15 Weeks

Baby:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). 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.")

 Yay! Been into the second trimester for over a week now and I feel great! Also had another ultrasound yesterday and most of the blood/bleeding I had in the womb has gone now. Got to see "peanut" in there and as always, it was pretty awesome. It had it's little hand up by it's face and we got a cute picture of it's fingers. I get the strong feeling that baby is a boy every time I see it on the ultrasound but when I asked if the tech could tell she said no. Bummer. We do, however, get to find out what gender baby be on the 22nd of December. I was stoked, to say the least, that it would be before Christmas. So you guys gotta put in your guesses soon.  And although I will be equally excited over either, I really think my girl would benefit from not being the only one. So if you want to send a little prayer out for another girl, that would be appreciated. I'm just sayin...

Jay and Adam left to the east for 5 days and returned again on Wednesday night. To say that I am happy to have them home would be a gross understatement. For the first three days they were gone I would get the uncontrollable urge to weep every afternoon. The house was just so quiet.

For the next week I will be scrubbing and baking in preparation to host Thanksgiving. Jay's two sisters and one brother are coming. Sadly his parents and other brother and sister won't be able to make it. I am excited and overwhelmed all at once. I am sure whatever doesn't get done will only be noticed by me. Or I am the only one who would say anything about it anyway.

On that note, I'd better get going.

13 Weeks

Baby:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now.  Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Whew! Last weeek of the first trimester. Hard to believe it's gone so fast. Not that I'm complaining, I am already feeling so much better the last couple of weeks. Although yesterday I was plagued by unexplained nausea all day. It has become less frequent and I can actually keep my eyes open past 8:30 at night! Now comes the time for activity. I am feeling more confident that things are okay now so I am going to start walking again. Nothing too extreme, just 30 minutes of brisk walking a day. Have I mentioned how miserable I was with Avril because I didn't do this? Plus my raging appetite isn't going to be any help at all in the gaining department, it is bound and determined to make me completely miserable unless I feed it every couple of hours. Speaking of which, it is yelling at me now as I have not had breakfast.

I am so excited that we get to go to Costco tonight! We have been scraping the bottom of the barrel for a couple of weeks now. It is amazing how resourceful you can be when you don't have things at hand. Lunches for Jay are the hardest as he often can't take leftovers for lack of a place to rewarm them. I think he might actually throw up if he has to eat another pb&j sandwhich. Poor guy! I did send chili with him in a thermos yesterday. I think he was glad for that.

Not that we are broke. I don't want to give the wrong impression. We just had some expensive purchases/payments the last couple of months and are trying not to dip into savings too much. Plus we ran out of last year's beef and haven't come up with a plan to buy more. Been eating ground venison instead. And it usually doesn't bother me but this baby surely does not care for venison. As hungry as I've been, I'd pretty much rather not eat if venison is involved. I just can't seem to handle it while i'm pregnant. Silly hormones!

Anyway, I didn't want anyone to think that we are hurting for money, we are just trying to be careful. And tonight I plan on making a party of our shopping trip! =) Our freezer will be replenished by the end of the night! Yipeee!

You all have a good day and weekend.

12 Weeks

Baby:

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.

That's how baby is growing.
I think I've moved away from the fear of losing the baby but on to the fear of something being wrong with baby because of this clot. I didn't really ask if it would be harmful developmentally if my baby survived. I know, silly. God is the Maker of this baby and there will be no mistakes. But still I wonder...

I am feeling much better. A little more so each day I think. Less nausea. Less fatigue. It's great!

Still anxiously awaiting those first flutters that tell me, "I'm here!" That is the most exciting part of the first half. Speaking of the first half, it's only 8 weeks until I am halfway. Just before Christmas. And next week I will begin the second trimester. Yay! One-third of the way.

P.S. I really need help with a header for my blog! I am so clueless and I can't ever find one that I can customize well and that matches the background I chose. The header looks dumb the way it is.
HELP!

Nostalgia

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition

1.

That's been my day. A day filled with nostalgia.

Basically, I've been a sentimental, weeping mess for a good portion of the afternoon.

You see, I had to go through this old desk we have. It's the one we've used since we got married. The one that I sat at browsing the web while Adam was slowly and steadily growing in my belly.

The one where I wrote little love notes to my hubby and lists of things I would need when we became parents or things we needed for our fridge any particular week.

The one where I sat with Adam on my lap and Rowan growing slowly and steadily in my belly.

Searching real estate listings praying that we could find something we might afford and be able to raise our two sweet boys in.

The desk that we moved into our newly purchased home to sit in the basement while we remodeled upstairs and lived in the driveway in a motorhome.

And has sat there since then, unused, untouched, and collecting dust.

For four-and-a-half years.

Yeah.

That desk.

The one filled with old letters and lists. With pictures of my baby boys.

And pictures of almost all of your babies too.

The ones that now have no trace whatsoever of the babies we knew back then.

I cleaned it out today so that my dear little brother can have it on Saturday.

Then his wife can bawl when she cleans it out six and a half years from now and remembers sitting at it with her baby growing.

2.

I found out that I am getting another niece sometime in March.

I strongly believe that this means I am having a boy.

(not really)

3.

Well, since I am choosing to believe the best, I will be having a baby in May.

This means I will have to rename my blog again.

4 P's in a Pod sounds kinda dumb.

I am drawing a blank.

I would love suggestions.

4.

Now that the desk is clean, I can focus on our pantry/store room in the basement.

I actually have a plan! I drew out how I want the shelves organized and everything.

Of course, someday it will be remodeled with painted walls, nice new shelves, and real flooring.

But for now I have an idea in mind that will make it nice, organized, and functional.

5.

Since I am on an organizing kick, next week I start upstairs.

6.

I have about 9 million Christmas projects that I want to try.

It will be so nice to have our school room complete so I have a spot I can do projects and not need to clean up for every meal and school.

Anyway, I don't know how to find the time to get everything done.

I want to simplify and do more at the same time.

7.

Speaking of Christmas, it's less than two months away.

Can you believe it?

Any good ideas for one "big" girl gift?

I think we are set on what to get the boys but I don't have any ideas for Avril.

I thought buying them one under the tree gift would make things easier.

I am actually finding it much more difficult.

8.

Jay and Adam leave for the east coast on the 12th of November.

That means that for the next two weeks we have to double up on our school lessons.

I can't get behind, I actually need to get ahead so we can finish up the year before baby arrives.

Sometimes school doesn't take more than a couple of hours.

Other days, we go all.day.long.

Depends on how much Adam resists.

9.

Revising our eating menu to exclude dairy again.

Of course Jay and I are fine but the kids are going to be enjoying almond milk and rice milk in their food.

I seem to notice a difference by cutting out even the lactose free stuff.

Grrrr.

It's worth it though.

10.

We still don't know what we are doing for Thanksgiving.

We are waiting to hear from Jay's family so we can decide whether or not

we will spend with my side or his.

Hopefully we will have an answer soon.

Update

I had an ultrasound this morning. It never ceases to amaze me how awesome it is to see those little babies moving around in there. Complete with a cute little profile, fingers, & toes.

 Hard to say whether or not we got good news. The good part is that "baby" has a strong heartbeat & is moving around & healthy overall. The tech said that's what we want to see. The part we don't want to see is the blood pocket/clot where the placenta attches to the uterine wall. There is a small area where the placenta was either torn or never attached to the uterus and a blood vessel ruptured. Hence the bleeding I had last week. The technician said that she has seen way worse ones than mine go on to have normal, healthy pregnancies and deliveries. She also said that she has seen some where she couldn't even tell where it was bleeding only to hear later that they had miscarried shortly after.

Ideally, this clot will absorb into my body and we will never hear from it or see it again. There also is a chance I could just pass it out. The concern is that it will rerupture or tear further from the uterine wall. If it tears too far, baby will not get the needed nutrients and it will result in a miscarriage.

I am to take it easy and really concentrate on staying hydrated and taking my vitamins. The goal is to give this tear/rupture time to heal completely. I was told that my regular 30 minute walk each day would be fine but have been begged by numerous relatives not to continue. I am not on bedrest just instructed to take it easy.

I will be going back in for another ultrasound on the 17th of November. They want to monitor the clot. I would really appreciate it if you all could remember us in prayer. I am a bit nervous about all this. They didn't say I was going to lose the baby but they didn't really reassure me either.

Another high note is that my official due date is May 11, 2012. So I am actually further along than I thought. Not by much but I'll take it. One more week until the second trimester. Yay!

10 weeks

Had quite the scare earlier this week. Thought we were losing "little peanut". Turned out to be a false alarm and we heard the heartbeat for the first time on Wednesday. Praise the Lord! I have an ultrasound this coming Wednesday just to double-check & make sure everything looks healthy. Excited to see my little one.

This week baby continues to grow & my morning sickness(which hits every night) seems to be getting better. The fatigue is starting to wear off a bit too although I do still seem to want a nap in the afternoon. I don't feel quite as foggy as I have the last few weeks.

Baby:
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.

Pretty amazing how fast they grow and develop. I just learned that "fetus" means "little one". I had never heard that before. Although the little one is growing quickly I am still anxious to feel it moving. That seems like a long way off. I'm sure time will fly by but I am feeling impatient. Thankfully I have a lot to keep me busy & distracted! Each one seems to go faster than the last. Well, until about 34 weeks anyway. Then I feel like I'll be pregnant in eternity. *smile* Oh well. Regardless of how quickly it goes I am determined to enjoy it. Jay says 4 is his limit and I tend to agree that it is mine as well. So, except for some unseen plan, this should be the last time I experience this. As sad as that sounds, I am feeling excited about moving into the next phase of life.

Anyhow, I really am enjoying it this time around! I don't feel extremely crabby as of yet and so far I have not gained much weight although my jeans are getting tight.  And there is a lot going on between now & May. Jay & Adam are taking a trip back east in November. Then we have Thanksgiving. After that it's the Christmas program, Rowan's birthday, Christmas, New Year, two new nieces, Adam's birthday, & then we get to find out whether we get another son or another daughter. It doesn't stop there! In February we go on our annual two week vacation to Colorado & Arizona. When we get home it will be the beginning of March and at the end of the month we get another niece or nephew(they think niece but are getting a second ultrasound to be sure) and then we have one month to wrap up school. At that time we will be into May & preparing for the arrival of our youngest. Phew! When I type it all out I kinda want to panic about the lack of time I've got! Guess that means I'd better get up & get something done. It's just Avril & Mommy today so we might run into town & do some grocery shopping.

Have a good week!

Oh! I am going to be getting a new mother board for my computer soon so I should have a million and one pictures to post very soon.

Blessings

Today I am grateful for the blessing of a little beating heart.
Heard for the first time by human ears. But heard since the beginning by our God.
For the blessing of a tiny bit of peace & an overwhelming sense of love.

Today I am grateful for the blessing of two sons.
Boys full of energy & life & laughter.
Full of curiosity.
For boys who say things like,"Mommy, I don't want my grandma crackers(grahm crackers) right now."
Or
"We're supposed to like God the most."
And
"Rowan thinks we're having a boy but I think we're having a girl. And I know one of us is right and it's ME!"

Today I am grateful for the blessing of a daughter.
A girly-girl who has to kiss & hug every family member before bed.
For a girl whose pants must entirely cover her shoelaces.
For the ball of energy who insists on bringing her entire kitchen collection to the coffee
table every.single.day.

Today I am grateful for the blessing of a God-fearing husband.
For the voice singing in the background & the helping hand whenever I am overwhelmed & exhausted.
For the opinions that drive me crazy but are usually right or at the very least sensible.
For the warm fire built by work-roughened hands.
For my partner in crime, and in life, and in rearing these lunatic kids.

Today I am grateful for the blessing of Truth revealed.
Revealed to me by a merciful Father, a loving Son, & a convicting Holy Spirit.