12 weeks

@ 12 weeks: The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

from babycenter.com

11 weeks

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

@ 11 weeks: Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

IntelliGender Results

IntelliGender says It's a BOY! We will see how accurate this is on January 23rd (ultrasound day)!

10 weeks (tomorrow)

Tomorrow. I will begin my tenth week of pregnancy. I will also be taking the IntelliGender test tomorrow morning. I will post results tomorrow! :)

@ 10 weeks: 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.

9 weeks

@ 9 weeks: 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.

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL INTELLIGENDER!

8 weeks, 4 days

I spoke waaay to soon! I woke up this morning and got sick... in the sink! Bayleigh freaked out and started crying and got all mad that being pregnant was making me sick! Poor baby!!!

8 weeks, 3 days

The last few days have been the best so far! The nausea and cramping are both tolerable. Hopefully, those symptoms are on their way out of the door! We (Phil, Chris- my brother, Bayleigh, and myself) went to Gaylord Opryland's ICE and Hotel to see all of the Christmas festivities. We all had a blast! It was really nice to get out with my family. I've been feeling so yucky that I've mostly been staying home. It was so nice to actually go out! :)

8 weeks

@ 8 weeks: 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, 4 days

This is from last Tuesday's ultrasound (6 wks, 4 days). The black circle is the amniotic fluid, the 2 white circles inside are: (left) baby, (right) yolk sac. The heart rate was 138, which they said sometimes indicates what gender... 138= boy! We shall see!

Contenders for Boys' Names:

Grayson- My Fave

Rylan- Phillip's Fave

Girl's Name:

Kensleigh Grace

BRING ON THE ACNE! This is ridiculous. I do not remember having so many problems with Bayleigh when I was pregnant with her. I am nauseous from morning til about 5 PM, then the cramping sets in (from my ligaments stretching to support my growing uterus) and lasts throughout the night. I take Tylenol PM every night, but the cramps are still bad enough to wake me up. This has been consistent for about 2 weeks now. But, we can now so graciously add on the ACNE! BAD ACNE! Painful acne... The entire right side of my face is very upset. The acne is brought on by the hormones, but somethings got to give! :) I am hoping that after week 13 this will all stop. No more nausea. No more cramps. No more acne. That is what the books say anyway! Keep your fingers crossed! :)

7 weeks, 3 days

Week 7:

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.

6 weeks, 3 days

Today's nausea was a little better. It did fall more under the category of morning sickness as it only lasted through lunchtime. It was very mild throughout the rest of the day, so I am hoping for that kind of luck tomorrow when I have to be in the car for the drive to and from Centennial for my prenatal appointment/ultrasound.

Also, I must share the vivid pregnancy dreams that I am having!! The one that I had last night was about going to Red Lobster... which I did mention that I wanted to go there recently. Their bread is so yummy (and so NOT good for you!). But, in my dream my Papa said "Jenn, we cannot go there... they do not have any lunch specials." If you know Papa, cue the laughter. ;)

Well, he ended up taking me to this place that serves food based upon what clothing item you choose from the menu... I chose a black 1-button blazer. I got a steak and a glass of wine! In this world, I was not pregnant, so I drank the wine... it was Red. I'd hoped for white. But I guess it fit my blazer order. Phillip ordered a t-shirt. He got a hamburger and a coke. Nice.

Another that I had a few nights ago... I got in to my car and my dashboard warning lights told me "IT'S A BOY!" in large, all caps, orange letters... just as if it were saying "DOOR AJAR" or "CHECK ENGINE." Again... crazy. I have these amazing dreams each night. I am sure you will hear all about them on this journey.

I know you guys don't care what I am eating. I am doing this to document it for my own records. I'd never keep up with it in a note pad or something. I assure you that I will not do this in every post. I will want to. But my memory sucks and I am not that efficient with documenting my food choices. Frankly, I will skip the days that I eat poorly and others just because I will forget. :)

Breakfast- Apple Slices and 1 glass of Grape Juice

Lunch- Soup (broth only) and Salad with Bleu Cheese (yummy, Demos')

Dinner- Chips and Salsa (trust me, I got full) :)

Snacks- Frosted Mini Wheats (between lunch and dinner) & 2 Jolly Ranchers (to help w/nausea)

Drinks- Water, Water, and Water

Wish for today: Nausea, PLEASE TAKE A HIKE! I really want to go to water aerobics with all of the elderly at 9am each morning! Give me a shot!!

Look for ultrasound images tomorrow! We get to SEE the heartbeat!!!!

IntelliGender... WOW!

IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test is THE ONLY affordable, simple-to-use urine test that provides immediate gender results in the privacy and comfort of the home. Within ten minutes, the IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test test indicates whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. Used as early as six weeks after the first missed period, the Gender Prediction Test bridges the curiosity gap between conception and sonogram.

This is crazy! It has an 80% success rate and you can take it at 10 weeks pregnant! SO cool!! Especially for someone as impatient as I am. All you have to do is pee in a cup (first morning's urine) and wait 10 minutes. You can buy it at CVS and Walgreens for $34.95. I will be making this purchase on December 18th for sure! :)

6 weeks, 2 days

Let the nausea begin! I cannot go anywhere!! I feel like I am physically bound to my house. I am so nauseous that I cannot even think about eating, but of course, eating is necessary for obvious reasons. Before even stepping in to the kitchen, I have to already know what I am going to have, get it, and get out. Seeing the other options make me sick. No fun... however, before I was pregnant and permitted to lose weight, I may have relished in this experience. ;)

I'm beginning to feel as though I am running out of things to do, so I'm starting this pregnancy blog. I know some will read this to relate to it and some will read this to keep track of how I'm doing if we are not in regular contact and I am so glad that you care about me and my baby! :)

As far as feeling bound to my home... I really mean it. As soon as I start to think... "Oh, I need to go to the grocery" or "Oh, I'd love to go to the YMCA" -- my stomach quickly reminds me that I will in fact be going nowhere. I've been doing a number of things to keep me busy. The house is already decorated for Christmas, I've read "What to Expect When Your'e Expecting" at least 3 times, and I clean the house in spurts of 15 minutes... until the nausea attacks me yet again. I am growing tired of watching TV and I think I have the daytime scheduling down to a science. I know what time Wife Swap, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny, A Baby Story, and Birth Day come on. So, if your TV Guide is lost, call me. Also- without question, I will cry during each of these shows... some reasons obvious and others unknown even to me.

I've been reading up on advice regarding nausea cures. Here is the list that I compiled and tacked on to the grocery list before my husband left just moments ago (he is so wonderful):

-Sour Skittles

-Lemonade

-Jolly Ranchers

-Sea Bands (may have to order these off of the internet)

I've already tried the following, with no success:

-Saltines

-Ginger Ale

With all of that being said, here are the developmental notes for this week from BabyCenter.com: 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 bean.

I am going to my first prenatal appointment on Tuesday, November 24th. Hopefully the sinus infection will be totally gone by then! I have been dealing with that since last Tuesday. Yuck!

I will also be having another ultrasound. I had one last Monday because I was have a lot of abdominal cramping. Everything is OK! No worries.

I will post ultrasound photos on Tuesday. Happy Sunday!