HIBERNATION & SPRING FEVER

So much for blogging last week! Week 9 was a week of exhaustion. I didn't exactly DO anything, but as my nausea lifted, fatigue really set in strong. Lucky for me, Rich and I went home over the weekend to visit family in Indiana. I spent Friday night, Saturday, Sunday and part of Monday moving from house to house; from couch to couch. It was glorious! I got to visit with everyone and relax at the same time. We talked with all the grandparents-to-be about babies, moving, dates, babies, houses, summertime, jobs, and more babies. Everyone remains very excited, and all this talk makes me really wish it were the last week of May already. Rich also took it upon himself to cook me a wonderful dinner on St. Valentine's Day (and it was delicious). What a great husband I have. The following weekend Rich received his residency contract from St. Joe , which outlined all the exciting things the program offers. First we dove into the contract and then into real estate and lender websites in anticipation of the move.

The week itself was uneventful, but tiresome nonetheless. I spent most of the week in hibernation. Deep inside, the baby was growing furiously. Now, at week 10, the baby is through its most critical phase of development. The beginnings of every major organ are in place, and from here on the baby's tissues and organs will develop profoundly. Right now the baby is about an inch long and described as being the size of a kumquat. "What the (watch your language there are tiny baby ears around) is a kumquat?" you might ask... well it's that little citrus fruit just to the left. The baby also has bendable arms and legs and continues to swim around inside a more developed placenta. I mention this because right about now the placenta takes over almost all of the hormone production that affects the baby, and my body gets a rest from this job. As I noted above, my stomach has felt much more settled during the last week since there haven't been so many hormones sloshing around in there. My husband keeps telling me I'd feel even better if I didn't give in to all these chocolate cravings... but didn't I read somewhere that if you crave something your baby must be in dire need of it?

Another milestone of week 10 will by my second prenatal appointment. Rich and I visit the OB-Gyn on Friday to get the results of my blood work, hop on the scale again, and chat about what's supposed to be happening to my body and the baby. The second appointment also marks the time of the pregnancy that Rich and I have decided we'll begin to tell the world that we're expecting a child. I can't wait to share our news! On that note, I know that many of you have been asked to keep our big secret for what seems like a very long time. We thank you for sharing in our excitement and for lending your kindness by being discrete for a few weeks.

As we continue the week Rich and I look forward to begining Lent tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) and saying goodbye to February. Preparing for the Easter celebration and welcoming the first days of March make me realize just how close Spring is. We hope all of you enjoy a wonderful week and many new, or 'spring', blessings these next few days.

IT'S A MATCH!

Well... Much as we love our very tiny baby, our big excitement of this week had more to do with Rich. At 11AM (EST) on Monday Rich's name was plugged into some big, scary, very sophisticated computer system and he was matched to a hospital for his three year residency program in Family Medicine. At 11:10 he called me at work to tell me that we'd be moving to South Bend, Indiana! He had matched with Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center; our first choice for his career and our family. I was absolutely thrilled to hear the news. Between the pregnancy hormones and my excitement I could hardly hold back tears. We celebrated on Monday night by going out to one of our favorite restaurants and gushing about all the things we have to do in the next four months. We can't wait to start the process of looking for a home near all our immediate family and some wonderful friends.

For anyone who's only excited because we'll be closer to you, I'd like to share a couple of additional great details about our upcoming move. Rich's contract with St. Joe will gain us free medical coverage for the whole family and we've decided this location will be the perfect opportunity to buy our first house. Living near our friends, the Kreagers, will also provide us with a great new-baby-support-network, complete with a playmate and babysitting offers. We are really overwhelmed with blessings right now.

As for all those plans Rich and I talked of at dinner Monday night, we still only have a vague outline of what's really going to happen. Rich has 3 hospital rotations remaining and them graduates on May 22nd. We'll start house shopping around April and I will continue working until the end of May. We hope to move during the first part of June so that we can be all settled by the time Rich's residency starts in mid-June. Once in South Bend I'll look for a new job, most likely part-time, and probably begin nesting to the max.

In other news this week, today marks the beginning of the baby's eighth week of development. Most of the baby's 'tail' is gone but it now has other aquatic features instead; little webbed fingers and toes have sprouted on the end of those paddle-like hands and feet. I won't be able to feel a thing until about week sixteen, but the baby has recently become more active and is 'swimming' around a little bit. The baby also now has breathing tubes that extend from it's throat down to the developing lungs, and primitive neural pathways are forming in the baby's brain. Our baby is now the size of a cute little kidney bean, and as you can see from the 'BabyTicker', it no longer so strongly resembles a little manatee in my belly like last week.

Even though excitement is high with Rich and the baby, there's nothing much new going on with me. Work is going really well and I love my new position. Right now I'm plugging through the pregnancy sickness and fatigue with lots of movies and understanding from Rich. And to my surprise, this week I noticed I'm developing a little bit of a tummy pouch. It's still up for debate whether this pouch has more to do with all my nauseated snacking or the growing baby... but either way I'm feeling a little more pregnant in my own small way. I look forward to posting another update when we start week 9.

Before I go, I must say thank you to everyone who prayed for us in anticipation of Match Day. We are so grateful for all of your love and concern, and we are excited to accept and grow in the new blessings unfolding before us.

GROWING PAINS (& lots of other good stuff)

Today begins week seven of the baby's development and Ja-Manda (see Post 1 for details) has doubled in size since last week. The baby has paddles for hands and feet now (no more stubs), as well as an appendix and a pancreas. Both hemispheres of the baby's brain are forming fast and furiously, and it already has beautifully colored eyes covered by eyelids. Wow. So much in so little time.

And guess what... even though nobody can tell from the outside, I'm growing too. My uterus is now twice it's original size since, and as of last week the baby and I have shared an umbilical cord. My fatigue (I might have slept through the entire 3rd quarter of the Superbowl) and all day 'morning' sickness are also testimonies to the many ways my body is gearing up to take good care of the baby. Even though soothing my tummy is a real process of trial and error, I am so thankful to the women who've offered advice and encouraging words this last week. My Matron of Honor suggested I try protein in the morning which gave me three whole hours of normalcy before lunch today. My mom filled me in on some of her humorous morning sickness stories to lighten my mood and she called me frequently to check in this week. Grams shared with me that both of her children gave her different sicknesses and my uncle was the baby who caused her to feel sick all day like I do. I was relieved at this news because if we have a big family I may not always have the same lovely hormone reaction to look forward to... Rich was excited because "maybe this means we're having a boy!" I'm not sure if that's the most medically accurate way to determine sex, but I guess it beats the pencil trick. (-: By the way, to answer any lingering curiosity on the topic of sex, Rich and I have decided that we DO want to know whether the baby is a boy or a girl. We'll find out at the 20 week ultrasound.

Besides good advice, Rich and I have received some other thoughtful gifts this week. Tom, Amy and Tricia sent us our first cards of congratulations. I'm particularly grateful for the loving reminder Tom and Amy sent us about the joys of diaper changing. Don't they know that's why we want to move back to Indiana; so we have a whole team of diaper changing grandparents? The outside of the card reads, "Did you realize that in your baby's lifetime, you will change a diaper approximately 10,956 times?" the inside reads, "It's too late to ask for a puppy". My parents also sent some baby mail. I got tea and a copy of 'The Pregnancy Bible', while Rich received a copy of 'She's Having a Baby - What Every Man Should Know and Do When the Woman He Loves is Pregnant'. I love when he gets son-in-law gifts! We're both looking forward to relaxing with some (tummy soothing) tea and reading our books.

And I almost forgot! This last week was full of bringing new people into our circle of big news. On Thursday I went to my first prenatal appointment. The obstetrician confirmed the pregnancy with a more 'sophisticated' pee test, drew my blood to perform many other routine screenings, and grilled me on family history...everyone's family history. I realized I still have some studying to do. The OB also told me a lot of things Rich and I already know, but it was certainly comforting to hear the same words from a woman who does nothing but work with reproductive organs and pregnancies all day long. In the next few days following the appointment we shared the news with Grandma and Grandpa Zentz, Grams, Grandpa Ummel, and our friends the Becknells and Kreagers. Nana and Grandma and Grandpa Ryerson also heard the news from our parents. Everyone was very excited.

On that note, it's been a long and exciting week and it's just about time for me to get ready for bed. Good night and God bless.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
February 9th - DO Match Day
February 27th - Second Zentz Prenatal Appointment