9 Weeks!

Sadly, there is no picture with a person (or a baby) this week.  Partly because we graduated from our Fertility Specialist and are now going to start seeing my OB, which means no more weekly ultrasounds : (  I was really getting used to watching the Little Lerma grow from week to week.  But we will be able to see him/her just after the ten week mark, so we are looking forward to that.

There will also be no bump picture because there is no bump yet, or obvious change from last week.  That and with all the night shifts I've been having to do lately, the thought of putting on makeup and getting out of scrubs or stretch pants is just not appealing. 

So today I leave you with our 9 Week Pregnancy Progress!

How Far Along? 9 weeks

How Big is Baby? The size of a grape!

BTW we are not having a bushel of babies, I just couldn't find a good pic of a single grape : )

Weight Gain? +1 this week. (so +6 since stims)..although I'm seriously not sure how with how little I'm actually choking down! That little thing must be growing!

Maternity Clothes? Still not needed, but loving anything comfy and not fitted. Winter sweaters and skinny jeans are the best options for early pregnancy when you just feel bloated...thank you winter!

Belly Button (in or out)? In

Sleep: Still needing and wanting lots of it. 

 

Cravings: I'm still not really wanting much food, but I guess I would say ritz crackers with cream cheese has been the most consistent thing that I will want to eat (and that happened only twice). But I'm LOVING pure, unsweetened coconut water which is great b/c I pretty much gag down regular water these days which is all I usually drink.

 

Aversions: Meat, beef, chicken breast, sweets, chocolate, and now vegetables other than tomotoes this week : (- pretty much what used to be staples in our house. 

 

What I Miss: A settled stomach and abundant energy

Symptoms: Nausea, nausea, nausea! Extreme fatigue like I've never experienced before (except when I've had the flu...yes, thank you pregnancy for making me question whether I have the flu at times!).  Waking up to pee at night, although just once a night rather than twice this week!  And I've stopped having to wear a bra to bed, so look at all these symptom positives this week!

Movement: Nope, still way too early

 

Gender Prediction:*Dana- BOY (my friend told me 3 years ago when she was pregnant with her first, "I know it's a boy...I can feel his penis growing inside me!" While I definitely do not feel that, my hunch is that it's a boy...and her comment continually makes me laugh when I think about it! Oh, and yes, she did have a boy!)

*Jon- GIRL...I think Jon's is more of wishful thinking rather than a prediction, but we'll go with it!
 

Best Moment of the Week: Getting to celebrate another weeks progress for baby Lerma on my actual birthday today...considering I don't love birthdays, this is a pleasant change...and a birthday gift to remember forever!

 

Worst Moment of the Week: Working so many night shifts this week...I really think if I had a more consistent schedule the nausea and fatigue might be a little better (or is this just wishful thinking!?).

What I'm Looking Forward To:  Celebrating my birthday this weekend with Jon in the city, taking in a Straight no Chaser concert and going to some really great restaurants (here's to hoping and praying that the nausea subsides even just for the weekend so I can eat real food!!). And of course, celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday
with the Lerma clan!  Lots to be thankful for and look forward to this week. 

Little Lerma's 8 week update

I did my bump post yesterday just before going to our 8 week appointment and then straight to work, and didn't have time to give you a picture of the little one!!

So today I give you the update on our Little Lerma's 8 week progess!

The little circle on the upper left is the yolk sac.  The baby's head is scrunched up on it's chest and kind of resting on the yolk sac (aww...already loving to chill just like his dad!).  The body is below that and runs along the bottom of the uterine cavity! 

How crazy of a difference it is just from one week to the next?!?  We have a real live gummy bear in there!

*Heart Rate = 155 BPM
*Measuring 7 weeks, 6 days (just 1 day shy of actual, so that's great!)

So far, all continues to be well with our little one!  Looking forward to seeing him (or her) keep on growing!

Oh, and we also graduated!!  We are no longer in the care of our fertility specialist, and have graduated to a regular ole' OB!  Now that is progress!  Way to go little one!

8 Week Update

8 Week Pregnancy Progress!

How Far Along? 8 weeks

How Big is Baby? The size of a kidney bean!

Weight Gain? +5 (from when I started the stimulation meds...stinkin' water weight/bloat that just won't go away!); otherwise no weight gain since we found out we were pregnant

 

Maternity Clothes? Still clinging to those fav maternity skinny jeans b/c they are oh so comfy (although I do still wear my regular skinnies too, like in the pic above), my sweats, and of course black yoga pants!

Belly Button (in or out)? In

Sleep: Sleeping great, and a lot more than normal still, with the exception of waking up once or twice a night to pee. It's amazing that at one time 7-8 hours of sleep was perfect for me, and now I'm more of a 10-12 kinda gal! Hello!

Cravings: Bread, saltines, pretzles...super exciting I know!  Actually I'm not even craving these things, it's just the only things that usually sounds like it will stay down.  So for now, we'll just call them cravings.

Aversions: Most food in general.  Things that certainly sound horrible: beef (particularly ground beef), chicken breast, things with a lot of flavor.

What I Miss: Having plenty of energy to wake up early, get a ton of stuff done throughout the day, keep my house super clean, go to bed later, and do it all over again the next day...yup that is long gone for now!

Symptoms: Nausea...oh the nausea has truly kicked in this week!! It has led to more than a few dashes to the bathroom, only to dry heave or just gag. I will do *anything* to not throw up...I hate it!  Other than that, the typical sore boobs, night time trips to the bathroom, and extreme tiredness could also classify.

 

Movement: Nope, still way too early

Best Moment of the Week: Finding two moments in between the almost constant nausea to get in 2 workouts! Oh my....after 3 months of not being able to walk more then around the block, it felt amazing!!! I am really looking forward (and hoping to more moments of no-nausea) to continue to workout and stay active through the entire pregnancy!

 

Worst Moment of the Week: Almost throwing up in a patient room. Luckily I had a mask on, so the parents couldn't see the initital gagging before I ran out of the room!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Celebrating my birthday on the same day as we celebrate 9 weeks of being pregnant next Tuesday...I couldn't think of a better birthday gift this year!!!

Grocery shopping these days

I've realized this week that my weekly shopping trips are drastically different than they used to be!  Usually I make a list and stick to it.  Jon and I try very hard to eat healthy, filling a lot of our diet with fruits and veggies. 

And then I went shopping yesterday in a rare moment that I wasn't feeling nauseous.  It was a glorious change being able to walk through isles of fresh produce and not gag at the thought of them.

On the other hand, I came home with no fewer than 10 things that were not on my list, but I was actually craving...

 

Sorry, it's not the best picture quality, but on the back right was a big container of sliced watermelon on sale for a buck!  You can't see the watermelon in there b/c they didn't stand a chance on the way home.  That's right, the entire thing was polished off in the 5 minute drive home. 

 

And then the lovely pico de gallo sitting in front of the tortilla chips was polished off before Jon even made it home from work.  I guess if I get some of my appetite back and I'm wanting watermelon and chopped tomatoes, it can't be that bad right!?  *Luckily there are tons of chips left...I didn't do too much damage : )

 

And the proscuitto, 3 cheeses (fresh mozzerella, aged asiago & gorgonzola) and fresh whole grain bread made a delicious, no work dinner.  Just my style these days!

7 Weeks

As the weeks go on, this whole pregnancy thing becomes more and more real to both of us.  And we couldn't be any happier about it! So without further ado, here is the Weekly Pregnancy Progress! And once again, no changes in the body, so I will start with even cuter pictures of our little one!!!

The bright white 2 line-ish things are apparently the arm buds growing (you can actually see them better in the next picture)...and the black area to the right along the uterine wall is the developing brain! How cool!!

Jon's personal favorite picture...just for him!

 

7 Week Pregnancy Progress!

How Far Along? 7 weeks

How Big is Baby? The size of a blueberry

 

Weight Gain? I'm not getting on a scale this week b/c I just don't feel like it. But my clothes are fitting the same and I seem to look the same in the mirror, so we'll go with no change.

Maternity Clothes? Nope, dresses and scrubs (on the weekends) at work; stretch pants or my Bears sweats at home.  Plus I just scored 2 pretty sweet, stylish pairs of sweats (I know, that's hard to picture, but they are pretty cool!) for $2 each at my all time favorite thrift store yesterday!  With all of this, who needs maternity clothes...ever!?!?

Belly Button (in or out)? In

Sleep: I've definitely been a lot more tired this week...and am falling asleep around 8 or 8:30 on the couch many nights!  There were several times this week at work where I had to make sure my eyes were actually open, b/c I swore I fell asleep as I was doing something!  Other than waking up to pee, I'm definitely sleeping well.

Cravings: Sleep!!!  Oh, you meant food!  The cravings have drastically subsided this week as I've been nauseous for a lot of it. I guess if I've wanted anything, it's been a bagel with a thick inch of cream cheese.  Good thing we don't keep bagels in our house, b/c I'd blow up quicker than I could imagine...but it was a great treat over the weekend! So for now, I'm just trying to eat frequent, small meals, and basically choke them down.  

Aversions: Food in general. Really, going from being a foodie and loving to eat to not wanting anything at all, but yet being hungry has been a weird change.  But one I'll gladly welcome with a sweet little baby at the end!

What I Miss: Eating great meals and enjoying them, and cooking dinner with Jon while listening to our Nora Roberts Pandora station while sipping on a glass of wine....I miss this more in my head, b/c there's nothing I'd rather NOT do more than come home after a long day of work and keep on standing and cooking in a kitchen that produces smells that make me gag!

Symptoms: Still peeing like a mad woman at night (grr), and the nausea is coming on stronger and stronger as the days go on, and I have now officially had 2 women at work ask me if I was pregnant b/c my "boobies have gotten huge"- how was that for tact from one of them!?

Movement: Nope, still way too early

Best Moment of the Week: This week had lots of "bests" but hearing the heartbeat today certainly tops them all.  Close seconds include getting an amazing massage....oh how glorious it was to my body that just felt run over by a truck! And getting cleared for working out this week!! YAY, you don't even understand how excited that makes me, even if my max HR can only be 140, and I can lift no more than 15 lbs. I'll take it!

 

Have a listen to our best moment of the week!

 

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting pelted in the face by insanely fast flying wet, sloppy snow mixed with some hail while walking into work yesterday evening....really October!?!?

What I'm Looking Forward To: Working out this week!! I'm looking forward to watching my belly swell, but I'm just feeling soft and flabby all over, so I know that even if working out doesn't give me recognizable changes, it will help me feel better!

Words of Wisdom

In my 6 1/2 weeks of pregnancy, I have certainly not gained the title of "Pregnancy Expert." 

However, I have learned a very important lesson this week, that I feel compelled to pass on to all of you (or to myself for future pregnancies).

When the nausea of pregnancy starts to set in, and at times completely take over, some shows are just meant to not be watched.

One such show would be Andrew Zimmerman's "Weird Eats International."

Particularly the episode where he visits a small tribe in Africa and decides to eat the placenta of a birth that had taken place the week prior.  And then he drank the cord blood of another birth.  And then drank blood from a goat, a cow, and some other animal I couldn't hear over all my gagging!

And really, at that point you'd think the channel would have been changed.  But I was mesmerized.

Yup, that was me, sitting on my couch, gagging relentlessly, not being able to peel my eyes off of the man downing jugs of blood as it trickled down his chin and all over his white button down shirt, right in front of me!

So note to self in the future: perhaps shows about eating weird food and non-food items should be avoided for about, oh at least several more months until gagging with normal foods goes away!

*Source* YES, that is a placenta...and for an entire website of placenta recipes, click on the link! 

6 weeks!

With everything we've gone through in the past, I can't even tell you how exciting it is to reach another "week" mark...even if it is only 6 weeks, and there's technically 34 more to go! 

No belly picture today, b/c really it looks no different than last week. 

And now for the 6 Week Pregnancy Progress:

How Far Along? 6 weeks, boo-ya (we've never been here before!)

How Big is Baby? The size of a lentil

Weight Gain? still +5 overall since stims, none this week

 

Maternity Clothes? No change from last week, still rocking my stretch pants and Bears sweats 24/7 when I'm at home...and making the stretch pants look cute when I go out : )

Belly Button (in or out)? In

Sleep:  Really, really tired this week, with no energy at all.  Falling asleep early, but also waking up at weird hours of the night not able to go back to sleep for an hour or two at a time...stinkin' pee trips waking me up!

Cravings: Indian food (particularly chicken makhni, basmati rice and naan!), cottage cheese with tomatoes and himalayan pink salt, green veggie juice. *the cravings seemed to be really specific this week..but they were strong!*

 

Aversions: Still red meat, chocolate, really anything sweet (its starting to weird me out how much I seriously do not want sweets!?!?)

What I Miss: Sushi, dirty martini, red wine

Symptoms: There were 2 days this week that I was really nauseous pretty much from the time I woke up til I went to sleep, otherwise just being tired and still the sore boobs (although wearing a bra at night has really helped this week!).

Movement: Definitely not, too early!

Best Moment of the Week: Getting a sweet little package in the mail from some of our very best friends! Thank you Megs & Eric! Now we just wait to find out which one we can use : )

Worst Moment of the Week: Working  the 4pm to midnight shift and getting home at 2 am.  It certainly beats the 16 hour 4pm til 8am shift, but man it's still rough!

 

What I'm Looking Forward To: Seeing the little one again in one week, and hopefully hearing it's heart beat (although it was super cool seeing it flicker today)!  I was so nervous today focusing on whether one or both made it, I didn't get to fully take it all in and enjoy it.  So I am looking forward to soaking it all in next week.

The Ultrasound

We've been anxiously awaiting our Ultrasound...and today was the day! 

From the moment we saw our 2 littles on the first ultrasound we both felt bonded, and have thoroughly enjoyed talking and singing to them (yes, we are that couple) almost every night.

So, once again I was nervous, but mostly excited about seeing whether one or both made it to this point. 

I have to say that last night at work I had this "feeling" that I can't really explain that it was one baby.  If you've ever read my other blog about work, you'll know that I have gotten weird feelings or thoughts before, and they are almost always right. 

And then, I had a dream last night that someone gave me a baby announcement that said "Congratulations...it's Twins!"  I asked who that was for, and the lady told me it was for me.  I looked at her, gave the announcement back, and said "Oh no, that's not for me...we're having one baby." 

So when I woke up this morning, I had a slightly disappointed feeling, because I knew that just one had made it.  But don't get me wrong...we are thrilled that we are here, at this point, pregnant!

So off to the ultrasound we went!

And sure enough, there on the screen was one big yolk sac, and one teeny, tiny little white blip that they are calling my baby : )  It was amazing to see the little blip flicker pretty quickly, which is the heart beating already!!!

Sorry for the poor picture quality...its a camera phone pic of the glossy printout!  See the little black hole in the middle with the white circle attached at the upper right?? That's our Little Lerma!

We couldn't hear the heartbeat yet because it's still too early, but the technician was very confident that all the flickering going on she felt was strong.

That's our baby...nice and strong!

So while I am sad about the loss of the second, we couldn't be happier with how well this one little Lerma is doing so far.  We will continue to pray and hope that things go as well as they have been up until this point...just 34 more weeks of hoping and praying, until we can have the sweet little one in our arms!