15 weeks!

Hello family and friends! I hope you are all having a nice and relaxing weekend. I wish I could say life is super exciting here in AZ but it's been a little boring lately. I'm super busy with work and so is Bran so by the time the weekend comes we're both ready for some relaxation. I'm trying to take advantage of naps and movies on the weekends as long as I can! One thing Rocco and I have in common is that we both love to sunbath! Yesterday the temperature got up to 77* and I had a chance to lay out in the sun :) The only creepy thing was our foreclosed house next door had some guys working on the roof so it got a bit awkard in my bikini and I had to cut the tanning session short...oh well! Here is a pic of what I'm looking like this week and a picture of my precious first born (Rocco!)

Rocco wanted to be apart of the photo shoot!

Doctor says baby is healthy an I've gained exactly how much I should :)



Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of an APPLE!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she 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! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

14 weeks!

I can't believe I'm in the second trimester already! Everyone says this is a time when you start to feel better but that's not me quite yet. Yesterday was a rough day and I spent most of my morning and afternoon throwing up...yuck! I'm noticing that my love for spicy foods is not helping the sickness either so sadly I am going to have to give up spiciness for awhile. On Tuesday, Brandon and I had a baby check up and heard the heartbeat. It was exciting to hear it finally! The only bad news we got was that our doctor they assigned us doesn't schedule appts. past 2:00pm and he wants to do our gender test when I'm 23 weeks! I'm not sure if I'm going to be patient enough to wait that long. Everytime I go to the store I'm so tempted to buy something but I'm going to try and hold back until I know if it's a boy or girl. Nothing too exciting has been happenging over here! Brandon is in a "weight loss competition" and has lost 10lbs already! I'm so proud of him. I try to eat some of his veggie meals but they don't seem as appetizing to me right now...I basically crave anything with cheese in it...ha! I took an updated pic of me this week because the baby doubled in weight and I feel like my stomach did too! Have a great week everyone :) Oh! I almost forgot...I am planning a trip to Michigan the second weekend of May...mark your calendars Michiganders so I can see you all! :)

Just got back from the gym so I may look a little sweaty and gross :)

 

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a LEMON!

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

"So what are your plans next year?"

Work has been a little crazy lately and I am blessed to have this sweet older woman who volunteers in my room twice a week. She and I have become close and she asked me a question today that got me thinking "So what are your plans next year?" Being the planner that I am, I would usually have a five minute answer but not this time. In my mind all I could think about were my fears:


*How am I going to have energy for 26 first graders(All with various and sometimes demanding needs!) and my own children when I get home.


*Will I be able to make enough money for daycare and still have enough left over for our family? What if I have to take another pay cut? (This has become apart of AZ teacher's yearly norm!)


*Who will watch the baby?



*Does supermom really exist? (You working mom's out there reading!!)


*I wish baby Sev had family here!


I'm lucky to have a lot of working mommy friends out there who do ..Do it all! I seriously look at them like super heroes and strive to have the energy and optimistic and selfless attitudes that they have. Hopefully my fears go away and I can enjoy thinking of our future "schedule" but right now I have the blues about it :( Not sure if that's normal or not. I think part of my anxiety is also due to the fact that we don't have any family out here. Knowing a grandma is there when baby has the sniffles and I can work is a nice peaceful feeling.If any mom's out there are reading this let me know how you do it! :) I'm a little freaked out...eek!

13 weeks!

Woohoo the last week of the first trimester! I read online that this is around the time you really start to notice some changes in your body and it's definitely true. I have grown a little bit in my stomach and have started feeling aches and pains in there. I am finally enjoying the feeling of pregnancy and haven't puked in a week! A good friend actually worked out with me yesterday and it felt SO good to finally be active again. I'm planning on spending my nights on the bike and hopefully doing some Zumba to stay active and have as healthy of a pregnancy as I can. Yesterday was kind of a sad day for Bran...the Packers lost! It was very sad and now the superbowl isn't sounding as exciting to me...oh well! Here is one of my favorite Packer fans...isn't he precious?

Brandon and I are going to be taking a little bit nicer pictures of my belly starting next week. I feel like they have been kind of boring because not much changes week to week! I may take them every other week so I can see a real change. I also have a doctor appt. tomorrow to make sure everything is progressing normally. We were told that if we schedule testing for chromosomal errors this week we may be able to find out the sex of the baby! My gut is still telling me boy but I guess you never really know! Here are a couple updated belly pics...I'm definitely growing in the belly and it appears my butt and thighs already.

I feel like baby Sev is really low in there....weird!

                                                          I think my belly is sticking out as far as my butt now :)

My friend Meghan had the cutest blog during her pregnancy...I'm going to borrow her questioner to keep everyone in the loop!

Today's date: Monday Jan. 16th 2012

How far along: 13 weeks - last week of first trimester woooohooo!!

Sex: My dreams and gut say boy...so it's probably a girl :)

Maternity clothes: I'm wearing almost all of the maternity clothes I've bought. I can still get away with some of my shirts pre-pregnancy but I can't wear any of my old pants without a belly band.

Sleep: I used to get up at 3:00am and 4:00am to pee but that has stopped :)

Best moment(s) of the week: Spending time with my friend Tara and Danielle this weekend...it's always nice to spend time with good friends :)

Movement: Can't feel it yet.

Food cravings/aversions: mashed potatoes, peaches, and juice!

Morning sickness: It comes and goes but it's manageable now

Symptoms: Achey pains in my belly and very tired all the time. I'm also noticing that I don't really have any patience which is not easy when teaching 26 1st graders! eek

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: Jimmy Johns Subs, Wine, and I never realized how often I use paint!

What I'm looking forward to: My doctor appointment tomorrow! :) and Bran's family coming to visit in the next month

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a PEACH!

Baby is approaching normal proportions, with its head now only one third the size of its body. And intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy.  Fingerprints have formed o baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through its still-thin skin.  Baby is forming teeth and vocal cords although they are nonfunctional. If we're having a girl, she now has more than two million eggs in her ovaries!  Our baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

12 weeks!

Is everyone as sad about the holidays being over as I am? I am so happy to have had the last two weeks off because there was just sooo much to get done (and I puke every morning..gross!). Brandon and I have been super busy around the house clearing out the babies future room and making a sewing/guest room along with re-doing some things in our guest bathroom. I think the realization that we're having family visitors every month until the baby arrives made me realize we need to get a move on while I have the energy. Here are some pics of my sewing table we fixed up:

I added some funky hobby lobby knobbs for the final touch...it was a fun project to do together :) We are also decorating the guest room for the many guests that will be arriving once the baby comes. Here is what the room looks like so far...I still need to decorate it :)

It needs a visitor :)

Thank you Ikea!

As for my belly lately...I feel like it's bigger somedays and smaller the next? I guess it depends on how much I'm eating and whether he's hiding more? I just don't know! here's an updated pic... I look mad but I was happy!





The pregnancy has not been as pleasant as I thought it would be! I am still very dizzy and exhausted and the only thing I can compare it to is feeling everyday like I just got off a spinny carnival ride. Hopefully the nausea goes away or I may need to find a desk job for the rest of the year...eek! I am also feeling relieved that the 12 week mark has finally come! It seems like I have been pregnant for an eternity lately and I get so nervous about how he/she is doing in there. Here are some fun facts on baby this week! I will also try to get better on updating my blog...next pics to come are the bathroom and new car! :)



Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a LIME!

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, its toes will curl, its eye muscles will clench, and its mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I prod my abdomen, our baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. Baby's intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into its abdominal cavity about now, and its kidneys will begin excreting urine into its bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. Its face looks unquestionably human: eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, baby is just over 2 inches long and weighs half an ounce.