Friday, March 13, 2015

The Littlest Dickherber

Let's play a little pregnancy catch up, shall we? It'll be the fastest you've ever seen a baby bump grow!

We found out about the Littlest Dickherber's existence right at 4 weeks and the first thing we did (post-Mexican restaurant celebration, of course) was schedule our first doctor appointment. The (one and only) perk to having infertility grace your medical record is that they treat you to a few extra tests and early ultrasounds, just to be sure everything is going well and nothing needs to be supplemented. At 5 weeks we got to see our little blip of a pre-baby yolk sac and eye strain or not, it was pretty miraculous!

At 6 weeks along, we went in for a second ultrasound and we got to see our nugget's beautiful heartbeat for the first time. We called family and friends to tell them the news - because we were bursting and because after going through so much by ourselves already, I knew I would need the support if anything were to happen to this baby. 

And at 6 weeks on the dot, morning sickness arrived to punch me directly in the gut! Ohh, it was bad. From weeks 6-9, the morning was considered a great success if I managed to keep anything down before noon. It was amazing if I could get up off the couch before lunch. It was a shock and delight if my head stopped spinning for a few moments at a time. These were the weeks of Spaghetti-Os, soup, watered down Gatorade and my beloved best friend string cheese - the crutch that fortified me for the first trimester and promised to never come back up once it traveled down my esophagus. They were rough, rough mornings (and less vomit-y but still exhausting afternoons and evenings), but those 3 weeks were wildly reassuring that our baby was kicking baby-growing butt. 


WEEK 10: The Littlest Dickherber is the size of a walnut in shell! This week came with another ultrasound where we got to see our wiggly dancing machine of a tiny baby and a healthy little heartbeat of 158bpm. Things in the barfing department are beginning to improve a bit and I picked up running again after a brief, sickness-induced hiatus.


WEEK 11: This week, our baby is the size of a lime! Every time I think of our little munchkin, I can't stop imagining that it's a little boy in there - but Ryan's family history says there's not a chance this baby is anything but girl. We'll be so happy either way, but like the OH-SO-IMPATIENT girl I am, I can't wait to find out and to really begin thinking of our baby as the burgeoning little person he or she will become.


WEEK 12: Baby has grown to the size of a tangerine and headed out on its first trip to the East coast to hang out with friends and photograph a super amazing NYC engagement session (a hardworking baby already - I approve). The plane ride was a challenge (especially the part where I used not one, not two, but THREE barf bags before the don't-you-dare-get-out-of-your-seat light turned off) but we persevered like champs. I'm really feeling the stretching pains as this little one keeps growing, but still just looking like someone who recently finished a very large Thanksgiving dinner.


WEEK 13: The Littlest Dickherber is the size of a tomato, and at 13 weeks and 3 days, we've officially made it to the SECOND trimester! And while I'll be worrying about this little life for the rest of mine, it's such a relief to know that the risks for our baby have dropped dramatically. This week, we had our NT scan. Though we want this baby no matter what, I'm a planner to the core and want to be prepared if there are any health challenges we'll face. The results came back perfectly normal, but we did discover that it appears I'm harboring Pinocchio in there (look at that nose shot!). 




WEEK 14: This little one is the size of a Meyer lemon. And after 13 weeks of expanding in girth but not weight, this week (as the morning sickness has continued to subside) I've packed on a whopping two pounds. Bring it on, baby weight! 


WEEK 15: Our baby is as big as an apple! And I'm positively dying to know if we're expecting a boy or a girl. We're not sure just yet, but we've been entertaining ourselves in the meantime with some old wives's tales. Let's see if they're true or not :)

Heart rate: BOY at 10 weeks, GIRL at 12 weeks
Cravings: BOY (bring me all the salty things!)
Chinese gender chart: BOY
Morning sickness: GIRL
Wedding ring test: BOY
Acne: GIRL (thanks a lot, yo)

Ryan's prediction: GIRL (based on logic and reason, of course)
Andrea's prediction: BOY (based on emotion, of course)

...to be continued! (cough, cliffhanger, cough) 

1 comment:

  1. oh how could you! Glad to see you back blogging! Congrats on the little one! Can't wait to see if it's a boy or girl!

    ReplyDelete

This is the part where you tell the pups how cute they are.
...but seriously, thank you so much for stopping by and for your wonderful comment! I read them all and try to respond as often as I can. We hope you visit again soon :)