14 Weeks...

SO HAPPY! :)

I'm so pleased to have entered the 2nd Trimester!! It feels as if a thick mental and physical fog has lifted & I finally have some energy back! ...I have the odd moment of feeling quite nauseous, but otherwise feel much better!!

We have a midwife appointment with Sandy on Monday & we've found a good antenatal class to attend (with Mama Bamba - we'll be attending in May with Sean & Aline) :)
2 weeks until we leave for Argentina...so exciting!!

Baby Center Says:

How your baby's growing:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

How your life's changing:

Welcome to your second trimester! Your energy is likely returning, your breasts may be feeling less tender, and your queasiness may have completely abated by now. If not, hang on — chances are good it will soon be behind you (although an unlucky few will still feel nauseated months from now).

The top of your uterus is a bit above your pubic bone, which may be enough to push your tummy out a tad. Starting to show can be quite a thrill, giving you and your partner visible evidence of the baby you've been waiting for. Take some time to plan, daydream, and enjoy this amazing time. It's normal to worry a bit now and then, but try to focus on taking care of yourself and your baby, and having faith that you're well equipped for what's ahead.

13 Weeks...& its a GIRL!

We had our very important Fetal Assessment Clinic scan yesterday & everything looks PERFECT....we also learned that we're going to have a little daughter! :)

I'm feeling quite a lot better sickness wise this week....but I'm still feeling really tired (and quite irritable a lot of the time)...

I've had a few cravings so far:
Rice -- with Cape Malay Rice Spice
Rice Cakes
Thai Green Veg curry
Veg Sushi (sushi rice!)
Naan bread & Indian foods
(Spicy stuff in general actually)
Bobotie (I made some for lunch today)
Orange Juice
Plain Croissants
Milk

I've pretty much gone off sweet stuff (never thought I'd see they day!)

We like the name 'Stella Maria Ross' but both our moms have a problem with it! Geoff's mom says it reminds her too much of her nightmare mother in law who was called Stella. My mom thinks its too 'hard'. Oh well...they must come up with better alternatives for our consideration if they don't like our name!!

How your baby's growing:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.
See what your baby looks like this week.
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:

This is the last week of your first trimester, and your risk of miscarriage is now much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside. More good news: Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift around this time. Birth is still months away, but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient-rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow

11 Weeks

It is week 11 for baby Ross & I am feeling a bit more like a sloth than someone who is about to enter into the seriously responsible roll of being a mother. At least I have 6 more months to get used to the idea.

T'Neal sent me this:

"To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labours, and holidays; to be Whitely within a certain area, providing toys, boots, cakes and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can imagine how this can exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone and narrow to be everything to someone? No, a woman's function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute."

— G.K. Chesterton

..and I really do feel at times like there is a ginormous task ahead of me. The lack of knowing how things are going is driving me a little crazy & I really want to know now whether we are having a little boy or a little girl... I thought of a really pretty girl's name in the last week: Stella. Geoff likes it too :) We still like Fynn best for a boy. The names Lily and Noah are too popular :(

We have our 12 week scan on Monday the 14th Feb -- on Valentines day :)

I'm so excited that Aline & Eloise are experiencing these things at the same time as me. It is also nice that Aline has experienced the process before...she's so encouraging.

Here is the news for this week's development

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.