9 Weeks Already???

I must say, I honestly thought I had it bad a few weeks ago when I was complaining about my 'nausea' and 'fatigue' and other symptoms I was having. This past week and a half, however, have found me wishing that I still felt the way I did in Week 6. I've been so sick, I haven't been able to keep anything down. I think there were actually a few days where I didn't technically eat anything. I am so nauseous and dizzy, that the idea of eating just isn't appealing. Not eating much, of course, means that I have no energy. It takes everything I have to stand up to go pee- which I do every 3 seconds. I'm also no longer able to sleep through the night because I either have to get up to pee, or I'm just not comfortable. So I've been exhausted and nauseous and it feels like there is no end in sight.

Just about everything I've read says that all of these crazy symptoms I'm having should go away in the second trimester (which is right around the corner). But I'm also experiencing them to such an extreme degree compared to what I've read, that I am left only hoping they're right.

So anyway, we're in Week 9 now, which is so strange, because I feel like I just found out that we're pregnant, and that was at the beginning of Week 4. At this point, our little princess is about an inch long, and weighs about 1 gram. She is officially a fetus, no longer an embryo! She has fingers and toes and all of her little organs are developed. Her kidneys are working- which means she can pee too! And when I press on my tummy, she moves away all by herself, but I can't feel her just yet. I haven't gained any weight- no doubt due to my nausea and lack of appetite (I promise I'm eating as much as I can). I'm not showing yet, but I can feel a little bump growing in my tummy, which is amazing to me! I'm pretty sure the baby hates how much I push on her in there, but I can't help it! I promise we'll put up belly pictures soon!

The ultrasound picture at the top of this post was taken at 7 weeks- and there is quite the story to go along with it. I had gone back to the Same Day Emergency Clinic the week after the first ultrasound was done because I had been having more complications that had me worried (I worry about everything these days). After having more blood tests done, and spending almost 3 hours in the waiting room (more time to do nothing but worry) I finally saw the doctor. The blood tests were normal- Whew!- and they did another ultrasound to be sure the baby was growing at a normal rate. Once the doctor had set up the ultrasound equipment, he started looking for the baby. It took him about 5 minutes before he found anything, and by that time I was sobbing on the bed. It was the longest 5 minutes of my life, and I thought for sure that bad news was coming. But then we saw the little black bubble with its little white blob flickering inside, and I started crying even harder. I was so relieved to see our little baby was still in there, and her heart was still ticking away. The doctor made his measurements and told me the baby was growing at a healthy rate, and then continued to look around for a few minutes without saying anything else. I couldn't take my eyes off of that little flicker on the screen, and although I saw the other black circle next to the one my baby was in, I didn't think much of it. After all, I figured if it was another baby, the doctor would surely say something, right? So I kept staring at the little baby in my belly, and didn't think much of it. The doctor put the little wand back and I sat up to get dressed again, when he told me to sit tight a minute and he was going to get another doctor to take a look, because it looked like there might be twins in there. Twins? So I waited on the bed, feet in stirrups, for another few minutes, until the same doctor came back and told me to get dressed, he was taking me to another room with better ultrasound equipment to get a better look. That was the ultrasound that the picture above came from. He only saw one baby that time, so as it stands now, I don't have twins in my belly. But I'm still curious about that first scan, and I have been having dreams about twins ever since. Our first official OB appointment is this Friday, where I'll get to hear the heartbeat(s), so hopefully we'll know for sure if we're about to be a family of 3 or a family of 4. I'll keep you posted!

Has anyone heard of the Intelligender at home gender prediction test? It's a urine test you can take at 10 weeks (next friday) and based on certain hormones it can tell you if you're having a little boy or a little girl. Your pee turns orange for a girl, green for a boy. I've done a lot of reading on it, and it claims to be 80-90% accurate. It's only $35, and I'm pretty sure I've decided to try it. I've given up on the idea of waiting until the baby is born- I'm way too curious and way too impatient to wait until February, especially if I can find out in less than a week. Now obviously, we'll be taking the test for fun, and we'll confirm it with an ultrasound later on, but I'm curious about your thoughts on the test, so be sure to comment on it!

Thank you, Sheena, for sending me my Belly Book! For those who don't know, it's a great pregnancy journal with all sorts of fun questions and places for belly pictures and sonograms. I can't wait to finish it! You're the best!

We're planning our trip home now, and it will most likely- but NOT OFFICIALLY- be from the 4th through the 17th or 18th of December. We wont have our car or anything, and I will have a giant belly, so I don't think we'll be able to make any road trips outside of the Clearwater area, but if it's at all possible for those of you out of town (you know who you are!) to make a little visit, we would really LOVE to see you! Of course, don't feel obligated!

We love you all! Have a great week, and be sure to check back next weekend for the results of the gender test and to hear how the OB appointment goes!