12 WEEKS

Lacy hit the 12 week mark today and she is nearly out of the first trimester, for this we are thankful. The nausea and fatigue has picked up slightly since my last post, but we think it could be a lot worse. We have heard other stories of mothers at this stage that make Lacy’s journey look like a walk in the park….. so far. She has also been able to exercise by walking and her appetite seems to be normal.

So what is going on with the baby these days? The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. The baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. They say, if I were to prod Lacy’s abdomen, the baby would squirm in response, although we wouldn’t be able to feel it. The intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity, and the kidneys will begin excreting urine into the bladder.

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


Below is a picture of the baby at 12 weeks. I got the picture from www.babycenter.com, which is where I get a lot of this information.

We have an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday 9/9, so we will get another picture of the baby. I have posted a picture of each of the first 2 ultrasounds as well. They are fun to compare and we are excited to see how much the baby has grown the last four weeks.

Six Weeks

You can barely see the baby on the lining of the uterus wall. It is the little white circle in the southeast part of the bigger black blob in the top left of the picture. Don't you love my medical terminology?

8 Weeks

The baby is a little easier to see this time, just to the left of the arrow drawn on the screen. Big difference in only two weeks time.

In other news, I have hit a wall with my half marathon training. I enjoy the challenge, but have lost some of the desire I once had when I decided to start training. The fact that I do not enjoy running in the slightest also plays a big part in my lack of desire. I have stuck to my schedule 100% except for shortening an eight mile run to a four mile run this past weekend. After all it was Labor Day weekend, no need to kill myself by running to much right? Not exactly the best move considering the half marathon is in 19 days and my longest run is seven miles so far. 13.1 miles seems like a stretch at this point in the game, but I am not giving up yet. I wish I would have decided to do this earlier than 7 weeks out, but I guess that is part of the challenge. The good news is my body feels pretty good considering the constant pounding it has taken as I run at least three days a week. The only problem is a few blisters on my toes, which are nothing compared to the blisters I was getting in the very beginning. The cooler weather lately has also been nice and you can tell fall is right around the corner.