Baby #2 : 9 Weeks

How far along: 9 weeks exactly.

Size of baby: A green olive (The Bump) or a grape (BabyCenter). 

Weight Gain: -3 pounds. I had actually been holding pretty steady at -5 pounds, which I think had a lot to do with the fact that I had given up cookies/candy/sweets/desserts for Lent. Since Easter, I've tended to fluctuate between -5 and -3 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, which was about 5 pounds higher than it was with Lizzy.

Exercise: I'm trying to hop on the treadmill and at least walk for 20 or 30 minutes a couple of times per week. It's all I have energy for right now (and to be totally honest, last time I noticed a correlation between exercise and the unexplained bleeding, so I've been a little nervous about it this time and trying to still be active without being so high impact). I'm thinking I just might be to the point where I could pick it back up a little and do a kickboxing video, the low impact version of Turbo-Fire or some such. I mean, is that allowed to pick back up to what we had been doing pre-pregnancy even if it's been a couple weeks due to the first trimester yucks?

Cravings/Aversions: This time around, my stomach has been most upset at night rather than in the morning, but it's only occasionally been so bad that I haven't wanted to eat dinner. With Lizzy, I wanted a lot of pizza. This time, I've mostly wanted Mexican. Last night, I made a huge pan of enchiladas for the band, but by the time I was done making them, they did NOT sound appealing at all. My sister happened to bring me over a take-and-bake from my favorite hometown pizza place, so I ate a slice of that instead...and yes, I realize that what I just said totally contradicts what I had previously said about wanting Mexican and not pizza!

Symptoms: Just the normal--I'm fairly nauseous, but haven't actually thrown up so far, and for that I'm grateful. Right now, it's just being so tired all the time. The other day, I laid Lizzy down for a nap, sat down at the computer to pay some bills, and straight up fell asleep. Justin has done a great job helping me out around the house lately, and I so appreciate it...but I still feel like I just can't catch up with all the house stuff. And smells are bothering me MUCH more this time. Overall though, it's a lot easier this time being home instead of working full time!

Movement: Not yet. Hopefully sooner than last time (I think around 22 weeks?!)...but the ultrasound tech did comment that I have a tilted uterus, so I'm not sure if that affects things.

Worries: What don't I worry about during pregnancy? Ha! It's a little interesting, because I still have a LOT of anxiety, but also not nearly as much as I had with Lizzy. So in some ways, I still know what it's like to be crippled by anxiety during the first trimester, but on the other, I'm also getting a little glimpse of what it's like to be free from it. The first trimester is just hard for me--I still have nightmares about going in for an ultrasound at 12 weeks and not seeing a heartbeat. I'm still a little nervous that the baby wasn't measuring where *I* was expecting at the first ultrasound, even though it was measuring right when the doctor was expecting (I guessed I'd be about a week ahead). Anyway, I'm looking forward to once I'm starting to feel movement, 'cause that eases my anxiety a bit.

Milestones: The baby is now no longer an embryo, but is actually a fetus. The "tail" is gone, and the little bean is beginning to look more and more like a baby. He or she is beginning to develop more distinguished facial features, and the heart has developed into four chambers. Teeth may also begin to develop this week!

Best moment of the week: I love that at night, Lizzy says "God bless Daddy, God bless Mommy, God bless Lizzy, God bless the baby!" Last night, she was also talking about someone having a baby in their belly, and pushed her stomach out super far--it was pretty funny. Oh...and how can I neglect to mention my sister bringing me pizza as a highlight of the past week?!

And lastly, I've got a random question--I picked up VitaFusion Gummy Prenatals the other day (which are so much easier for me than the horse-pills), but am now hearing contrasting information about whether or not they're really safe to take. Apparently, the type of Vitamin A that they contain is not the preferred kind and has been linked to birth defects in high doses. Anyone know anything about them? I've just been taking the normal horse pills now and I'll probably ask the doctor about them at the next appointment, but just thought I'd ask in case anyone has experience with them already!