11 Weeks!

Today's date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010

How far along: 11 weeks

Sex: Unknown...but anxiously awaiting that appointment!

Maternity clothes: I got my first real maternity shirt from my mom for Christmas but its not really my shirts that are snug, its the waist of my pants : )

Sleep: Sleep has been ok.  The past few days I've been waking up at 6:00am on the nose.  Not sure why but I always force myself back to sleep.  Too early to start my day!

Best moment(s) of the week: The Mucci clan didn't show their excitement as much as I had envisioned, but everyone is thrilled and it was great to finally tell all of them!

Movement: Can't feel anything...baby is still too small.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing too intense yet.

Morning sickness: I'm still feeling really good, aside from last night when I started feeling pretty queasy on an empty stomach.

Symptoms: Nothing too intense, just really bad gas at night.  ha!

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: I still miss feta cheese...it was my favorite salad topping.

What I'm looking forward to: Our second doctor appointment on Jan 3 - we'll get to hear the heartbeat!

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a FIG!

Our baby is just over 1 1/2 inches long is now almost fully formed. Baby's hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under the gums, and some of the bones are beginning to harden.

Baby's already busy kicking and stretching, and its tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as its body grows and becomes more developed and functional. I won't feel baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will I notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that its diaphragm is forming.

a Little Golden Book

While I was home this weekend, I dragged my mom downstairs to help me find some of my favorite books from my childhood...specifically, Baby Dear.  Its a Little Golden Book and I had to find it since its not printed anymore.  Lucky for me, my mom kept a lot (a LOT) of our favorite things from when we were little, so I knew she would have it somewhere!  Sure enough, it was right where she thought it was...along with a stack of other favorites!

{please note the price tags on some of the books...$0.70...$0.89...can't get a new book for that price anymore!}

Its a short little story about a little girl taking care of her baby doll, just as her mother takes care of her new baby sister.

Not worn...just loved.

I got this book on my second Christmas...

and these were always two of my favorite pages.

 Oh, the memories these books bring back!  Can't wait to read them to our little one someday : ) Thanks for keeping these, Mother!

xoxo,
meghan

First Baby Outfit!

We got our first baby outfit and when I opened the box it was wrapped in, I almost cried!  I can't believe we're going to have someone that will fit into such a small piece of clothing!

xoxo,
meghan

Merry Christmas - A Recap in Photos!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends...and lots of good food!  Brad and I headed off for Michigan on Tuesday afternoon and spent all week packing, unpacking and running back and forth between each of our parents' houses.  Having our parents living so close to each other definitely has its advantages, as we always get to see both families, but its always very hectic running between both houses all week long.  Despite the craziness, we have a great time with both families and we even got to have Christmas Eve dinner all together at one of our favorite restaurants back home.

Even though we always go home for Christmas, we always do some decorating around our house.  This year, we didn't do as much since our house is in such disaray {and I was lacking energy}, we still managed to cut down and put up a tree {Brad broke the star while trying to get it to stay}, get our stockings up and add a few other little touches around the house.

Our first stop in Michigan is always Brad's parent's house.  We got in Tuesday evening, had Hungry Howies waiting for us (yum yum) and immediately got put to work the next morning!

Brad's little mother!  Isn't she cute!?

We got to my parent's house on Thursday and got to spend some time with some of my favorite people {and canines}.  Nothing like a little romping in the backyard to make for three tired dogs : )

Brad, Erica, Me and Brad {plus, Roscoe, Max and Moose)

It was Brad's idea to get Marshall a wine making kit...and he loved it!  If anyone, he'll be the one to carry on the Mucci wine making tradition : )

 

My dad was obviously very excited to finally get the Kitchen Aid mixer he's been wanting for years!  Here's to lots of homemade cinnamon rolls to come, Daddio!

Moose even got some goodies: pig ears, lots of treats and a big rawhide bone from my mom, that he's still working on : )

My men : )

To top off a great week in Michigan, we headed back to PA for my Mucci Family party that always takes place the day after Christmas.  Everyone always looks forward to this party where there's plenty of good Italian food {homemade Ravioli's, specifically} and lots of loudness and laughing.

As you all know, I was anxiously awaiting this year's party...



So fun!!

xoxo,
meghan

10 Weeks!

Today's date: Wednesday, December 22, 2010

How far along: 10 weeks

Sex: Unknown.

Maternity clothes: Not really, but a lot of the shirts I wore pre-pregnancy were flowy and thus forgiving to my bloated/growing belly :)

Sleep: Sleep has been better this week, but I'm still waking up a few times in the night with stuffy noses or to pee!

Best moment(s) of the week: We're home for Christmas!!  Enjoying time with our families...baking cookies, shopping, manicures...fun!

Movement: Apparently the baby is kicking like crazy, but I can't feel it yet! :)

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing too serious. 

Morning sickness: Its pretty much subsided, but if I don't eat for 4 - 5 hours, I start feeling a little queasy.  But...I feel very blessed to be feeling so great so early on!

Symptoms: Bloating, constipation (TMI?  sorry), and growing boobs that don't fit into my bras anymore : (  I'll be making a trip to VS tomorrow.

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: Feta cheese & cookie/cake batter!

What I'm looking forward to: Spilling to beans to my Mucci family!!

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a PRUNE! 
 

Our baby has now completed the most critical portion of its development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in its body rapidly grow and mature.

It's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop through the the rest of my pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside my womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Our baby's limbs can bend now. Its hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over its heart, and the feet may be long enough to meet in front of its body. The outline of baby's spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Our baby's forehead temporarily bulges with its developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of its body. From crown to rump, baby's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

This is what baby looks like right now!

 

9 Weeks!

Today's date: Wednesday, December 15, 2010

How far along: 9 weeks

Sex: Unknown.

Maternity clothes: I bought a pair of black yoga pants that are maternity, but they're still really big on me.  I've been wearing regular yoga pants a lot, though!

Sleep: Sleep has been awful for the past week!  I get up to pee at 3:30am or 4:30am every night and then take for ever to fall back asleep.  Its also very dry in our upstairs, so my nose gets stuff and I can't breathe.  I'm on the hunt for a humidifier this weekend!

Best moment(s) of the week: Some of our best friends, Andrew and Natasha, came to visit this past weekend from West Virginia.  Andrew is in his rotation/3rd year of med school and has already done his OB/GYN rotation, so I was asking LOTS of questions : )  Poor guy!

Movement: Too early to feel.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing too serious.

Morning sickness: Aside from one day, I've been feeling great!  The nausea is dissipating and I don't seem to be as tired.  Maybe its just my body getting used to all the hormones...?

Symptoms: See last question.

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: Feta cheese.  AND, I was baking cupcakes on Thursday after work (for Natasha's birthday) and was trying with all my might to resist eating even a smidgen of the cake batter. 

What I'm looking forward to: Heading to MI for Christmas!!

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a green olive! 

 Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood.  Baby is nearly an inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. Baby is starting to look more and more human. The essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do its tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. Baby has tiny earlobes, and its mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.  Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart!

Projects Galore.

My original intent for this blog was not just for baby updates, so I apologize for being delinquent with other fun posts.  I'd love to write about house projects that we've been conquering, but nothing is really 100% finished, meaning project complete, furniture in place, art hung, room accessorized, etc.  So, I feel like I can't post about completed projects yet, because it feels like nothing is absolutely finished!

This is what I mean:

Vent cover has been waiting to be painted for over a month now...

We replaced all the electrical outlets and switch plates, but this one doesn't work for some reason, so Brad has to fix it again...

We replaced the light fixture in the living room, but its way too small for the size of the room.  We need to find a bigger drum shade, but for now we still have this teeny tiny fixture.  You can also see the tip of our Christmas tree, and might notice that it isn't topped with a star.  That's because it isn't decorated...

This is the front foyer that leads into the living room (you can see the blue paint on the right).  We still need to rip down the wallpaper, spackle spots that are damaged and paint...

New hardwoods over top old hardwoods from the downstairs hallway leading into the office...

This is the downstairs half bath.  Notice the light switch that is yet to be covered by a switch plate and the semi-unfinished door.  You'll notice that the trim in here is white, which is what color the door was too.  Brad wants the trim in the bathroom to match the rest of the house, so we're replacing the trim around the door and window but had to strip what seems like 32 layers of paint off of this door.  The is some pretty intricate moulding around the inside of the door, so that's why there is still white paint in the crevices...

Our new appliances are here, but are a little bigger than the old appliances, so the dishwasher doesn't exactly fit under the counter...

...and the refrigerator is in the dining room because its too tall and won't fit under the cabinets in the kitchen where the old fridge is...

 The microwave is also in the dining room, waiting to be hung above the stove that hasn't arrived yet...

And this is where a lot of my vases, candlesticks, jars, place mats, table runners, pitchers and other random decor is being stored thrown because the rest of the house is a disaster and I have no where to put this stuff yet.  We bought some wooden boards probably 2 months ago, so that I could have some shelving in this cabinet, but as you guessed, those have yet to be cut and put in place...

This old farmhouse mirrored door is also being housed in the dining room until we figure out a way to hang its 40 lb. self above our couch.  The trouble is that we have plaster walls and they crackle very easily if you try to puncture them with nails and such...

So, there you have it.  A look into our chaotic, messy, project filled house.  I think its safe to say that we have a LOT to do before baby arrives.

xoxo,
meghan

8 Weeks!

Today's date: Wednesday, December 8, 2010

How far along: 8 weeks

Total weight gain: Don't know.  I should probably just take this question out : )

Sex: Unknown.

Maternity clothes: Not yet : )

Sleep: Have been sleeping really well!  Got new flannel sheets and they're super soft!

Best moment(s) of the week: Putting lights on our freshly cut Christmas tree on Sunday and Brad successfully installing gas logs in our fireplace!

Movement: Too early to feel, but apparently the baby IS moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

Food cravings/aversions: Still sipping on ginger ale once in awhile and craving anything fresh - salads, pears, apples, grapes.  Mmm!

Morning sickness: I've been feeling REALLY good the past couple days - its been great!

Symptoms: I still get tired around 2:00/3:00 and have still been taking a daily nap. 

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: Michigan : (

What I'm looking forward to: Mucci Christmas party on December 26!  I can't wait to tell everyone!  We had dinner with my Uncle Jeff's family and my grandparents on Sunday and my Aunt Helen kept making "your pregnant" comments!  I tried to throw her off, but I think she has a feeling...!

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a raspberry! 

 Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from baby's hands and feet, eyelids practically cover the eyes, breathing tubes extend from the throat to the branches of developing lungs, and baby's "tail" is just about gone. In baby's brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways.

7 Weeks!

Today's date: Wednesday, December 1, 2010

How far along: 7 weeks

Total weight gain: Don't know.

Sex: Unknown.

Maternity clothes: Not yet : )

Sleep: Have been sleeping fine, except for the rain pounding on our aluminum siding for the past two nights.  Aluminum siding HAS to go.

Best moment(s) of the week: Waking up this morning to a light blanket of snow outside!

Movement: Not yet!

Food cravings/aversions: Ginger ale has been helping my nausea.

Morning sickness: It finally set in :(  Started on our late night drive to MI last Tuesday night.  Today I feel really good...but last week wasn't so great.

Symptoms: Still really tired.  Have been leaving the office at 4:00 to go home and nap!

Labor signs: Way too soon.

Belly button in or out:  Definitely still in.

What I miss: Not feeling like I have a hangover all the time.  That's part of the reason I rarely drink - I hate that feeling!

What I'm looking forward to: Mucci Christmas party on December 26!

Size and growth of our baby: Baby is now the size of a blueberry! 

 Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point. Technically, baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of its tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long.

If you could see inside my womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering baby's peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of its nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of baby's brain are growing, and the liver is churning out red blood cells until bone marrow forms and takes over this role. Baby also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from its tiny body.