1/3 of the way there! 12 weeks!!

Well, it's official!! We are 1/3 of the way there! It feels SOO good on so many levels to be finished with the first trimester. First of all, it feels good mentally. I feel a sense of calmness and peace knowing "whew, I made it." (Now, don't get me wrong.. This whole pregnancy thing is still very foreign to me, and I still have tons of fears/worries to go around haha so continue those prayers! haha) Secondly, it feels good physically. I have been pretty nauseous/sick feeling for the last few weeks. I only threw up 3 times, but had NO appetite and felt uneasy all the time. Now, I'm like a free woman. I feel great and am catching up on eating all of the good food I've missed out on! I told Ben the other day that at the time, I didn't realize just how bad I felt but now that I'm normal again, I realize how miserable that was. He agreed. He was getting tired of eating cereal for dinner every night. haha

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My belly has definitely started growing too. Want to see?!?

There's a tiny baby bump there! If you didn't know I was pregnant, you probably wouldn't notice; but I can tell a big difference. NONE of my pants fit comfortably anymore. They will still button if I force it, but they are REALLY uncomfortable and I can barely breathe. I tried the whole belly band thing and the pony tail holder thing, but I didn't really like either of those. So, guess what?

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I bought my first pair of maternity pants! UGH! I wanted to cringe when I was buying them. Even though several friends have told me they started wearing maternity clothes at 12 weeks, it just seemed waayy to early for me to be wearing them. I didn't expect to start wearing them until I was 4 or 5 months along. However, after wearing them one day this weekend at the beach, I've decided to put all of my old pants away. The maternity pants were soo much more comfortable. I think its because most of my other pants are low rise, and because they are so tight now, they put tons of pressure on my lower back. My back was killlllllling me all the time. With the new pants, I felt so much relief... so maternity pants, I've embraced you.

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I went today for the first trimester genetic screening. The doctor said everything looks great, and I should get my blood work results back in the next few days.

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Now, are you ready to meet the little peanut?!? Here he/she is!!

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(Excuse the crooked pictures...Thank you Office Max guy for scanning these crooked.. oh well, at least they are here!)

WOW!! It actually looks like a baby now!!

Look closely, can you see the little leg sticking up on the left side? It's bent, with the little foot sticking out!?

Unfortunately, she couldn't get a really clear picture because the baby was hiding really low, and was hard for her to get to. I still like the ones she got though.. I can definitely tell it's a baby!

It was unbelievable watching the ultrasound. At first glance, I freaked out and said "Oh my gosh, it has a HUGE nose. It looks like a bird with a beak!" The tech just laughed and said "No thats its little hand resting up there on its face with it's fingers sticking out." hahaha She then proceeded to press a little on my stomach and then the little peanut flailed its arms and kicked its legs! It was sooooo awesome. She quit moving the ultrasound wand, and I got to watch the baby kicking and squirming away on it's own. SURREAL. I can't believe that its actually inside of me.

While looking at the ultrasound, I couldn't help but think of just how wonderful our God is. How could anybody say "There is no God." It is clearly evident that God exists and is fully in control by the miracle of life. I am so thankful for all he has blessed Ben and me with, and we are so thankful for little "Baby Adams."

So, there you have it! There's an update on sweet "Baby Adams." In just 6 short weeks (seems like forever!) we will get to find out if it's a boy or a girl. I can't wait! Continue to keep us in your prayers that everything will continue to go smoothly! I appreciate all of the prayers you all have already sent our way!

Goodnight!

For my own records, I want to jot down some of the tiny details of this pregnancy before I forget them. This will be boring for most of you so I'm warning you to quit reading now..haha

• 5 weeks- we're pregnant!!
• 5-7.5 weeks- LOTS of cramping!
• 6 weeks 2 days- Saw the heartbeat for the first time.
• 7 weeks- started getting really sick. Threw up in my lunch box in the car on the way home from work...it was the closest thing I could find!
• 10 weeks- nausea started fading
• 11 weeks- Heard the heartbeat for the first time. It was 185 bpm!
• 12 weeks- started wearing maternity pants for comfort.
• 12 weeks 1 day- Had genetic screening, saw first "baby shape" on ultrasound, and the heartrate was 175
• Cravings: Around 8-10 weeks, I constantly wanted pickles. I went through 3 jars in about 5 days. Lately, I've been craving sour straws..though not as strongly as the pickle craving.