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This week has not been very productive for me.  Well, I am keeping up with my homework, but I’ve done very little housework.  Nausea has hit me full force.  My sense of smell is through the roof.  Almost everything  I smell makes me nauseous.  It’s so very hard to eat.  I’ve lost about 5 pounds.  I eat, but very little.  Fortunately, I’ve managed to keep my food down.  I only threw up twice so far.  The last time I puked, my head began hurting terribly.  A sudden and severe throbbing headache immediately after throwing up.  It lasted for about 5 minutes before it let up.  At first the pain was so bad, I thought I should go to the hospital.  I never had pain in my head like that before.  I’ll be sure to mention it to my doctor at my next appointment.

I did have another appointment this week on Monday.  It was just a routine prenatal appointment where they discuss health insurance, and medications to avoid, foods to avoid, and a timeline of my appointments for the duration of my pregnancy.  They took 5 vials of blood to check for iron levels, HIV test, and other routine things to make sure I’m healthy.  I do have to go back in a couple weeks for a genetic screening test, and also for another ultrasound.  The genetic screening test is now non-invasive.  It’s just a simple blood test to test for down syndrome, and other genetic disorders. It’s suppose to be 98% accurate.  Because of my age, this test is offered to me so I will know ahead of time if there are any problems with the baby.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

It is a great thing that I’ve been so sick.  This means my pregnancy is progressing and the baby is still growing :)  It is so frustrating though to try and eat.  If my stomach is empty, I’m really really nauseous.  So, I try to find something to eat, but my sense of smell is so strong, it seems like everything stinks to me!  I go to the fridge to find something, and then something in the fridge stinks so I close it and give up.  So far, cantaloupe, mandarine oranges, and bananas are my friends.  They smell good and don’t make me feel nauseous unless I eat too much.  Yes, it’s a fine line between feeling ok and feeling nauseous. Eat too little and I feel horrible… eat to much and I feel horrible…. catch a whiff of something bad and I run to my room and avoid food completely.  The whole house stinks to me.  Every room smells.  The sink drains stink. The waste baskets stink.  The fish bowl stinks.  The couch and cushions and sheets and blankets stink.  My daughter stinks.  Her breath smells no matter how much I brush her teeth.  She tries to kiss me and I hold my breath.  When I go outside my nose gets assaulted with Rocky’s pee and poop.  There is no where to escape.  When I’m at Head Start with the toddlers and babies,  I can’t stand their poopy diapers or their bad breath.  Even their green boogery noses smell to me.  They’re such adorable kids though; all of them.  And I have so much fun with them.  Just can’t stand to smell them lol :)  I can’t wait for this trimester to be over and hopefully start to feel normal again.

8 weeks belly pic…

 

We got some fall decorating done today.  Faith was so excited when I pulled out the tote of “scary stuff.”  Halloween is her favorite time of year.  She’s been talking about Halloween ALL YEAR.

 

Here is what baby looks like at 8 weeks…

 

This week, many changes take place in your baby, who now measures about 1.6cm. His embryonic tail is just about gone, and all his organs, muscles and nerves are beginning to function. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Your baby’s hands now bend at the wrist, and his feet are starting to lose their webbed appearance. His eyelids cover more of his eyes and tastebuds are forming on his tongue.

Another week of nausea and exhaustion.  I was too sick to go to Head Start for one day.  Eating has become a chore.  I’m still losing weight.  I threw up a couple more times this week but I am still managing to keep down the bit of food I eat.  Today I thought a pumpkin cheesecake milkshake from Arbys sounded good.  I took one sip and hated it.  I’m glad Aaron and Faith liked it, otherwise it would have went to waste.  It’s so frustrating to make some food I think I want, and find out I can’t eat it.  This baby sure is picky!  Still, I’m thanking God every day I wake up with a sour stomach.  Feeling the ickiness of pregnancy gives me peace of mind that baby is doing well and I’m very grateful.

Tomorrow I go in for another baby check-up.  I will be having another ultrasound and I’m not sure what else.  Praying that all continues to look well on tomorrow’s ultrasound!

9 weeks belly pic…

 

This is what the baby now looks like at 9 weeks.

 

Baby 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: 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. 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 baby’s basic physiology is in place, she’s poised for rapid weight gain.

I had another baby check-up this past week.  Everything is good.  They also had a little hand held ultrasound device and checked the baby.  Heartbeat still strong!  Baby is growing!  I’m also just as nauseous and tired as ever.  Everything is still progressing as it should!  Thank you, Jesus!  A couple more weeks to go and I should be out of my first trimester.

For all the moms out there that know what it’s like to have a nose like a bloodhound when you’re pregnant, you will completely understand how horrible it is.  I hated the smell of meat when I was pregnant with Faith.  This time around, my sense of smell is so much stronger and strong odors are just completely intolerable now.   The other day,  I started smelling the most foul odor coming from the kitchen.  I got up in a panic and asked Aaron what that smell was!?  I thought Rocky had farted or pooped somewhere.  It was SO strong.  It was like Andre the Giant had ate a bowl of dog food mixed with beans, liver and onions, then let loose the biggest fart ever creating rippling waves of gas lingering in the air that would make the dog faint.  I ran to my room gagging; trying hard not to vomit.  It was ok in my room for a few minutes until the air kicked on and then when the air started circulating that stink creeped into the room.  I put my head under the blanket and prayed it would go away soon.  Aaron was just heating up a salisbury steak dinner.  Yes, that’s how bad pregnancy nose is.

10 weeks belly pic…

 

This is what the baby looks like at 10 weeks…

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.

Tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

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.