210 days to go... but who's counting?!

10 week fetus...
What the little one is up to this week (10 weeks!)



At this point of your pregnancy, the crown-to-rump length of your developing baby is 1.25 to 1.68 inches. It is now easier to tell how much the baby weighs since he is beginning to put on some weight. Your baby weighs approximately 5 grams and is the size of a small plum! The baby has grown an incredible amount during these past few weeks, but you still aren't showing too much yet.



This week is somewhat of a landmark for your developing baby. By now, your baby's complete body plan is laid down. Your baby will continue to develop and grow for the remainder of the pregnancy. The fingers and toes have separated and the tail has disappeared now. Your baby has taste and tooth buds at this point, which will continue to develop. The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed. External genitalia are not apparent until next week, but a male's testes will already be producing testosterone. Because you have high hormone levels at this time, you may notice an abundance of emotional and physical effects. Most pregnant women find themselves getting distressed easily and have frequent mood swings. Common physical changes include the beginning of real weight gain, potential softening of the gums and slightly swollen thyroid glands. Common emotional changes include feelings of unattractiveness, feelings of inadequacy and concerns about what the future holds. Some women are not excited about their pregnancy at first and question the condition. It is not uncommon to get upset easily, cry at the slightest things, feel moody or drift on daydreams. You may have gained a little weight already. Average weight gain during pregnancy is about 28lbs(13kgs), but most of that is gained in the second and third trimester.

How I've been feeling....

Okay, okay... I admit I am being a bit of a pessimist, but every since about hmmm... week 6, I have been feeling horrible. I want to know who termed this "morning sickness". It is, in fact, ALL DAY sickness! The doctor called me in something. but that only served to make the sickness WORSE! I am trying to be a trooper for the next few weeks and praying that this passes soon! I know the end result is SO worth it! I'm not loosing any weight and I am still able to force feed myself. I'll let you know when it gets better!!

What's little H up to this week?

9 weeks!

Your baby now is about the size of a medium green olive. The crow-to-rump length is 22 to 30 mm and the baby weighs 0.12 ounces. Although your body shape will not yet reveal that you are pregnant, your doctor would be able to notice an enlarged uterus. The hCG hormone is at its peak and you might notice more changes. Your skin may become smoother and a bit plumper, but you might also get an outbreak of pimples. Your hair may become less oily, or more. You might also notice some vaginal discharge, which is usually not a cause for concern.

Although the baby is still very small, it is beginning to look more like a human being. Your baby's back is straightening out and the tail is shrinking. In proportion to the rest of his body, the head is large and remains curved forwards onto the chest. The head is erect and the neck is developing well. Even though your baby's eyes are well developed, they are covered by a membrane lid. The eyes will not begin to open and close for quite some time still. Your baby will begin to make tiny movements as the muscles start to develop. You will not be able to feel any of these early movements, but you might be able to see them during an ultrasound. The arms and hands are progressing faster than the legs and feet at this point. By this time of your baby's development, the hands have defined finger ridges and the tissue between them will die off to leave separate fingers. It is impossible to distinguish a male from a female at this time because external genitalia look very similar at this point.

Your blood system will change during pregnancy and blood volume will increase by 50%. The increase in blood is important to meet the demands of your growing uterus. Blood volumes will begin to increase during the first trimester and will continue to rise throughout the entire pregnancy. The increase in plasma can cause anemia, which will cause you to feel tired or weak.

And bean probably looks something like this! :

Meet Baby H!

Here's our baby bean's first picture :) Enjoy!

XoXoXoXoXoXoXo

Appt with the midwife

After much research and great dissapointment that my regular GYN didn't deliver babies, I decided on going to Specialist for Women. They practice out of Obici and I am certain I made the right decision. We had our first appt with the mid wife on Tuesday March 31st. During this appt she asked us lots of questions, did lots of blood work and sent us home with lots of goodies. Our first ultrasound was scheduled for Tuesday April 14th!

At this appt, Travis and I were able to see and hear our little bean for the first time! It was absolutely wonderful! We were sent home with lots of pictures and a DVD. The babies due date was set for November 23rd, just 3 days before Thanksgiving our little turkey should be here! I will post pictures of the ultrasound as soon as I figure out how ;)

Great Grandma Poole

Unfortunately, I only have one living grandparent left and she lives out of town. Although, I know my Paw Paw Pendleton is beaming in heaven at the news of a new great-grandchild! Travis's grandma, however, is very close to us and we couldn't wait to share the news with her!

My MIL and I had a ball at Motherhood Maternity Store on a recent visit to Roanoke, so we decided to frame this picture and the one of Travis with the bib to reveal the news to the new great grandma.

"Whatever" is her theme word and she got a kick out of this bib!

She was a little confused at the pictures, but eventually caught on!!!

Telling the grandparents!

We wanted to keep our "secret" a surprise for a little while. It was really hard not to tell my mom, but I will say I am so glad we waited! Not only did we get to surprise them in a really special way... As first time parents, Travis and I really enjoyed having those few weeks to just embrace the moment together!

My dad!

My mom discovering her Easter delivery on the front porch!

Their Easter baskets and our baby stash!

The poem inside their Easter cards!

Telling Travis's mom was fun. We snuck into her house and waited for her to get home!

VERY shocked!

But very excited!

We spilled the beans!

It's true! We're expecting! We've finally spilled the beans to just about everyone! I decided to start this blog for eveveryone who's interested in following our journey. I do not plan to hold back, so brace yourself! I also thought it'd be a nice way to document and later look back on my very first pregnancy. So- before I get started with the pregnancy updates, I thought it might be nice to let you know how we got to this point!

Travis and I got married on June 7, 2008. Had you asked me then when I'd be having a baby, I would have probably said 5 years!! Travis got the baby itch quite a bit sooner than I did, but eventually he rubbed off on me! By October/November, we decided that we were in a good place and wanted to at least start trying. We kept it to ourselves and just wanted to enjoy the time together. Being the control freak that I am, I immediately started charting. I tracked my cycles, temped with a basal body thermometer and tracked my ovulation. I learned way more about trying to conceive than I ever thought humanly possible!

Needless to say, it worked! On our 5th cycle, I tested with a HPT and it came back negative. I was a little bummed, so Travis and I went out to celebrate a friends birthday. The next morning, I had the urge to pee on a stick again ((lol)) Travis was still half asleep but tried convincing me not to, as HPT aren't cheap!! Well, as soon as he drifted back off to sleep, I snuck in our spare bathroom and test. Much to my surprise, it was POSITIVE!! I waited for what felt like days for him to wake up so I could tell him. I had already plotted my grand reveal for months! I bought him an "I love my Daddy" bib and placed the HPT on the table with the remote on top. I then asked him to pass me the remote. He was SUPER excited and in shock!!!!! This was just the beginning of our journey!