a few really bad ones... I got sick several times this week (even after taking the Phenergan) so I'm not really sure what to do at this point. I know there is 1 more pill I could try but I am sick of trying all these different things. I think it might be best to just ride it out, at this point. Getting sick is the pits. I am so sick of getting sick!

The baby is getting so big - he/she is already the size of a fig! I wish I could get an ultrasound sooner than 18 weeks. That just seems soooo far away at this point!

Week 10: 9/9/08 - 9/15/08

Hi ~ I can't believe the baby is the size of a kumquat already! I had a pre-natal appointment this week on the 15th and she found the heartbeat immediately! Awwwwwwwwww. 160 adorable beats per minute. :) :)

I am hanging in there. I'm still getting sick a few times per week and having trouble keeping food and liquids down on those days, so I am now trying Phenergan. I hope this works better than the Reglan! I will go back in 2 weeks to re-evaluate the new meds and see how the baby and I are doing. :) The good news is that I don't get sick every day now. At least I get some good days along with the bad ones. Hopefully this new pill will eliminate the bad ones completely! I bought a 24-pack of Gatorade to get me through the next week. Hopefully it will taste better and stay down better than water!

I keep craving SUSHI! God, it tastes so good to me. I had it 3x this week. I'm doing my best to avoid pre-made sushi and raw sushi, just to be safe. I've been sticking to mostly to cooked rolls and veggie rolls (ie. california rolls, spicy shrimp rolls, sweet potato tempura rolls) and only from made-to-order sushi bars with the freshest looking ingredients.

Week 9: 9/2/08 - 9/8/08

Hello! I am hanging in there. The weeks are going a little bit faster. In just 1 more week, I will be 1/4 through the pregnancy already! I've been feeling a little bit better and my energy levels are a little better. I think the Reglan is helping me. I'm eating mostly normal foods, although pretty heavy on carbs. I've also been drinking a lot of juice and iced-tea and having trouble getting plain old water down. Even flavored seltzer does not sound good to me. Even with the Reglan, I'm still getting sick 1-2x per day. Sometimes in the morning before I can even take a pill and also mid-afternoon, often in my car. Oh well! I am hoping I'll feel better in the next few weeks and this will all be behind me! :o) Gotta stay positive, right?

The baby is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce this week! He/she is getting so big already!!!

I am so excited. We picked out a lot site this week for our new house. It should be ready by the spring, just in time for the new baby. I am so happy he/she will have a bedroom!

Week 7: 8/19/08 - 8/25/08

Hello! These first weeks are still going extremely slowly, but I'm sure before I know it, Halloween will be here, and then Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years, and I will be over the halfway point!

Don't get me wrong; I really do not want to rush this pregnancy, and I most definitely do not want to rush Grant's 3rd year (which is so much fun!!). I am just extremely anxious to get through this 1st Trimester.

I am feeling pretty good. I have been having a bit of nausea, but it's much different than my first pregnancy! I was so sick and exhausted with Grant! One piece of good news though is that the weird pain in my side seems to have gone away! Thank goodness. I hope it stays away!

The baby is about the size of a small blueberry this week - he/she has doubled in size!!! :o) And the exciting news this week is that his/her hands and feet are beginning to emerge. It's so amazing. Please stick and grow strong, sweet little blueberry!!!

Week 6: 8/12/08 - 8/18/08

I am finally 6 weeks... hooray! Officially halfway through the nerve-wracking first 12 weeks. :)

I had my first pregnancy exam this week. It was very uneventful. I filled out lots of paperwork and had a pap smear, which left me feeling icky and crampy. My next appointment will be September 15 and hopefully then we will hear a heartbeat!

I have been feeling quite nauseous this week, my back is sore, and I'm a bit tired, too. I knew feeling great was too good to last. I can't complain though. I am so happy to be pregnant. Jay says that the nausea is the baby's way of "saying hi." LOL! I have a new weird pg symptom to add to my list too: I've been having this strange pain in my left side - I have NO idea what that is all about. I called my OB's office about it and she did not seem too concerned. But if it gets worse, she wants me to come in. If I still have it on 9/15 they will do an ultrasound. (Which I am hoping they will do anyways!)

Our baby is a quarter of an inch long this week, about the size of a lentil bean. His/her nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. The baby's heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine.

So, according to both the Chinese Lunar Calendar and the needle test, I am having a girl. Hee hee. Jay is so funny -- even though we are both impartial about whether we are having a boy or a girl, Jay says he hopes it's a boy, just to prove the superstitious gender prediction stuff wrong. LOL!

Friday morning this week, Grant woke up and was standing in his crib yelling, "I want a baby brudduh! I want a baby brudduh." Awwwwwwwww!

I officially announced my pregnancy this week to everybody at work. It's so nice to have it out there and be able to talk about it.

Week 5: 8/5/08 - 8/11/08

So far this pregnancy is going very slo-o-o-o-o-owly! I am very anxious to get through this 1st Trimester... or even to be 8 weeks would be nice! Or even 6! LOL!

I've still been telling too many people my news! I just have no patience. I told my boss and his wife at our work picnic on Friday 8/1. About 5 of my other co-workers know as well. I will probably end up just spilling the beans to everybody very soon. As much as I'd like to wait until 8 weeks, it will probably end up being 6 or 7.

Our little one is officially the size of a sesame seed this week! It is so amazing looking at Grant and how big he is now, and imagining that this new baby will be that big too in 3 years... and Grant will be 5 years old! It is crazy how fast time flies. Maybe it's GOOD that this pregnancy is starting off slowly! :)

I still don't really feel pregnant, which honestly, is wonderful! With Grant, I was very nauseous and fatigued during the 5th week. I can honestly say that I feel GREAT this week. I have energy and I don't feel nauseous at all. I think cutting out coffee cold turkey was the best thing I could have done. I was drinking way too much coffee before.

I am a little bummed because I pulled a muscle in my thigh and I am out of aerobics for a few weeks. But I am planning to start back up in September. I am hoping to stay more active and fit during this pregnancy! We'll see what happens...

My friend Mariah pointed out to me today that my EDD is just a few days before Easter 2009. That is fun. Hopefully I will not be 41 weeks pregnant at Easter! 
;-) I would love our little one to be born a few days early this time, instead of being induced 8 days late like I was with Grant!

I have my first doctor's appointment with one of the nurses on Sept. 6th - I'll be 9.5 weeks. And then I will see my OB for the first time on Oct. 6th - I'll be about 14 weeks. I can't wait until 18 weeks so we can find out what we are having! I am always amazed by those people who wait to find out. I would find out TODAY if I could! ;-)

Week 4: 7/29/08 - 8/4/08

I am so excited to announce that we are pregnant again - Grant is going to be a big brother!!! :) :) :) Our plan was to officially start trying in August but I guess this little baby had other ideas! We are very very very very happily shocked!

It's funny because Tuesday I was in Bon Ton and for some reason I actually bought the most adorable little 9 month girl's summer romper! I couldn't help myself. I was thinking that if I didn't ever need it, I could give it to one of my friends. But hmmmm now I am wondering if it was a premonition?? :)

I had just bought 4 pregnancy tests to put away for next month, but for some reason, I felt the urge to test this month... just in case... I was not expecting to see those 2 lines! I was, and still am, so very, very shocked! Very happily shocked! :)

I am having an even harder time this time around keeping my mouth shut; I have already told too many people! I am going to try to hold out until 8 weeks before telling anybody else, but I think by 6 weeks everybody at work is going to know. A few people already know and I don't want rumors going around behind my back; I'd rather just tell people myself.

My EDD is officially April 7th - Another April baby, unless he/she comes a little early. :)

Jay and I could not be happier!!!

shadesofjaim.com