Week 11: The Size of a Fig

HOW FAR ALONG? 11 weeks

THIS WEEK, THE BABY IS THE SIZE OF A: Fig - Just over 1 1/2 inches long.

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS/GAIN: No gain yet.  Still maintaining. 
MATERNITY CLOTHES? Nope.
SLEEP: I have been sleeping pretty well.  The nighttime bathroom breaks seem to be minimizing.
BEST MOMENT THIS WEEK: Eating ice cream and not feeling guilty about it!
MOVEMENT: None
FOOD CRAVINGS: Carbs.  Bread, pasta, chips, crackers... anything with lots of carbs.
SYMPTOMS: Feeling pretty good.  I'm not too tired anymore.  I have a terrible gag reflex though.  Even brushing my teeth can trigger it.  LOL!

GENDER: Not sure yet... we will likely go to Fetal Studios to find out at 15 weeks.
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: Still having the heartbeat confirmed by my doc.  Next week!

Yesterday was my birthday and I got spoiled.  

There are two things I'm most excited about.

1st is my new ice cream/frozen yogurt machine.

Who doesn't love ice cream or frozen yogurt!?  

I figured I can make my own low fat or fat free frozen yogurts with whatever mix in I choose.

A healthy little treat on a warm summer evening.

I can't wait to try it out tonight.  

I'm thinking peaches or blueberries. :)

2nd is my new body pillow (specifically for pregnant women).

My sisters got this for me but it's not here yet.

It's a Sleeper Keeper (purchased from Walmart).

I can't wait for it to get here - not that I'm having a hard time getting comfy yet.

I think it will help a ton once my belly gets bigger.

I'm a major belly sleeper right now.  That will soon change.

When sleeping on my side, my hips begin to hurt.  

Hopefully this will solve the side sleeping dilemma. 

I will post once I've had a change to use it to let you know what my thoughts and feeling are. 

Baby Must Have?

As a first time mom, I'm faced with the many options when it comes to baby.What will be functional or what is a waste of money?
I came across the Arm's Reach Bassinets (you can check out their website HERE) in a magazine.
I'm intrigued but not quite sure whether or not I want to spend the money on this.

It's totally fascinating though.
Take a look at this picture... it says it all.

Baby sleeps in their own space but is conveniently along side you for feedings throughout the night.
My dilemma... I don't necessarily want to co-sleep.
After the first few months I plan on putting baby in his/her own room.
I also don't plan on breast feeding.  The plan is to exclusively pump (a huge topic for another day).
I have a lot to consider before buying one.
If I buy this and then a crib for baby's room, I'm in a good chunk of money on furniture already.
Right now, I'm leaning more toward getting a crib for baby's room and using something else until baby is big enough to go to his/her own room.

This is probably the one I would choose if I buy one.
It's the Original - Natural Liner.
Arm's Reach offers few different colors as well as different models.
Mini models, Cocoons and even those that are more like a crib.
Check out their website for more info (http://www.armsreach.com/).

Arm's Reach also offers something that caught my eye... being a doggy lover.
This!!

My dogs currently hog up a lot of the bed - yes my dogs sleep with me.
I love cuddle time at night with my doggies.  
It'd be nice for them to utilize their own space instead of all my mine though.
I don't know that my dogs would even use this, but I think it's a great concept!

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.