Week 10

So this is apparently my tenth week of pregnancy. And apparently, this whole baby thing still doesn't seem quite real to me, yet.

Dawn, who is due in September, recommended that I sign up for weekly e-mails from the American Pregnancy Association. Every Monday, they will send me a nice little e-mail informing me of the changes both I and my baby will be going through over the course of that week. Yesterday I received my first e-mail. I learned that, apparently, the majority of our baby's vital organs are functioning, though obviously they are far from mature at this point. The baby's head currently takes up about one-half of the length of the body, which is about two inches long, and there is a bulge in the forehead allowing for brain development. Here's some exciting news: this week, the fingernails, toenails, and hair will begin to become visible. The fingers are now no longer webbed and he/she is actively swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking his/her legs. That's right: LEGS! With which TO KICK! Of course the baby has legs, I know, but OH MY GOD I'm growing something inside of me that has LEGS! And can KICK!

So far, my favorite aspect of pregnancy is the horrendous NAUSEA that haunts me day in and day out. Though I'm not throwing up, there have definitely been a couple of close calls, usually when Ms. Toothbrush visits Chomperstown. If the pasty dirty mouth taste wouldn't aggravate my nausea further, I think I'd like to just give up brushing my teeth altogether for the time being. Because of the nausea, I have absolutely ZERO appetite whatsoever, but am constantly having to force myself to eat (and I mean constantly) because when my stomach gets empty the nausea becomes ten times as bad. And heartburn....I must be lucky, because most women I've spoken to have seemed amazed that I am experiencing heartburn this early on. I guess I just like to live life to the fullest. Aside from that, I'm really enjoying the life-sucking exhaustion that makes me feel too tired to even breathe sometimes. I had to leave work early yesterday afternoon because I was feeling so bad, and came home and slept for four hours solid. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to sleep that night since I'd taken such a long nap, but silly me, 11:00 rolled around and I was out like a light and slept until 8:20 this morning. Of course, if I didn't have to get out of bed three times during the night to tinkle, I might feel a bit more rested.

Luckily, though, my discomfort level varies each day; I have bad days and "better" days, so it's not constant misery. I also realize that in a couple of weeks I'll be moving into my second trimester, so hopefully the first trimester woes will soon be a thing of the past. I haven't had mood swings any crazier than usual, and I haven't experienced any constipation which apparently plagues many pregnant women. For my still regular poops, I am quite thankful! And, most importantly, I have an awesome husband who I'll never be able to thank enough for putting up with my whininess and taking such good care of me. Hopefully, he will accept his firstborn child, which I'm currently incubating, as a sufficient token of my gratitude.

I know in this picture it almost looks like I'm starting to show, but my doctor told me last week that my abdomen is a little bloated from all the hormones coursing through me. So, I blame the hormones, not the two-inch long baby, for my start-of-a-gut.