12 Weeks

12 Weeks

Nugget is the size of a Plum

I am posting a little late this week. It has been one stressful, emotional, and just plain crazy week. And it is only Wednesday.


I don't really have much to say about what is new this week. Mainly, it is just the fact that my belly is growing! I still feel like I am showing very fast. The BeBand, that I finally purchased, has been my best friend this week! Not that I am complaining. For some strange reason, the belly is one of the things I was really looking forward to. Maybe because I have been so preoccupied with my weight, and now I have an excuse to let it all hang out. I feel that I am gradually getting more engery and little bit of an appetite. I am still slowly losing weight. I have lost a total of five pounds since I found out I was pregnant.

As you know, we are working on the Nursery. Because Nugget's room will be the old Man Cave, I thought it would be a great idea to give the carpet a good cleaning. Had to get rid of all the "man cooties." So, I borrowed my Mamaw's carpet cleaner. I bought the best smelling carpet cleaner, filled it up, and got to work. I did a few passes and then checked the return tank. It was empty. I thought maybe it will just take a little while to start filling up. I did a few more passes. Still nothing. I decided maybe I should download the instructions. I read over them, and I was doing exactly as they say. Alright. So, I finished the room. I used about two buckets full of cleaning solution, and still nothing in the return bucket. That is probably not a good thing, but the carpet did look a little better and smelled much better. I turned on the fan and closed the door to let it dry. The next day, I opened the door to check on it, and I was knocked down by a wet dog smell! Oh, dear. I guess the soaked carpet soured. I am still not real sure what happened. I took it back to Mamaw's, but it worked just fine! Apparently, I did not have the lid on the return tank fully closed. After realizing the problem, I cleaned the entire room. Again. This time it worked like a charm! I think I may actually put my child down on the floor.

Another milestone in the Nursery is that the crib is primed, painted, and put together! It took three of us to put it together, but it is up! I still have to go back over it with a protective sealant of some sort. Finding one that is baby-safe (and affordable) is proving to be quite a challenge.

Newly painted crib

We had our 12 Week appointment  last Thursday. I was anxious about the possiblity of getting an ultrasound. My packet says that my next one will not be until 20 Weeks. I honestly don't think I could go longer than four weeks without a visual that Nugget is thriving. I was hoping that Mary knew me well enough to know that. Luckily, she did! I have graduated to the abdominal ultrasound, or whatever you call it. Yay! Instantly, we saw our little Nugget. He/she was wiggling around. Already camera shy. Heartbeat was thumping away. I could have laid there and watched the screen all day. I finally remembered to ask about Zumba, and she said that she thought it would be fine. I went Monday and will probably go tomorrow. I don't plan on going quite as much, but I think that it would best for me to do it a few times a week. Now that it is getting warmer, I really want to just start walking more. Sometimes my back isn't too fond of that idea though.

It is a little blurry, but you can see Nugget's profile. The little hand is up by the face.

While at the appointment, they brought up the testing again. Because this was the fourth time they have asked me, I was wondering if I was missing something. But again, Mary said it was completely optional. Then she shared with me that it could possibly just open a can of worms over nothing. Which, if you the kind of worry-wort that I am, you know I don't need anything thing else to worry about. After I left the appointment, I googled what exactly the testing consisted of. Apparently, they are looking at the space in the back of the neck, and with bloodwork, they come up with a ratio of probability that your child will have abnormalities, most commonly Down's Syndrome. I then found SEVERAL instances of parents being told that it was almost positive that they would have a child with abnormalities, but when born, the children were perfectly healthy. So, I am glad that I went with my gut instinct.

The next milestone that I am waiting for is my first "flutters." Hopefully, those will be coming in the next few weeks. I have heard some people can experience them at around 14 Weeks. So, I am definitely on high alert.