11 WEEKS DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT

You know, I've gotta take a moment to say that my doctor is amazing!

I had a doctor's appointment today, and it went really well. :-) Mark, of course, went with me. There was no ultrasound today, but they were able to detect a heartbeat with the Doppler, which is awesome. At the end of the appointment, I asked my doctor a ton of questions! One of them being whether or not it was safe to start telling the world about our news.

My doctor said that this is a time that I should be enjoying and that waiting for the exact 12 week mark isn't a magical time frame. He said that there's no magic in 12 weeks and that if it's a viable pregnancy with recorded cardiac activity, there is a very good chance of carrying a baby to a viable age. I'm 11 weeks 2 days today, and while some people may have waited for the 12 week mark, I figured that 5 days doesn't make that much of a difference in the long run!

So, hopefully, the rest of my pregnancy will go smoothly and will be drama free! Mark and I are so excited to be able to share the news with everyone and to be able to talk about it freely!

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and support!

Next appointment: June 2nd :-)

11 WEEKS BABY BUMP

Here it is. :-) The next baby bump picture, taken today. 11 weeks 2 day into my pregnancy. And I'm wearing my first pair of maternity jeans in this picture. Thank you, Target. :-D

I guess I've gotten a little rounder since the last picture (2 weeks ago), but only a little bit. Mostly, it just seems like the bump is migrating north. LOL.

MY BABY IS A PLUM!

My baby has hit the next fruit stage in growth. :-) By the end of the week, he or she will be the size of a plum! :-)

11 WEEKS DOWN, 29 TO GO!

I'm 11 weeks pregnant today! Hooray! Just one week away from being able to announce my amazing news to the world! :-)

MARK & SANG'S BABY PICTURE

Just for fun, here are a couple of pictures. One of Mark, and one of myself. They were both taken when we were both 1 year old. :-) Please excuse the quality of the pictures, and also, please ignore the smudges on Mark's picture. Some ink got onto his picture or something before I scanned it.

Here is me at 1 year old.


Here is Mark at 1 year old.

IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL?

So, I don't know. Many people say that they have a feeling whether or not they're having a girl or a boy. I honestly don't have a strong feeling.

Recently, I had a little inkling that I may be having a boy. But, I'm not 100% sure. Well, obviously I'm not 100% sure. :-) But I also had a dream that I was going to have a girl. Although, in the dream, I was going to have twin girls. And I'm definitely not having twins!

People have asked me which one I would prefer to have. And my honest to God answer is that I don't care! People may not believe me, but I truly don't. If I have a boy first, then I'll have that big brother figure to the rest of my children. If I have a girl first, then I will have had my girl and I won't care if I have all boys after that. :-) So, either way it's a win-win for me.

I'm just a day away from being 11 weeks pregnant, so that means in less then 10 weeks, I'll know the sex of my baby! Well, hopefully. :-)

MEAT AVERSION...OVER?

I've been having this ridiculous meat aversion. It's a very fickle aversion as I am able to eat some meat every once in a while. But, lately, I haven't been able to eat any at all. Even the smell was disgusting.

Yesterday, Mark brought home a taco for me from Torchy's Tacos. I asked for The Democrat, which is a beef barbacoa taco. I surprised myself for ordering that. Well, Mark brought it home, and I gobbled it up! It was actually quite delicious! It's the first beef product I've had since I found out about the pregnancy!

Tonight for dinner, I'm making chicken cacciatore in the slow cooker. It was my idea, and it sounds pretty good! So, hopefully I'll enjoy the meal once it's made.

Does this mean I'm getting over my meat aversion???

FATIGUED OUT! (Part 2)

These last handful of days have been the most exhausting so far. It's gotten to the point where the thought of getting up, even to do a simple task like emptying the dishwasher, is so tiring that I prefer to just lay on the couch.

I've been fatigued most of the time so far this pregnancy, but it's gotten extra bad this last week. And now I know why. Apparently, according to WhatToExpect.com, my body is busy making the placenta.

Here's what the website has to say on the subject:

Week 11 Pregnancy Tip: Feeling Tired During Pregnancy

Are your two favorite positions these days sitting and lying down? Pregnancy fatigue is normal. That's because you're running a baby-making factory that's in business 24/7 (and since you're the only employee, you're on the clock around the clock), causing your pregnant body to work harder at rest than your nonpregnant body did on the run. And for the next few weeks, a baby's not the only thing in production — so is the placenta, the magnificently complex mission control that will serve as your baby's life-support system until delivery. The result? You feel tired and overworked, even when you're not doing a darn thing. Your energy should pick up once the placenta is up and running and your system adjusts (as best as it can) to the hormonal changes of pregnancy — probably early in the second trimester. In the meantime, keep your blood-sugar level up with frequent snacks of complex carbs and protein (cheese and crackers; nuts and dried fruit), try a little exercise (which can actually give you an energy boost), and most of all — listen to your body. When it calls for a break, take one.

Click HERE if you want to see the entire article.

INTRODUCING THE GODPARENTS

Amy & Ryan!!! Two of the sweetest people we know! :-) We feel very lucky knowing that people like Amy and Ryan will be in our baby's life. Thanks, you two for being such wonderful friends to us! Practically like family!

"THE PREGNANCY JOURNAL"

I love my pregnancy journal! Well, it's called "The Pregnancy Journal" and the wonderful, awesome, godmother of my first born child, Amy Moody got it for me. :-)

It's such an informative journal! I love it! The days are easy to track, and I love being able to record how I'm feeling, what I'm weighing in at on certain days, etc. It'll be really fun to look back on this journal after the baby is born. :-)

Thank you, Amy!!!



Here is the excerpt for today, April 24, 2010:

"For Baby: Ossification centers are established in the skull; those in the long bones continue to develop as your baby becomes more solid. That baby's bones and muscles are growing rapidly. The baby's developing body begins to attain proportions more like a newborn baby's.

For Mommy: Although weight gain fluctuates from week to week, your average weight gain is about a pound a week (2/3 of a pound a week if you were overweight when you got pregnant).

Food Facts: To support the baby's production of cartilage and bone tissue, three to four servings of calcium-containing foods will probably satisfy the 1,000 mg daily requirement. In addition to milk and yogurt, other excellent food sources of calcium include cheese (especially Swiss, provolone, and Monterey jack, sardines, salmon, and broccoli."

MY BABY IS A LIME!

So, because I just started my 11th week of pregnancy, my little development update says that my baby is now the size of a lime! Or, at least it will be by the end of the week!

MY BABY IS WHAT FRUIT?

So, I've been posting which fruit my baby is the size of as I get the updates.

Well, in case anyone wants to look ahead, I found this growth chart online that's kinda cute.

Currently, my baby is still the size of a prune. :-)

10 WEEKS DOWN, 30 TO GO!

I'm 10 weeks pregnant today!

It's exciting that I'm getting so close to my second trimester! :-) I'm only 14 days away from being able to announce our wonderful news to the world!

Within the last week, I would say that the only major symptom that I've had is that now the SMELL of meat bothers me. Up until now, it's just been the taste, but now it's the smell. And it's awful. Hopefully, I'll start liking meat again soon because it's kind of hard to get my protein! I don't even like fish or tofu right now. It's as if my body is rejecting all protein!

I weighed myself this morning for the first time since I got pregnant, and I have gained zero pounds. LOL. I guess that means I've been doing good on my food intake? I know I have to gain weight at some point, but it's alright if I don't gain weight during my first trimester, right? After all, my meals have consisted of fruit, fruit and more fruit.

Here are some images of what a baby looks like at 10 weeks.





This is supposedly the feet of a 10 week old fetus.

9 WEEKS BABY BUMP

Here it is. The first baby bump picture. This was taken yesterday, at 9 weeks 2 days into my pregnancy.

I wasn't brave enough to lift the shirt all the way. LOL. I don't like baring my belly for the camera. But, you can still see a little bump there!

VEINS!

Okay. It's happening. I've been warned by my WhatToExpect site that varicose veins will be coming soon. Well, I looked in the mirror this morning, and my veins look like they're bulging out of my abdomen!

Click HERE to see a link on WhatToExpect.com that explains a little about what varicose veins are.

I've noticed the veins a little bit in my calf muscle area, but mostly, the veins are in my abdomen area. It's time to bust out the cocoa butter!

MY BABY IS A PRUNE!

According to my WhatToExpect iPhone app, 9 weeks and 1 day into my pregnancy, my baby is now the size of a prune (approximately 1.5 inches).

"THE EXPECTANT FATHER"

It's so cute. :-) Amy is just too awesome and gave me and Mark a little gift the last time I saw her. For Mark, she got a book called The Expectant Father and he reads it every single night. :-) Before he goes upstairs to read it, he always says, "Okay, I'm going to go upstairs and study how to be a good dad." LOL.

What's great about the book is that it's apparently explaining to him what is going on with me physically and emotionally. So, he's able to understand very easily why I am a certain way sometimes, which is good!

So, Amy...thank you so much for the book!!!!! Love you, girl!

9 WEEKS DOWN, 31 TO GO!

I'm 9 weeks pregnant today. :-) Another week down!

In the last week, I would say that the symptom that I have been plagued with the most is (TMI ALERT) gas, gas, gas. :-( Sometimes I get painful gassy cramps. It's horrible. Oh, and the unending constipation. (Doesn't this make you want to be pregnant??) ;-)

The other sign that I'm pregnant is that I having started eating huge, whole dill pickles with lots of gusto. :-)

I did have one vomiting incident, my only vomiting incident so far during this pregnancy. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I haven't had a severe case of morning sickness!

MY NEW BABY BAG

So, I was shopping yesterday in San Antonio with Amy, and I saw this diaper bag. :-) Yeah, I know it'll be a while until I can use it, but I loved it! So, I bought it. :-) It's a Vera Bradley bag, and it's washable! Which is a plus. :-D

MY BABY IS AN OLIVE!

So, first the baby was blueberry sized. Then it was raspberry sized. Well, according to my fetal development chart, the baby is now about the size of an olive. :-)

BOOT CAMP & PREGNANCY

Well, I went to boot camp this morning. It's been three weeks. And good grief. What an eye opener.

I've been so fatigued lately, and this morning's workout really made me think about whether or not I should be doing these types of workouts right now! I actually got light-headed while working out today, which is NOT good.

I guess I'll just have to see what happens. I wanted to try and at least make it through the month of May, but it's looking more like this month will be the last. :-( I wasn't ready to leave boot camp so soon!

We'll see...

8 WEEKS DOWN, 32 TO GO!

So, I'm officially 8 weeks pregnant today!!! My second trimester starts in just 28 (hopefully short!) days!!! At which point, Mark and I can announce to the world our exciting news. :-)

I took my first "belly bump" picture today. I'm still deciding whether or not to post it. LOL. I'm going to have to get used to photographing my belly and showing it off, huh? I'm planning on trying to take a picture once a month, maybe more frequently as I get into the third trimester.

Anyway, obviously at 8 weeks, there's not much of a noticeable bump. I'm definitely more...how should I put this...FULL, down in my abdomen area. ;-) It's kind of crazy, actually. A couple months ago, that area sat flat, but not anymore! There's definitely a large bubble under there now.

So, still thinking about posting the pic...we'll see!!!!!

FATIGUED OUT!

I have been SO tired lately! Today was the worst day for that, I think.

I was shopping at Lowe's with Mark today, and I just suddenly hit a wall or something. All of a sudden, I just didn't want to walk anymore. My energy level just plummeted. It was weird. So, while he finished the shopping (we were picking out plants for our front yard), I sat in the lawn chair area and waited for him. :-) While eating crackers that I just happened to have stashed in my purse. LOL.

So, needless to say, I think I am going to need a nap today.

HAPPY EASTER!

BABY MCDONNELL!!!

So, Mark and I got our first ultrasound done today! It was such an exciting experience! The baby is 7 weeks 4 days along. So, that puts my due date at November 15, 2010! It's nice to know exactly far along I am and when I'm due!

Here are some pictures of our little baby. :-)





My doctor was able to detect a heart beat and let us listen to it today. :-) THAT was really, REALLY cool, I've gotta say. :-) Below is the picture with the heart rhythm on it.

RESCHEDULED ULTRASOUND

So, our ultrasound that was supposed to be next week on April 7th is now going to be TOMORROW, April 2nd! :-) Hopefully, everything will look great when we see the first picture of our baby tomorrow. Lots of happy thoughts!!!