The Whislers.net

It's hard to believe that it has already been three months.  Here's what's going on this week with Whisler Baby 2009:

Baby Stats:

Size: 2 1/2 inches
Weight: 1/2 ounce

Baby Developments:

Baby's face is looking more human as his eyes have moved to the front of his head and his ears are in place. Hooray! Other amazing fetal highlights this week:

The baby is able to swallow this week and practices on the amniotic fluid he or she floats in. (And you thought baby food was kind of nasty!) And in case you're wondering how a kid can breathe in all that fluid, here's your answer: Fetuses get oxygen from the blood pumped into their bodies by the placenta and don't breathe with their lungs. Mystery solved!

This is kind of gross, albeit fascinating, so feel free to skip ahead: the baby's intestines are well under way, but they aren't all where you'd expect them to be. Instead of all being locked away in the body cavity, some are dangling on the outside, in the umbilical cord. Fantastic.

Fingernails and toenails are forming this week. The chin and nose are also becoming more defined.

Junior has doubled in size over the past two weeks and now weighs almost ½ ounce. He's also now around 2 ½ inches long, about the length of your pinky finger or a Vienna sausage, which, in a few months, will be indistinguishable from one another.

What We're Doing

Laura and I are both planners so we are starting to make preparations to update our wills and create a living trust in the spring.  I also want to set up a 529 investment account for college.  I suppose my surround sound system just lost priority.

December 10, 2008 is a day we won't quickly forget because it's the day we found out we were pregnant!  Surprise, fear and excitement were just three of the many feelings we experienced that day and continue to feel now.  Since then we've been to the doctor three times, heard the heartbeat, got sick a gazillion times, picked out names and started spreading the good news...and we're just getting started.  We've decided to keep up this blog with information about the pregnancy and keep family and friends posted with this exciting adventure all along the way. 

Mark has been putting his photography skills to good use taking lots of pictures of my growing belly.  Although I'm only 12 weeks along, I'm definitely showing and am struggling to fit into many of my favorite clothes.  At some point when I get the nerve up, I'll allow Mark to post some of those belly pictures.  For now, trust me when I say that I'm getting big!

Unfortunately, most of the second and third month have provided me with much sickness.  Not just morning sickness but morning, afternoon and evening sickness!  Starting December 30 (after we'd broken the news to the family at Christmas and after I'd been all but bragging that I had yet to get sick a single day) I got incredibly sick.  Luckily I was home from work the entire week of New Years as I didn't lift my head off the pillow at all.  I called the doctor and she was able to get a prescription for an anti-nausea medication.  It worked but made me feel incredibly tired.  At our next doctor visit in mid-January, the doctor prescribed a new medicine that is working beautifully.  I still have a few bad days and get really car sick on long trips but most of the time I'm feeling good.

So far, I haven't had any unusual cravings except cereal and orange juice.  Those may not sound strange to most but people who know me well know that I don't care for either of those breakfast items under usual circumstances.  Since I've been pregnant however, I don't go a day without a big bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice each morning.  Those of you who know me well also know of my great love of coffee.  Not the case anymore.  That has become my number one food aversion.  I can't stand to smell it or drink it.  In fact, the thought of coffee nearly turns my stomach upside-down.  I hope that I regain my love for the hot, brewed beverage soon after delivery. 

Thanks to all of you for your love and support.  More to come soon...