9 Week Update

Baby's now the size of an olive!
Baby is starting to look more and more human. The 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. The eyes are fully formed, but the eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. Baby has tiny earlobes, and the 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, baby is poised for rapid weight gain.

Another exciting week for us! We had our first appointment with our new OBGYN and that started to make this whole thing feel like it's really happening. I had my first "real" ultrasound like in the movies (ya know, gel on the stomach) which was exciting. I've only had internal ones done at the fertility clinic, so this was new to me and I got to keep my clothes on and stay warm! We heard the heartbeat for the first time. Amazing!


We met with the doctor and went over the packet of information they gave me and questions I had. It was really great to sit down with someone and have them explain things more clearly than just Googling all my burning questions. She said I'm welcome to come back as often (!!) as I want for ultrasounds to make sure everything looks good since we've been spoiled by weekly (or even more often) exams in the past. She also gave me some meds to help with my nausea which were welcomed with a big smile from me. Give me the drugs!

On another note, FOOD. I actually didn't think I would ever be into food cravings. I'm not sure why...I guess I thought it was kinda like PMS and I never got that. Well, the food cravings have been on my mind for a few weeks now and I don't see them going away any time soon. I try to have a variety of snacks and food at all times so I can find something that sounds good. This week's big snack is Club crackers. Why haven't I indulged on these in the past? Light, buttery, and yummy! I'm hoping for deep dish pizza and a Walker Bros apple pancake this weekend!