Baby#2 - Week 13

(ABOVE: Truly a horrible photo - I have a wicked summer time cold so I am in my jammies without any hmm, support ... but here I am at 13 weeks!)

** Added tonight ** Well I had my 2nd OB Appointment today at 3:30pm - it went well ... cried today after hearing Baby#2's heartbeat beating away in there like a tiny drum ... it is truly amazing to me and it brought the whole thing to 'life' so to speak. You see, since I haven't had any of the typical You Are Pregnant symptoms I haven't really felt like I am ... well after hearing the little beats my eyes watered almost instantly ... it is real - I am pregnant afterall! I was so happy to hear it but sad because I went alone ... didn't think anything would really happen at 13 weeks ... well it did and I should have had Jason and Jaden along but now I know! My Dr of course is great ... he said my bood pressure is too high for his comfort level - no surprise to me ... that's why I came off the BC Pill in the 1st place to see if that was affecting my blood pressure. Well it isn't - just natural heriditary thing he said - so I am on a low dose hypertension pill which makes me feel better mentally - he asked me what kind of delivery I was oping for. I said natural, NOT 2 weeks late like the first one and DEFINATELY NOT a 10 pound baby ... he said he'd be surprised if I went full termthis time around especially if the blood pressure becomes an issue ... so here is hoping for a healthy baby no matter what (but secretly I am hoping for a December 30th baby!) Of course the most important thing is healthy ... I go back on July 30th for my next appt and my first Ultrasound (to check the sex too!!!) is August 27th ... so as with EVERY summer the time will fly right on by ... thanks you to everyone who checks in on me and reads all my blabbing - this truly is a great outlet for all my feelings and of course to put things in perspective ...

(ABOVE: Storm from last night - got pretty dark, pretty fast!)
(ABOVE: The Rainbow we saw at the Lake!)
(ABOVE: Jaden says "ROCK ON" while swimming in Prior Lake)
(ABOVE: Jaden & Christina getting ready to watch the Fireworks)
(ABOVE: Jaden watching the Albert Lea Parade!)

(ABOVE: Fetal Development at 13 Weeks)
(ABOVE: Embryo at 13 weeks)

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I hope you all had a Safe and Wonderful 4th of July Holiday. Ours was fun and busy and the weather was picture perfect!! All 3 of us had Thursday and Friday off from daycare and work - that was a nice start to the Holiday Weekend. Thursday all of us - even Harley - headed down to Albert Lea for the Parade. Like I said in my earlier post - it was pretty fun and the Albert Lea parade is pretty great. Friday we happily spent the day in the pool relaxing with the heat and humidity rising. I headed to Wal Mart to grocery shop while Jason and Jaden stayed home swimming. We had a pretty nice day and then decided around 9:00 to walk down to our beach to see the fireworks with our neighbors Jenny - Kevin - Amy and Christina. It was a great idea - no traffic, no crowds - just the sounds of the water laping at the beach and the sky being lit up all around us. Saturday Koz, Sarah and Kendra came over for dinner and to swim. It was really hot and the pool was warm so all went well. Everyone left after smores around 11:30 that night and Jaden had already passed out onthe living room floor! She was pretty tired since she slept until 10:00 Sunday morning - which is really late for her - but we all got to sleep in! Sunday we swam some more since it was already 90 outside at noon - Jolene, Jeff, Hannah and Katie came over to swim later in the afternoon to swim and eat ... it was fun and busy! We had a nice weekend ... I decided to top the weekend off by getting a nasty summertime cold so today I am chewing Halls cough drops and blowing my nose left and right but other than that we are all doing great! Back to work and daycare yesterday ... last night after eating dinner outside we walked to the lake to swim ... the sky looked a little ominous but the rain held out until we got home ... not to mention there was a spectacular rainbow above the lake which just made all of our days! It was huge and really bright! Today I have a Dr's appointment and then we're heading to Perkins since it is Tuesday and Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays! Should be a good time ... so let's move on to Baby#2 progress ...

How Your Baby's Growing: Fingertips have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, his/her veins and organs are clearly visible through his/her still thin skin and his/her body is starting to catch up with his/her head - which makes up just a third of his/her body size now. If you are having a girl she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (about the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nealry an ounce. If you could peek into your womb you may spot your baby practicing inhaling and exhaling movements. The eyes and ears continue to move and develop. Your baby's neck is also getting longer and the chin no longer rests on his/her chest. His/Her hands are becoming more functional and he/she may find it comforting to start playing with his/her fist. Also during this week all nourishment is received from the placenta. At your next Dr's appointment you should be able to hear a heartbeat with a Doppler by now.

How Your Life's Changing: This is the last week of your first trimester and your risk of miscarriage is much lower than earlier in pregnancy. Next week marks the beginning of your second trimester, a time of relative comfort for many women who see early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue subside. More good news: Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift around this time. Birth is still months away but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the nutrient rich fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth before your milk starts to flow is you decide to breastfeed.

Well I am happy once again to report that aside from being tired I have no outward signs that I am even pregnant!!! It is kind of weird to me ... I am not sure what will occur today at my Dr's appointment but I will add to this post once I get back. I guess a libido lift is a good thing right? Poor Jason! Well here is hoping you are all having a great week so far ...

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

(Information obtained from http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-13-weeks_1102.bc)