Fifteen Weeks

Sunday morning: I think I felt Bean move! At first, I convinced myself that it wasn't the baby, since it was SO quick and it's so early. However, after talking to my boss (who had a baby in November) and Beth (Jacob's sister)...It sounds like it was Bean! I am so excited at the thought and I am dying for it to happen again. It felt like a quick flutter or like when your eye twitches...only in my uterus. Hooray!

Also, happy Saint Patrick's Day! St. Patty's is one of my very favorite holidays. I LOVE the food, I look good in green (or orange) and I'm proud to be Irish. Our delish corned beef and cabbage dinner will be on Thursday at the Carlson's, but we get to feast on one of my prego cravings tonight - pulled pork sandwiches! Woohoo!

How I'm Feeling
I am feeling weird! I spend 10 minutes feeling great, then I get a killer headache, then I feel good again, then I am EXHAUSTED, then I feel good, then another headache...It's impossible to keep up! Plus, my emotions are REALLY enjoying a nice roller coaster ride. However, I am not nauseous all day and I managed to avoid morning sickness this morning although I was VERY close to a disaster, so I think after all is said and done, I am truly feeling better. Bean is growing like a weed, too! I have quite the belly these days.

What Bean's Doing
(taken from babygaga.com)

Your nearly four-inch long gymnast is happily mobile inside your womb and if you're really lucky, you’ll notice a point when your sneezing, coughing or laughing results in a little kick here or a poke there. Still, many women don't feel anything until the 17th week or later. Although the poking and kicking isn't very charming during sleeping hours, it’s a good sign as it means your baby is actually reacting to outside events. Yay! You’ve got yourself one active healthy baby! Their little elbows and knees are bending more freely this week and their little legs are finally growing longer than their arms and getting pumped up for prenatal Richard Simmons. Many of their major organ systems are increasing in capacity—particularly that amazing tiny heart and complex circulation system, which is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, and will increase to a very impressive 200 quarts per day by the end of the pregnancy. As far as hair goes, we’ve got some new scalp patterns beginning to develop on the head, although actual head hair is not yet present.

New Section: Cravings

I decided to add a cravings section for two reasons. The first is that I actually do want to keep track of the weird things I crave so that for future pregnancies, I can compare because I'm weird like that. The second reason is that I love talking about food.

• Pulled pork sandwiches (from Fat Daddy's, or made by Charlotte!)
• Tamales from Guadalajara
• Mustard
• Homemade hamburgers (which is REALLY, really, REALLY weird as I normally spend my time hating burgers)
• Fresh fruit like peaches, pears, plums, apricots, nectarines, mangoes, etc.
• Jacob's garlic bread
• Something that I have just named Kelly Goulash - it consists of yellow rice, chipotle sausage and chicken. I put green olives in mine, too
  

Fourteen Weeks

Alright, you guys. No matter who you ask, I am officially in my second trimester! I am SO excited to feel the baby move soon.

My body decided it would be fun to celebrate my fourteenth week of pregnancy by giving me an encore round of morning sickness. It was short, though, so it truly wasn't that bad.

This time change thing is killer this year. I went to sleep extra early last night (to my body, it was 8:30) but it didn't seem to help very much. I hope my internal clock gets adjusted soon!

I am currently EXTREMELY excited about...breakfast burritos! There's a place in town that makes the most delicious breakfast burritos EVER. They are a big hit at my office. Unfortunately, though, since the office moved, we rarely get them because the restaurant is so far away now. So, tomorrow, I get to work from home for about an hour and go pick some up on the way to the office. Hooray! Prego cravings win!

How I'm Feeling
Aside from my freak sickness this morning, I feel pretty good most of the time. I have been dealing with headaches almost every afternoon/evening. They seem to be completely tension-related, so Jacob rubs my neck for me so I don't have to take Tylenol. I would like to see a chiropractor for some treatment, but I need to check the insurance first.

My next midwife appointment is next week on St. Patrick's Day! I am hoping we get to hear the heartbeat again and that Nora will test my iron and tell me I can lower my dosage of Floradix. Prayers appreciated!

What Bean's Doing
(taken from babycenter.com)

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 — about the size of a lemon — 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.

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Also, I read on another site that Bean's vocal chords and, uh, privates are fully developed. We have a little girl or boy! ;)

Thirteen Weeks

Ok, so. Am I in my second trimester? According to some, yes. According to others, I still have another week to go. I've decided that it SO doesn't matter. All that matters is that our Bean is thirteen weeks old!

Oh, and I'm 19 years old! Birthday was on Sunday. Woohoo.

How I'm Feeling
Pretty much hungry and tired, but other than that...I am fantastic! My mom and I went shopping this past weekend, and I bought my very first pair of maternity pants. I am in love with them. So, so cozy. They are still a bit big, but they're so much better than wearing my too tight regular pants.

I posted belly pictures on Facebook. I'll probably post them on here at some point, but if you'd like to see them sooner and don't have access to Facebook, let me know and I'll email them to you.

What Bean's Doing
(taken from momswhothink.com)

Your baby is actually quite large by now, a whopping 3 inches long in some cases and weighs in at roughly .7 ounces. By 13 weeks pregnant your baby’s intestines are working on maturing and your baby’s tiny pancreas is working hard to produce insulin. This will help your baby regulate her blood sugar levels in the months and years following delivery.

Your baby’s eyes also start to move closer to the center of your baby’s head. The head can move easily from side to side and up and down, and the facial features are starting to form. Your baby’s arms have almost reached final proportion and length, though the legs are still quite short relative to the baby's body. At 13 weeks pregnant, your baby can now probably flex its arms and kick its legs. He or she may also be able to put a thumb in his or her mouth, although the sucking muscles are not yet completely developed.

The sockets for all twenty teeth are formed in the gums, and vocal cords are beginning to form. Other things happening at this time are the appearance of fingernails, the beginnings of fingerprints and footprints, the start of vocal cord formation, the appearance of visible ribs. The trachea, lungs, stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines are developing into their final functioning form.

Twelve weeks

This is it...At the end of this week, I will officially be in my second trimester! I am so, so excited.

Isn't Bean getting cute!? I love looking at my ticker and seeing the little cartoon baby of Bean's size float around. All week, I have been thinking of Bean touching his/her face and maybe even sucking his/her thumb a bit.

In other news, I am starting to feel more and more as if Bean is a girl. However, that COULD be due to my complete love for the name Eleanor...

How I'm Feeling
I've been really struggling with this weird cold thing and it sucks a lot. It zaps even more energy out of my already tired body, which results in crankiness, headaches and falling asleep at 8:30. However, I am so thankful to have my sweet husband who takes such good care of me. He's the best! Also...Pants are DEFINITELY struggling. I think I'm going to head to the mall soon and buy some jeans in a larger size rather than maternity pants, since I would feel crazy wearing maternity pants at 12 weeks in my first pregnancy.

What Bean's Doing
(taken from babycenter.com)
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

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

Eleven weeks

160 beats per minute. Those words have popped into my mind at least 50 times today. Bean's heart was thumping away last night. Nora was able to find it pretty quickly, too! It was so surreal and amazing. It actually had more of an impact than I thought it would. I mean, I was excited and thought it would be cool, but it just feels so completely real now. I think I was kind of holding back a tiny bit until we had that confirmation.

How I'm Feeling
Sometimes better, sometimes sick...Always tired. I keep saying, "Oh, I'm doing SO much better." and then I spend the afternoon praying to keep my lunch down. I've been fighting/suffering from a cold for a while, which has been annoying. I HATE waking up to a sore throat and stuffy nose. I am also starting to get a, "WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DO" feeling that bugs me pretty much all day. However, by the time I get home, I'm too sleepy to DO any of it. Waiting for the "honeymoon" of trimester 2...

What Bean's Doing
(taken from babygaga.com)

Maybe you’ve noticed… your baby is a super-duper grower! Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week and has already achieved fruit-size-status comparable to a plum. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches.They're also developing their swallow reflex this week. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

Ten Weeks

This week brought rain (hooray), beef stew and sickness for me. A migraine on Sunday was joined by cold and flu symptoms that have had me working from home for the past two days. Luckily, I am finally feeling better and can safely say that I will be returning to work tomorrow.

I am so glad to say that we will be hearing Bean's heartbeat right about now in exactly a week! I am SO excited!

How I'm Feeling
Aside from the sickness, I am feeling much better. Less morning sickness, less tiredness and less bloating. Now my stomach pooch REALLY is a pooch and not a pooch surrounded by water retention. My blood work showed that I was fairly anemic, so I've been taking a yucky iron supplement. Although I HATE the taste of it (it's liquid) I have noticed less sleepiness. Plus, anything for a healthier bebe, right?

What Bean's Doing
(taken from babycenter.com)
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.

Nine Weeks

Whew! This past week was crazy. My mom's party/birthday weekend was wonderful. She was SHOCKED to see my brothers and their families there, and we had a great time together. It was so nice to see them!

Last night, I had blood drawn for the first time! I was super nervous about it, but I prayed and my nerves were instantly calmed. The lady who drew my blood was very, very good. It was over so quickly, and only hurt a tiny bit. Actually, the skin irritation I got from the band aid was worse than the needle! I'm very glad to have it done.

How I'm Feeling
Fat. Let me explain, though. I really have no problem getting huge and round. I'm looking forward to it! At this point, though, I don't look pregnant. I just look chubby. That's not as fun as having a baby belly. The morning sickness is going in and out. I have very good days (today), ok days (yesterday) and bad days (not for a while, though). I feel as if I'm coming out of the rough part of pregnancy and into T2 aka the honeymoon trimester. Also, in two weeks we get to hear Bean's heartbeat! I can't wait.

What Bean's Doing
(from babygaga.com)
Congratulations! Your amazing growing baby has been accepted into to the fetus-club, a very exclusive and exiting new stage in their prenatal development. Basically, this means the little sweet pea has graduated from swimming embryo creature to a recognizable human being! This week in particular, the irises of their little eyes can function, but (frustratingly for them?) their eyelids remain fused shut for a while yet. Their external ears are formed and their inner ears are now filled with fluid—so your little one is already developing their sense of balance. Your baby's little swimmer legs are still relatively, although other bodily developments are going forward at a nice pace: their kidney is actually functioning now, which means they’ve started urinating (this might seem charming now but wait till you have to start buying diapers!).

(Also, I read elsewhere that the baby's sex organs are already developed! Weird, huh?)