13 Weeks

Here we are at 13 weeks. My how time flies! I'm feeling great. Very hungry all the time, but nothing too bad. I've made it a mission to concentrate on drinking more water. I was terrible with that my first trimester. You can see I'm wearing my Motherhood shirt. I'll continue to wear this shirt in my weekly pics as I continue to grow.

According to BabyCenter.com, here's how Baby O'Rourke is growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Doppler

In light of last night's post, my friend offered to let me use her doppler! How exciting! She and her husband are around the 15 week mark, and everything is progressing smoothly for them. It is really nice to be able to share this experience so closely with a friend.

As she told me would probably be the case, I wasn't able to find our baby's heartbeat. I'm not worried, though. I know that it is very early, and even though we will be 13 weeks tomorrow, I still have a few weeks before I'll be able to hear it at home. It was still very comforting to feel that much closer to our baby. After probing around for a while, I decided to shift the doppler up to my heart, you know. . .just to make sure it was still beating!

Tonight, Patrick and I had an impromptu date night. He baked pizza and we watched "In the Womb", a documentary from National Geographic. I am so amazed at how everything about pregnancy just knows how to work and where to go. All the cells move to the right place, the organs start pumping and functioning, the senses begin developing. It's awesome. There is nothing more reassuring of our God than the process of a child developing in its mother's womb. I am awe-struck!

I'm truly excited about hitting the 13 week mark tomorrow! Pictures to come!

12 weeks. . .and 5 days!

So, obviously I didn't get to update last week, but 12 weeks is here, and now almost gone. This picture was taken on the day I hit 12 weeks, so at least I got that right! Oh, I also didn't get to wear my new Motherhood shirt, but there will be plenty of time for that. Anyway, the baby needs to understand early on that it is a Hilltopper! GO TOPS!

This week has been good. . .almost too good. It makes me worry. Here's the thing. . .during the first trimester of pregnancy, I experienced morning sickness. It sucked, BUT, because of it I knew the baby was ok. Just a few days ago, I realized that I felt great! No nausea, no extreme fatigue, some breast tenderness, but nothing like the first trimester. Initially I was pretty excited, but then a dark cloud started to sweep in. I mean, was I feeling ok because I'd entered the second trimester, or was I feeling ok because. . .

I tried not the think the worse, but I also couldn't help thinking about the "what ifs". I mean, until I can feel the baby kick in a few months, I really don't have much to go by between doctor's appointments for reassurance.

It was at that point that I started to have an inkling of the meaning of the phrase "a Mother's prayer". I prayed so hard that our little baby was ok. Patrick has been rock solid through this. He's helped me to keep from worrying. I feel a lot better now, but I can't wait until our appointment next week.

In other news, I have some terrible congestion going on. I got no sleep last night, and although it isn't even 8 pm yet, I'm probably going to sleep as soon as I post this blog. I gave 5 presentations for work today, and am now completely exhausted from having to mouth-breathe all day. Plus, I had to take a sip of water after every slide, and still felt all dried out. Pretty annoying. I took some tylenol last night and today for the headache, and will see the pharmacist tomorrow about which decongestant is the best one to take while I'm pregnant.

Otherwise, things are going well. Oh yes, last week I gave a presentation and one of the ladies asked if I had kids. I told her I only have the one that's growing in my belly! She said that she could tell that I was pregnant, or had just given birth. I took that as a compliment. . .mainly because it means that I actually am starting to look pregnant now, and not just fat!

Motherhood is Cool!

I mean the store, of course. I'm sure real motherhood is totally cool too!

I got my first official maternity shirt today. . .and cardigan. . .and dress. . .and bra too. I initially went into Motherhood in search of those morning sickness candies, however, I came out with a lot more than I intended. (including a book for Patrick called So You're Gonna be a Daddy)

I'm glad I got the shirt though. Looking back over the pictures I've taken of my "bump", I've quickly realized that my green shirt is not going to make it too much longer. This shirt should definitely stand up to the 6 months ahead. I'll be revealing it in my 12 week picture tomorrow. . .well, at least by the end of the week. This week is really crazy with my job, so I'm not exactly sure when I'll get a chance to truly reflect.

Anyway, the BEST part about trying on maternity clothes is that they give you an actual baby "bump" that you can attach with velcro! I could tell what I will look like in a few months. All of a sudden, this whole pregnancy became very real to me. Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a momma! Hooray!

Tonight, I leave you with a funny picture of Patrick. I was pretty happy to find this shirt online. I can't tell if he's happy to have it, or if he's just being silly. Anyway, I like it!

Birthday Spectacular!

I'm so excited that my mom finally posted pictures from my birthday party online. I have to get a new camera, but in the meantime, she supports my memory collection!

The party was on my actual birthday, December 29. We hosted at our place and had lots of family and friends help celebrate. That morning, I had leftover stomach virus with a side of morning sickness. If it weren't for my sisters and brother keeping me company, and Patrick cleaning the ENTIRE house, the party could not have happened. At the time, I hadn't told my family about the pregnancy (except for the older of my sisters), so I had to play it off like it was only the stomach virus giving me issues.

We set up a taco bar, enjoyed karaoke and danced to my kinect (which I can't wait to start playing again next week!) My sister got on to me pretty badly for dancing too hard, but I had something to prove that night! I'm a champion! Anyway, I've sworn off kinect until I'm 12 weeks (2 more days!!)

Several of Patrick's friends came over too. He and his best friend decided to be twins for the evening. . .how sweet!

The only accident of the night came to the younger of my sisters, Essence. She mysteriously tripped over. . .herself as she played the kinect. After a night in the emergency room, she came out with a thigh-high brace, crutches, and lots of pain medication. She had some fluid on the knee, but thankfully didn't break anything.

It was a blessing to have my brother in town to help celebrate! I think he had a good time. I really enjoyed having him here.

Enjoy the pictures!

11 Weeks

. . .and counting!

I don't look all that different, although I'm starting to feel better. I've been eating more often (even still) and trying to give myself breaks when I need them. I find that my energy seems to be coming back to me, which is really nice!

Here is what's going on with Baby O'Rourke (according to babycenter.com):

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to apprear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two - nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I was able to find a really neat baby tracker at babystrology.com. You'll notice it in the bar to the right.

Is is sad that I want it to be more interactive? I mean, I would love if I could click on the picture, and the baby would move its arms. I like to imagine that's a real window into my belly. Crazy, I know!

More to come!

Help!

Freinds, I've GOT to get my blog together. I'm seeing some really cute things out there, and unfortunately, mine is lacking. So, I'm asking for help. Is someone willing to give me a "crash course" on all the features? Or at least, can someone direct me to a site that gives help? I'm mostly interested in adding labels, getting that "you might also be interested in" set of buttons that I'm seeing EVERYWHERE, and other fun tips.

Thanks for any help!