First post... we've arrived at 12 weeks!

Hi Everyone!

I hope y'all don't find the feel of this blog to be too impersonal - I just figured it would be the best way to share as much baby progress information with all our family and friends. I've noticed as I tell a story over and over again, I begin to forget bits and pieces - which I've been told will get worse (dreaded pregnancy brain!) so to get all the details down in one go seemed like a good idea. I hope to update once a week and I'll send an e-mail reminder to family to check the blog after each update - let me know if you'd like to be added onto the list.

Anyways - onto the good stuff! Here's a close up of the baby's face profile:

And here's a zoomed out head to toe picture of the baby:

Baby Kimbap was moving around and waving at us all throughout the ultrasound. The baby's heartbeat was nice and strong (156 beats/min) and is right on target for growth rate. According to www.babycenter.com, the baby is about the size of a lime, 2 inches long and weighing about 1/2 oz. :-)

The doctor visit went pretty well... it looks like I've gained about 3 lbs so far, and while my waist is getting a little thicker - I'm not really showing yet and all my clothes still fit okay. We went over family medical histories, and then both Eric and I had our blood drawn - me for some additional screening and Eric to make sure he's not a carrier for thalassemia (which I've already tested negative for), a blood disorder that is prevalent in the Asian population. At my first visit at 8 weeks, there had been some earlier concern about cervical shortening for me - which if it does occur throughout a pregnancy can lead to 2nd trimester miscarriage and a doctor will try to circumvent the complication by putting in a safety stitch to close the cervix (cerclage). I had some measurements taken during the ultrasound, and everything came back A-OK! No need for safety stitches - big sigh of relief!

The doctor also reminded us that Eric is responsible for cleaning up after Sydney cat since cat litter is hands off for pregnant ladies. Side note: Sydney will give the most affection to whoever feeds her, and she has already learned to follow Eric around and yell at him if her meals are ever delayed. haha.

Other Kristine updates outside the doctor's visit... I am feeling a lot less fatigue and nausea these past couple weeks. I still go to bed a lot earlier than I used to (usually pretty tired by 9pm) but at least I'm not falling asleep as soon as I get in from work anymore. The nausea still cycles between light and intense, but it's no longer happening every single night. Thankfully my aversion to chicken has ended, but my craving for really sweet food hasn't stopped yet. Hopefully these baby cravings don't lead to any new cavities. Eric had been doing most of the cooking (and cleaning) these past couple weeks - and I'm sure he's excited that I'm getting some energy back to be able to start helping with meal preparation. He was shocked the other day when I actually made him lunch. Granted, because I'm usually starving, I end up eating as I'm cooking and then he ends up having to eat by himself. More energy also means that I'm also finally going to be able to start exercising regularly again. The doc cautioned that I need to keep my heart rate under 140 beats/min, which is a little tough since it doesn't take too much exertion to get my heart rate up, and it doesn't really feel like I'm doing any exercising at that point - but at least it's something, right?

Aside from those of you reading this post, we haven't told any other family or friends that we're expecting yet. We will probably wait another week before we make the big announcement to everyone.

Alright, that's all for now. I bet all this information was all you ever wanted to know, and probably a little too much more on top of that - I told you I was wordy!

Take care all you future grandparents, aunts and uncles [and "fake" aunts and uncles:-)]!