I spy some baby!

I think I just *might* finally be showing a little bit! (I'm hoping it's not just the darn bloating that comes and goes all the time.)

After dinner last night, I had to unbutton my jeans. And then this morning, I noticed a definite difference. I wouldn't say I have a "bump" exactly. But I am definitely puffier than normal. Those who still don't know I'm pregnant might soon start to think I need to lay off the yellow cake with white frosting.

Anyway, I got so excited, I had Mike take a picture. Here I am, one day shy of 12 weeks. (And completely sans makeup with wet hair. Don't judge.):


Compare that to my 7 weeks photo:

An ode to pickles

I know I've been talking a lot about food lately, but... well, I can't help it.

I always expected that when I got pregnant, if I craved something, I would crave it throughout the pregnancy. I didn't realize the cravings would change from day-to-day (or sometimes minute-to-minute). One day, all I can think about eating are plums. The next day, I couldn't care less about plums, but MAN, I could go for some chocolate milk.

The one exception: Pickles. Pickles were one of my first cravings and they have been a steady desire for weeks. The whole pickles are the best, but spears will do in a pinch. (Oh, who am I kidding? Those little slices you put on sandwiches work, too.)

And the weirdest part? It almost always hits me at the same time of day: about 4:30 p.m., as I'm on the road headed home after work. By the time I get home at 5 p.m., I am practically running up the stairs to tackle the jar of pickles waiting in my fridge.

But yesterday, I had a stoke of genius in the morning. What if I tossed a few into a sandwich bag, took them to work, and brought them with me on the road on my way home?!

As is typical, I got stuck in horrible traffic, but for once, I wasn't annoyed. Cuz I had three pickles to keep me company. As I chowed down, I half-wondered what the people in the cars next to me were thinking. It's probably not every day you see a lady sitting in her car on a freeway in rush-hour traffic, scarfing down pickle after pickle, smiling to herself.

11 weeks

I dub this week the "Come on, baby bump!!" week. Cuz I am *still* not showing. And dang it, I want a baby bump.

I'm sure come August, when I'm huge and hot and miserable, I'll be cursing the day I ever said that. But seriously. We're going on our OH/PA Family Tour 2010 vacation in less than three weeks, and I'd like for my family to be able to see some sort of difference.

Plus, I'm at the point where I'm starting to tell more friends and co-workers, and have started getting the "Wow, you don't even look pregnant!" comments. Believe me folks, it is not for lack of eating, as is evident in the cake post. I'm hungry all the time, and I eat whenever I'm hungry (in fact, as soon as I'm done writing this post, I plan on digging into a banana).

So, I'm not even going to bother with a photo this week. If you want to know how I'm looking right now, see the 10 weeks post. Hopefully I will have a new, exciting picture to post next week!

*The baby is now the size of a... fig! Fig baby. Aw. :)

*How I'm feeling: Apparently I bragged too much about how my nausea had gone away, because I've been hit with it each morning for the past three days. Bah.

*Physical differences from last week: Not a whole lot. Same old, same old.

*What's been on my mind: I've been thinking a lot about names during the past week. I've got a girl name that I think I am quite set on, and I think Mike is in agreement. Boy names have been a bit more challenging. I think that's partially because I've felt lately like the baby is a girl, so debating boy names feels like a moot point. (This probably means it's actually a boy, since I tend to be wrong when guessing a baby's gender. I predicted that each of my three nieces would be a nephew.) And no, I'm not sharing any names until we're 100 percent sure what we've decided. :)

*What I'm looking forward to: Going home and "baby shopping" with the ladies in my family. They are going to explain to me what each thing is and what it does and whether or not I really need it. I plan on bringing lots of paper and pens to document their wisdom.

*Other random thoughts: I am still trying to train myself to sleep on my side. And I am still failing miserably.

Stocking up on some (clothing) basics

Well, I did it. I bought my first piece of maternity clothing: a simple black dress that I think will be a good work staple during the endlessly hot summer months. I'm going to try to buy pieces that will be versatile and that I'll get a lot of use out of. I figure I can just throw a different sweater over this, change up my shoes and jewelry and wear this puppy to work once a week.

I've got a coupon to Kohl's, so I might hit that up today to try to find a shirt or two - or maybe, eek, a pair of pants.

So far, all my clothes are still fitting fine, with the exception of one pair of jeans that is getting a bit uncomfortable. But I figure I should have a couple of things stocked up in case I "pop" one day and have an hour to find something suitable in my closet for work.

I like cake.

Yesterday, I became possessed. With a yellow-cake-with-white-frosting demon.

I started feeling as though I was in the mood for cake (at first, any kind of cake) right after dinner. A couple hours later, I couldn't shake it and had narrowed it down. It HAD to be yellow cake and white frosting.

My wonderful husband tried to convince me that an Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen would be good, too. No, no, no. CAKE. It had to be cake.

As he walked out the door at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night to find me cake, he yelled over his shoulder, "This better go on the blog!"

Now, in my defense, he also came back with beer for himself, so he did get something out of the deal (or perhaps my incessant cake talk had driven him to drink?).

He did manage to find the most perfect piece of yellow cake with white frosting. It was EXACTLY what I wanted, and as I dug in, he began to videotape me, unbeknownst to me. See the train wreck for yourself:

Yeah. (By the way, when he asked me if the cake was hitting the spot "a lot", what I said was, "huuuuge." Kind of hard to hear with all the cake in my mouth.)

10 weeks

Double digits! Yay!

We had our first appointment with our new midwife yesterday, and it was great. I really like the style of this midwife much more than the OB I saw a few weeks ago. The midwife is more concerned about my preferences and my wishes and less concerned that we follow a "by-the-book" guide to all things pregnancy. She also takes more time to explain things and just seems to care.

There are four midwives at St. Joseph's Hospital, where I'll be delivering, and I'll get whichever one happens to be on call on the big day. But I'll have a chance to meet with all four of them throughout my pregnancy, so at least I won't be with a stranger when the time comes.

She tried to hear the heartbeat on the sonogram machine, but told me that at 10 weeks, it is pretty hit or miss. By 11 weeks, you can almost always hear it. She tried for a while and couldn't hear it, so she asked me if I'd like to do an ultrasound.

And that is when I knew I loved my midwife.

I, of course, took her up on that offer, and we got to see our little guy/girl for the first time!

Cute, right? We could even see the fluttering heartbeat on the screen, which was amazing and reassuring. The top part is where they measured the baby and confirmed that, as of Monday, I was 10 weeks and 2 days along, putting me at a Sept. 11 due date. The bottom is the good picture of the baby.

And even though I know, logically, that I'm pregnant... even though I've been dealing with fatigue and nausea and cravings... seeing that little being on the monitor just blew me away. Ever since the ultrasound, I've been trying to wrap my mind around how it is possible that that is going on inside of me. Wow.
So with all well and good, and baby confirmed to be in the right spot, and heartbeat fluttering away, we've given our families the green light to spread the good word. Oh, and here's a quick belly picture. Not much to see yet:

*The baby is now the size of a... kumquat, evidently. Mike and I have no idea how big that really is.

*How I'm feeling: The best I've felt so far. I've gotten a lot of my energy back, and I don't get hit with nausea like I was before. A little bit of queasiness now and then, but not bad at all.

*Physical differences from last week: I just feel stronger and healthier this week and am able to move around more and actually cook dinner now and then.

*What's been on my mind: I'm still trying to figure out how we're going to rearrange all our furniture and wondering how I will ever know everything I need to know about cribs, strollers, car seats, pack n' plays, etc., etc., etc. System overload.

*What I'm most looking forward to: I want a baby bump, dang it!

*Other random thoughts: Why does one crave a white mocha with whipped cream from Aribica in Parma Heights when one hasn't had said white mocha in, oh, seven years? And why does this craving come after an equally strong craving for a plum? Please advise.

9 weeks

I'm about 9 weeks along now, which means... I'm amazingly close to double-digit weeks! Heehee.

And I was lazy and never got around to taking a belly-growing shot, but really -- you're not missing much. *I* can tell a difference in my stomach at this point, but even Mike looks at me like I'm nuts when I try to show him. :)

I had a couple of good days over the weekend of feeling good and not completely exhausted, which was promising. But then I woke up this morning feeling very nauseous, so I guess I'm not quite done with the morning sickness.

To give these posts more structure, I am going to steal a technique from a friend's baby blog (Thanks, Kris) and do a sort of "survey" of sorts each week, to compare my progress.

*The baby is now the size of a... Prune!

*How I'm feeling: I have more good moments than cruddy moments at this point, and my energy is returning a bit, although I still tend to pass out on the couch around 8:30 p.m. each night. :)

*Physical differences from last week: I have started to notice a slight rounding of my lower stomach. It's not enough for anyone else to notice, but I can definitely feel a difference. And one pair of jeans has become very hard to button and uncomfortably constrictive.

*What's been on my mind: How on Earth we are going to rearrange our den to make it into a baby's room. What to do with the extra furniture we'll have and how to make the most out of any potential storage areas.

*What I'm most looking forward to: In one week, we'll meet our new midwife and will have our first ultrasound!!

*Other random thoughts: So far, everyone who has "guessed" what we are having has said girl. Also, I am getting closer to being ready for our co-workers and extended family/friends to know about the pregnancy. I think in another week or so, we'll be ready to shout it from the rooftops. :)

8 weeks

I'm about eight weeks along now, which means I've entered the final month of my first trimester! As excited as I was to get pregnant, I think I will be even more excited to graduate to the second trimester. The main reason is because it means we'll officially be past the early, worrisome phase. But also because I am very ready to be done with the exhaustion and nausea.

I'm still not showing (but yes, still bloated all. the. time):


I keep expecting each day that I'll start to get my energy back... but no. I fought through some nausea on Sunday to go hiking. I woke up feeling great, and I'll admit that hiking was my idea. But by the time I'd finished breakfast, I started feeling sick again. I could tell Mike was anxious to start the day, plus I figured if I waited around until I felt great, we might never go. So I fought through the nausea and we drove up to Thunderbird park. By the time we arrived, the nausea had subsided for the most part, so I figured I was good to go.

Now, let me tell you: I have hiked Thunderbird a LOT. Much more than any other trail in Phoenix. I like it because it's not too long (maybe 30-40 minutes, depending on whether we trek up the second peak or not), but it's still a great workout. Everyone says pregnant women can do pretty much anything they did before they got pregnant, in terms of exercising (within reason, of course). If you were a runner before, keep running. If you were a hiker, hit the trails.

When I say I've hiked this trail a lot, I mean it. I know it like the back of my hand, and while it is a good workout, I don't consider it any sort of huge challenge. I did a 12-mile hike into the GRAND CANYON for god's sake. Proof: Here I am, just 9 months ago, 6,500 feet deep in the Canyon:


I can practically FLY up Thunderbird. At least, I USED to be able to. Now, this trail looks much more daunting than it used to:


After the first good incline, shown above, (where I'm usually feeling great and really get going), I had to stop and rest. I've never rested at this spot. Ever. But man, I was TIRED. I kept apologizing to Mike for holding him back, and by the end of the hike (which felt like about a week long), I was worn out. Actually, I felt very similar to how I did at the end of the GRAND CANYON hike! Yikes.

I was pretty worn out for the rest of the day after that. And yes, I fell asleep on the couch by 6:30 p.m., which is officially the earliest I've passed out. I'm going to try to make it to 7:30 tonight. I am pretty sure I can do it, although I find myself usually mumbling "Dang, I thought I'd make it later... sorry I'm so lame..." to Mike, as I lay half-asleep, curled up in the fetal position with my slanket early in the evening.

But anyway. Enough about me. I might have a hard time building my own muscles these days, but that's because I'm busy building the baby's muscles (they're developing this week). The baby can also bend its elbows and knees at this point (if only he/she had a nice slanket to wrap up in, too). And... here's the awesome part... the baby is now the size of an olive.

An olive! Doesn't that just warm your heart? Cuz it does mine. Mike coined the phrase of the week as soon as he learned that tidbit of information: "I-love Olive Baby!"