9 Weeks 6 Days

Last night I needed French Fries. I couldn't go to Holman's, because going inside there is like walking into a blanket of cigarette smoke. Sadly enough, they have the best fries in the neighborhood. You know the ones that are super crispy and served with a pot of creamy ranch dressing for dipping? Nothing could be better. To my amazement, however, the local corner store carried a greasy frozen brand, which I grabbed readily. I also grabbed some Heinz Ketchup (or Catsup) and I was on my way. I love this corner store. They sell everything from laundry detergent to brass knuckles. And frozen french fries, apparently. Also, the owner, who's there every night, rings everything up in pennies. Last night it was, "498 pennies, please". Very charming old man.

So, I'm 10 weeks tomorrow, which means my little blob is finally a fetus. Sigh. S/he lost the tail this week. I'm a little sad that I no longer have a little alien in my belly. I also had my 10 week appointment this morning. Dave and I rode our bikes to the Hospital, making it there 3 minutes late. I hurriedly tried to lock up my bike so I could get going but the lock kept dropping. The stress of getting to the appointment on time, the problems with my bike lock and my hormones all collided and I became a raving pregnant woman. Remember the tree branch? I did a number on my helmet and bike lock before Dave calmed me down and helped me lock it up.

We did end up making it to the appointment just fine. And I was so thrilled Dave came with me because we got to listen to the heartbeat. I couldn't believe we would be able to at just 10 weeks! The doctor found it very quickly with the monitor over my abdomen and suddenly this quick repetitive thud-thud-thud-thud resonated in the room. She moved the monitor away slightly and we heard my loud, thunderous (and much slower) heartbeat in the background. Gosh, I sound like a giant engulfing this little hummingbird of a heartbeat. The sound struck me as so funny I started laughing so hard that neither beats were audible. I forcibly tried to calm myself down so we could listen some more but all of us, Dave, the doctor, and myself started laughing some more. I think the excitement of hearing the heartbeat, to know that my little parasite is really there and growing gave me a new perspective on all of this. It feels more real now.


I haven't had a chance yet to post pictures of our first ultrasound. Well, actually it was technically our second. The second was to verify that the embryo was growing properly (another stressful experience I don't need to go into further detail on). The below is the 7 week ultrasound. I think the head is on the right and the bum is on the left but I can't really tell either side apart.


















My first belly shots at 7 weeks. There's no "baby bump" yet. I'm just a little chubby. ;)






























And here is 9 weeks. I look a little bloated (and probably am). It's really fun. Or it might be constipation. It's no "baby bump" yet. Ah the joys of pregnancy.