14 weeks

how far along? 14 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a lemon

weight gain/loss? still holding at +3

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? yes! I got a few pairs of pants from my mom and dad for Christmas and HOLY CRAP, why was I resisting these for so long? full-panel pants are amazing and the most comfortable things ever!

sleep? good, although I wake up once a night to pee

food cravings? spinach artichoke dip with pita chips

symptoms? I feel fine and think I have the beginnings of a small but actual bump!

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? we find out on February 5!

movement? none

belly button? still in 

what I'm worrying about: telling work...still haven't done it yet and hoping to get through this short holiday week (only two days in the office) before spilling the beans next week.

what I'm loving: feeling so good and celebrating the holidays

best moment this week? Christmas morning with just me and John (and the little lemon). We exchanged gifts, enjoyed an egg bake and some cinnamon rolls, watched Love Actually, and braved the cold (10 degrees...brrr!) to take a short walk through the park. It makes me excited for next year when we'll have a 6-month-old to enjoy Christmas traditions with.

13 weeks

how far along? 13 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a peach (is it just me, or are these fruits in the last/next few weeks basically all the same size? lime, plum, peach, lemon, etc...)

weight gain/loss? +3, which isn't too bad for 1st trimester weight gain

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? thank goodness for Christmas break (i.e. casual dress code for two weeks)...otherwise, I would be up a creek - my work pants fit terribly and I haven't found much in the way of maternity gear yet

sleep? a-okay; still having vivid dreams, though

food cravings? a spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy's

symptoms? nothing, really. still trying to figure out if I actually have a bump or not.

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? we find out on February 5!

movement? none

belly button? still in 

what I'm worrying about: telling more and more people...it sort of makes me wish that we still had our little secret. Also, I have another UTI, which means I have to take daily antibiotics for the rest of this pregnancy - boo!

what I'm loving: finishing up the 1st trimester - this kid is 1/3 of the way baked!

best moment this week? telling our group of friends on Wednesday night - John was practically bursting at the seams with excitement and pride!

12 weeks

how far along? 12 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a plum

weight gain/loss? +2

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? unfortunately, none of the Old Navy maternity stuff fit, so I'm still on the hunt for some pants...

sleep? couldn't be better

food cravings? tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

symptoms? bloated and tired; also, I MAYBE have the beginning of a tiny little bump below my navel - it's hard to tell if it's a real bump or just more bloat.

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? who knows?

movement? none

belly button? still in 

what I'm worrying about: dealing with overly-emotional people (my mom and mother-in-law) once we share the news

what I'm loving: the NT scan went great! It was incredible to see an actual little BABY in there, moving around and doing somersaults; s/he wasn't the most cooperative for the technician, but it looks like all the measurements are good and we have a little acrobat on our hands!

best moment this week? definitely seeing our kiddo wiggle around and stick his/her foot in the air (!) - it made this whole experience (that I have had hardly any signs/symptoms for) much more real for both of us.

11 weeks

how far along? 11 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a lime, which makes me crave an ice-cold gin & tonic

weight gain/loss? holding steady at +1

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? still waiting for my damn Old Navy Cyber Monday order to arrive! I've been changing into leggings and yoga pants as soon as I get home - my work pants are very uncomfortable by the end of the day.

sleep? decent, although John says I have been moving around more than usual (and also snoring - what?!)

food cravings? Potbelly sandwiches

symptoms? super bloated, a little heartburn

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea, but I'm secretly hoping that the tech at our NT scan next Friday will be able to give us an educated guess

movement? none

belly button? still in 

what I'm worrying about: getting bad results from our NT scan

what I'm loving: feeling great and still avoiding sickness

best moment this week? buying our first real Christmas tree and decorating it!

10 weeks

how far along? 10 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a prune

weight gain/loss? holding steady at +1

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? I ordered maternity jeans and leggings from Old Navy on Cyber Monday and am looking forward to seeing how they fit, since some of my pants are getting tight

sleep? I'm sleeping well, thanks to the return of our winter humidifier, which makes our bedroom cool and provides some gentle white noise

food cravings? I had John pick up some Indian take-out on Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed matar paneer, chicken tikka masala, and garlic naan...yum!

symptoms? tired and bloated; on the plus side, my hair and nails look great! 

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? who knows?

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: the small possibility of miscarriage, despite knowing that it's down to only 5% after seeing a heartbeat on the ultrasound; I do not want to be a statistic.

what I'm loving: feeling thankful for an easy pregnancy

best moment this week? getting started on Christmas shopping and made good progress on our list of gifts to buy for nieces/nephews and parents.

9 weeks

how far along? 9 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a green olive (yum!)

weight gain/loss? still +1, despite lots of Thanksgiving goodies

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? not yet, but some pants are getting tight around the waist

sleep? decent, but the crazy pregnancy dreams have begun! John also said that I have been tossing and turning a lot more than usual.

food cravings? not sure if it's related to the size of the baby this week, but I would kill for some of my mom's green olive dip right now

symptoms? fatigue, sore breasts,inability to regulate body temperature (I'm either freezing cold or really hot)

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy...and wondering if my very mild symptoms and absence of morning sickness could be an indicator of this?!?

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: when and how to start telling people, especially our families

what I'm loving: feeling SO GOOD; I never in a million years thought that I would feel this normal during the first trimester. I've heard so many horror stories about never-ending morning sickness and nausea that I was mentally preparing myself for the worst, but I'm shocked and thrilled to be feeling as great as I do. My doctor said that some women naturally adjust better to pregnancy hormones and even called me a "pregnancy warrior" - ha!

best moment this week? our first ultrasound - so surreal and amazing.

First ultrasound and a new EDD

We had our first ultrasound the day before Thanksgiving. Going into the appointment, I was incredibly nervous that we wouldn't be able to see anything, or that there wouldn't be a heartbeat and this would be another miscarriage. 

However, my fears were calmed as soon as we saw the little flicker of a heartbeat on the screen. John was standing next to me and holding my hand, and we both were shaking as the doctor said that everything looks just perfect with a nice strong heartbeat of 160 and a baby measuring a little bit ahead of schedule.

Look at this beautiful little gummy bear!

In fact, based on the measurements, my EDD has now been changed from July 1 to to June 28. I suspected that I ovulated early based on my chart, so it was great to finally have some confirmation of this. It's a little crazy to have jumped three days ahead in the pregnancy timeline, so my weekly updates will now be on Fridays.

What a great Thanksgiving blessing!

8 weeks

how far along? 8 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a raspberry

weight gain/loss? holding steady at +1

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? none, but pants (especially jeans) are getting snug

sleep? very good, although I can't really sleep on my stomach anymore because my boobs are so sore

food cravings? movie theater popcorn (so random, I know)

symptoms? fatigue, sore breasts, mild nausea, sensitivity to smells, neon-yellow pee (!) from my new prenatal vitamins

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: I had some brown spotting last night and it scared me so much; that's how my last miscarriage began. I was thankful that it was gone when I woke up this morning, but it's still alarming, nonetheless. I'm trying to stay calm, drink lots of water, and stay off my feet when I can.

what I'm loving: that time is flying by so quickly! It feels like just yesterday I was peeing on a stick and the baby was the size of a poppyseed; also very excited (and a little nervous) for our first appointment on Wednesday where hopefully we'll be able to hear a heartbeat!

best moment this week? John started our kitchen remodeling project! Everything is a mess right now, but I know it's going to look wonderful when it's finished.

7 weeks

how far along? 7 weeks

how big is baby? the size of blueberry

weight gain/loss? +1

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? none, but some of my dress pants are getting snug in the waist

sleep? decent sleep, but crazy dreams!

food cravings? anything salty and savory - soups, casseroles, pasta, meat, etc.

symptoms? gigantically sore breasts, heartburn, fatigue, and waves of nausea

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: waiting four weeks for our first ultrasound; it feels like everyone else (okay, all the women on my Bump month board) are getting them done at 5 and 6 weeks, and I have to wait until I'm 11 weeks along - boo!

what I'm loving: having a good first appointment and hearing the nurse say, "You're pregnant!" also having relatively mild symptoms and NOT vomiting so far (yes!)

best moment this week? When I left for work this morning, John said, "I love both of you." It absolutely made my heart melt.

6 weeks

how far along? 6 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a sweet pea

weight gain/loss? none

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? none

sleep? decent, although I've had trouble settling my mind and falling asleep some nights

food cravings? carbs, especially pasta and crackers; also a big juicy burger sounds really tasty as of late

symptoms? sore breasts, light cramping, bloating, heartburn, and a few nauseous spells (no puking, though, thank goodness)

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: miscarriage, still; also nervous about finding out bad news at our first appointment on Thursday

what I'm loving: staying pregnant and experiencing symptoms (even though they aren't always pleasant), also happy that I haven't had ANY spotting so far

best moment this week? nothing specific, but John has been really wonderful lately- doing the dishes, rubbing my neck, making dinner when I'm too tired to cook; he's such a great guy and I'm so thankful to be married to him!

5 weeks

how far along? 5 weeks

how big is baby? the size of an apple seed

weight gain/loss? none

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? none

sleep? I've actually been sleeping great!

food cravings? I have been eating way too many multigrain tortilla chips with hummus - they taste amazing right now! 

symptoms? tender, swollen breasts, some light cramping on and off, really bloated in my lower stomach, a few breakouts on my face

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: Still nervous about this not being a viable pregnancy. However, I'm doing everything I can to lead a healthy life and make a cozy home for our kiddo; I've been eating well and even got a few light workouts in this past week.

what I'm loving: I decided to switch ob-gyn clinics due to a few factors (mainly proximity to our home, and customer service) and was happy to hear that I will have my first appointment next week at 6 weeks. I'm also thrilled that I've reached the milestone of when my first pregnancy ended (5 weeks exactly), so this is the most I've ever been pregnant!

best moment this week? buying a newborn onesie at the Carters store (it's grey and has a red crab embroidered on it) - so cute! I've been holding it up to my tummy daily and reciting the affirmation, "Today I am pregnant and I love my baby." It's a little hippy-dippy, but it feels good to say those words out loud and believe them!

4 weeks

how far along? 4 weeks

how big is baby? the size of a poppyseed

weight gain/loss? none

stretch marks? none

maternity clothes? none

sleep? pretty well, although I feel like I could sleep for an entire day

food cravings? pumpkin muffins taste really good; I also absolutely devoured a pork chop last night - it tasted so good, and I even chewed the meat off the bone (which I never do)

symptoms? very sore and enlarged breasts, a few light cramps/twinges in my pelvic area, also my sense of smell seems to be on overdrive - I could smell John making a roast beef sandwich from all the way upstairs!

signs of labor? none

sex of baby? no idea - I am hoping for a boy

movement? none

belly button? still an innie

what I'm worrying about: miscarriage (again). I don't know if I will ever completely feel like I'm out of the woods on this; it's a constant fear in the back of my mind, but I am trying to be hopeful and calm. Hopefully this kid sticks around for a while!

what I'm loving: getting pregnant so easily! it only took one cycle with excellent timing to make it happen; as John says, "we are very fertile people!" :)

best moment this week? finding out I'm pregnant! I tested on Sunday morning (10-21-12) at 11DPO and was completely overjoyed when I saw the word "pregnant" pop up on the digital test. I crawled back into bed with John and we cuddled for a while before I shared the good news with him. He's so proud and happy, and has even touched my tummy a few times. We spent the rest of the day raking leaves, going grocery shopping, watching football and Downton Abbey, and enjoying pork chops and sweet potatoes for dinner (with apple crisp for dessert). It was a wonderful autumn day that we'll remember forever!