Chestnut Week 12

Merry Christmas!!  This is the first year since being married (and living in the U.S.) that we have decided not to spend Christmas with both sides of the family or to travel.  We stayed in town and Chin's parents came up to be with us kids who all live up here.  It was a relaxing time.

I missed spending time with my family, but was relieved to not be a part of the "Which church are you going to tonight?  What?  You should go to this church - their choir has been practicing very hard!  And then you should go to this other church tomorrow night..."  And then the incessant critiques of different church choirs and costumes/uniforms, and the speakers, and the food.  Ugh, no thanks!  (If you grew up in a Vietnamese church, you know what I'm talking about.)

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a lime - ~2.13 inches and 0.49 ounces.
• The fetus starts moving spontaneously.
• The face is beginning to look like a baby's face.
• The pancreas is functioning and producing insulin.
• Fingernails and toenails appear.
• The baby can suck his/her thumb, and get hiccups.

Physical:

• Weight: 116 lb (+2)
• Belly circumference: 32.0 in (+3.5)
• Boarded the vomit comet twice this week (v7, v8) but gagged over the toilet many, many times.
• Foods that suck: meatballs, pork, eggs, garlic of any form (especially raw, minced garlic...eww!)
• Foods that are awesome: sliced meat in hot pot, most fried foods, ranch dressing.
• Have I made my "turn" for the better?  NO!  In fact, I feel worse than last week.  Maybe I'm tired because of all the holiday festivities?
• At the end of this week, I started feeling some flutters that I'm confident are fetal movements!  Quickening has occurred, boys & girls!

Spiritual & emotional:

• Still feeling super disappointed that I haven't started feeling better.  What's up with this kid?!  I was telling Chin that I think baby is growing another baby.  Or perhaps an extra placenta for good measure.  Seriously, kid?!
• Chin has grown increasingly more frustrated that I have been out of commission for so long this pregnancy.  Because I've been so tired, Chin has taken over most of the childcare, household duties, and everything else that he already does.  I'm so sorry, Chin. :(
• I've been feeling emotionally very low this week.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 11

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a fig - ~1.61 inches and 0.25 ounces.
• At 11 weeks pregnant, nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.
• The head comprises nearly half of the fetus' size.
• Baby can swallow and stick out his or her tongue.
• Fingers and toes have separated.
• Hair and nails begin to grow at 11 weeks of pregnancy.
• The fetus can make a fist with its fingers.
• Genitals appear well differentiated.
• Red blood cells are produced in the liver.
• Amniotic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys begin to function.
• The muscles in the intestinal walls begin to practice contractions that digest food.
• The taste buds are starting to develop!!

Physical:

• Weight: 116 lb (+2)
• Belly circumference: 32.0 in (+3.5)
• Boarded the vomit comet once (v6)...but it was a very, very special ride.
• Foods that suck: meat (still), grilled onion or garlic...or anything grilled, really.
• Foods that are awesome: salads, chocolate, carbs (bread).
• Gauging from my pregnancy with Penelope and Camille, week 11 was supposed to mark the first week of starting to feel better.  At the beginning of this week (Saturday), I took two naps in one day.  On Sunday and Monday, I felt a little better but still not great.  After Tuesday, it all went downhill.  I was not making my "turn" for the better. :(

Spiritual & emotional:

• It has been nice getting to be at home with Camille.  I love this girl so much!
• Feeling disappointed that I have not made the "turn."  So disappointed.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 10

Finally!  A profile tummy shot.  I look pregnant, don't I?

Chestnut is now a fetus.  We made our pregnancy "Facebook official" on Wednesday. :)  Below is the picture we used to make the announcement.

If you're curious, the answer is "No" - we did not plan to have a baby born in the year of the tiger and then one born in the year of the dragon.  Two very auspicious years for Chinese culture.  But it's kind of cool.  We kind of have a kung fu team on our hands!

I had another ultrasound on Tuesday of this week (one to determine the size and probable date of delivery).  Chestnut is doing fine and dandy, measuring appropriately, and the approximate date of delivery is exactly as we thought - 7/7/2012.  S/he was moving around quite a bit during the ultrasound, too!  Camille got to be there.  She pointed and said, "Baby."  And said, "Thank you" to the ultrasound tech when we were done.  So sweet!

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a kumquat - ~1.22 inches and 0.14 ounces.
• From this week until birth, the developing organism is called a fetus (or, yunno, a BABY).
• The fetus is now the size of a small strawberry.
• The feet are 2mm long (one tenth of an inch).
• The neck is beginning to take shape.
• The body muscles are almost developed. Baby has begun movement.
• The jaws are in place. The mouth cavity and the nose are joined.
• The ears and nose can now be seen clearly.
• Fingerprints are already evident in the skin.
• Nipples and hair follicles begin to form.

Physical:

• Weight: 115 lb (+2)
• Belly circumference: 31.5 in (+3.0)
• Boarded the vomit comet twice (v4, v5)
• Foods that suck: meat (esp. roasted), even phở sounds not so appetizing, cumin.
• Foods that are awesome: buttered cut corn, orange creamsicles, salads, mac 'n cheese.
• I've been pretty tired still this week.  I don't feel like preparing anything to eat.  Whenever I am hungry, I just eat the sweets that I see around me.  (I know, so bad!)  And when I do, my mouth and stomach totally revolt what I had just put down and respond by producing this incredibly gross sour taste in my mouth.  Sometimes this taste even make water taste bitter.  Eww!
• I've been craving salads...which is great!  I think I just generally need more fiber in my diet to improve gut motility and combat the constipating effects of progesterone.  Yuck.

Spiritual & emotional:

• After the previous blog entries of this pregnancy (the ones written in stealth mode) went public on Wednesday, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for our family in regards to this pregnancy!  I felt very loved hearing from all sorts of people about how their "unplanned children" (or themselves being unplanned) have turned out to be great gifts to the family and they would not have had it any other way.  Thank you, friends!
• I finished my fall quarter!  Awesome!  More time to rest?  Yes.  But this also means I'm full-time mom during this break.  I'm sorry that this sounds really bad, but I don't look forward to spending most of my waking hours taking care of Camille.  I just feel like she gets better care and socialization at daycare.  Camille is also a very social child.  Which means I need to take her out at least once a day so she can see people and expend her energy.  Otherwise she gets cabin fever and goes completely nuts!  So, all that's to say that feel (1) that I can't provide as much as I can for Camille, (2) frustrated that I don't have enough energy to do much, and (3) really tired.
  

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

Chestnut Week 9*

I was going to cheat and take some belly pictures retroactively with my tummy sucked in...  But I considered the sanctity of this blog and our dedication to being open and honest.  So, there have been no profile shots of my belly so far during this pregnancy.  That is simply the reality of the decreased amount of time and attention spent on younger siblings. *sigh*


BUT, at the beginning of this week, I got to see Chestnut for the first time via a sonogram while at my clinical rotation.  Check this out!

Chestnut ultrasound at 9 weeks 2 days - measuring at 2.3cm

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a grape - ~0.90 inches and 0.07 ounces.
• The fingers and toes are well defined. Cartilage and bones begin to form.
• The upper lip as well as the nose tip is being formed.
• The tongue begins to develop and the larynx is developing.
• The eyelids are developed, although they stay closed for several months.
• The main construction of the heart is complete.

Physical:

• Weight: 116 lb (+3)
• Belly circumference: 31.0 in (+2.5)
• Boarded the vomit comet once this week (v3).
• So, I'm not sure why I am gaining weight.  But I am.  A lot of people have commented that my face looks thinner.  Maybe that's the reflection of the fatigue.
• My belly is growing really fast!  This week, I feel like maybe Chestnut has popped out of the pelvic bowl because I'm going to the bathroom less frequently at night.
• Foods that suck: all types of meat (incl. seafood), ginger, garlic, onion (cooked).
• Foods that are awesome: anything with ranch dressing, black beans, pickled foods to add variety to a meal, 炒年糕 (stir fried rice cake).

Spiritual & emotional:

• My physical fatigue really translates to emotional and spiritual fatigue.  I dread Wednesdays and Fridays - days that I am at home with Camille.  I am so tired.  I can't make food for her because everything makes me gag.  I feel really bad for Camille.
• I realize that listeria is a big concern for pregnant women.  But sometimes I just don't want to give a rip.
• Was this pregnancy planned?  Well, we do want more than one child and we wanted our kids to be about 2 years apart.  We weren't using contraception but we did not think I would be so fertile (although...I knew).  So, a bit of a surprise.  But make no mistake about it, friends: This child is loved and wanted and meant to be.  When I break the news to some of my friends and family members, they express concern about how this would work in the scheme of finishing school (planned graduation date is end of Fall 2013).  I do appreciate these concerns and, trust me, they're our concerns too.  But as we have had more time to come to grasp with this news and have embraced our child more, it sometimes stings to get a sense that people think Chestnut is a mistake.  There is no mistake.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

*This blog entry was written in stealth mode...before the news went public.

Chestnut Week 8*

We've told everyone in our immediate families this week.  Surprisingly, Chin's mom was the most excited about Chestnut...while other grandparents show no reaction.  Aunts and uncles all excited (if not a bit concerned that we don't know how to use contraception).


Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a kidney bean - ~0.63 inches and 0.04 ounces.
• Arms and legs are growing and location of the elbows and toes are visible.
• The feet and hand buds have appeared.
• Starts to practice moving.
• The stomach is being made from part of the gut (waddup?!).
• The face is beginning to take shape.
• Your baby's mouth and nostrils are starting to develop.
• Teeth begin to develop under the gums.
• The eyes can now be seen as small hollows on each side of the head.

Physical:

• Weight: 114 lb (+1)
• Belly circumference: 30.0 in (+1.5)
• Really nauseous this week but managed to keep food down!  Nothing sounds good, though.
• I discovered that I would crave for french fries a lot; but once I start eating one, I realize what a bad, bad idea fries are.  (This pretty much goes for all fried foods.)
• I am only craving bad foods.  Nothing that's actually healthy!
• Foods that I can't stand: garlic, onion, tomato sauce, pork.  Pretty consistent with my two previous pregnancies.  (Since I'm having very similar pregnancy symptoms to my previous pregnancies, I tend to think that I'm carrying a girl.  But my mom had the exact same symptoms for all 7 of us kids - 3 girls and 4 boys.  So, who knows!)
• I did have a distinct craving for a strawberry milkshake at 1:30 in the morning and Chin had to go get ice cream to make it for me.  This is seriously like it's out of a movie!
• I'm not sure if I have communicated this clearly enough through my pregnancy with Camille, but the first trimester is the absolute worst!!!  I hate it so much.  
• I'm tired.  SO tired.
• A little moody (although I would never admit to it...so don't ask if I'm "hormonal" because I will straight up rip you a new one)
• I don't feel like eating anything.  Nothing sounds especially appetizing.  And if something sounds good, when I smell it, it's immediately gag-inducing.
• I'm constantly nauseous.  No joke.  Always.
• Something that's different in this pregnancy is that I'm peeing all the time.  Maybe baby is really low.  I don't know.  But I'm getting up to go to the bathroom ~3x a night (vs. 0x a night while pregnant with Penelope and Camille).
• Did I mention that I'm always tired?

Chin captured a picture of me puking.
Awesome.

Spiritual & emotional:

• We are telling a few more close friends.  It's starting to feel more real.
• Chin & I want 3 kids.  I'm seriously considering adoption for the 3rd kid because, seriously?!  I cannot in my sane mind think about going through the first trimester ever again.  It is the worst!
• School is also kind of driving me a little nuts.  I never like to put academia first in my life, but honestly, if I don't study people die.  This thought scares me. 

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

*This blog entry was written in stealth mode...before the news went public.