10 Weeks ~ January 30

We met with my OB on Wednesday, January 30th for my 10 week appointment.  We had the ultrasound first and then met with the doctor.  The baby looked great and was moving a lot.  The arms and legs are a lot more developed compared to last week so we could see the baby kicking it's leg.  I think we might have a future soccer player.  :)  

The appointment with the OB went well and she spent a lot of time going over things with me and answered my many questions.  My insurance changed this year so I also had to change my OB as well and luckily got a great recommendation from Allison's sister Danielle.  I really like my new doctor and her practice so I'm very happy I made the change.

Baby at 10 weeks

Belly Pictures ~ 10 weeks

Here is what BabyCenter says about the baby:

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.

Ethan's Swim Meet

Ethan joined the swim team this year and is doing really well.  He is getting so much stronger and has really improved since he started.  They have to swim at 5am and then have practice again after school.  The swim team had to bleach their hair so you can see Ethan's yellowish hair in the pictures below.

Ethan on the blocks getting ready

Ethan diving 

Ethan on the far left

9 Weeks ~ January 23rd

On January 23rd we went in for the final ultrasound at my IVF clinic at 9 weeks.  I don't go to my OB until 10 weeks so it was very nice to be able to see the baby again.  The heart rate was 169 and it measured 8 weeks and 5 days (I'm actually 8 weeks and 6 days today).  We saw it move for the first time which brought tears of happiness.  My little miracle baby is real, although I don't think I will believe it until this baby is born.

9 Weeks

Side view of baby (head on left)

Belly Pictures ~ 9 weeks

Here is what BabyCenter says about the baby:

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.

A Few Days in Charleston

Allison and I drove home to Charleston for a few days (Sun - Tues) with her adorable girls, Cora and Elin. Sunday we were supposed to celebrate Mindy's birthday at Pagliai's Pizza, but her daughter Emma had a fever. My brother Bryan and his girlfriend Lauren came down for the day. It was nice seeing them and we ended up eating Pagliai's (my favorite pizza!) at home. It was really nice spending time with my Mom. We hung out a lot and had a lot of fun.

Monday we met Christy and her Mom Janet at the cutest soda shop called Flesor's Candy Kitchen for lunch. It was an old fashioned soda shop that was given a modern makeover. They have the best food, homemade candy and desserts. Christy is 28 weeks pregnant and looks amazing! Her son Beckett is almost two and he's the cutest little thing. He is such a handsome little boy with the cutest little personality. And her Mom is so sweet and we just love her! We had a great time catching up and ate some amazing food. Of course we had to have sundaes and homemade candy to finish the meal.

Monday night we met Allison, her sister Natalie, Cora and Elin at Monical's Pizza (yes, more pizza). Cora and Elin are so cute and sweet. I love watching Cora with Elin. She's such a good big sister. They are both going to be big sisters again with a new baby coming in July. This is her 3 kid and you would never know she even has kids.  She looks amazing!

It was such a fun few days in Charleston hanging out with my amazing Mom and two wonderful best friends. I'm really lucky to have these ladies in my life. Love you all!!

Dinner with Angelique & Chris

We had dinner with our friends Angelique & Chris at Red Violet, which is a new Asian restaurant in River North and had a great time.  I met Angelique through my old trainer Kevin.  She's so sweet and I'm so glad we became friends.

8 Weeks ~ January 17

Today we had our 8 week ultrasound and I got amazing news...the blood pocket is gone, the fluid in my ovaries from the IVF medicine is gone, my ovaries are back to normal, heart rate was 161, the baby is measuring right on track at 7 weeks 6 days and I am getting released to my OB!  We met with our fertility doctor and he gave us a big hug and congratulated us and told us how happy he was for us.  He was on a mission to get me pregnant and said he thought about us a lot.  He also told me I can come in as much as I want for ultrasounds before my OB appointment.  I told him I would definitely take him up on that.  He said the record was 13 times from a crazy woman that had to come every other day.  I scheduled another ultrasound for next Wednesday.  

Baby at 8 weeks (front view of baby)

The technician said it looks more like a gummy bear as the arms and legs are not fully developed.

Here is what BabyCenter says about the baby:

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.

7 Weeks ~ January 10th

We went in for the 7 week ultrasound and the baby measured 6 weeks and 5 days, but the technician said it's always +/- 4 or 5 days so that is great.  The heart rate was 128 and the normal range is 120-180.  After the ultrasound we met with our nurse Jamie and she told us that I have a tiny blood pocket called a hematoma which can form when the baby implants.  She stressed that it is very tiny and I should not worry about it and not to google it.  She told me I might have some bleeding or it might just dissolve on its own.  I was very nervous, but tried to think positively.  I can't wait until my appointment next Thursday.

Baby at 7 weeks

Baby is on the left and the yolk sac is on the right

Here is what BabyCenter says about the baby:

The big news 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.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

6 Weeks ~ January 3

After IVF they have you come back for 3 ultrasounds at 6, 7 and 8 weeks to make sure everything looks good and then you are released to your OB.  We went to my fertility clinic for the 6 week ultrasound and everything looked great.  There is one baby and the due date is August 29.  The heartbeat was 99 and it was so amazing to see it on the monitor.    

I started showing right away from the IVF medicine and because technically it's my 4th pregnancy so I think my body started moving into position early.

Belly Pictures ~ 6 Weeks

Here is what BabyCenter says about the baby:

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil.