Farewell First Trimester....

I am nearing the end of the first trimester and hopefully all the morning sickness, frequent bathroom stops, and fatique that goes along with it! I have had more nausea in the past two weeks then I've had since the early weeks of pregnancy. But it is subsiding and becoming few and far between. Thank God!!! But you know, it's all worth it when it comes to the end of the day and I've had a "knock down, drag out" kind of day...it really is completely worth it. I wouldn't trade anything for this little baby. And just an added bonus, Butch will get down and talk to the baby and I just love it! It makes me cry and feel all sorts of emotions - which is not hard for me to come up with at this point in my life! Now, for those of you *cough cough Chase*, who do not like reading the blogs where I talk about the development of the baby and how it has urine excreted into the amniotic fluid.....then don't go any further in this post because it will say something along those lines again today. =)

The producers. Now that the baby has completed the task of forming all the critical body structures, the organs go to work. The liver secretes bile, the pancreas produces insulin, and the kidneys form urine to carry waste away. The urine is excreted into the amniotic fluid. Our little one's intestines, which have partially resided in the umbilical cord, have moved back into the abdomen now that there's enough room to accommodate them. With muscle layers forming in the gut, it'll soon be time to get things moving through the digestive system, too.

Head long. Our little one is now about the size of a large plum, weighing less than 1 ounce and measuring anywhere from 2.6 to 4 inches. The head takes up half of that length, thanks to all that brain development. Over the next few months, the body will grow at breakneck speed to catch up. When our baby is born, the head will be only a quarter of his total length.

The BEST Hubby In The World!!

This past Thursday Butch came home with a surprise! He came in the front door bearing a vase with beautiful flowers and a few baby outfits. He came in with more girl outfits than boy...does that tell you something?? I asked him what they were for and he said that he just wanted to let me know that he loved me. I have the best husband in the world! I couldn't ask for a better one. He is going to be the best father too! I am so excited about what is to come...

Updates, Updates!!

11 weeks, 5 days

Everything is going great! I went to the doctor yesterday for my monthly check up and my mom went with me. The first thing the nurse did was weigh me and I had only gained 5 lbs.! I was so proud that I hadn't gained more and Dr. Kennedy was too. And it appears it all went to my belly! The next thing was checking my blood pressure which turned out to be ok. Then the most exciting thing was getting to hear the baby's heartbeat! This was the first time Mom was going to be able to hear it and she was excited. It took a while for the nurse to find the fast beating heart, but once she found it I was so relieved to know everything was ok. I had been waiting on hearing that little heart beat for a month!!

I've been feeling pretty good. I've had a few days that I've had morning sickness and it was the worst I could have had. But for the most part I've felt pretty good. I definitely stay tired, but I have trouble sleeping at night. I guess my mind races and it causes me to stay awake. Of course, I'm having a hard time of sleeping on my side too and I'm sure that doesn't help. I guess I'm going to have to buy one of those Boppy Pregnancy body pillows to keep me on my side. Butch might think I'm trying to shove him out of the bed with a big pillow like that!!

The doctor did tell me yesterday that we would schedule my next ultrasound at 18 weeks, which will be around the first week of December. I was so disappointed because she had originally told me we could schedule it as early as 16 weeks. I guess I had my heart set on that because we will be able to find out if the baby is a boy or girl and we are so excited about it! Just to be able to know whether I have a girl or a boy growing inside me is going to make the bond I have with our child even deeper! I am hoping it will go by faster this month so it will come quickly. Maybe it will......thanks for reading...

10 weeks, 4 days

10 weeks, 4 days

As you can tell, the baby bump has gotten larger. I can't believe how much my belly has grown! From what I have read, the baby is only about 2 inches. Also, this coming week will be a major milestone in the growth of our baby. Our little miracle is going to grow extremely fast the next couple of weeks. I am so excited about it! I go for my first, 2nd trimester check up on October 22 at 1:45 pm. I am feeling extremely relieved that I have gotten through the first trimester without any complications. We have prayed and prayed that everything would go smoothly and that we wouldn't have any complications. God does hear our prayers! I know we still have a long road ahead of us, but we are believing that the baby is going to be healthy and everything is going to be alright. We have also decided that we are not going to do any of the prenatal testing for possible defects or diseases. God is giving us this child and we will go through with the pregnancy regardless of whether our child has physical problems. But God has given us a peace about it and we aren't going to worry. If you could remember us in your prayers, we would appreciate it! Thanks for reading....

Spa Night

I have been at my grandmother's since yesterday. I came to spend some time with her and today she found out that one of her neighbors was having a "spa night." I wasn't sure about going because I don't know anyone but my grandma, but I went anyway. When we got there I was told it was my turn to get my feet massaged. Oh my goodness!!! It felt so wonderful. My feet were massaged with some type of cream and then they put these spa socks on my feet that were warm. After the foot massage was over it was time for the hand treatment. We put this scrub on our hands and rinsed it off and my hands were so smooth. After that we were all told to sit in the living room and put the cucumber eye pads on our eyes and lean our heads back and relax. There was a Cd playing with soothing music and the next thing I know the woman was giving me a hand massage! It felt so great. There was a guy on the CD that was instructing us to take deep breaths, relax, and think of a wonderful place. The one thing I could think about and picture in my head was the baby and Butch. The picture in my head was Butch leaning over the crib, looking down with a smile on his face at our baby, our little miracle. I am just looking in the nursery with a feeling of pure happiness and joy. During this relaxing time, I just wanted to cry and I was having to hold back my tears. Of course I'm emotional anyway, but it was almost more than I could stand. As I await the coming of our child, I become more and more anxious. My thoughts are centered on this child and how much our lives are going to change for the GOOD. So needless to say, the spa night gave me a good chance to think on good things!

11 week Update

11 week old baby in the womb - not mine, but an example of the development!




I have noticed… my baby is a super-duper grower! Our 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, our little scientist is already starting to explore his/her body, focusing most intently on touching the head, and especially the face and mouth. The mouth in particular will provide him/her with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because our 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, our baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide our baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

How Mom is Doing...
I am feeling great most of the time. I still have the battle with nausea every now and then, but it's no where near as bad as it was in the beginning. God has really blessed me. I have heard it could be a lot worse. I had a friend that was so sick during her pregnancy that she couldn't keep anything down and she got dehydrated and had to be put in the hospital three times during her pregnancy. They finally had to put a PIC line in her arm for her to get nutrients for the baby. So when I say I am blessed - I mean it! God has also blessed me with the best husband anyone could ever ask for. He is constantly checking on me and wanting to do this or that for me. He has been so excited about the baby and the pregnancy. He loves talking to the baby (or to my belly..haha). It is so very sweet. A baby can change so many things. It's already changed our perspective on so many different things. All we know is that we want to do our best and raise our child to know a God who is The Redeemer and a Friend at all times! Thanks for reading.....

Leaving on a Happier Note

Boy Outfits

Girl outfits

My mom has already started buying outfits. Instead of buying outfits that are neutral, she has bought girl and boy outfits. If she keeps going at this rate she will have a ton to take back because I'm only having ONE boy or ONE girl!! She is really excited about becoming a grandma if you can't tell. I think my dad is going to go broke because of this grandbaby!

A Little Update.....

This week or the following week the placenta will begin to provide our baby with its nutrition and will be responsible for eliminating waste from the baby. The color of the eyes is determined at this point.

This week our baby has completed the most critical period of its development. The next stage is rapid growth!

This week our baby will grow to approximately 1.22 inches.

9 weeks On the Dot!

8 weeks, 6 days

So today marks my 9th week of having a precious bun in the oven! I know Butch probably thinks it has been longer...bless his heart. We've been reading a couple of books together. One is called The Expectant Father and the other (my fave) is called She's Having a Baby and I'm Having a Breakdown; Everything a Husband Needs to know - and DO - For His Wife. Let me tell ya, I'm so very glad I'm reading them with him because I know what they are telling him to do FOR ME! Haha! When something comes up I'll say something like, "Don't you remember what that book said about that? You're supposed to do this...remember??" I know he probably wishes I would stop referencing the book so much, but he never says anything. He's been really great through all the nausea, vomiting, headaches, mood swings, fatigue, and the best part of it all - the body changes. He has done real well with all the changes that have been occuring and I'm so proud of him. One thing that brings me to tears every day is when I hear him praying for me and our child. I am so blessed to have a husband that cares for his family. He gives and gives of himself to me and to others. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he will be an awesome Dad.

How Am I Feeling:

To tell you the truth, some days I feel awesome and feeling like taking on the world. Then there are those days that I feel that I can't get out of bed without getting nauseated and miserable! Today has been quite a mixture of things. We've done a lot of cleaning at the house and I've had to be on my feet for most of the day. It has made me nauseated, light headed at times, and just down right tiring! We have not finished, but we did get a lot accomplished. So I'm happy with what we got done. I just couldn't do it all in one day!