10 wks 4 days

I will start my 11th week of pregnancy this upcoming Saturday and I am so excited to be so near the end of the first trimester. I am still most anxious about my upcoming appt. which is now just 1 wk and 6 days away. Not much is going on with me physically so far, hardly any signs of morning sickness, the headaches have virtually subsided alltogether and although, I am still very tired these days, I am beyond thrilled that remains to be the only symptom that I have been facing. Oh, and my ta-tas seem to be getting larger, as if they aren't big enough already! Sorry for the tmi, but wowza! I am afraid of what these are going to look like by the end of my pregnancy. I might have to invest in an entire arsenal of new bras, lol! My pants are still snug, but haven't gotten any worse, so that's a good thing! Although, my appetite hasn't really been any different as in increasing or decreasing lately either so I wouldn't have expected much different. I am hoping to start working out a bit in the coming weeks to help ensure that I don't pack on more than I would prefer during this pregnancy, especially over the next few months. I gained quite a bit more than I had hoped for with my pregnancy with Hudson and would like to keep a bit lower if possible. I definitely took advantage of giving in to each and every craving with that pregnancy though and definitely enjoyed not obsessing about my weight, which I don't plan to obsess per se, but just want to be more conscious of it this time around. It might be wishful thinking, but I am also hoping that chasing after a 2 1/2 year old will help in my endeavors to maintain a healthy pregnancy weight as well. We'll see!

On a related note, I must say that I can definitely feel how much larger my uterus is and have a feeling that I will be showing a bit before too long, which is completely fine with me as I would much rather look pregnant than just look like I am overweight. I am also incredibly eager to get a little further along to so that I can start feeling movement as well. I starting feeling the baby with my last pg right at 15 weeks which was just a few days before I miscarried, so I am hoping that I will be able to feel our little one that early if not even a little sooner. I've been trying to talk to Hudson about the baby a lot more lately and although, I think he still looks at me like I am crazy and most of the time responds with a resounding "no" when I tell him that there is a baby in mommy's belly, he did kiss my belly earlier today when I asked him if he wanted to give the baby in my belly a kiss. I thought that was really sweet even though I don't think he understands at all yet and was just being sweet giving mama kisses. I can't wait to see him with the baby and know he is going to be the best big brother!

I've been really good at not buying anything yet either. With the exception of two pairs of Paige maternity jeans that I ordered online before I even got my positive pregnancy test, I haven't bought myself any other maternity clothing yet and have not bought anything for baby. (Which reminds me, I still need to take those two pairs and the other pair of non-maternity jeans that I ordered to get the hems taken up since they are so dang long! I need to do that soon so I can start wearing them even though I don't have the pregnant belly yet!) As far as shopping goes, don't think I haven't been looking though! I have been virtual shopping ever since I found out I was pregnant and cannot wait until we find out the gender so I can start buying cute little things for the baby. I(we) have also been looking at baby names even though I said I wouldn't until after we found out the gender too. Of course, I think this is going to prove to be a very difficult process this time around. With Hudson, it was easy because we already had his bame picked out and were almost certain that was the name we were going to use for a boy for quite some time. This time around I have no clue! I have a long list in my head of both boy and girl names that I like, but nothing I absolutely love or have my heart set on. {yet} David and I even went through a long list of names a couple of weekends ago and didn't really agree on any of them. Quite a few of the ones I liked, David did not and thought that they were too uncommon or "weird". I told him that I needed to buy a couple of baby name books and have him read them first to see what he thinks before we start talking names again since I have been looking at them a lot more than he has over the past year and oddly enough, he agreed, ha! I think that we are better off not worrying about it too much until we know girl or boy and then it should be a lot easier to figure out or at least I hope so!

Since I am not quite 11 weeks yet, here is what is going on with baby (and me) at 10 weeks according to BabyCenter.com. Oh, and I had planned on starting belly pics with week 10, but haven't gotten around to it yet....I may wait a few more weeks until I hit the 2nd trimester before I start them.



How your baby's growing:

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.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.


How your life's changing:
At your next prenatal visit, you may be able to hear your baby's rapid heartbeat with the help of a Doppler stethoscope, a handheld ultrasound device that your practitioner places on your belly. Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounded like the thunder of galloping horses and hearing it for the first time was very moving.

Before you got pregnant, your uterus was the size of a small pear. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. You may or may not be ready for maternity wear now. Even if you're not there yet, your regular clothes are probably feeling uncomfortably tight and your blossoming breasts are straining the seams of your bra. The thickening in your midsection is most likely due to slight weight gain and bloating. If you're between regular and maternity clothes, pants and skirts with forgiving elastic waistbands (or low-rise waistlines that sit below your belly) will provide some much-needed comfort.

Depending on your level of fitness, you can most likely participate in a wide range of activities during pregnancy. Swimming and walking are excellent choices for the whole nine months. Exercise promotes muscle tone, strength, and endurance — three qualities that can help you carry the weight you gain during pregnancy, prepare you for the physical stress of labor, and make it easier to get back into shape after your baby is born. (Unfortunately, there's no evidence that regular exercise shortens labor.)

And a lovely photo to illustrate what baby looks like this week. Don't mind all of the female organ illustration, as I would prefer that you really NOT look at my va-jay-jay, lol!