Week 8

(Excerpt from Babyfit.com)

Your baby is about the size of a lima bean, just 0.5 inches to 0.75 inches (2cm) in length but so darned cute already! The folds that will form your baby's eyelids are forming on the face, while nerve cells in the retina are developing, paving tghe way for sight. The very tip of your baby's nose is now present, and thier tiny ears are forming both on the outside and inside of the head, as nerve pathways related to hearing develop. The tubes connecting the lungs and throat are sprouting, and their arms are growing longer. In fact, your baby now has a pair of elbows!

This has been quite a week. James has been very ill and not sleeping well, which means I have not slept well. On top of the lack of sleep, the pregnancy hormones have my emotions on a crazy rollar coaster ride. I have been weepy, silly, and wearing my heart on my sleeve. I took James to the doctor and was less than thrilled with the way that went down. But in the end, he was put on antibiotic, so hopefully that knocks out whatever he has going on, be it ear infection and bronchitis like the doc thinks, or strep throat like I suspect. I will definately be seeking a new pediatrician for the baby. I had decided that even before this recent visit, but that day just cemented the choice.

James has been learning his left and right. We work on it a lot. When putting on clothes and shoes, going for a walk, all kinds of things. He got the concept right away, it's just a matter of memorization as to which is which. He is super smart.

Week 7

This excerpt came from Babyfit.com, one of my all time favorite websites!

Your baby's growth spurt is officially beginning, though it's not something you can see or feel. At the start of the week your baby measures between 0.16" to 0.2" (4 to 5 mm), but by the end of the week he or she can be half an inch (1.3 cm) long!
Your baby's heart is growing larger-from all of your love-creating a small bulge on his or her tiny body. The right and left chambers of the heart begin to form, along with air passages to the lungs. Although your baby's eyes and nose are still on this side of his or her head, they are beginning to develop. The brain is also starting to partition itself into chambers. While the appendix is already in place, the intestines remain partly in the umbilical cord and won't ascend into your baby's abdomen for a few more weeks. Tiny buds that will become legs begin to form, and the arm buds begin growing. These are already dividing into two sections--one that will form the hand and another that will form the arm and shoulder.

I am still having virtually no symptoms whatsoever. I have a few friends who are about as far along as I am now, and they are really battling the morning sickness, so I am very thankful that it seems as though I will be skipping that particular joy again with this pregnancy. My only real issue is that I am very tired all the time. This is magnified by the fact that James is not sleeping well lately. Last night I spent several fitful hours on his bedroom floor so that he would stay in his bed. This too shall pass!

We know it is early in the game, but we have begun to look at our birthing options for this new blessing of ours. We think we have narrowed it down to either having a homebirth with a midwife, or going to a freestanding birth center which is also attended by midwives. Of course, this is with the assumption that I continue to have a normal, healthy, risk free pregnancy. I cannot begin to describe how elated I feel at the prospect of giving birth naturally, freely, and at home, the way I have dreamed of ever since James was born! Please join me in praying for my health and that of the baby, that we can accomplish this goal! I am working hard at mitigating whatever risk factors I can to work toward that end. I have begun regular exercise and am being careful about my diet, as well as decreasing my daily soda intake significantly, and working hard towards cutting it out completely. Any and all encouragement and support you can offer is most welcome.

God's Blessings, Heather

Drumroll Please.........

We are thrilled to share our news. James will be a big brother! Expect our new blessing in early October.