I’m going to try and complete weekly updates as we journey through this pregnancy adventure.  Right now, my favorite thing about each week is reading about how much Baby McLees has grown and what developments he or she is experiencing.  The baby facts for my weekly updates come from, you guessed it, What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

How Big is Baby McLees?  Our little one is comparable in size to the following: a peach, a lemon, a hot jalapeno, and a clown fish.  He or she is about 3 inches long and weighs at least 1 oz.  Finger prints have developed and the kidneys and urinary tract are fully functional.  Baby’s vocal cord also start to develop around this time.

Movement: Not for a few more weeks!  In my reading, I’ve learned that Baby McLees’ reflexes are developing, so if I poke my stomach, baby may startle, but I won’t feel anything for a while.

Milestone: I’ve just about completed the first trimester.

Pregnancy Symptoms: I still get a little nauseous sometimes.  I have occasional headaches, and I feel sleepy in the afternoons.  I encountered  a new symptom just in the past week.  I started noticing a slight pain/ache on the right side of my abdomen, usually after I had been standing up for a while.  I looked it up and felt relieved as I learned all about round ligament pain, a completely normal symptom of pregnancy.  It’s always reassuring to look up something like that and read that it is normal!  This week has also ushered in heartburn, something I’ve never had before.  Nothing extreme, but I have felt it on a few occasions after lunch or dinner.

Maternity Clothes: I’m very thankful for the uber flattering sewing technique that is ruching!  I found some cute knit tops at Target.  They’re nice and long, even for someone who is 5’11.  The ruching on the sides gives the tops some style, and in my opinion, is very slimming.  I like to wear these comfy maternity tops on the weekend.  I bought a wonderful pair of cropped high-rise compression pants from Old Navy, and they have become my weekend staple.  I love the comfort afforded by the (very) high-rise waist band.  They’re not maternity pants, but I ordered them in a bigger size, so they’re very comfy.  I’m still wearing my teacher dresses to work during the week.  Dresses can be very forgiving!

Nursery Update: It was fun putting the goodies my mom sent upstairs in the room that will be the nursery and imagining how the room may look when it’s ready for Baby McLees.

Nighttime: I’m sleeping very well even though I get up several times a night to go to the bathroom.

Food I’m Avoiding: chicken (unless it’s chicken nuggets with buffalo sauce!), pork, apples, salad/lettuce

Food I’m Enjoying: key lime pie (I was craving a chilled key lime pie, so I baked some key lime cupcakes!), frozen yogurt, custard/concretes, nachos, smoothies, spicy stuff, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, bananas, bagels, almonds, dried apricots, Fritos, Tabasco sauce, cheese, cheese, cheese

Helpful Tips from Family: I can wear some of my regular pants that had become too tight now that I have a Belly Belt, courtesy of my thoughtful sister-in-law, Jenny!  She called it a “maternity staple,” and she is right!  What an amazing invention. You just attach the Belly Belt to the button and button hole of your pants and leave the pants unbuttoned.  It’s basically a button (and waist) extender for your pants that accommodates a growing belly.  I have some cropped black pants and jeans that I really missed wearing, and I’m so happy to be able to wear them again without having to buy a maternity pair.

Michael:  We usually get to eat lunch together at the office.  I like to have a Lean Cuisine pizza, and Michael usually eats leftovers or Subway.  He has started bringing me chocolate chip cookies if he orders a sandwich from Subway, which is very sweet!  He also reads the weekly emails I get for baby and pregnancy updates.  Finally, he makes short work of cleaning up the dinner dishes, including a messy Crock-Pot, so I can relax on the couch.

Best Moment this Week:  I received the sweetest card and letter from my sister-in-law,  along with some mother-to-be goodies.  In addition to the Belly Belt, she sent a pregnancy journal.  Once Baby McLees is born, I know the baby posts on this blog will be fun to look back at and read.  However, there are some things that I really want to document as I go through the pregnancy, but I don’t necessarily want or need to include them all in the blog.  The pregnancy journal is the perfect place to jot down the special and personal things I want to remember.

The journal is filled with colorful pages on which to record each week’s special moments.  It even has a page at the beginning to write down milestones like hearing baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

What I’m Looking Forward To: I’m excited about beginning the second trimester and writing in my pregnancy journal!