Eight Weeks

How far along: Eight weeks.
Size of baby: Lima bean.  My favorite vegetable!!  This week, Beansprout's fingers and toes develop and his arms and legs grow longer.  His wrists, elbows and ankles are more visible.
Movement: None.
Sex of baby: After the doctor's appointment, still leaning towards boy.
Sleep: Sleeping like a rock, for as many hours a day as I can.  Since this week was Thanksgiving, I got lots of sleep, and it was wonderful.
What I miss: Having to keep secrets!  About three more weeks and we can be out in the open.
Cravings: This week I wanted Eggo waffles with syrup.  Mark was sweet and bought them for me at around 10:30 at night.  The perks of living two blocks from a grocery store!  I also still crave milk.
Symptoms: Mainly just fatigue, with a little nausea.
What I'm looking forward to: The next appointment, at ten weeks.  We get to meet with a doctor this time (my regular OB-GYN, who is so sweet and reassured me at my last yearly appointment that I looked great and should have no problem getting pregnant--she was right!).  I think we get another ultrasound, and we will do some additional testing for chromosomal disorders.  The results of our 8 week bloodwork should be back next week.

First Purchase!

We made our first purchase for Beansprout yesterday.  I have been eying this wardrobe for quite some time, but I didn't want to jinx anything by buying it, so I planned to buy it today if the first doctor's appointment went well.  Well, yesterday I looked on the website (The Land of Nod) and noticed that they were out of the wardrobe in white!  They had three other colors, but no white!  I may or may not have panicked and called Mark, bemoaning the horrible omen that this news surely represented ;-)  He attempted to calm me down, and I called the company to ask if they had any more white wardrobes in stock.  The woman I spoke with was very kind and offered to check their warehouses for a white wardrobe.  About twenty minutes later, she called me back: they found one for me!  I ordered it right away, my "bad omen" fears giving way to the sure "good omen" that this news represented!  Ha.  I hope it's the pregnancy hormones speaking (and I'm sure Mark does, too!).  The wardrobe will be delivered in early December.  Then we can start filling it with tiny baby clothes!

Meet Beansprout.

We had our first doctor's appointment today.  I was pretty nervous going in, but everything looked perfect!  As you can see, we had an ultrasound, and we have taken to calling the little guy "Beansprout" until we find out the sex.  Although I think the name will be a secret until the birth, so he/she will be Beansprout for the duration of the pregnancy.

I am measuring 8 weeks and 3 days, which means that Beansprout's estimated arrival date is July 1, 2012.  The heartbeat was going strong at 170 beats per minute.

According to the ultrasound technician, there is a theory that the sex can be determined based on the location of the placenta.  If it's on the right side of the uterus, the baby is likely to be a boy, and if it's on the left, the baby is likely to be a girl.  The one study that concluded these results had a 97% accuracy rate, which is pretty high.  My placenta is on the right, which indicates boy!  Although that's not really a surprise, given my constant hunger, nursery dream and Mark's family history of first-born sons.  Mark was thrilled to discover the news, although we will be happy no matter the sex; we just want a healthy baby!

7 Weeks

Weekly Highlights:

How far along: 7 weeks as of November 15, 2011.
Size of baby: Blueberry.
Movement: None.
Sex of baby: Still leaning towards boy.  This week I had a dream where I was looking at the nursery and didn't like the bedding we had chosen, which was light blue with polka dots.  It was weird, because I am not really into baby blue for boys and pink for girls, but perhaps it was confirming my intuition that it's a little boy.
Sleep: I am into however much of it I can get.  This week I was in St. Louis for four days for work, and it was like a mini-vacation, because I was able to take a nap every afternoon and get at least 9 hours of sleep each night.  I didn't want to come back!
What I miss: Not having to hide the pregnancy from friends and co-workers.  We went out with some friends this Saturday evening, and I ordered a sprite with lime.  I even asked for it in the same glass as they would use for a gin and tonic or other similar drink.  Someone asked what I was drinking, and I hope I didn't give anything away as I fibbed about its contents!  Only four weeks until we can tell everyone and don't have to worry about keeping secrets!
Cravings: Pretty much food in general.  I am constantly hungry.  I do still have the anti-craving for pierogies.
Symptoms: Fatigue, stuffy nose.  A little nausea after eating, but I have not gotten sick again since last week.
What I'm looking forward to:  Ultrasound next week!  Fingers crossed that all will go well.  If it does, we will tell our siblings.  We also are planning to make the first baby purchase (an armoire I love from Land of Nod, since it is on a spectacular sale!) if everything is as it should be at the eight-week appointment.

6 Weeks

Weekly Highlights:

How far along: 6 weeks as of November 8, 2011.
Size of baby: Lentil.
Movement: None.
Sex of baby: We will find out, but my bets are on boy, since I have been really hungry and haven't experienced much nausea.
Sleep: As much as I can possibly get!  I am tired all of the time.
What I miss: Wine, soft cheeses.
Cravings: Queso and chips, pretty much food in general.  I do have one anti-craving: pierogies.  For some reason, the thought of eating them makes me feel sick.  Too bad we have around five packages in the freezer!
Symptoms: Fatigue, stuffy nose.  I did have one "morning sickness" experience this week, but I think it had more to do with my sensitive sense of smell than actual morning sickness.
What I'm looking forward to: The eight-week ultrasound!  Only two more weeks!

Five Weeks

Weekly Highlights:

How Far Along: 5 weeks!
Size of Baby: Orange Seed
Maternity Clothes: It's a little early for that!
Movement: Nothing yet.
Sex of Baby: I have decided I won't be able to handle the suspense.  We will be finding out!
Sleep: I am tired ALL of the time.  I had to travel for work this week, and when I got back, I passed out on the couch for four hours, and then slept over nine hours that night.
What I Miss: wine, not having to read the label on everything to see whether it's safe.
Cravings: Milk, which is weird, because I never drank milk by itself before.  Now I get a bottle every morning in the convenience store in my office building.
Symptoms: Fatigue, some indigestion.  No nausea/vomiting yet, and I'm hoping I'll be among the lucky few who don't have that symptom.  I'm sure now that I've said it nausea will hit with full force.
What I'm looking forward to: The eight-week ultrasound where hopefully we can hear the heartbeat!

Four Weeks!