12 Weeks - Plum

Weekly Pregnancy Journal



How far along: 12 w, 1 d - now that my EDD has been adjusted officially!

Total weight gain/loss: I didn't get on the scale this morning because I usually do this on Thursdays. I'll check tomorrow.

Maternity clothes: Very soon, I'll need to buy some pants.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Is normal

Best moment this week: Doctor T-B saying everything looks great! Seeing our little brownie moving around in there. Hearing the heartbeat. It's been a good week!

Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - we saw him/her moving around in there, and it was unreal!

Food cravings: Fruit

Aversions: Nothing, but I find that I'm really really hungry, but then only eat a little and I'm full and just want some juice.

Gender: Still no idea.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Fitting into my pants. This is getting ridiculous - I need to go shopping.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my work on Friday and just being pregnant already!

Weekly Wisdom: You're probably not fooling anyone, but if it makes you feel better to deny the pregnancy a little longer, well, that's okay.
Symptoms this week:

• Nothing over the top. The acne is definitely getting better now that I'm using all this new stuff


• My bloat really looks like a baby belly now


• I can't seem to sleep in any more because I have to pee around 5 or 6 every morning


• My boobs are pornographic, and still very tender

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Our first baby picture!

How cute is that???
Seriously cute. That's how cute.

The baby was moving around and stretching its arm over its head - it was adorable. And Doctor T-B says everything looks just fine, so go ahead and tell my mom it's okay to tell everyone now :) She said I'm measuring 12 weeks 1 day, so it looks like the due date really is November 7! So that means I'm behind on my pregnancy journal :)

So I guess it's safe to tell everyone now... but I'm still wary. Not that I'm worried about anything going wrong with the pregnancy at all - because I'm 100% confident now. I just don't want close friends to find out at the same time as acquaintances. So we're going to call our close friends tonight (the ones who don't know already) and then in a few days, I'm going to change my facebook status to "Daphne has a bun in the oven." I'm constantly baking something, and often have this in my status, so we thought it would be fun to make people guess if I'm actually baking a bun, or if I have a bun in the oven.

We're going to see a few houses tonight. Now that the 2nd trimester is just around the corner, the heat is on to find a place that we'll be happy with for the next 5 years or so and just buy the damn thing. We've come to terms with the fact that we're not going to buy our dream house right now, so we should just get something that's nice for now, and get on with it so we move while I'm still useful.

Big Ultrasound Today!

At 2:30 p.m., we'll be heading to the OB's office to see our little babe again. We're doing the IPS testing and 1st Tri ultrasound. And we'll get a picture of the ultrasound this time! Woooo!

I'm excited :) And one of the best things is that the appointment is at 2:30 so I get to leave work, and then just work from home after. That's fab. So I get to go home right after the ultrasound and scan that little picture and send it to our families and my boss and upload it to my blog :)

And provided that all goes well today, I'll feel pretty comfortable telling people. We'll wait until next week to announce it on Facebook (much to Nick's dismay) but we can tell friends and such now.

I can't wait to just 'come clean' with everyone!

The sweetest sound I've ever heard

My SIL (the doctor who prescribed me wonderful acne-killing face medicine a couple of weeks ago) brought her doppler to the BBQ so we could try to find a heartbeat. She made us promise that we wouldn't freak out if we didn't find it - she couldn't find it most of the time on herself because she was so swollen all the time. But since we have our big ultrasound on Tuesday, she brought it anyway.

So we're all waiting for the non-family guests to leave the BBQ so we can go try it out... But as 11 rolls around, we realize they're not leaving anytime soon, and say screw it. Nick, SIL and I go into the bedroom and close the door. My SIL got me all set up and covered in US goo, and put the wand on my belly. She searched around for a minute or two, pointing out my own heartbeat and the sound of the umbillical cord passing by the doppler, and then the most beautiful sound I've ever heard comes out loud and clear over the monitor.

Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh....

Our little brownie has the sweetest heartbeat. Around 135 beats per minute (which is in the range of normal - hooray!) I was floored. And the babe was swimming around - we could only get maybe 15 seconds of heartbeat before s/he would move away from the wand. I had just had a cup of tea, so maybe the babe was feeling a little frisky :)

We invited my other sister-in-law in to hear, and then my mother-in-law.

And she let us take the doppler home, as long as we returned it on Sunday so she could take it back to the office on Monday.

So we listened again before bed, and then again in the morning before I showered. In the morning, we decided to call my mom. I ended up waking her up (oops!) but told her that someone wanted to say hi. We put the phone up to the monitor so she could hear the woosh woosh (still around 135 BPM). She said, "what the hell was that?" I told her it was the baby's heartbeat, and she melted. We put the doppler back to the phone, and I could hear her saying, "Hi baby! This is your grandma!" It was so sweet. I apologised for waking her, but said we figured she'd want to say hi before we had to take the doppler back.
I think it completely made her day.

I could listen to that all day.... But that's okay. The big ultrasound is Tuesday and we'll get a picture of our little baby brownie!

So apparently, I'm not fooling anyone.

We went to look at a house on Saturday on our way over to my sister-in-law's for a birthday BBQ. I was wearing a cute little sundress, which I figured hid my bloated belly pretty well - it was empire waisted and pretty flowy.

So we're looking through the house, and decide it's not for us. On our way out, the realtor asked what we thought about it. I replied, "it's nice, but it doesn't have enough bedrooms." Without hesitation, she looks at my stomach and says, "Which number is this?" I kind of stuttered and said, "Oh, it's our first." Then we left. As soon as we were out the door, Nick says, "Do you want to go home and change?" Well no, because I don't have anything else at all to wear!

This lady was so confident that I was pregnant, she didn't even hesitate to ask! Nervy!

So at the BBQ, I was pretty self-conscious and tried to make an effort to suck in and stand in flattering ways. It was a family BBQ, which meant that half of the guests knew I'm pregnant (my in-laws), but the other half were my sister-in-law's in-laws, who obviously didn't know. But they were all looking at my stomach, and I knew it.

As we were about to leave later that night, my brother-in-law tells me that his mom knows. She went up to him and said, "Listen, you don't have to say anything, but just tell Daphne Congratulations". He denied knowing anything, and said that if I'm pregnant, I haven't told him yet. She just shushed him and said, "I'm your mother, and I know when someone is pregnant."

So ya, I was kind of upset for a bit... but in the end, I am pregnant, so whatever. I'd be horribly offended if I was just getting chunky, but I am actually growing a little person inside me, so whatever. We'll be telling people soon enough - in a week! Or less! So whatever.

I might have to break down

...and buy some mat pants. I am so incredibly uncomfortable now, and I'm really running out of things to wear. Only one pair of jeans fits (my fat jeans) and even those have to be worn with the bella band. The other jeans won't even get up past my thighs.
And shirts aren't much better. Once I 'come out' at work, it'll be better because I won't be trying to hide my ever-expanding belly (I don't care that it's not baby yet, I look pregnant, and that's really all that matters when you're trying to keep it quiet). But for now, I have a very limited wardrobe of drapy shirts that still cover my stupid chest acne (the prescription is helping, but they're going away so slowly). And with it getting warm out now, I'm really limited since I can't justify wearing my heavy layer-y sweaters.

I might have to make a trip to Motherhood on Saturday. I want some jeans that fit comfortably. I hate fighting with my wardrobe every morning.

I can't wait for my appointment on Tuesday. Then I'll tell my department on Friday at our monthly meeting, and then I can just be pregnant at work. I'll be 12 weeks next week, so I think that's long enough to wait. Some people say that's the end of first tri - some say it ends at 13. Whatever, as long as the ultrasound goes well, i'm telling!

11 Weeks - Lime!

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 11 w, 0 d
Total weight gain/loss: + 3.8lb, which is somehow comforting this far along in the first tri, since I read that you should only gain about 4 pounds total by 3 months. I'm right on track for that. And really, it's all in the belly, so I'm not really upset about it - it's starting to look pregnant, not just fat.
Maternity clothes: Considering it soon. I need pants.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Is normal now - I go to bed at normal times, and wake up refreshed. I'm still having really weird dreams - I should start blogging about those.

Best moment this week: Seeing our little brownie on the ultrasound! Getting a prescription for my acne from my SIL.
Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - not that I can feel.
Food cravings: Nothing really.
Aversions: Nothing. I'm feeling totally normal these days, and it's great. Even coffee tastes good again - this is fantastic news!
Gender: No idea, but my brother-in-law said that he thinks it's a girl because of my horrid acne. He said that girls 'suck the beauty out of their moms'.
Labour Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Having a glass of wine with dinner.
What I am looking forward to: Tuesday's big ultrasound! Then on Friday, I'll tell my department in our HR meeting. Then the next week, I'll tell the world!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't be upset when people don't react the way you'd like them to. It won't change anything, so just move on.
Symptoms this week:

• My horrible sciatic pain has really subsided this week (funny - after Nick and I had some super-awesome sex. I think it un-pinched the nerve! And he's so proud of himself for 'fixing' me ;)
• Boobs are huge and tender if I try to sleep on my stomach.
• The bloat is looking more like baby every day.
• The acne is still there, but after 3 days on antibiotic cream and a new cleanser recommended by my MD sister, I think it's met its match.
• Nausea and exhaustion may have departed for good - I think I'm already in the honeymoon stage of pregnancy at 11 weeks!
  

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

I've been so blog-lazy!

I've been delinquent, and I know if I just skip over the news of the last 2 weeks, I'll regret it later. So, I'm going to do a series of posts to catch up - and I'm going to adjust the dates so they reflect the approximate day it all happened.

• Telling the in-laws (April 11)
• Our first ultrasound! (April 17)
• Telling my dad (April 18)

Bean Spilling - Telling my dad

We saw my dad and Susan on Saturday for dinner, which marked the last of the spilling the beans to family marithon we'd been running. Since we had just seen the babe the day before, we were pretty confident in telling them.

My SIL dressed Ty in the Super Cousin shirt we gave him, and when he took off his sweater, I said, "Ty, show Grampa and Susan your shirt!". He was not interested - he ran to the back door and wanted to go play outside. And Dad and Susan weren't really intent on seeing the shirt, no matter how many times I said it.

Eventually, my Dad read it and didn't get it at all. So I said, "because Ty's going to be a cousin". He just looked at me and said, "Oh really? Congratulations". Not excited - more awkward and matter-of-fact. Very anticlimactic. He hugged me really briefly and shook Nick's hand. End of story. Then Susan came to the backyard and said, "okay, so what shirt do I need to see?" She read it, and said, "Oh, that's great news" and hugged both of us. That was it. It was so awkward.

I know my dad and I aren't as close as he and my brother are, but it was dissappointing. It's not that he's not excited to have another grandchild, it's that he just doesn't know how to react.

Meh. Whatever. At least the rest of the family is over the moon - and he'll be excited later, I'm sure.

So now the whole family knows. Not long now before I can tell work and the rest of the world! After my big ultrasound.... that's coming up so soon!

First Ultrasound!

We had our first doctor's appointment!



I met my OB, and she's really nice. When she realized that I was only 10 weeks, she didn't understand why her admin had booked me in so early (she does appointments starting at 12 weeks). I told her that my doctor thought she could check out my cyst while she was doing an ultrasound, and she said, "well, I'm not doing that kind of ultrasound today". Which meant HOORAY - she didn't need to use the dildo-cam! It was a tummy ultrasound!

So we saw our little brownie, and it was amazing. It really made it feel real - it's not just a 'concept' of pregnancy, there's actually a little baby in there. It was unreal.

So it was a really quick ultrasound, since she can't do anything until 12 weeks testing-wise. And she didn't check the heartbeat. But brownie's measuring at the right size (though she's still giving me November 7 as a due date instead of 12, since she's going by my LMP. I'm sure she'll adjust that at my next ultrasound).

So, the 12 week biggie is set for April 28 - which, coincidentally, I think it the original u/s date they gave me before I bumped it up to 10 weeks. Next Tuesday! So excited. And we'll get a picture of our little babe next week too :)

Holy crap - there's a baby in there!

10 Weeks - Prune

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 10 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 2.8lb, but I swear to god I'm huge. I'm starting to look pregnant, and I'm really limited on clothes that fit and hide my bloat.

Maternity clothes: Considering it soon.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Isn't as all-consuming as it was before. I can stay up until 10:30 or 11 now, and it's wonderful.

Best moment this week: Telling the in-laws. I have to blog about that - they're all so excited!

Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - not that I can feel.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: The last week or so I've felt really quite good - food isn't the worst thing in the world any more. Yay! Maybe now I can lay off the bagles a little bit!

Gender: No idea

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Being excited to shop for Spring clothes. Liking coffee. I really miss coffee. Wanting sex. I have absolutely zero sex drive, and my poory hubby is getting fed up.

What I am looking forward to: Tomorrow! Meeting my OB! And my SIL said she'll bring her doppler home from the office so we can listen for the heartbeat on Sunday (we'll hear it tomorrow, I'm assuming, but can't hurt to hear it again!)

Weekly Wisdom: Don't eat broccoli-onion salad at lunch when you have a meeting with the President at 1:00. The whole time I was in his office I was thinking, "Oh my god, I'm going to burp broccoli on this man"

NEW QUESTION: Symptoms this week: My boobs aren't as sore - still huge though. I'm crazy bloated as the day goes on. I have terrible skin, and I need to go buy more high-necked shirts because the chest acne is raging again. Nausea and exhaustion seems to have gone away this past week, so that's good (unless it's a sign of something bad, of course.... we shall see tomorrow I guess).





With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

Spilling Beans - Telling the in-laws

My in-laws came over on Good Friday to have dinner at our house to celebrate my Mother-in-law's 60th birthday. The whole family came - MIL/FIL (London), SIL/BIL + their 3 kids (London), and SIL/BIL + their son (Toronto). It was a full house, and we took the opportunity to tell them our news - I was 9 weeks along.

So everyone had gone in on a gift for my MIL - we had a painting done of a poster she loved. So we brought it out, and she was surprised. And she thought that was it for gifts.

Then, Nick and I handed her another box, and the siblings were confused, since we hadn't told them we had gotten her something independantly. We took an Indian jewellery box and wrapped it up with a bib inside that said "Thank Heaven for little babies". As she was unwrapping, Nick said, "Mom, it's your 60th, so we couldn't help but go a little overboard. So if you don't like it, just pretend". When she saw the box, she got all excited thinking we got her jewellery. The siblings were so confused, because the whole family buys all our jewellery through my BIL, who is a wholesaler. So they were ticked that we got her something from somewhere else without them knowing.

When she opened the box, there was a brief moment of disappointment when she realized it wasn't a necklace set - and then she realized what it meant and squealed and got up to hug us. The whole family was excited and gushing - and my poor nieces had no idea what was going on until my SIL said, "Daphne Mani has a baby in her belly!" We had to tell them quickly that it's a big secret, so they couldn't tell their uncle and other grandparents yet - since they were staying with them in Toronto that weekend.

My one SIL was so surprised - she didn't know we were trying, or even that we had changed our minds about kids (well, that I changed my mind). She was ticked that Nick didn't tell her. The other SIL, who knew that's why we cancelled India but also thought we were on a break for now, was surprised because she had come straight out and asked Nick if we were still on hold, not two days before, and he lied to her face.

It was awesome. The next morning, I took my MIL to a hair appointment (we were going to a wedding on the Saturday) and she told me in the car, "it's not that it's more important, but.... well, this is the first grandchild that will be 'our family' - the other kids belong to their fathers' families. Not that it's more important, but still". Because in Indian culture, her daughters leave their family to join their husbands, but their son stays with the parents forever. She was so careful not to make a big deal about it - but I know this really means something to her. It's the only kid to carry on the family name.

So, in a nutshell, they were thrilled. And my SIL (in Toronto) was shocked that we had everyone over to our place when I was pregnant. "You should have all come to our place so you didn't have to do so much work!"

The cutest thing was when my nieces were leaving. I reminded them both that the baby is still a big secret, so they can't tell their uncle or grandparents or anyone else yet. The 6 year old said "I'm really good with secrets - I didn't tell anyone about our baby brother!" I said great, thanks. Then she got all serious, and said, "Daphne Mani... can I tell them when the baby is born?" She was so concerned that she would have to keep the secret that long! I assured her that she'd be able to tell them long before that!

The wedding on Saturday was great - and the sari I wore hid my bloat, for the most part :)

Spilling the Beans - telling my family

I've been blog-delinquent this week, mostly because for some reason I've been unable to connect to my home computer from work (boo). This also means I haven't been on theBump through the day, which is probably a good thing considering how swamped I am at work these days. There's just too much to do.


But screw work for a minute - I want to write about last weekend when we told my family the big news! Here's how it went down:


We went to my Mom's on Saturday, and shortly after, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew came over. We were going to do birthday presents for my brother and nephew later, but we told them we had Easter presents for Ty and the baby, and handed them two little packages with Easter cards.


It took some convincing to drag Ty away from his toys, but eventually, he sat with my brother and opened the T-shirt. Trev pulls it out and says, cool! (because it looks like superman). Then he read out "cousin" in a confused voice.


And then silence. Like, nobody got it. Crickets, for like, a minute and I wondered if I was going to have to spell it out for them. Then finally, my sister-in-law says very slowly, "... is Ty going to be a cousin?" and I said "yes, he is!" It took another 30 seconds or so before my mom got it, and she shouted "Oh my god!" Then everyone got up and hugged us and congratulated us. My brother seemed really excited - which was sweet. I expected him to be happy obviously, but he congratulated us on the great news 5 or 6 more times over the weekend.


My mom already invited herself up to stay with us for a week to 'help out' when the baby is born - which totally isn't happening. I told Nick that before - I know we'll be exhausted and kind of lost, but I want to do this just us. After she mentioned it a bunch of times, I eventually suggested that she come up a couple of weeks after to stay, just because Nick will likely be taking off a couple weeks at the beginning, so I'll really appreciate the help when he goes back to work. She agreed. Bullet dodged.

Overall, it went well. They're all really excited for us, and they're sworn to secrecy until I give them the go-ahead.

When we told them that we're telling Nick's family this weekend, my mom said, "okay, I'll be sure not to say anything until after that." Um , NO. You can't tell everyone yet! Not for another month! She was bummed, but understood. I mean, I still haven't had a doctor's appointment yet! For all I know, the baby could have stopped growing and I don't know it (I really hope not, but it's entirely possible).

Ty's big birthday party was on Sunday, and when we were leaving I went up to my brother to say goodbye and he congratulated me again on the great news and hugged me. I think he's really looking forward to being an Uncle. He's an uncle on my SIL's side, but (and I know this sounds terrible) it just means more when it's your own family. I mean, I love the kids on Nick's side to death, but there's just something special about my own brother's son, you know? He's blood.

So tomorrow's the big day with Nick's family.

Here's the plan:


The family's coming to our place to celebrate my MIL's 60th birthday. We're going to make her open her present right at the beginning, even though she'll want to wait for cake. We're going to say something like, "it's your 60th, and we went a little overboard but we couldn't help it. We had to get you something special". Then we have a big necklace/jewellry box wrapped up so she thinks she's getting some Indian jewellry. (this will confuse everyone else too, because the family buys all jewellry through my BIL, and he won't know anything about it). Inside the box, laid out like a necklace, is a bib that says "thank Heaven for little babies". And the cat will be out of the bag :)

And then, I can start soliciting free medical advice from my SIL the doctor :) Like, what the hell can I do about this damn acne??

Okay. I should be working - I'm freaking swamped. So I'm off. Some pictures of my brother and Ty:

9 Weeks - Green Olive

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 9 w, 0 d
Total weight gain/loss: + 2.5lb. I feel like a cow and this bloat is out of control.
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I'm really in need of a comfy pair of yoga pants for the evenings
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: is still filled with weird dreams. The last few days I haven't been as exhausted, and it's been great
Best moment this week: Telling my family!
Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - not that I can feel.
Food cravings: Nothing really. Still loving the fruit & yogurt. Anything carby.
Aversions: Nothing specific. The last few days I've actually felt good, so I'm trying to eat better.
Gender: No idea
Labour Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Picking out clothes in the morning and not worrying if they'll fit. My skin - I seem to have traded my complexion with that of a 15 year old, and I would like to have mine back now please.
What I am looking forward to: Next Friday's doctor's appointment! Telling my in-laws this weekend.
Weekly Wisdom: Buy groceries and you won't have to eat crap all the time! Don't let your junk-food-aholic husband talk you into fast food just because it sounds easy.


Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!

8 Weeks - Raspberry

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 8 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 3lb. I really need to start watching what I'm eating more. I'm a carb-aholic these days because it calms my stomach, but I'm going to need to do something about that.

Maternity clothes: No, but if I keep this up, it won't be long.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: is my friend

Best moment this week: Getting the Super Cousin shirts in the mail

Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - apparently he/she is moving now, but I can't feel anything.

Food cravings: Nothing specific, but fruit and yogurt always sound good, and anything carby.

Aversions: It depends on the day. I could be totally in the mood for something one minute, and the next the idea of any food makes me feel horrid.

Gender: No idea

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Not worrying constantly. Feeling normal. Not feeling like a cow.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my mom & brother on Saturday. My appointment in 2 weeks to tell me everything's okay. Looking pregnant, not just fat.

Weekly Wisdom: My husband is the most calm man in the world - he can make me chill out even at the worst of times.

Milestones: SPOTTING. Last night. Stringy and light brownish. And no matter how much the books say it's normal, I'm freaking out. FREAKING OUT. Nothing so far this morning, but I've been lying down so it might take a while to show up.

Oh, and my boss told me that our Admin Assistant thinks I'm pregnant because I've been looking really tired lately, I've put on some weight, and she caught me eating some saltines at my desk. She told my boss, "if she's not pregnant, I'm worried about her because she might be sick." Crap. The cat is crawling out of the bag, and I still have a month before I want to tell anyone else at work.

Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.