Nine Weeks ~ An Olive

I'm very happy to be entering my 10th week!  Every day that goes by I feel more and more confident that all will be okay with this pregnancy, which is a relief.  I also plan to tell my students shortly.  That will be nice to finally be "out" on a daily basis.  Otherwise...I feel similar to last week; nausea, extreme exhaustion, food aversions and constipation.  The constipation has been the worst, because I haven't figured out little tricks to "fix" it.  With the other side effects, I have learned how to live with them and survive. 

We get to tell Mike's Grandma and Aunt this weekend, which will be exciting.  I am also eager to tell some other close friends.  My next u/s is on 10.04, at 10.5 weeks, then I'll be graduating to my midwife.  I'm both scared and excited about this change.  I'm trying to workout every-other day, which is all I can handle with my exhaustion.  I truly only have enough energy to get through a day of work, and not have to take time off...and when the day is over...I'm done!  It's depressing when I fall asleep on the couch as T watches cartoons, great mom right?!  But...I'm pregnant...and blessed to be having these problems.  They're hard, but I'll cope so I can get that pay-off at the end. 

My Dad is the only one that has weighed in on the sex, already calling it a "her" and saying "she's beautiful" and "she's doing gymnastics just like you did" in the u/s pictures.  I can't even imagine being the mommy of a little girl, so right now I'll just stay naive and patient for that answer.  I truly will be happy with either, given how long this road has been for us.  I'm so excited to feel the baby move though, even though that's well off.  I look forward to finally feeling connected to this baby, right now it's been hard to do that. 
Lovebug's Stats:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Mommy's Stats:
How far along?: 9 weeks
Weight gain/loss: 3-5, depending on the time of day, if I'm constipated and what scale I'm using.  I'm going with 3...and think half of that is poop and half is in my extra-large boobs! 
Symptoms:  This week it's more tiredness than nausea.  I'm so tired when I get up I can barely function.  I'm still "hidden" with my students, so they probably think I'm lazy when I sit down while they work, which I normally don't do.  Thank God I can keep down the cappucino from the machine at BP to get a small dose of caffeine.  By the end of the day, I pick up Ty and often fall asleep while he watches cartoons (great Mom huh?!).  I'm also battling cement poop.  Need I say more?
Maternity clothes?: Still refusing to cave, but since I'm now waking up with a belly...I think I'll be forced soon.
Stretch marks?: nope. Moisturizing like crazy!
Sleep:  back to "like the dead"...and I fall asleep anywhere and everywhere.  I rarely make it past 9pm.
Best moment this week: Our u/s for sure!  It was amazing seeing the baby actually move and being reassured he/she is progressing perfectly.  It makes all the pain worth it.
Food cravings: McDonalds.  Yesterday, on the way home from work...I went through the drive-through for a vanilla shake and fries (yes, me...health nut extraordinare).  Commense shock and awe! 
Gender: My Dad keeps calling it a "she", but I can't say I can even imagine myself with a girl.
Belly button in or out?: in, should stay that way. I should think about changing out my belly ring though.
Movement?: Only my stomach rumbling from poop back-up (ugh!)
Signs of Labor: Well I hope not!
What I miss?: A clean house & the ability to be active with my son after I pick him up.  I have only enough energy to work...and when I get home...I've got nothing left for laundry, cleaning bathrooms (ours is NASTY) or riding bikes with T.  I feel awful for being a crappy mom and housewife.  Praying I can rally over the weekend to gain some ground.
What I'm looking forward to: Finally being "out" with my students.  That will be such a relief.
Weekly Wisdom: Laxatives do not = relief.  Just a world of hurt in the stomach department.  I think I need some new bras stat! 
Weekly WTF: I wish my "doing very well for himself" RE had invested in a better u/s machine.  He only has an old-school trans-vaginal machine, which produces pretty poor quaility pictures.  I get so jealous when I see others on the boards with their 3D/4D u/s of their little beans. Oh well.
Milestones: Told my Aunts and cousin this week.  It was nice to share the news and to let my mom have someone to talk to about it, since I've sworn her to secrecy till my next appt on 10/04.