Our little blessing at 12 weeks

I will try to do weekly updates on Saturdays because that is the start of a new week of pregnancy for us.  I found these prompt questions on another blogger’s pregnancy site. I may add or take away some in the future. I have been keeping these entries on my computer since I was six weeks pregnant, so I may post those as well, so you can see how I’ve progressed.

How far along? 12 weeks

Baby’s size? The baby is the size of a plum. As I move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed. This week 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.

Maternity clothes? Still wearing my regular clothes, though I unbutton my jeans sometimes after I’ve eaten dinner when they feel a little snug.

Sleep? I was sleeping really deeply at night until the last few days. Now I wake up a ton more and have trouble falling back to sleep. I guess it can be attributed to my first trimester exhaustion waning.

Food cravings? Still juice. I go through about a bottle a week. And this week at the grocery store I really wanted some raspberries.

Food aversions? Nothing really. Still not a big fan of salads, but I eat them anyway.

Symptoms? Not much of anything especially since my first trimester exhaustion seems to be going away. I do have to use the bathroom pretty frequently, but that could also be because I’m trying to drink a ton of water after the doctor told me I was a little dehydrated on Wednesday.

Best moment this week? Going to the doctor and hearing the baby’s heartbeat. Irrationally, because I don’t have a lot of symptoms, it’s easy for me to worry whether the baby is okay or not, so it was nice to be able to hear that quick little thump-thump-thump to reassure me. The heartbeat was measured at 156 beats per minute.

Movement?  No movement, though most of my baby books say I may be able to feel something at about 16 weeks, which is only four weeks away. I can’t wait!

Any ideas about the gender? We have a feeling that it might be a girl. But we’d be happy with either a boy or a girl. A friend of mine said she dreamed it was a girl this week. Another dreamed it was twins. (Wrong!)

What I miss about not being pregnant? Nothing really since I don’t feel pregnant, though sometimes I miss coffee and other caffeinated beverages because I’m trying not to drink caffeine.

What I’m looking forward to? Feeling the baby move sometime in the next month or so! And learning whether it is a boy or a girl so I can start shopping!

And here is a belly picture. I look pretty much the same except for a little pooch under my belly button. We will try to take a belly picture each week to update you on my preggo belly progress.