Baby Journal: Week 12

March 23, 2010

How far along am I today?

12 weeks! WOOHOO! (This report is over weeks 11 and 12 as we had guests last week and I did not have time to write a report.)

What is the favorite thing you ate today?

Tacos. MMMMMM. Delicious. My Dad would be proud! (Last Tuesday it was probably the corn and veggie fresh salad we had at the safari lodge!)

How’s the food stuff coming along? Cravings? Aversions?

For week 11 I craved cinnamon things…like cinnamon rolls and oatmeal with cinnamon. But this week I have craved pickled beets. And sweet tarts (I don’t have any sweet tarts, boohoo!).

Any new symptoms this past week?

Nothing new. Well, I suppose my little bump is starting to pop out a bit. Other than that…no new symptoms really.

What about the exercise routine?

I finally got my pregnancy exercise DVD’s thanks to my in-laws who carted them across the ocean for me! Yippee! I did my first preggo workout today and it had some great stretches….but they used a lot of equipment I don’t have (weights, ball, resistance cord). It was still good to get my blood pumping a bit (not too much of course because I gotta be careful with my heart rate!) and I am excited to continue my work-outs on a regular basis. My exercise routine for week 11….was….non-existant.

Sleep…is it good/bad/mediocre?

Oh sleep, a mythical thing of the past, I fear. Between bathroom breaks every hour and an achy neck, back and shoulders….the sleep is merely mediocre. And I hear that it only gets worse as my little one grows with me. Oh joy J (It’s okay though my little baby, because Mama will love you even when she is super sleepy!)

How big is the baby…and/or what does he/she resemble?

Week 11: Baby weighs the equivalent of about 2 small Starbucks-sized sugar packets…about a third of an ounce and is about the length of one sugar packet…about 2 inches long. Aww, my little sugar! (Girls are sweet, right? Hehe, I am happy with a boy OR a girl!)

Week 12: Baby is the size of a pinky finger (2.5 inches in length) and weighing about ½ an ounce! Such a cutie pie, already got me wrapped around her/his little finger!

And special milestones for baby?

In week 11, baby’s vital organs were all formed and functioning..ovaries/testes were complete (though not yet able to detect), ears took their position and fingernails and toenails began to take root. Now for week 12….baby’s face is quite defined with ears and eyes in their proper place. Baby is also practicing swallowing in there…the amniotic fluid, that is (ewe?). And with swallowing comes the importance of the intestines which have begun to form as well.

How about the baby’s activity?

Baby is and has been a little acrobat in there, twisting and kicking, punching and twirling… though I still won’t feel it for awhile J

Did anything special (besides the baby growing!) happen to me this week?

We released the news! We told grandparents, extended family, friends and co-workers. I had as much fun with it all as I could J I wrote in my blog already about how Ben told his co-workers with some special pink and blue homemade cupcakes. (Which by the way were well received and all eaten; which means it was a tie! However, Ben forgot to tell everyone that they were supposed to take pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Oh this Daddy…he shall learn to remember the details someday…That's okay, because Ben is going to be and already is a great Daddy to our little cutie. I couldn't ask for a better man to share this with!).

Also last Tuesday when I finished week 11 and entered week 12, we took a 7.5 hour road trip with my in-laws in a large (UNCOMFORTABLE) van to Kruger National Park for a safari. Road trips are not preferable when pregnant. We made a few “pit” stops in some kind of sketchy areas. One particular area was in the middle of a township/informal settlement area. We had been driving for about an hour and a half when I recognized the “needtogonow” feeling. Unfortunately, there were no upcoming stops. I tried crossing my legs, holding my breath, tapping my foot, digging my fingernails into my palms….my eyes even filled with tears! I prayed God would just deliver me a bathroom, any bathroom! So Ben finally ventured off the highway over bumpy roads and speed bumps…finally stopping at a hole in the wall supermarket (it was the only place we could find!) and I hopped out of the van, stormed the shop and said “Do you have a bathroom? I will pay you if I need to but I really really need to go!” I guess the lady could see my extreme need because she denied my payment and led me to the necessary room. Whew, I was so relieved! The other interesting stops included guys yielding machetes. But, hey, we lived…and my bladder was quite thankful. (My brother-in-laws, Chris in particular, were not quite so thankful for the “endangerment” of their lives. Aww, no worries dear brothers! God took care of us! And my bladder.)

What was the most random thing that happened this week?

You’re probably tired of hearing about my bladder. But the most random thing that happened was peeing in the South African bush under the lovely blue skies. Nothing like squatting with a few lions and hippos in the distance!