27 Weeks - 66% Down!

It's fitting that I'm making my return to blogging about this pregnancy as I hit third trimester yesterday. I've been so regretful that I haven't kept up with my posts, but the bar exam and post-bar travel and moving got in the way. I'm now all settled into my job, my apartment, and ready to tackle the last third of pregnancy, so it's the perfect way to come back!

I'm a little sad because I thought I had already announced the sex of Baby Baklava. Spyro and I are so excited to say that we are having a beautiful baby GIRL! At least, we think so! They were 90% sure at the anatomy scan and sadly, I'm a lame ass mom who has had no prenatal care in the meantime. I have an appointment on Thursday where they will be able to tell for sure, but I'm just attached to the idea of her being a girl in the meantime.

How Big is Baby?: The size of a rutabaga. It's really unfortunate that rutabagas are pretty unattractive, because I'm sure our little girl is much, much cuter.

Total weight gain/loss: As of my last appointment, I was still down a couple of pounds. Of course, that was at 16 weeks, which was a LOOOONG time ago. As of right now, I have no idea.

Next Appointment: Thursday, October 4. Can't wait to see Baby Baklava again, to make sure she's OK, and 

Maternity clothes? Not quite yet. I am, however, to the point where I can't really button my pants comfortably anymore. So, I'm rubber banding. My pre-pregnancy dresses pretty much fit still, but some are a bit shorter in the front than they were before. I figure that in another month or so, I will be in maternity clothes.

Sleep: I still love my sleep! I think that the quality of my sleep has decreased though because I cannot lay in one position all night. When not pregnant, you can roll over with no problems. With me, I basically wake up for little chunks of time just to be able to roll over without squishing and hurting my belly. Last night I went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 9am. 

Movement: This is probably the biggest change since I last posted. When we were on our vacation, I felt her definitively kick for the first time. Last week was when I started feeling her all the time. She is always moving and kicking and rolling. I think I have a Riverdancer in there!

Food cravings: For a while, it was Taco Bell. Now, it's not that I crave particular foods, so much as that I want to eat all.the.time. For about a month or so, I wasn't eating very much and got full fairly quickly. In the last week is when I wanted to eat the world. I just hope she's having a growth spurt! 

Food aversions: Water is really gross to me now. I have to put citrus flavoring in the water to make myself be able to stomach it.

Gender: A beautiful little girl.

Belly Button in or out: In, but it's getting dicey now. I still think I will be able to keep an innie by the end, but my belly button is awfully shallow now.

What I miss: Social drinking. There are so many firm events planned like happy hours or wine and cheese events that seem pointless for me. Not only can I not drink, but I'm not particularly tempted to stand up at parties for long periods of time either.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing her sweet face on an ultrasound on Thursday.

Milestones: Baby Baklava is officially at viability. If she is born, she has an excellent chance of being healthy and OK (with some NICU time). She also has taste buds, which means she can taste and enjoy the things that I eat. So now when I want a Sausage McMuffin or a spring roll or a donut, I'll just tell Spyro it's for his little girl.

16 Weeks

Still hard at work studying for the bar exam, so I still don't have much time to post a lot of baby-related things. This is still kind of a slow time for us. My 16 week appointment is on Monday, but then I'll be off to do the bar exam, then back to do the anatomy scan!

How Big is Baby?: The size of an avocado. Which is hard to think about because avocados are DELICIOUS! And it seems a bit cannibalistic to think that way.

Total weight gain/loss: Still down 2 lbs. Still very happy about it, provided that Baby Baklava is growing normally. I'll ask my OB on Monday, but as of right now, I'm not terribly concerned.

Next Appointment: July 16. Monday! I'll be 16w3d and excited to see how baby has grown (if, in fact, they do an ultrasound).

Maternity clothes? Nope. God bless the inventors of the maxi dress.

Sleep: Less tossing and turning than before, but still sleeping a TON! I can get a full night's sleep and still take a two hour nap every day pretty easily.

Movement: Sometimes I feel something that is similar to what other women describe as the first baby movements, but I'm still hesitant to call them the actual movements because I don't want to psych myself out. But I'm usually laying still in bed (studying) and will feel them. That's usually the time to feel them, too. But again, don't want to get myself overly excited. I still worry that BB won't be OK, so I guess this is my way of protecting myself?

Food cravings: Nah. In fact, I've probably moved towards more of a total food aversion. I do get hungry, but I get full very quickly. It just makes me sick of eating when I only have such a very small amount (like, maybe half a sandwich and that's it). 

Food aversions: See above.

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

Belly Button in or out: In. 

What I miss: Being able to plan a full day without planning around a nap.

What I am looking forward to: Getting to hear the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler at our next appointment. Finding out the baby's sex at the end of the month.

Milestones: Baby Baklava is growing hair, which will undoubtedly end up curly, just like mommy and daddy's hair. And BB can now hear, which means he or she will be able to recognize my voice. Now when I sing to my belly, it's not just for my own silly sake, but our little sweet pea will recognize me when she or he is born. 

15 Weeks

Not a ton to report on on my end. I am still hard at work studying for the bar exam, so don't have much time to post a lot of baby-related things. I'm guessing that will change in the time I have between finishing the exam and starting work, especially since we'll be finding out the sex of Baby Baklava at the end of this month!

How Big is Baby?: The size of a naval orange

Total weight gain/loss: After not weighing myself for a while, I bit the bullet and did so last week. As of even yesterday, I am actually down 3-4 lbs. Given my seemingly awful eating habits + having no morning sickness, I consider that a victory. Just as long as Baby Baklava is growing normally, I'm OK with that. Who knew that being pregnant was the best diet ever?

Next Appointment: July 16. Just one more week until I get to take another peek at this little one.

Maternity clothes? Nope. Though to be fair, I haven't been getting dressed in nice clothes everyday. I laze around the house studying, so nightgowns and sweat pants and stuff like that aren't exactly binding.

Stretch marks: None from this baby, at least!

Sleep: The one thing that bugs me about sleeping now is that I'm constantly tossing and turning from left to right side. I can't get comfortable and just stay in one spot. But I'm sleeping a lot less than I did before. If I take a nap, it's because I got maybe 6 hours of sleep the night before, so my body is just requiring more. But it's not like I am sleeping 12 hours a day anymore like I used to.

Best moment this week: I didn't really have anything baby-related this past week. I will say that seeing I haven't gained any weight felt pretty great! I also love looking at my belly because it's filling out and getting rounder, and thankfully there's a baby in there and not a food baby (which would be why it would get round before).

Movement: Not yet, I don't think. I feel things occasionally, but I'm not ready to chalk it up to fetal movement when it could be my tummy rumbling (or other gastrointestinal rumbling), gas, or just wishful thinking.

Food cravings: Not really craving anything. I'm not necessarily wanting sweets or anything like that. More than anything, I like to have meals, not snacks. I am also eating more fruit, though it's not really a craving so much as me trying to eat healthy things for the baby.

Food aversions: Not really.

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

Belly Button in or out: In. 

What I miss: When I used to be able to wake up without a headache. Now it seems I do so about half the time. No one told me that pregnancy = routine headaches!

What I am looking forward to: Getting to hear the baby's heartbeat on the Doppler at our next appointment. Finding out the baby's sex at the end of the month.

Contractions: No! Very unwanted until full term :)

Milestones: Baby Baklava is starting to look more human! Ears are on the side of the head and eyes are moving to the front of the face. Maybe this means daddy won't be so freaked out if we see 3D pictures of you, little one!

14 Weeks

How Big is Baby?: The size of a lemon

Total weight gain/loss: Still holding strong at 0. I think. I haven't weighed myself in the last few days, but I'd like to hope I'm at 0 still! 

Next Appointment: July 16--just before I leave for California.

Maternity clothes? Nope. I did notice yesterday that my bigger jeans are kind of uncomfortably pressing on my gut by this point (at least when I first put them on), so I may be graduating to a bella band in the next few weeks here.

Stretch marks: None from this baby, at least!

Sleep: Just when I thought I wasn't sleeping as much anymore . . . I slept 12 hours last night. The sad part is that laying on my stomach is no longer comfortable. I think that flipping from side to side is making my sleeps that much less fulfilling, which is making me tired again.

Best moment this week: Announcing the pregnancy on Facebook and seeing how excited our friends are for us. 

Movement: Not yet. Hopefully soon!

Food cravings: Food is now a problem. I'm to the point where I am ravenously hungry, but can't eat much without getting full. My digestive system is in full slow down mode, which also makes the bloat even more uncomfortable. So, cravings have really gone away. It's more about me just trying to get in regular nutrients.

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: Sleeping on my stomach.

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 (or Baby Baklava, as my sister has nicknamed him/her) is growing lanugo, a fine coating of hair all over his/her body that will help keep the baby warm. Since the baby is half-Greek, that feeling of all over hair is probably very normal :)

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. 

9 Weeks

How Big is Baby?: The size of a green olive

Total weight gain/loss: 0. Thank God I haven't gained anything, but I am a liiiiittle bummed I haven't lost anything. I guess I can chalk that up to not having any morning sickness or other nausea. Not even one episode of throwing up. For that, I am SUPER thankful!

Next Appointment: Still need to make it, but it will probably be for the NT scan between 11-13 weeks.

Maternity clothes? None necessary. I did realize this weekend I should be wearing my larger sized pants because of the bloating at my waist, but I'm not quite to the rubber band around the button/Bella band level yet.

Stretch marks: None from this baby, at least!

Sleep: ALL THE TIME. I can't get enough sleep. I got 10 hours of sleep last night and still wanted to take a nap today. I slept during long distance car drives this weekend. My body still craves sleep. When I'm done writing this, I'm going to bed.

Best moment this week: A few great ones that I want to blog about. I will just say that they are 1) telling my family about the baby at my graduation dinner, 2) graduating from law school (not baby related, but definitely a wonderful moment this week!), and 3) my 9 week ultrasound.

Movement: Nothing I can feel, but I know Baby A is wiggling around in there like crazy.

Food cravings: Nothing really. I just take them as they come. Nothing crazy. Still on my caesar salad kick. 

Food aversions: Nothing I can think of, but sometimes I get grossed out in the middle of eating something and have to toss it. Tonight, I ate half a hot dog and was doing OK, but then took one more bite and thought I was going to throw up.

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

Belly Button in or out: In. I feel like I will never have an outie. *knock on wood*

What I miss: Deli sandwiches. I'm being one of those overly anxious, by the book first time parents. And cocktails. Ohhh, how I miss cocktails. Just the social nature of going to drinks with friends.

What I am looking forward to: Hearing the heartbeat on the doppler. I think I'm going to get one soon so I can wait to hear our little one.

Contractions: No! Hopefully not for another 30 or so weeks!

Milestones: Our little gummy bear is officially a fetus! Keep growing, little one. Mommy and Daddy love you so much already!