Bring on the Pain!!!

17 Week update from BabyCenter.com:

"Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, about as much as a turnip and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones."

It's hard to believe that our baby is 5 inches long right now! That seems so much bigger than what I can comprehend!! I started feeling my first pregnancy pains this week. Luckily I had just read something about them, otherwise I might have called the doctor to make sure everything was okay! Right now the ligaments in my stomach are beginning to stretch, preparing my abdomen for the enormous growth spurt it's about to go through. I have only felt the pain a few times, and it has always been on the right side. I'm sure there are many more to come so I might as well get used to them now!

One thing that I have noticed during my pregnancy that just blows my mind is that I no longer have an allergic reaction to the foods that I have been allergic to. For about six years now, I have been taking Zyrtec on a daily basis to counteract the massive, itchy hives that break out all over my body when I eat something I'm allergic to. The three main foods that I'm allergic to are chocolate, chicken and wheat - kinda hard for me to live without those things so the Zyrtec was a must for me!! When I found out I was pregnant, my doctor said I had to stop taking the Zyrtec and swap to Claritin. I absolutely hate Claritin as it does nothing for my hives. But, since I didn't have a choice I figured it was better than nothing. I got to where I would only take it if I broke out, and I realized this week that it's probably been two weeks since I've taken one! Since around the 2nd month, I have not even noticed any hives on my body!! It's amazing to me how that little one inside is causing all of these crazy changes in my body, and some even for the good! I guess only time will tell if I will have to pick the Zyrtec back up again after the baby comes, but I'm definitely hoping those allergies are gone for good!

Normal...and Hormonal

16 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop."

Today marks the beginning of Week 16 - only four more to go and we can find out what this baby is!!! I went to the doctor for my 16-week checkup on Wednesday, and as it was just a routine check, I don't have much to report. The doctor checked the heartbeat with the Doppler and measured my stomach for the first time. I was able to ask her some questions about a few problems I've been having recently, namely the headaches. Of course her answer was that they are normal and hormonal. Great...that means there is nothing that can be done about them. She asked what I was taking for the pain, which I thought was a weird question since I can only take Tylenol. So I told her that's what I was taking and that it didn't help at all. She said the next time I have one, try to drink a little bit of caffeine, as sometimes that will help. Another thing I thought that was weird, since they typically tell you to stay away from caffeine during pregnancy. Oh well, I'll try anything at this point. I haven't had a bad headache in a couple of weeks though, until I woke up at about 5am Friday morning for my normal every 2 hour bathroom break. The pain was getting worse as I tried to fall back asleep, but it had subsided some by the time I got up at 8am. I used the partial headache as an excuse to have a Starbucks white chocolate mocha, and either the headache wasn't that bad to begin with, or the coffee really helped!! Either way I felt better in a short time and was able to enjoy my Friday off. The doc did ask if I had felt any movement yet so I'm impatiently waiting to feel that first little flutter!!

My friend Nikki will be going to Indiana next week to get started on her clinical trial. Unfortunately, her numbers were back up after she came back from her honeymoon so now she is going to begin this treatment under the same doctor that treated Lance Armstrong. I'm hoping and praying that this clinical trial will prove to be as successful as the doctor hopes. Please keep her in your prayers.

15 Weeks and Counting

15 Week Update from BabyCenter.com:

"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds."

Today marks my 15 week kickoff! I must say that I'm feeling much better lately and the best part is that I have gotten my appetite back completely! Last weekend was the 4th of July and for the first time in many years, Justin did NOT have to work!! It was really nice for him knowing that he didn't have to wake up early and miss out on the fun. Friday night after dinner, we drove through a neighborhood that I am very familiar with and knew that a new sector was being built, and spent a while walking through the new constructions. We fell in love with one of the floor plans and it seemed it was all we could talk about that night! We love the area, the neighborhood, the school system...there really isn't much that we DON'T like! Since the houses are still in construction and we don't plan on buying for a few more months, it could be perfect timing for us. It's something that we need to find out some details on before we can really make a decision, but it was an exciting start to our weekend!

Saturday morning we woke up pretty early and I went straight to the kitchen to start cooking. For those of you who know me really well, you know I'm not a cook at all. But let me just say that I was a little Martha Stewart that morning! I had so much fun cooking dessert and deviled eggs (gross!) for our 4th of July/Family birthday party gathering that afternoon. The dessert was so yummy and apparently the eggs were pretty good too. That night we went to some friends house for another cookout. I ate sooo much all day long and that was when I really realized that my appetite had shown up again! It felt so good to eat whatever I wanted again!

My only complaint these last two weeks would be the HORRIBLE headaches I have started to get. I am not one to call in to work and I always hate doing it, no matter how badly I feel. I woke up last Wednesday morning and could not even get out of bed because my head hurt so badly. I have experienced many headaches in my life, especially with TMJ and having 3 jaw surgeries, but honestly, I have never felt a headache this bad in my entire life. I called the doctor and of course the headaches are "normal" with all of my hormones going crazy right now. The only thing they were concerned about was my blood pressure. Later in the morning I drug myself out of bed and to a pharmacy to check my BP. It was normal so there was no need to worry. Luckily the headache was gone the next day but showed up again this past Monday. It was a bad day for a headache because, even though I was off work, one of my best friends was in town from Tennessee and we planned to do some baby shopping together (she is 6 months pregnant!!). I felt pretty bad throughout the day but tried to fight through it so as not to ruin our time together. I really thought it would be gone by Tuesday, and although it felt a little better, by Tuesday night I was almost in tears. I went to bed pretty early since I don't feel the pain when I'm asleep. I really don't think I can deal with this for another 5 months!!! I know I have no choice but it is going to make it really freakin' hard for me!

We go back to the doctor on Wednesday for our 16 week appointment. I'm sure it will be pretty uneventful and the only excitement will come from hearing our baby's heartbeat again! Then only 4 more weeks and we can find out what the sex is. I am so excited to finally know!!

First belly pic below - 15 weeks!!