Catching Up

I am back to the world of blogging! After skipping a few weeks, I decided it was time to return to my online journal.

My Growing Belly

Finally, we have arrived to the last week of the first trimester. ( A few weeks ago I was having a severe case of pregnancy brain and kept referring to them as 'semesters'. Ha.) Week 13, and finally I do not feel as sick! It also helps that I have gotten over three cases of the flu this season and four colds, the last of which turned into a sinus infection. And although I still have a bit of congestion and my voice is still a tad gravelly, I am on the uphill journey towards good health, and I couldn't be happier! I am also extremely thankful for the bout of warmer weather last week, as I was also contracting a serious case of the winter blues.
Alright, my belly has finally 'popped' a little bit more, but it's only really visible if I'm sitting. And maybe pushing it out a little. Hee hee.  Soon I'm hoping to maybe put up some pictures. They say you can't really feel the squirmy little tadpole swimming around til about the 17th week, but with CR, I felt her around the 16th week. This time I swear I can feel something moving around. It's not very noticeable, but when I lay still, I'm sure I can feel a tiny little fluttering sensation. And seeing as he/she's about the size of a shrimp...seriously, how could someone NOT feel that in their innards??

How your baby's 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. This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside.

Babycenter.com

Now Vs. Then
About this time last year, Corey was in California waiting to be deployed, and I had a newborn on my hands. Lately I've been having flashbacks, and it's almost like I feel he has to leave again. It's the oddest sensation, and I can only attribute it to some sort of post traumatic stress disorder. I remember the worst part of it was waiting. Just waiting. It was almost more of a relief when he actually made it to Afghanistan. Now strangely enough, this is the first month he's been back that he has to attend his unit's drill. Which so happens to be today through Sunday. It's the first time since he's been back that we've been apart for longer than a day, and it's freaking me out. You'd think that after spending almost a year apart it would be easier to handle, but it's actually more difficult. In fact, I had a nightmare last night that instead of drill, they were deploying him again, and by the end of the dream I had received a call about his death and I was arranging his funeral. It was so morbid that when I woke up, all I could do was cling to him, and remind myself that he was still alive, and perfectly safe. Now that I'm awake and thinking clearly, I realize how unrealistic that scenario is right now, but it was still quite unsettling.

My Daughter
What can I say? She's still as adorable as ever, gets into as much trouble as usual, and still does quirky little things. One change is that she's become affectionate, almost on the verge of clingy. I will be washing dishes, and she'll run up behind me and hug my legs. Or I'll sit on the couch to watch her play and she come lays her head on my lap. She just gets more endearing every day. Also, every time Corey says "Amen" after praying over a meal, she laughs. She thinks it's the funniest thing.

I Love my Midwife

My Growing Belly

Yesterday was our first prenatal check-up! Of course I was excited to make sure that baby is healthy, and hear the heartbeat, and get my cervix examined (ha), but really, I could not wait to see Deana. My midwife.
Corey and I decided when I got pregnant with CR that we wanted to be in a hospital, but we didn't really want to deal with doctors. In my opinion, I have the best of both worlds: The safety and security of a hospital in case anything goes wrong, and a laid-back, relaxed birthing coach without a god-complex. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against home-births OR doctors. This is just what fits us best.
Deana is in her mid-thirties, has regular brown hair styled in a cute, short do. Probably so it doesn't hang in her face as she's yanking babies out of their mothers. She's got a slight build at 5'5", and nice soft hands. And she has the most magical voice ever. She knew exactly what to say as each contraction hit, with a combination of authority and comforting words. No, I am not in love with her. I am just in awe that someone can be so comforting during the trial of child-bearing.
Now back to the check-up yesterday. Everything looks and sounds normal. Apparently my uterus is positioned so that I will probably show earlier. Cool. Looking forward to wearing my maternity clothes as soon as possible! It was a tad early to talk about our birth plan, but we agreed that I would try a water-birth again since it worked so well with CR. I go back in another 4 weeks to get everything checked again.

Week:10

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches. - babycenter.com

My Daughter

Today is CR's first birthday! But grandparent's were busy today, so we celebrated last night. We had just close family and friends over- simple and small. CR was able to eat pasta salad and black olives for her birthday supper out of the food provided, and actually taught herself how to stick the olives on her fingers like we all loved to do as little kids. I allowed her a few bites of cake (yes, some would call me mean for not letting her eat a whole piece.) After she finished her cake, she wanted down off my lap, but only to go to the g-rents to beg for more! So of course, she really did end up eating a whole piece PLUS ice cream. Sigh. So spoiled. She received several nice gifts, including shoes from Uncle Artie since she has now mastered the art of walking. I think her two favorites though were a train that she can push that makes noise, from great grandma and grandpa, and a wooden rocking horse from Corey's mom. Thankfully CR still went to bed on time, even after all that sugar.