Baby #2 - Week 12

(ABOVE: Me at 12 weeks - yeah, I guess I do 'look' pregnant don't I?)
(ABOVE: Hannah, Jaden & Katie swimming Friday night - after the 'rescue'!)
(ABOVE: Jaden and Jasmine in the tree @ Koz & Sarah's house - Saturday night!)

(ABOVE: Fetal Development at 12 weeks)
(ABOVE: Embryo at 12 weeks)

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I hope this finds you all well ... we had a wonderful weekend with beautiful weather and spent some times with friends. Friday night Jolene, Jeff, Hannah and Katie came over for steak and pizza. The girls even got some swimming in after the storms passed. The water was warmer than the air - even I went in with Katie. BUT - before I got in Jaden jumped in already - Hannah was standing on the ladder while I was searching for arm floaties - well I am not sure what possessed Hannah to do what she did next but I am still in shock over it ... You see Jaden and Hannah are the same age; however, Jaden is already over 4 feet tall and wear a size 6 while Hannah is about 5" shorter and can still fit into a 4T ... so when I saw Hannah let go of the ladder and kind of SINK I stood there with her dad just watching - it was surreal because I kept expecting her to stand up ... well she was standing up it is just that her head was still under the water ... it took a bit for it to sink in and I screamed for Jaden to grab Hannah ... Jaden did so pretty fast and 'rescued' her Best Friend from drowning ... or so Hannah is telling everyone! And I am pretty sure she's right because Jeff and I just sort of stood there not believing what we were seeing from the deck - and goodness knows I wouldn't have gotten to her in time either ... So that was our Friday - I am happy to report that Hannah was fine and stayed in the pool to swim with Jaden - only she has arm floaties on and a swim ring around her waist - it was too cute ... so Jaden is her hero! Saturday wasn't nearly as eventful as Friday but we did head to Koz, Sarah and Kendra's house for dinner and a bonfire ... and of course marshmallows! Sunday we spent the day around the house cleaning and doing laundry as usual. Jason cut the grass and washed the cars with Jaden and then they both went swimming ... Me on the other hand can NOT shake this tiredness! I admit I am getting annoyed by it and hope it passes quickly - I am thankful for no morning sickness but it is really hard to function when you can fall asleep pretty much anywhere ... which is what I did most of Sunday which then led to me feeling crabby and then crying because I was crabby - so, as you can see the hormones are in full swing - Lucky Jason and Jaden huh? But other than feeling tired I am feeling good - no nausea or heartburn or bloating or anything like that. My clothes still fit just fine and my boobs haven't grown exponentially - despite my husbands wishes! :0) We have a busy Holiday Weekend ahead and it is supposed to be beautiful here! Thursday we are heading to Albert Lea for their parade and to visit Grandma and Aunt Adrienne! Friday we will be hanging at home - poolside with whomever wants to join us for burgers and dogs ... Saturday we are invited to a party at one of Jason's friends/coworkers houses ... it should be fun ... and Sunday is usually our down day with cleaning and laundry ... Happy 4th of July to all of you! Have a Safe and Wonderful Holiday - God Bless the Troops! Now how about some Baby#2 Status?

How Your Baby is Growing: The most dramatic development this week are the reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench and mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen your baby will squirm in response - although you won't be able to feel it yet. His/Her intestines, which have grown so fast they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his/her abdominal cavity about now and his/her kidneys will begin excreting urine into his/her bladder. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His/Her face looks unquestionably human. His/Her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head and his/her ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump your baby to be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

How Your Life is Changing: Your uterus has grown to the point where your health care provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. Though you probably won't need maternity clothes for several more weeks yet, you've no doubt noticed your waist is thickening and that you're more comfy in loose - less restrictive clothing. You may begin to experience heartburn - a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy and those who've previously had bouts of it may find it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces large amounts of the hormone progesterone which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you are lying down - gastric acid can seep back up the pipe which causes the burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn't begin until later in pregnancy when your growing uterus starts to push on your stomach. ** I am not able to experience the lovely aide effect of heartburn ... since I had Weight Loss Surgery my stomach has been separated from the main part - now I no longer have a 'door' on my stomach that keeps the acid in ... therefore I do not have stomach acid in my stomach - instead my food is digested in the intestines as it travels through ... **

So as you can see from my note above - no heartburn here - which works for me! I will start taking a picture each week from this point on - I never had a digital camera until Jaden was born so I don't have the weekly photos of her in my belly - kind of a bummer ... but this time I have a camera and obviously take plenty of pictures ... so I will add it tonight after Jason takes one and Jaden makes her sign ... Have a great day!

Love ~ The Clark Family ~ Rebekah, Jason, Jaden & Baby#2 TOO!

(Baby information obtained by: http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-12-weeks)