Week 14

So I’m a little more confused about whether or not I am “showing”.  I definitely have a belly.  I can hide it if I wear fitted/tighter pants and it’s easiest earlier in the day before I’ve eaten a lot.  But by the afternoon (or wearing a dress) I would say you can see a small bump there.  It’s not the baby yet, as Baby hasn’t yet popped up above my pelvic bone, so the “bump” is mostly just my bowels being pushed up as Baby gets bigger down in my pelvis, with some bloating thrown in.  Perhaps I’ll figure this out as I go but right now I’m not sure what to say when friends who haven’t seen me ask if I’m showing!  Basically I've just been telling them I look fat...

How far along: 14 weeks, 2 days
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a lemon or nectarine at about 3.4" long.  If our baby is a girl, her eggs will have already developed inside her ovaries.  If our baby is a boy, his prostate gland is developing.  Lanugo - tiny hairs like peach fuzz - is growing all over Baby's body.  S/he is practicing breathing with the amniotic fluid - and also peeing!
Total weight gain: 7.6 pounds
Symptoms: Maybe I should have mentioned this earlier since I’ve noticed it for probably over a month - but I frequently have a bad taste in my mouth and I’m not sure if this is pregnancy related or what?  Perhaps it's cuz I can't quite brush my tongue as far back as I used to - but I feel like there's something more going on here.
Queasy or Sick: I shall carefully answer this question with a very timid......no?  I still have the sensitive gag-reflex, but it's just in the mornings when I'm brushing my teeth or need to cough (yes. weird - gag after I cough.)  Maybe a month ago, I stopped taking large pills in the morning (I was taking 2 Calcium/day but figured since I've been drinking a lot of milk I can go with just 1 at night.)  But I might soon be able to handle it again.  And since maybe 8-9 weeks I had to eat something NO LATER than about 9am or I was for sure going to be queasy.  But today it was 12:30pm before I got around to eating.  I was hungry - but not queasy.  yay!  Maybe 14 weeks *is* the magic number?
Sleep: Fine, although I've found that some afternoons I get really sleepy - probably could easily take a nap if I allowed myself, but then even if I don't take a nap, it sometimes takes me a while to fall asleep at night.  However, I stay asleep and can fall back asleep after getting up to pee.  Speaking of which - I seem to be peeing a little bit less overnight.  Like maybe getting up 1-2 times instead of 3-4!

Best moment this week:  Just feeling a WHOLE LOT BETTER overall.  Not needing to stuff my face every other second in order to fight off queasiness.  Also - after 3.5 months, I FINALLY went to get a pedicure!  I just asked them to put me in a well ventilated part of the salon and brought in my own (as I mentioned in Week 7) Knocked Up Nails polish and base/top coat.  It's AMAZING how good I felt after this!
Hardest part of the week:  Feeling a whole lot better.  I know this is bizarre, but with no doctor visits on my calendar for another 3 or so weeks, there's this weird part of me that almost liked the queasiness because I thought it means that the baby was doing great.  In this weird way, if I feel good - it almost feels like I'm not pregnant!  Then I start to doubt if this is real, then I worry if something's wrong, etc.  I hear this is pretty typical about this time so I'm not really concerned.
Looking forward to:  OMG, seriously - WHEN is my butt going to stop hurting from the progesterone shots?!?  We stopped them a month ago!!  Fortunately the part of my butt/thigh area that used to feel numb is now more tingly which means it's all SLOoooOOOooowly improving.  But My Gosh.  Whenever my butt jiggles (going up/down stairs, if I were to try to jog or run) it's noticeable.
Movement:  Same as past weeks: LOTS but still probably over a month before I'll feel it.  My OB, Dr. R said that since my placenta is in the front of my uterus, it might be even more time for me to feel since it will cushion any kicks a little bit.
Food cravings:  WHY can't I crave salads and kale and whole wheat toast?  This past week I went to Taco Bell; twice.  TWICE!  Prior to that, I don't even think I've been to Taco Bell in the past year!  And what is it that sounds so good?  Bean burritos.  OK at least I'm eating fiber!  If I look up the nutritional value of a bean burrito it's one of the better items on the menu calories/fat/fiber-wise.  Soft-serve vanilla ice cream has also been sounding really good.  And I definitely noticed that in the pamphlet Dr. R gave me on nutritious eating during pregnancy... ice cream does NOT fall into the "Avoid" column and instead falls under the "Eat X servings of Calcium" column!  Hell yea!!!
Happy or moody:  Mostly pretty even.  Definitely emotional about things I wouldn't' otherwise be.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes:  Last weekend, the pants I wore around were maternity pants.  But the rest of this week I got by without maternity clothes.  However... read my Final Thoughts below.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week:  I think I brought this up before but I really can't get over how my fingernails have been growing.  They are SO strong and I MUST cut them about once every two weeks.  They do not break!  My hair on the other hand, I was expecting to get fuller and thicker (I tend to have pretty fine hair) but I don't really notice this yet.  And it seems the same amount falls out as pre-pregnancy too.  Maybe further on down the road.  Or maybe I'm just not one of the lucky ones!

Final Thoughts: I've been continuing to squeeze into 1 last pair of pre-pregnancy jeans and wearing them to work, since they make me look not so pregnant (and I haven't told coworkers yet).  But they ARE getting pretty tight.  They're probably more appropriate for standing in, and not sitting in...  So yesterday I wore them to work, then lunch with some coworkers, then had to pick a friend up at the airport which was a half hour drive away from my lunch spot + a 45 minute drive home.  So that meant, right after lunch I sat in my tight pants for over an hour.  I noticed about 20 minutes into the drive that I was feeling some uncomfortable cramping (or that's what I thought).  By the time I was near home I was getting super worried that I was having serious cramping and something was wrong with the baby!!  But then I got inside, unbuttoned my pants, put on sweats and realized: my pants were just squeezing the crap (um, maybe literally?) out of me.  Note to self: stop it with the tight pants.  Or for God's sake just unbutton them when driving!!  Yes, I think it is time to move along to...maternity pants.

Week 13

WHUDDUP 2nd trimester?!?!  It's very nice to meet you!

It's a little confusing to figure out when the 2nd trimester starts.  Some books/apps I read say at 12 weeks and some say 13 weeks.   Since 40/13 = 13.3, I am going to say that I am in my 2nd trimester tomorrow.  So I'm close enough!  The other added confusion is something I've struggled with all through pregnancy (but came to a conclusion on over a month back) is: when I'm "13 weeks", have I just started my 13th week or am I just ending it?  Of course I'm just ending it since after that, you go on to "13 weeks, 1 day" which is more than 13 weeks and therefore, into the 14th week.  Make sense?  Like how when you're born you're in your 1st year and when you turn 1, you have finished an entire year - you're not about to start it.  Anyway... having said all of this, I've concluded that I can celebrate finishing my 1st trimester in this post.  Yes, I can.  :)

Hello, 2nd Trimester!

I've talked all through this blog about how many hurdles we must overcome to get to our end goal of having a family.  I feel like I've just gotten through one of the bigger hurdles and I'm ready to celebrate it a little bit!!  One whole first trimester!  3 months of nervousness, disbelief, pinching myself, keeping secrets and worrying, with a dash of queasiness thrown in on top.  I feel like it's a major milestone to get here and I'm very (still cautiously) happy.  A friend and I recently "came out" to each other and realized we're less than a week apart as far as due dates go.  And then she proceeded to ask me "how was your first trimester?" which struck me a little.  Like it's this secret rite of passage all we mamas-to-be have to go through and very often we go through it alone.  But if we're fortunate, we come out on the other side and can share the trials with friends after the fact.  Such a weird existence we live in that limbo of "The First Trimester".  Glad to have it behind me...

How far along: 13 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a peach or pear and is about 2 1/2" - 3" long (crown to rump).  At this point, baby will grow about 1 inch per week!  All 20 teeth have formed and are hidden under the gums and Baby has fingerprints!  Baby can smile and its vocal chords are developing.  And Baby's head, which last week was about the same size as the rest of its body, will slow in its development as the body catches up.  Already its head is closer to 1/3 the size of the entire body as opposed to 1/2 last week.  You may catch your baby on ultrasound, with its thumb in its mouth - it is practicing for nursing, but the sucking muscles have not yet fully developed.
Total weight gain: 7.4 pounds (ugh!!!! seems like too much too soon!)
Symptoms: Still nothing new from past weeks.  My breasts are not nearly as sore as I'd been expecting they'd be when I found out I was pregnant.  But occasionally I do feel a painful tingling almost like the feeling when a body part falls asleep.  It's VERY different than soreness around your period.  In the past week I've also caught myself with an occasional slightly flushed face.  I don't normally have a tendency to blush so feeling my cheeks flush (like randomly - not after exercise or anything) stood out to me.  But with further thought, I suppose this is the "pregnancy glow" you always hear about.  I've also noticed a few more headaches over the last week.  Usually in the afternoon and nothing seems to help it.
Queasy or Sick: That sensitive gag-reflex is still here.  So is the queasiness, but it's better than it was last week.  I've been able to leave the house without stuffing my face a couple of days this past week (which I count as success since I've gained more weight than I'd like to at this point thanks to feeding my queasiness all day long).  I hear that 14 weeks is sort of the magic number for that queasiness to go away so maybe I just have ONE MORE WEEK?
Sleep:  I don't seem to be getting up to pee overnight QUITE as much as a few weeks back so this is very nice.

Best moment this week:  I haven't been doing a lot of exercising this first trimester.  Bad me, I know.  It's not that I've been feeling horrific but I've been hesitant to plan things in case I'm feeling queasy that day.  And then when the day hits, even if I feel okay and don't have anything to do - I just feel LAZY.  Like sitting on the couch sounds awesome.  So it actually felt SO GOOD that Hubby and I got out for a hike this past weekend!  It's a trail we're familiar with and actually last hiked it just prior to our transfer.  That hike was a piece of cake even if it's a little hilly.  Well this time I took it MUCH slower and with only 1 rest stop (and a lot of slow, steady breathing) along the way up, I made it!  We probably hiked around 1.5-2 miles.  Nothing crazy, but it felt great to be outside, exercising and gazing at the beautiful views in our area.  And just a couple days later I returned to yoga...something I have done for years prior to getting pregnant.  I'm doing a prenatal yoga class instead of my regular class though - less lying on your back and not really any ab work, just stretching and core strength.  I hope to keep this up until delivery!  Ahh...feels good.

Hardest part of the week:  Honestly, accepting my weight gain.  Pre-pregnancy, I was normal weight, but with a BMI of about 24.2 (where "overweight" is 25+).  I've always been a little self-conscious of my weight.  I carry it well and am very muscular (which makes me look a lot thinner than the scale says) but I still can't stand seeing the numbers go up to where I'm now considered "overweight".  I know, I know, I'm pregnant so it doesn't exactly work like that.  But I'm also scared of gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia (things I've come close to through family/friends) so I really DO NOT want to gain too much weight with this pregnancy.  I'm hoping that feeling better in the 2nd trimester will allow me to eat less (eating is what has helped the queasiness) and exercise more.  My OB said IVF patients tend to gain more water weight in the first trimester and it should level out a little as I go into the 2nd too.  I really hope so!!
Looking forward to:  NO MORE queasiness!  And finally telling everyone (we've been waiting for an event next weekend, where we'll be seeing a bunch of friends and plan to share our news.)  All of our family knows, but we still have coworkers and friends (and Facebook!) to tell.  Once "the world" knows then I'll feel like I can just let that belly hang out and not have to hide anything anymore.  That will be nice...

This was taken last week at our NT Scan, but I thought
I'd share since it's so cute: little hands up by its face,
kinda like "you guys are driving me nuts!" :)

Movement: Supposedly tons, but still not feeling it yet.
Food cravings: Nothing too serious lately.  But definitely still having trouble coming up with ideas for dinner and making a lot of things sound good to me.  I don't have any strong food aversions per se, but just have a hard time thinking of what I want.  This has been pretty consistent the past couple months.
Happy or moody: I really don't think so.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes:  Not QUITE yet but OMG soon!
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week:  We FINALLY met with our OB this week.  My first appointment.  At 13 weeks.  I would have liked to see her probably 1-2 weeks earlier, but because of summer vacations, her schedule was really tight when I called almost a month ago.  If I might suggest to you - figure out your OB at least a few weeks prior to your last appointment with your RE (for us that was at 10 weeks).  Dr. A was totally there for me if I had questions (or needed a referral for my NT Scan), but I did kinda feel like I was 12 weeks pregnant and doctorless for a little while.
Final Thoughts:  I came across this blog post at some point or another recently and it is HILARIOUS.  I shared it with Hubby immediately since in addition to being so funny, it's funny because it is so accurate!  Hope you get a few laughs...

Week 12

Ugh.  OK, so maybe in last week's post when I said that the queasiness was waning - I was a little off.  I've definitely had some queasiness this past week.  Still not as bad as that random Thursday I mentioned around Week 10, but this past Monday was kinda rough too.  I had another one of those morning episodes where I gagged (while coughing actually - my allergies have been kinda acting up) and then threw up the water I'd drunk when brushing my teeth!  WTF?!  I went on to feel kinda blegh until about 4pm but then recovered and proceeded to join a friend for a lovely dinner.  Mornings are the roughest - but at least they're not all rough.  I've definitely been getting going later and can't always get myself into the office before 10am (thank goodness they're forgiving!!!)  It's so weird how pre-pregnancy (actually pre-week 7) I could take these giant horse pill vitamins, sometimes 3 at once, with no problem.  Now I have to take them later in the morning after I've eaten and 1 at a time and then sometimes I STILL gag on them.  This gag-reflex sensitivity is no joke...

But of course any queasiness/gagginess just means one thing: my little baby is doing great!  We had our nuchal translucency ultrasound this morning and everything looks perfect, so we're very happy!

How far along: 12 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a plum or clementine and is about 2" - 2 1/2” long from crown to rump!  Its eyes are now in front of its head so s/he no longer looks like an alien.  :)  Baby is developing its reflexes and if poked, will likely move (though it’s still too early to feel this!)  It can open and close its fingers and curl its toes too.  I read somewhere that Baby is a perfect miniature human now in terms of all the organs being there - but of course it could not survive on its own yet.  There is still a lot more growth and maturation which needs to happen.
Total weight gain: 6 pounds
Symptoms:  Still nothing too bad other than the queasiness.  Still occasionally thirsty, itchy skin on my boobs, midsection and (very much so) just above the middle of my butt.  I really don't understand that one.  But I'm feeling lucky overall.  Sleeping well, no constipation, soreness, heartburn, acne...
Queasy or Sick: Yes.  I feel like it's gotten worse this last week.  That's what I get for thinking it was all going away last week.  But the silver lining of course is knowing that if I'm not feeling good - baby is likely doing well.  And we had proof of that in our NT Scan this morning.
Sleep: No problems with falling sleep, staying asleep or even getting really tired during the day.  Enjoying this while it lasts!

Best moment this week: Our Nuchal Translucency Scan this morning was pretty cool.  Baby was 2 1/4" long (head to butt) and had a heart-rate of 168 BPM.  I didn't really know what to expect from this appointment, other than we'd see more pictures of the baby.  We did this with a local perinatologist and the request was sent by Dr. A since we don't have our first OB appointment until next week (it's normally ordered by your OB).  When we got to the appointment, we were ushered into a large, dimly-lit room with an exam table (for me to lie on), an ultrasound machine next to it and a large plasma-type wide screen TV on the opposite wall.  There was an ultrasound tech who did my abdominal ultrasound - not transvaginal (my first like this).  Much more pleasant!  I just had to pull the waistband of my pants down a little - boots remained on!!  We got some very cool images of our little-one.  First the tech measured the thickness of the liquid behind Baby's neck (kinda the whole point) and deemed it perfectly normal.  We knew this, but - Yay still!  Then we just got to see some cool views: profile, little butt and feet, heard the heartbeat, got some pretty amazing (for this early in the pregnancy) 3D images.  The Dr. came in afterwards to just do her own review and chat with us briefly, tell us about recommended upcoming appointments/screenings and that was it!  They even gave us a CD of some of the images they'd captured of our little baby and sent us home with this.  Very cool.  :)  I'm looking forward to the anatomy scan at 20 weeks.  This one is supposed to be similar, but longer and baby will be way more developed by then.  Can't wait!
Hardest part of the week: Dealing with the queasiness and super-sensitive gag reflex.  It's faint, but there in the background most mornings.
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move!  And looking legitimately pregnant instead of just fat...
Movement: Yup - in fact we saw it moving today at our nuchal scan!  Not the crazy dancing we saw at our 10 week ultrasound, but still a little wave or two!
Food cravings: I get random cravings that I think about for a week or so and then need to satisfy.  A few weeks ago it was cracked crab.  This past week it was bagels and cream cheese.  I have no idea.....  Fruit still tastes amazing - especially Clementines (perhaps I crave fruit the same size as my baby?) and Satsuma oranges.  But I recently looked into the sugar content of different fruits and am trying to be a little more aware of what fruit I'm eating.  For example - strawberries seem to be pretty low, while pineapple is quite high.

Our little one this morning at the NT Scan!
2 1/4" from crown to rump!

Happy or moody: Still feeling pretty even keel.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: Getting closer and closer.  I'm mostly just using the rubber-band trick on my pants and wearing baggy sweats at home.  Oh and I did buy some belly support bands - more on that below.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: With my bowels being pushed up into my belly (from my growing uterus) I definitely need some relief from my clothes around my midsection.  I've mentioned this in past weeks too, but it was time to do a little more about it.  I finally bought one of these in white and one in black.  I wore it for the first time - to smooth out the look of my unbuttoned pants behind my shirt.  It feels a little weird to wear, but I think served its purpose.  I always hear about the Bella Band, but I was able to buy 2 of these for the price of 1 Bella Band so that made it an easy decision.
Final Thoughts: It's nice to basically be finished with the "risky" part of pregnancy.  I feel like I can relax a little more.  We've told a lot of friends and family at this point - I plan to tell coworkers in another couple weeks.  I kinda can't wait to start looking pregnant so there's just NO secrets anymore and I can relax and just "enjoy" the rest of my pregnancy.

Week 11

The pooch.  It's coming.  I mean...it's kind of already here.  And with the joys of hormonal fluctuations, it's basically THERE for all to view by dinnertime.  I'm still able to squeeze into my regular pants, especially in the morning.  But I've been doing this by post-lunch:

Still getting into my Gap skinnies!

and by dinner I basically need to switch to sweats.  Ah yes - giving up my body for my child.  What all women do.  But we don't have to love it.  I'm allowed a little venting.

How far along: 11 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a fig or small lime and is between 1 3/4" - 2" long.  Its head is the same size as its body and will stay that way for a while.  S/he is going to start growing quickly now and goes through a growth spurt over the next three weeks.  The ears are moving to the side of the head.  Fingernails are beginning to form!
Total weight gain: 5.6 pounds
Symptoms: Same as I've had which really hasn't been a lot (*thankful*).  I've been noticing that my breasts and belly (and my lower back just above my butt) have been really itchy the last week or so.  I don't know what's going on with my lower back, but I was guessing that the itchiness on my breasts/belly was because of my skin stretching.  I haven't noticed much growth in my breasts - my bras feel fine, but my belly has definitely gotten bigger as I mentioned above.  A good friend gave me some oil to keep stretchmarks at bay.  I'll talk more about it at the end of this post.  :)
Queasy or Sick: I think it's getting better, even though it was never too bad to begin with.  Essentially I started noticing slight queasiness a little past 7 weeks and here I am a month later thinking the queasiness is subsiding slightly.  That's really not a bad deal at all.
Sleep: Haven't been very tired.  In fact I feel like I'm back to my pre-pregnant self going to bed around midnight.  I do get at least 8 hours of sleep since I've been getting into work a tad later while I tend to my slight morning queasiness.  And I haven't had much trouble sleeping other than the same peeing all night...
Best moment this week: Telling more friends and family!  After we got the MaterniT21 test results back mid-week (read more about this below) I felt VERY comfortable sharing our news with some close family and friends.  We plan to tell some more family at a 4th of July party this weekend!
Hardest part of the week: This week was good!  No complaints.  :)
Looking forward to: When my butt no longer hurts and my upper-outside thigh is no longer numb from the progesterone shots.  We stopped the shots a week and a half ago, but it’s still recovering, I guess.  Dr. A said this can take a while to go back to normal.  I keep waiting...

Movement: I keep reading that there is LOTS of movement going on just like we saw in our ultrasound last week.  I can't wait until I can feel it!
Food cravings: Basically the same as I've been having.  Carbs are AMAZING.  Lately I've really been craving Rice Krispy treats but trying not to give in.  I'm trying not to eat too much sugar (I know...I've been eating carbs and that turns to sugar) in order to avoid gestational diabetes if possible.  There's a slight family history of diabetes (occurring late in life) so I feel that I should try to be cognizant of this.
Happy or moody: Just feeling normal.  And lazy...still with the lazy.  Not even always directly associated with queasiness.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: I've come to the conclusion that I do need maternity pants/shorts.  I went shopping this past weekend thinking I could just get away with the next size up in pants.  But that's not the case.  I guess (it's a good thing) the size increase is really just in my midsection, so a size up in pants is way too big around my butt and legs even if it fits my waist.  It feels too soon for me to buy maternity pants - but I guess I'll have to do it.  I bought some maternity lounge pants/shorts but just couldn't bring myself to buy any work pants.  I don't know what my problem is.  So I keep doing the rubber-band trick I shared above.  Maybe I'll bite the bullet and buy some maternity work pants in the next couple weeks.  At least it'll let me feel like I made it out of my first trimester in regular clothes!
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: A good friend gave me a bottle of this as a "pregnancy gift".  She used it all through her pregnancy and had zero stretchmarks.  Her sister had twins and had the same results.  In fact, my friend said, in addition to reading the reviews on the website, everyone she's given the oil to has avoided stretchmarks.  Now maybe everyone has amazing genes and oily/moisturized skin and it's just a coincidence.  But I'm planning to use it every night starting this week and will likely keep up through pregnancy.  It has a very strong herbal smell, but I can tolerate it even with my heightened olfactory system!
Final Thoughts:  I mentioned above that we did the MaterniT21 test.  It's a blood test taken at week 10 and takes about a week for the results to come back.  Now obviously we did the PGS on all of our embryos and were about 99% confident both on the gender of our baby and that there were no chromosomal abnormalities.  But there is always that small margin of error.  MaterniT21 is inexpensive ($165 with my insurance) and gave us another confidence that our baby was Negative for abnormalities in chromosomes 21, 18 and 13.  It also confirmed our baby's gender.  So no surprises at all for us and we now feel 100% (ok I have to admit: 99.9%) comfortable sharing our news with more and more of the world in the next weeks.  It's a fun time being near the end of the first trimester and about ready to start letting the cat out of the bag!!

Week 10

They say that each woman is different when it comes to when her pregnancy feels "real".  For some it feels real the moment they see a positive test, others when they have their first ultrasound, for some it's hearing the heartbeat, or feeling the baby move...or MEETING their baby in person!  Up until this point my pregnancy has felt very...clinical.  Medical.  Like we go in for our appointments and do our ultrasounds and it just feels kinda almost the same as if I was having my teeth cleaned.  I mean, ok don't get me wrong - of course this is amazing.  But I haven't felt a strong emotional pull during any appointment (and I mean, I don't when I get my teeth cleaned either, hence my comment...)  However, yesterday we had our 10 week ultrasound which also *sob* happened to be my last appointment with Dr. A.  Everything looked GREAT with the baby.  Heartbeat was 173 bpm and tracking 9 weeks 6 days (I was 10 weeks yesterday).  But near the end of the ultrasound, as Dr. A was moving on to check my ovaries and cervix she suddenly exclaimed "it's moving!!  Baby's moving!!!" and zoomed back in on my uterus.  And THAT, my blog friends, is when this all seemed very REAL to me.  We sat (well, I laid) there and watched the baby, which looked a little more like a teddy bear, kick its legs, wave its arms, twist its body.  Essentially Baby was dancing up a storm!  It was amazing.  And it now really feels real.

Like a dancing teddy bear!!

How far along: 10 week, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a kumquat or small plum.  Week 10 is something of a “momentous” week.  It marks the end of the “embryonic period” and the beginning of the “fetal period”, when the tissues and organs rapidly grow and mature.  All of Baby’s vital organs have formed and are beginning to function and the most critical portion of development has completed!  Baby is growing tiny fingernails and toenails and there is no more webbing.  Baby is swallowing amniotic fluid which tastes a little like what I’m eating.  It has developing taste-buds but they will not finish developing until 13-15 weeks.  Baby is kicking/moving a lot (as we saw in our ultrasound!)  But it'll still take me a few more weeks to feel it.
Total weight gain: 4.2 pounds
Symptoms:  I'm feeling pretty fortunate really: no constipation, no heartburn, no sore breasts, not overly sleepy/tired, no silly pregnancy brain/forgetfulness....at least not YET.  I still have 3/4 of my pregnancy to get through, but I will celebrate these little milestones along the way.  My sense of smell is kinda ridiculous.  Hubby says I have "Super Hero Sense of Smell".  It's basically awful when people are wearing perfume or cologne or something smells particularly bad...blegh.  Definitely have some food aversions - but they seem to change through the day.  Sometimes it's VERY hard to think of something that sounds good to eat or what to make for dinner.  However, usually if food is in front of me (and as long as it's not something too savory too early in the morning) I can eat it.
Queasy or Sick:  Last Thursday was probably my worst day ever.  I felt pretty queasy and had to rally just to get myself out of bed to eat some breakfast.  Then with my food aversions and still feeling queasy, the ONLY thing I could fathom eating (that I could actually manage to get for myself) was a McDonald's cheeseburger.  I managed to get into the car and get myself through the drive-through, but I felt awful.  Felt WAY better after eating.  But then crappy again later in the day.  However, after that day I've really been feeling a lot better.  As I've mentioned in previous weeks, my morning sickness has not been noticeably bad.  I was feeling a tad bit queasy in the mornings but usually felt better after eating.  For the most part I didn't have to miss anything due to how I was feeling (other than last Thursday - basically took the day off work.)  I have however, been feeling quite lazy.  Spent a couple of weekends mostly on the couch.  So just the last 4-5 days I feel almost like I have my regular energy back.  As long as I don't get too hungry (OR eat too much) I feel great.  My acupuncturist said it’s good that the queasiness I've been feeling has been mostly just in the mornings.  It means it’s hormonal and not GI related.

Sleep: Not bad.  I can usually fall back asleep pretty easily after getting up to pee multiple times at night.  I'm not as sleepy/tired during the day either.  I can't figure out if this is pregnancy related or progesterone shot related since I started to feel less tired a few weeks back when we switched to every-other-night shots.
Best moment this week: Seeing our baby dance around on the ultrasound!!  SO AMAZING!!  Barely second to that though?... Dr. A telling me that we are DONE with the progesterone in oil shots!  Hallelujah!!!  That was some of the best news I've had in months.  We also got the okay to stop all embryo-transfer related meds: estrogen and Crinone too.  I know it's such a small thing, but I'm just looking forward to feeling a bit "normal" again.  Like not-having-to-wear-a-liner-all-day-every-day normal. :-|  And not having to keep checklists all day long of all the things I need to remember to take/do or which night to do our shot.  All I have left is my vitamins which I take when I brush my teeth - easy.
Hardest part of the week: Last Thursday that I just felt awful.
Looking forward to: Settling on an OB.  We've been looking around and have an appt and a consult with 2 different ones in the area, but it's going to be very hard going from Dr. A to a "regular, boring" OB.
Movement: Our baby is a dancer!  Waiting for ~week 15-18 to feel it though.
Food cravings: Pizza.  McDonalds cheeseburgers (not fries!)  Why can’t I crave healthy food?  Eating lots of fiber cereal in the mornings (Frosted Mini Wheats and Raisin Nut Bran) with a lot of milk.  Dill pickles.  Totally craving FRUIT like it's going out of style!  Apples (which I never really like that much), tangerines, mangoes, strawberries, pineapple, pears.  I want it all!  More than sweet desserts, which is also not like me.
Happy or moody: Maybe a little moody - especially when I'm not feeling well.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: Pants, belts and things around my midsection are feeling tighter.  I had a girlfriend ask if I'm showing yet and I told her "I'm not showing in the morning, but I kinda am in the evening...after eating all day long!"  I'm actually not sure I'm ready to buy maternity clothes (pants) but will probably need to buy some new larger work pants soon.  I've been wearing a lot of dresses, but I feel like dresses make me look a little MORE pregnant.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No

10 week ultrasound.  The dancing teddy bear!
Amazing how much it grows in 2 weeks. 1.25"!

Learnings from the week: I have a handful of books I've been reading since even before our transfer.  I think this is my favorite so far.  Instead of most pregnancy books, which go month by month, this one gives you a small, short chapter to read each week.  Both Hubby and I read the current week each week and I think we're both enjoying the book a lot.
Final Thoughts: I've been noticing my nails and hair have been growing so strong and fast.  I'm not sure if it's pregnancy related, or all the vitamins I'm taking (Calcium, Prenatal, Fish Oil, Folic Acid).  I literally have to pluck my eyebrows more often too.  And my nails NEVER break anymore - I have to cut them almost every two weeks!  This is the first week my belly has felt a little more "protrude-y" than I've ever noticed before.  There's definitely a small pooch there which I just can't suck in.  Been slowly telling a few more friends and a coworker too.  I read somewhere that the chance of miscarriage drops to 3% after a 10 week ultrasound so I'm feeling really comfortable sharing the news with some of my closer friends.  And now they know I'm not just getting fat from being lazy too!!!

Week 9

It's with great caution that I say - I think the morning sickness has caught up with me.  OK, the reason I say that with caution is that really... it's NOT THAT BAD at all and I'm worried that once I think/accept that what I'm feeling is morning sickness, it will really come on with gusto.  Kinda like "oh you thought THAT was morning sickness??!!  Bwahahaha!!  I'll show you morning sickness!!"  I'd say it's a little more like sporadic indigestion right now than feeling very nauseous.  And I only threw up once - but that was super random (gagged on my vitamins one morning which just caused a chain reaction in my body and up-chucked the water I'd just drunk while brushing my teeth.)  Ahh, fun times.

I have a tummy ache...

Really, if this is as bad as it gets then I'll be THRILLED!  3-4 more weeks left in my first trimester, if I can get through that with this level of "off-feeling" then I'd deem this pregnancy hugely successful in terms of how I've felt.  I have also been continuing the acupuncture.  Twice a week right now (until week 12) and it's very possible that this is helping too.

How far along: 9 weeks
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a large grape or cherry!  About 1 inch from crown to rump.  The embryonic tail is starting to disappear.  All of baby's joints are working - it can make a fist and may even begin to suck its own thumb.  The kidney, liver, brain and lungs are all beginning to function.  Baby has fully developed eyes but they won't open until about week 27.
Total weight gain: 4.2 pounds
Symptoms: Continued slight/faint cramping.  I think my aereolas are a little larger, but not much darker and my breasts seem about the same size.  I felt more queasy this past week.  It’s not bad at all and is not present every day or all day.  It seems to be the worst in the mornings but once I eat some breakfast I usually feel better.  Getting to work hasn't been a problem (I'm thankful that I have the option to work from home occasionally) though when I'm in the office, I find myself rolling in a little later.  It's harder to get out of bed and then I MUST feed myself some breakfast before I leave, so getting out the door is challenging.
Sleep: I seem to be sleeping a little better than I was in previous weeks - in terms of falling asleep and being able to go back to sleep after waking up.  But the 3-4 trips to the bathroom at night are just as awesome as they sound!
Best moment this week: It was a pretty low-key week.  I've definitely had some food cravings and aversions though and can't believe I'm about to say: the best moment of the week might have been the McDonald's cheeseburger I had for lunch on Saturday.  Sad, but true.  In an odd way, the slight queasiness I've been feeling is a "wonderful" development too, because it means Baby is growing and thriving!
Hardest part of the week: Dealing with my ever-so-slight queasiness.  No really, it’s not THAT bad at all.  But it’s maybe the worst thing that’s happened to me all week, so it’s still worth mentioning.  So far this is NOTHING like I was expecting.  I mentioned last week that I felt more nauseous on Day 2 of a Birth Control Pill pack than I’ve felt during pregnancy so far and that is still absolutely accurate.
Looking forward to: Our Week 10 ultrasound (next Wed).  It will mark the end of our time with Dr. A (which is sad, but still an achievement!) and should also mark the end of all my medications!!!  I CANNOT WAIT for the progesterone shots to end.  I have no idea how some ladies put up with this nightly (we're doing them every other night) for a full 10 or so weeks.  By the time we're done it will have been about 7 weeks with only the first 3 weeks at nightly.  And oh, man...my bootie!!!

Movement: Yes, lots - but I won't be feeling it for another 8-10 weeks...
Food cravings: Sandwiches.  I think it has something to do with the pickles and “sour” flavors.  I was dying for a McDonald’s cheeseburger this past weekend.  Hubby was awesome and ran to pick it up for me.  That’s the first time I’ve been more excited about the McDonald’s burger than the fries!  I’ve also been CRAVING deli sandwiches, but am also aware of the listeria risk and that whole “don’t eat deli turkey” mantra.  So I didn’t; I ate roast beef...and then I found this.  Man, these rules on what not to do are confusing.  I kept reading to avoid deli turkey (and sprouts, and unpasteurized cheeses) in order to avoid listeria.  But I suppose it's all deli meats...  Oh well, the chance of risk is very low.
Happy or moody: Not noticing any change.  Just a little more emotional, as I've mentioned before. *sniff*
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: No, but might need some bigger pants soon...
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: Finding an OB is hard.  Especially when your RE is AMAZING.  I’ve been asking around (while trying not to give away that I’m pregnant - a tricky task) and reading reviews and even asking Dr. A’s opinion, but it’s not easy.
On a separate, different doctor topic: I have a dentist appointment this afternoon and Dr. A said there's no problem with getting my teeth cleaned.  I should just skip the X-rays this time around.
Final Thoughts: Hubbies can really show their true colors during your pregnancy.  Fortunately for me, mine has been AWESOME!  He works so hard, and such long hours during the week (and sometimes weekends) and yet has been super helpful at home too - doing things I just don't have the energy to do.  Running errands (yes, even to go pick up more progesterone and needles from the pharmacy!), getting me food, fixing things around the house, doing laundry and dishes.  I think he'd even start cooking if I was more willing to eat what he'd make - with my weird food aversions it can be a little challenging to accept someone's offer to cook for you.  He really deserves some props.  I hope you have a super helpful hubby too!  They're worth their weight in gold.  :)

Week 8

This past week might have been the most low-key for me of any week since I've been pregnant.  Like the newness/excitingness is not QUITE as front and center and now pregnancy is just a constant.  Each day I wake up to see if there are new developments or changes and for the most part I really haven't seen anything drastic.  I'd say the one thing I keep waiting for (dreading) is the always talked about, and never pleasant: Morning Sickness.  I keep waiting to feel nauseous and queasy and just awful - but I haven't really.  Just a faintness in the mornings which goes away for the most part, after I get up, eat and get moving.  It'd be great if this was as bad as it gets for me!  But I'm still skeptical...  Guess I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop!

However, this past weekend I'm very happy to have so far avoided feeling crappy since we were not home.  We spent the weekend plus 2 days with family, which included a 1.5-2 hour flight.  I was most worried about the flight, since I have a tendency towards motion sickness even when I'm NOT pregnant!  But I had barf bags, water, snacks galore (including two kinds of candied ginger!) and felt so great I didn't need any of it - I mean other than the snacks and water when I got hungry...  Lucky!!  I think the air in the cabin that you can make blow directly on you, and the fact that they keep the planes nicely air conditioned while flying - helps A LOT.  I've found that I feel more queasy when I'm warm and not really when I'm cool.

How far along: 8 weeks and 1 day!
What did baby do this week: Baby is now the size of a raspberry, pinto bean or gummy bear.  We had our 8 week ultrasound this morning, so I know that baby is exactly .63 inches long from crown to rump and is growing about a millimeter a day!  We got to hear the heartbeat (!!) which is beating 170 bpm - exactly what they want for this gestational age.  It is beginning to look more human-like.  The fingers and toes are only slightly webbed now and even though I can't feel it, the baby should be moving around a lot!  Baby's tail is just about gone and while gender was established at the time of conception, this week is when the baby's reproductive organs will become either testes or ovaries.  A tiny tongue is growing inside the small mouth and developing taste-buds!
Total weight gain: 3.8 pounds
Symptoms: Some very faint cramping on and off during the week.  The breast pain/soreness I felt last week (for maybe 1-2 days) has disappeared.  I might be noticing my areolas getting a bit larger, but it's not extremely obvious.  I'm just looking for changes since I expected to see changes in my breasts by now.  The last couple weeks I've been very aware of my raised heart rate (which is normal - with so much extra blood volume flowing through my body).  I especially notice it when talking to people in animated conversations.  I almost find myself out of breath sometimes - which has never happened before.  I definitely get more worn out faster - like I was strolling around the mall recently and found that I wanted to sit and rest a little - another something I'd never have needed to do when not pregnant.  But I don't seem to be as sleepy as I was a few weeks ago - a little more tired, but not sleepy.  I suppose it could also be from cutting back on the progesterone shots (been doing every other night for the past 2 weeks instead of nightly).

Queasy or sick: Like I mentioned above, EVER SO FAINTLY in the mornings.  And usually it goes away after I get up, eat and just get moving.  But it can be a little hard to get up.  And I've noticed that my vitamins are not as easy to swallow.  I've gagged on them more than once in the last week.  However, it's so NOT bad.  Like Day 2 of a birth control pill pack makes me feel way more queasy than this!
Sleep: Sleep is okay other than waking up to pee all night long.  It seems to be like clockwork: 1am hour, 4am hour, 7am hour (then usually go back to sleep for just a bit before getting up).
Best moment this week: Getting through our flights/travel without me feeling bad or losing my cookies!  Plus I think I successfully tricked all the family we saw - I don't think anyone would have guessed I was pregnant.
And of course our 8 week ultrasound this morning!  AMAZING to hear the baby's heartbeat - beating so fast!  And to see the difference in growth over just 2 weeks.  The heart was prominently beating - very easy to see.  In our 6 week, we had to strain a little (and I had to hold my breath so the image wouldn't move around too much) to see the heartbeat.  But today - just beating away so sure and strong.  Incredible!  Baby is right on schedule and growing exactly like Dr. A wants to see.  WHEW!!!
Hardest part of the week: Not really HARD, but I was nervous again waiting for our 8 week ultrasound.  Not AS nervous as I was for that 6 week one (OMG I almost lost it then...)  But I did feel a lot more at peace knowing we'd already seen the heartbeat.
Also, sometimes it's hard thinking up what I want to eat for meals.  And while I usually love cooking, I just don't feel like it.  Not sure if it's because things don't sound as good or whether I'm just a little pooped, but I think takeout is soon to become my BFF.
Looking forward to: Just relaxing over the next couple weeks.  Usually my schedule is packed full but I've been keeping it pretty light (not knowing how I'll be feeling) and I'm glad for that.  After our travel plans this past weekend it'll be great to just lay low and hang out with Hubby this coming weekend.

Movement: Baby is moving - but I won't feel it for probably another 8-10 weeks.
Food cravings: Nothing specific, though savory food sounds awful in the morning but tastes fine in the afternoon or evening.  I tend to start my day eating blandly and graduating to more rich foods by the evening.  But various things definitely don't sound as good to me as they typically would.  I've heard that pickled foods help with nausea and I did notice that a pickle I ate on the plane a couple days ago was really very satisfying.  I noticed myself catching the scent of pickles/pickled peppers when we were at an event this weekend and it smelled SO GOOD too!  Haha!
Happy or moody: Maybe neither - but definitely more emotional.  Sometimes I get choked up at ridiculous things on TV, but for the most part, I've managed to hold it together and not become a slobbering idiot.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: Clothes are getting a little tighter as I feel a bit more bloated, but no new clothes yet.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No

Baby is a lot bigger at our 8 week ultrasound!
(compared to 6 weeks) .63" long!

Learnings from the week: I've enjoyed playing around with the Baby Name Voyager tool for YEARS, checking out the popularity of names I'd think up.  But now that we really do have the responsibility of naming a person, this book is the best organized I've found.  Most name books are set up like a dictionary: with A's in the beginning, Z's in the end and tens-of-thousands of names in-between.  Not helpful if you ask me.  This book puts some logic to the name selection process and provides lists of "similar style" names.  My favorite part is looking up a name and then checking what the "sister and brother names" are.  I've been shocked to find that many names we like are on sibling lists for each other!!
Final Thoughts: At least for me - with my ever-so-slight level of nausea, it's good to force myself to get up and do things.  I always feel better once I'm dressed and out in the world and distracted.  Just sitting on the couch all day makes me notice the "ugh" feeling perhaps a little more so.  But now, if the nausea gets worse I'm not sure I could force myself to get up and at-em!