12 week photo

And so here I am at 12 weeks. (Well, "technically" 12 weeks and 3 days now, but I'm still going by my original calculations.) That magic number 12 is finally here, and oddly I haven't been nervous or looking forward to it nearly as much as I was way back at 6, maybe even 8 weeks. Now my next goal is to feel this lime-sized fetus, though he/she will probably be between turnip and heirloom tomato then.


Oh, and my uterus has now stretched to the size of a freaking softball. How crazy is that? I can also easily palpate it. The top is just about in line with where the bottom part of the wing meets budgie body on my tattoos.

Thoughts of the future

Everything has turned into family planning, and I love it. Everywhere we go, everything we buy, every place we decide to shop turns into, "this will be great when..." Hopefully we'll be able to keep up with our ideas of going to the drive-in movie theater, walking around downtown St. Charles, and shopping at the local farm for produce.

Well worth the wait

My first midwife appointment yesterday was incredible. I am so glad I waited to meet with these women. Liz was kind and gentle and it was the most perfect appointment I could ever ask for.

It started off with oodles of questions, both from me and her. Her side was mostly getting my history, etc., while my side was encouraged to make sure we were a good fit. I found out I can labor in the tub or shower, or basically anywhere I darn well please. Every answer to every questions was perfect. And then the magic happened.

Though I had to wear the paper gown (since I was about to have the full physical anyway), I got to hear the baby's heartbeat on the doppler. Not that I'm happy that Art wasn't able to attend, I'm so thankful to have it recorded. I listen to it all the time now as a fantastic reminder of the amazing things happening inside there.

My physical exam checked out great too. I had a pap (results pending, though I know it'll be normal), my cervix is high (good!), blue (also good!), and covered in nice mucous (gross, but good...yay, plug forming!). She palpated my uterus and helped me to feel it too, and it IS what I've been feeling all along. "Yep, you're 10 weeks alright!" is what she said as soon as she felt in there.

So, based on the first day of my last menstrual period, the due date is March 9th. Based on when I might have ovulated, it could be as late as March 12th. She made a note of my possible ovulation, but we're sticking with the first date. Not that a timer's going to go off and everything's going to suddenly be done cooking "on time," but it's a fun goal to work toward.

This all feel so much more real now that I have that rhythmic "thump thump thump" to listen to.

Heartbeat!

That was simply amazing!

25% complete

I can't believe that here I am at 10 weeks. There's only 40 weeks in this game, and that leaves us at 25% of the way through this incredible journey. My first midwife appointment is this afternoon and I'm crossing my fingers that I get to hear the heartbeat with the doppler.

I've also been feeling strongly domestic lately. I cooked an awesome dinner of homemade guacamole, along with chicken and pepper fajitas, which all turned out awesome. We baked oatmeal raisin cookies. I sewed a baby quilt with cotton flannel and then a grab ball with the scraps. I planted an iris from my aunt in our garden. And I just now finished baking zucchini bread that has left delicious smells throughout the entire house.

I wish the cleaning/organizing half of being nesty would kick in, but for now I'll enjoy that I'm enjoying the rest of these things so much.

10 week photo

Now I'm seriously wondering if I'm bloated (which I don't FEEL like I am at all) or if this is truly the start of something here. Hmph!

Copping a feel of my uterus

I'm 9 weeks on the dot, and I'm 99.9% sure that I have officially felt my uterus for the first time. I love palpating abdomens, what with me having to do it daily at work for various reasons, but my skills are in animal bellies, not human. But after feeling around and a bit of research, this must be it.

Right above my pubic bone I can feel something that's comparable to a small orange. I can feel the top front quarter of it, and to prove I'm not crazy I had Art feel around there too and he confirmed. Every time I emptied my bladder today I had the urge to lie on my back and feel around for it. And I did, a lot. Poor fetus (yes. fetus! no longer an embryo!) was getting bounced around with all the pokes and prods from our happy hands!

Going to see the midwife...Eventually

I am so anxious for my first midwife appointment. I had originally booked one at Midwest Midwifery down in Addison, but unfortunately their practice was bought by some OBs, and I really don't desire standard medical care. I'm low-risk, totally normal and healthy, and I was the absolute best opportunity to do this my way, so I'm set on a midwife. So, the day I had my scheduled appointment I showed up, was pulled into a room by the receptionist, and secretly given the phone number to where some of the midwives there will now be practicing.

It's probably for the best since they'll be seeing all appointments at either Alexian Brothers or St. Alexis, both of which are extremely local. I was just dying to ask my oodles of questions (that are all neatly written our in a little notebook) and it was very frustrating to have that delayed. The appointment's rescheduled for this week Thursday at least, and they'll be pulling blood then instead of having to send me out to a lab, which is also nice. I'll just keep hoping for the best with everything (first trimester, can you be over yet?) and hopefully get answers to all of the queries I have in regards to my future!