The Doctor Said "It's All Good!"

Today we went in for our first official prenatal appointment! We got to see our baby- he or she is 24mm long from head to tail and has a heartbeat of 180... of course that means it's a girl, but Ricas so wants a boy it's not even funny! We won't find out until July what we will have for sure, but I really don't care.... I just want a healthy baby (with all of his/her body parts) and I pray that they will be very happy! I'm taking polls... What do you think we'll have (better yet, what do YOU want it to be)?

I look at the child growing inside me and I thank God for the blessing... I've always wanted to be a mother and after convincing myself that I'd never have children, God showed me that all things are possible through Him. It's amazing that just 4 weeks ago I went to the doctor because of spotting and had an ultrasound and Baby G was literally a small blob on the screen. And now s/he is beginning to take the form of a real baby! God is truly AMAZING! I can't wait to begin feeling pregnant... so far I haven't really been sick (I get nauseous at times, but no throwing up).


New this week: Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Good News

So about 3 weeks ago Ricas and I found out that we are expecting our first child at the end of this year (hence the name of the blog)! We, well at least I am, super excited and look forward to the next few months of being pregnant; Ricas is excited (just not super excited) and nervous all at the same time! Maybe we'll have to convince him to start his P.O.V. blog about this pregnancy?! At any rate, I'm new to the blogging world, but hopefully I won't be a stranger... I hope to keep you all updated at least once a month (or when any other "big" things happen as we get closer to extending our family).

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Anticipation

I've been resisting the urge to go buy clothes and such for the baby... I don't know how much longer I will last! Everyday is better than yesterday, because I see Ricas getting excited and really taking part in the pregnancy. Lucky for the both of us I still don't have any morning sickness, although I have noticed that right around 11ish I start getting nauseous and it last for the rest of the day. Not to mention my extreme tiredness... I take about a 2 hour nap everyday after school.

New this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

Problems in Paradise?

For the past few days I've been having some very light spotting, after talking to a friend today she told me I should call my OB to see if everything was ok. I did as I was told and had an appointment today right after school. I was so nervous that something might be wrong, but after the ultrasound and talking with my doctor everything is just fine. I now have to take a hormone (progestrone) that my body is supposed to make naturally, but may not be making enough right now. The best thing about going to the doctor was getting to see Baby G (even though it looks blobby right now) I could see it's little heart beating and I was beside myself. Oh and I found out I'm not as far along as expected (which was another probable cause of the spotting). Today I am officially 6 weeks 1 day with an expected due date of December 1st!

Shopping Day

Today was a lot of fun, I'm noticing that my appetite is back with full force (but I'm still not able to eat much because of having the teeth pulled). I'm down at 7 pounds and I'm so hungry... no cravings, but I think that garlic is out for me. At any rate, we went to various stores and I found tons of things that I plan to buy, but I will be waiting to find out what we're having because there are so many choices! Tiff bought me a little onesie that says "Little Lamb of God!" It's hanging in the closet, where many clothes to come will be!

I love it

I talked to my god daughter Kylah today and expected to tell her my exciting news- she had gotten on the bandwagon with her mother and had started asking me when I was going to have a baby, almost every time we talked- at any rate, I was talking to Trice while she picked Kylah up and once Kylah was in the car and knew who was on the phone she said that she already knew, her Nanny Pat had told her that Aunt Dia was pregnant. So Trice puts Kylah on the phone and we're talking about stuff in general when Kylah pauses and says to me, so does that [being pregnant] mean you're having a baby?! I just love her! She says it's gonna be a girl...

It's no secret

Today was a good day! I'd initially planned to keep the pregnancy amogst close friends and family until I'd reached the end of my first trimester, but that is not how things worked out. It seems like everybody knows (and I'm not the one spreading all the news). This fact alone is funny, because Ricas is so quiet and not one to talk alot, but he is on a roll with the announcements! The excitement is so great, after work Ricas sat at the computer with me (that is a rare occasion) and we looked for things that we'd like to buy. We have already mentally arranged our spare bedroom for the nursery and I can't wait to start buying stuff to move in. I have a "shopping date for Saturday with Chiquita and Tiff to look at baby stuff...