13 Weeks

Wow, I can't believe I've missed the last few weeks. Life has been crazy busy, with studying for the bar exam and going out of town the last two weekends for out-of-state celebrations--one wedding and one big graduation party. But this week, we hit a major milestone. I am now 13 weeks pregnant which is the official beginning of the second trimester!

How Big is Baby?: The size of a peach

Total weight gain/loss: Still holding strong at 0. Occasionally I will be up a pound or so, but I chalk that up to constipation or fluid retention or something like that because it's typically gone the next day. I'm rather impressed with myself since I've had some very specific cravings, and have had zero morning sickness (which is what usually helps people keep the weight off during first trimester).

Next Appointment: Just had an appointment yesterday, which was when I was officially 13 weeks. Next one will be around 16 weeks, just before I leave for California to get ready for the bar exam.

Maternity clothes? Nope. My bigger jeans still fit and now that we've had a heat wave the last few days, I've been living in maxi dresses.

Stretch marks: None from this baby, at least!

Sleep: I've been much better with sleeping. I don't seem to need like 10 hours per day anymore. And I don't need a daily nap, though it does seem I need one about every other day.

Best moment this week: Any week where I get to see our cute little baby is usually my best moment. Yesterday I saw him/her wiggling around like crazy and it just brings such a big smile to my face. I can't believe how much I love this baby already. The other best moment (that I wasn't there to see) was that Spyro told his parents about the baby yesterday. He waited until he saw them in person for the first time since we found out, and gave them a card about being grandparents. On the inside, he taped a picture of the ultrasound picture we got from our NT scan. His parents are SO EXCITED because it's their first grandchild. True to form, my mother in law told someone about my pregnancy that very night (who doesn't even know me). So, he was also glad he waited until second trimester because my MIL would have blown our cover otherwise :)

Miscellaneous info: In my last weekly update, I mentioned that I was a CF carrier. We found out a week ago that Spyro is not, so the baby should be OK. We also had the NT scan which showed a decreased risk of Down Syndrome and the Trisomies, which was also a relief. 

Movement: Not yet. Hopefully soon!

Food cravings: I find that I'm very suggestive. If someone from my birth month group talks about something I think sounds good, I'll think about it for a while. I was loving the new steak salad at Panera this past week though.

Food aversions: Not really much anymore. 

Gender: We will find out on July 30!!! So excited!

Belly Button in or out: In. 

What I miss: Being able to take Excedrin or Advil or something for bad headaches. I had a headache the past two days and the nurse practitioner refused to prescribe me Fioricet without a consult with a neurologist. WHAT?! It's basically Tylenol with caffeine and another med and totally safe for pregnancy. I just called the after hours doc and he was willing, so thank goodness for that.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to hear the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler at our next appointment.

Contractions: No! Very unwanted until full term :)

Milestones: Our little gummy bear is forming the vocal cords that will annoy us with screams and cries, make us smile when he or she says his/her first word, annoy us again when this baby becomes a teenager, etc. :)

10 Weeks!

Wow, we're 10 weeks along. Time flies! We are officially 25 percent done with this pregnancy. I feel like we're kind of plodding along without much activity these days. I don't have any doctors' appointments for another couple of weeks and my life is officially just consumed with bar prep. I'm trying to work around my constant fatigue to manage my bar study schedule, so the latest schedule try is as follows: I go to class in the morning, come home around 1:30pm and eat lunch, take a nap for 2-3 hours, then have a snack and start studying. This schedule is working for me so far, so we'll keep it up as long as necessary.

How Big is Baby?: The size of a prune

Total weight gain/loss: Still holding strong at 0. Occasionally I will be up a pound or so, but I chalk that up to constipation or fluid retention or something like that because it's typically gone the next day.

Next Appointment: Waiting to hear from the hospital where my OB is located for my NT scan appointment. It will probably be in about 2 weeks. One week prior, I go for my blood testing, then I can get my results on the day of the scan.

Maternity clothes? Nope. Which also helps keep the pregnancy a secret from classmates. All good!

Stretch marks: None from this baby, at least!

Sleep: ALL THE TIME. Still. This baby is just like her mama and wants sleep all the time.

Best moment this week: I told my UCLA friends this week. I have friends from undergrad who live in the Boston area, so we get together once a month for dinner to make sure we get a chance to hang out. I knew I wanted to tell them this month, especially because this was probably the last dinner we'd have with our dear Stevie Lee for a bit (she is about 3 weeks away from her due date). When I told them about the baby, Stevie just looked at me with her mouth agape and didn't know how to respond. Then she burst into tears immediately. It was the most adorable thing how excited she was--and how excited all my friends were. My friend's boyfriend Mark said he was suspicious because I wasn't drinking alcohol and I had no good reason why I wouldn't since I'm done with finals. I think that actually may be an indictment of me and my normal drinking habits. But hands down, they had the best reaction to the news and I was so happy to share my news with them in person. I was just kind of friends with them from student groups and our summer job as orientation counselors one year, but I feel like we are all closer now after the past few years of living here.

Miscellaneous info: There was a scary moment this week when I heard from the OB's office regarding the testing we had done and I was told that I am a Cystic Fibrosis carrier. This is typically rare in African Americans, and more common in Caucasians. Thanks, Mom? Now Spyro needs to go get tested at some point next week. If he is negative, then we're fine. If he's positive, our baby has a 25% chance of having CF. So, that means more invasive testing like a CVS or amnio to find out. *sigh* Just thinking good thoughts.

Movement: Nope, not yet. Can't wait until I feel those little flutters though.

Food cravings: Nope. Although I spent a week thinking about spinach and artichoke dip, so I bought the ingredients for it today.

Food aversions: I've been having a tough time with creamy foods and often just get grossed out with the thought of eating. The past few nights, I've been eating weird dinners, like cereal and salad. The idea of eating is terrible. Hoping I get over it because I've just been otherwise hungry since I snack on nonsense all day.

Gender: still have about 2 months before we find out. I NEED TO KNOW!!!

Belly Button in or out: In. I used to be so grossed out by the thought of an outie, but I saw my pregnant friend the other day and she had an outie. I was fascinated by poking it, which is super embarrassing (luckily she was really nice about it).

What I miss: Still cocktails/wine. That's about it.

What I am looking forward to: Hopefully a favorable CF test result for Spyro.

Contractions: No! Very unwanted until full term :)

Milestones: Our little gummy bear has fingernails and hair. I can't wait to see that head of hair our baby has! I have a ton of super curly hair and once upon a time, so did Spyro.