10 Weeks: The size of a kumquat

HOW FAR ALONG? 10 weeks
DUE DATE:  December 11, 2012

THIS WEEK, THE BABY IS THE SIZE OF A: Kumquat - a little over an inch long and weighs less than .25 ounces

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS/GAIN: ZERO!  Still maintaining. 
MATERNITY CLOTHES? Not yet.  I think since I lost some weight prior to this pregnancy I have some room to grow in my regular clothes.
SLEEP: I have actually been sleeping pretty well the past few days.  Best sleep I've had in a while.
BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Hearing the heartbeat.  Didn't expect to hear it yet.  (story below)
MOVEMENT: None
FOOD CRAVINGS: I've wanted a big hamburger and a pickle with ranch all week!
SYMPTOMS: It's been a good week.  I think I've noticed my uterus growing.  It hasn't been cramps that I've felt... more like a slight tingling sensation.  It's hard to explain.  I also want to chop off my nose.  It's always stuffy these days and there's nothing I can do to get relief.  I think I partially blame my allergies too but my sis said that her pregnancy did the same thing to her.
GENDER: Not sure yet.  Still hoping on a boy.
FEELINGS TOWARD PREGNANCY: I've enjoyed it so far.  Everything has been great.
WHAT I MISS: Nothing really this week. 
WHAT I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO: Having the heartbeat confirmed by my doc.  Two more weeks.  :)



The best moment of the week was hearing the baby's heartbeat.
I told you last week that I bought a cheapo fetal heart rate monitor.
This one here:

It ended up being better than I expected.
The night that it came in the mail, James and I sat down to see if what we could find.
We didn't have any luck but we weren't expecting to really hear anything anyway.
I was only about 9 weeks along (about 10 if we go by the measurements the doc took).
The next morning I thought I'd give it a whirl again and to my surprise, I heard the little heartbeat!
It wasn't easy to find and once I found it, it was hard to keep locked in on.
I have found that I have to hold the doppler really low, like maybe an inch from my pubic bone.
I always seem to find the heartbeat toward the left side too.
I've now been able to find the heartbeat 4 times and share with James and my family.
My niece, Braeley LOVED hearing it.  She didn't want to stop listening.
I'm sure I sound pretty crazy to some of you but honestly, I don't care.
It brings me a little piece of mind to know that my baby is still growing inside.
I'm still anxious for my doctor appointment though.
Once the doc has confirmed the heartbeat I think I will feel that much more assured. 

Week 9: The Size of a Grape

 HOW FAR ALONG? 9 weeks 1 day

THIS WEEK THE BABY IS THE SIZE OF A: Grape - nearly an inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce.

DUE DATE: December 11, 2012
TOTAL WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS: 0 pounds - maintaining right now. :)
MATERNITY CLOTHES? Nope.  My regular clothes still fit a bit loose.
SLEEP: I have been sleeping like crap.  I'm doomed.  I have at least one potty interruption each night.
BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Sharing our news with friends and family.
MOVEMENT: None yet.
FOOD CRAVINGS: Sweets right now.  I am craving chocolate especially.
SYMPTOMS: Nothing too horrible.  I get a bit nauseous in the evening and tender boobies.
GENDER: Too early to tell.  James hopes for a boy.  I'm good either way.
BELLY BUTTON IN OR OUT?  In... I think it will remain this way throughout.
FEELINGS TOWARD PREGNANCY: I'm thoroughly enjoy it.  Very excited at this point.
WHAT I MISS: I occasionally wish I could have a glass of bubbly.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: Hearing the heartbeat.
SMELL AVERSIONS: Blood.  GAG!!! (story below)


That pretty much sums everything up in a hurry! 
Not too much more to talk about now.  ;)

I am still a bit nervous about a miscarriage until I can hear the heart beat.
I try not to worry too much but I think it's inevitable.
I will admit, I purchased a cheap-o baby heart rate monitor off of eBay.
That should be arriving today - if the post office is operating like they should.
The device claims to be able to detect a heart rate between 10-12 weeks. 
I'm not expecting to hear anything right off since I'm only 9 weeks along.
I'm honestly not expecting it to work that great, period.
I guess we shall see how it works.  

So the aversion to the smell of blood....
We have two dogs.  Our boxer, Frankie and our doberman, Betty.

Sweet Frankie and Betty sun bathing.

Well, Betty has a blood condition that is common among dobermans.
This makes it harder for her blood to clot and so she tends to bleed uncontrollably if injured.
When we got her ears cropped,  we experience first hand how difficult it is to stop her bleeding.
Problem is Betty likes to play, and play rough. 
James has an electric RC car and Betty LOVES to chase it.
It's great exercise BUT Betty runs after it and usually ends up with scratched up pads on her feet.
They bleed and bleed and the only way we've been able to control it is by wrapping them with coban tape and gauze.
We made a rule that she's no longer allowed to chase the car on the sidewalks or streets.
Well, There's a dirt field near our house that we though would be fun to take the car and the dogs to play.

Betty with a mouth full of dirt after chasing the car.

Apparently the dirt has the same effect as the pavement.
Betty's feet weren't scuffed up nearly as bad but she still bled a bit.
When we got home, I got down on the floor to clean up Betty's wounds and wrap her feet.
I lifted her paw up to see what damage was done and got smacked in the face with the smell.
You know, that strong smell of iron that comes from blood.
Yeah, I gagged.  I had to turn the other way and breath clean air for a minute. 
That's probably the closest I've come to puking while pregnant.
I now know to steer clear of blood!

Changing things up!

The past week has been somewhat shitty, yet again.  I didn't see a change on the scale even after starting the Jillian Michael 30 Day Shred.  I think the problem could be one of two things.  1 - I'm not eating enough food or 2 - I was eating too late.

That being said, I've changed things up a bit this week in hopes that things will go in my favor.  Last week I was eating dinner after we got home from the gym at 7:00-7:30 (which meant that dinner wasn't done until 8:00-8:30).  This week I've switched back to eating dinner before we hit the gym.  It seems to be working so far.  I've dropped another pound already!

Along with eating dinner before the gym, I'm trying to up my calorie intake a bit.  My BodyMedia program shows that I should be eating 1500 calories a day.  I had been consuming right between 1100-1200 calories.  1500 has seemed a bit high for me but I'm going to try my hardest to hit that.  I'm going to start eating snacks between meals too.  That should easily give me the extra few hundred calories I need to be eating.  I have done snacks in the past but I always feel like I'm continually eating.  It'll be worth it though if I can start seeing some more results!  

Check out this YUMMY recipe I found and made for dinner last night.  I had the veggies along with some with some salmon.  The veggies and a 6oz piece of salmon were only 435 calories!  Low calorie and delicious!

 


1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion 
1 tsp minced garlic 
1 medium zucchini 
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato (I used a sweet potato in place of a regular potato)
1 medium tomato
1 tsp dried thyme 
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both
in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).
STEP 2: While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
STEP 3: Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the
softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking
dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.
STEP 4: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and
bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.