Here’s what the baby looks like at 12 weeks, from the BabyCenter.com. It’s about the size of a medium lime. From BabyCenter.com:

How your baby’s growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won’t be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby’s brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Folks ask us if we have names picked out. Why yes, we do. We have one for if it’s a boy and one a girl (no, we don’t know the sex yet). The girl’s name we’ve actually had picked out from back when we were 16.

Girl: Arabella Ann

Boy: Benjamin {Undecided Middle Name}

We read a million years ago that Arabella means “answered prayer” but I can’t remember where we saw that. Arabella, or Bella, has become a popular name because of those goofy Twilight movies – we did not take the name from that. 🙂

UPDATE: Blake informed me that he has not consented to the use of his middle name for the boy’s middle name. I have removed that for fear of a lawsuit. 🙂 I suggested Button, as in Benjamin Button Buck but he did not consent. Any suggestions?

Baby at 11 weeks

On Thursday, May 6, 2010, I went in for my first ultrasound. You can make out the head and some of the body. It came out pretty dark. But man, was it clear on the screen!

First the baby was laying like this. Then the doc moved the camera thingy a certain way across my belly that must have pissed off baby because he/she (still don’t know yet) started kicking and flailing. At one point, the baby turned toward me and I could see the face. Wicked creepy! But all in all breathtaking. Yeah, I got all girly and teary eyed.

A clearer idea of what the baby looks like at 11 weeks.

My next ultrasound/sonogram is in 3-4 weeks. It’ll be at the hospital which apparently has better equipment so hopefully we’ll get a better photo.

So the baby is supposedly as big as a fig now. My pants are getting tight. I think I’ll be going out today to get some belly bands – I write more about that later.

Thing's gotten big in just a few weeks.

This week the thing in my uterus is the size of a kumquat, which is just fun to say. Now the thing has fingernails and is kicking.

I went to my first OB/GYN appointment this week. I just met with the nurse to do the medical history stuff. I also did lab work to make sure I’m not a drug addict. I’m awaiting the results because I’ve always wondered about that – can you be addicted to crack without partaking in said substance? Hmm, something to ponder.

Anyways, next week I have my first doctor’s appointment. I hate doctors, especially those with penises who have no business messing with my undercarriage. Fortunately, I found an all-female practice which calms me significantly. At this upcoming appointment, I’ll get to hear the heartbeat via some Doppler device and if the doctor suspects twins, which I’m predisposed to, she may do the first ultrasound. We’ll see!

This week I told folks at work, my boss Bebe in particular. They’re all super excited and supportive. I also found out, now that I am officially insured from work, that the pregnancy business is also covered because I have no pre-existing whatever on my plan. Woo hoo!

Still genderless, the uterine growth is now the size of a kidney bean.

Ha – the baby has a tail! Apparently it’s doubled in size and is about as big as a blueberry.

The alien spawn at 7 weeks

Now we’re starting to look like a baby! It’s about the size of a lentil and now has a nose, mouth, and ears.

Looking like a baby at 6 weeks

On March 16, 2010, I took a home pregnancy test, one day after my expected period. I was really expecting it to say “You damn fool – who tests the day after she misses a period?” But of course, that’s a lot of text for a small digital screen designed to say either “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant.” Anyway, within a minute after doing my business on the pee stick, the little screen alerted me to a growth in my uterus, also known as being pregnant.

I’ve heard stories that it’s damn near impossible to have such a quick, positive result so close to the missed period. Of course, that got my mind thinking about the possibility of twins. Having two growths in my uterus would probably up the amount of hormone the test recognized… I have twins on both sides of my family, which bodes well for me to grow two babies in my belly. Time will tell on that one.

The uterine growth at 4 weeks

So I’m pregnant.

At the time of finding out, the “baby” – can you really call it that when it’s the size of a poppy seed and is just cells splitting? – is 4 weeks, which looks like the picture to the right. Look how cute it is!

That puts the due date around November 23, 2010. Happy Thanksgiving!