Baby update

The picture to the left is a fetus at 10 weeks and I am exactly 10 weeks on Monday. The heart, brain and vocal cords are complete and the eyelids cover the eyes. It is amazing how the fetus already looks like a baby. I have a magazine called "As your baby grows: From conception to birth" and it tells you month-by-month what is going on. I am going to buy a book at Target that is more like a journal and it tells you day by day how the fetus is growing as well as what the mother can expect physically. The magazine says by the first half of the third month, all your baby's internal parts are present, even if they are minute and immature. Some of the intestines form outside the baby's body, within the umbilical cord, because for the time being the abdomen is too small to hold them all. They will move entirely into the abdomen next month. The kidneys are working and starting to produce urine, which the baby excretes into the amniotic fluid. Right now, there's only about an ounce of amniotic fluid. The fluid is clear and slightly yellow and contains water, some nutrients, and a few skin cells. Later, as the baby continues to grow, amniotic fluid is made up mostly of fetus urine. The urine doesn't bother the baby. Bones and muscles are starting to form to surround and support the tiny, fragile organs. The ribs and backbone are soft and pliable. It says, if you could peer into the womb, you could see these changes occurring because the baby's skin is nearly transparent. The baby's external parts are taking shape and the lips are formed and can open and close. The maginzine says the tenth week is a landmark in your baby's development. This is the last week "she" (in the magazine it always refers to the baby as a "he" so I am changing it to a "she") will be called an embryo; next week she officially becomes a fetus, which means that all the parts it needs for life have formed, even though it couldn't yet live on it's own.

Well, I just thought I would document what is going on right now with the baby's growth. I also want to write about how I feel at this stage since this is a journal for me. I feel really blessed to feel how I do. I feel sick every morning and a few times throughout the day but I can live with it. So far I have thrown up only a few times but I dry-heave, or have the feeling I am going to, several times a day. Whenever I get hungry, which is too much for my liking, I start to feel upset to my stomach and the dry-heaving sensation starts to happen. I start to cough and gag and it goes from there. It is a gut-wrenching experience. Everytime I brush my teeth I try to brush my tongue and I always gag myself. I am really blessed to just feel like this because I know some women can't keep anything down and they are miserable. I have to work up until the baby is born so I hope it stays this way, which I think it will because the first few months is usually when you feel sick. The thing that gets me is how tired I am. Every morning when I wake up I think about calling into work because I can't move. I feel so tired, but once I am up I am fine. When I get home if I need to get something done I have to do it before I lay down or it is not going to happen. People say you are so exhausted the first few months, but it does get a little better. I always say that the baby is "sucking me dry". It really takes everything from you - your nutrients and energy - because it is working so hard to grow.

Yesterday we told all the Goodman kids that we were having a baby. It was really neat to hear all of their reactions because they were all every excited since this is the first time something like this has happened to them. They are going to be uncles! When we called Brett we told him he was going to be an uncle and he started yelling and said no way are you serious. He was really excited and thought that was neat. Joel as well was every excited and kept on asking if we were serious and he was very interested in the process of what is going on with the baby. He said he had never felt this way before and was excited for this new experience. When we told Seth and Katie, Seth said (like everyone else) "no way are you serious" and then Katie said "what did you say?" I don't think she heard when we told Seth, so when we told her she started screaming and said that is so exciting. The reactions from everyone was really neat. The only one that does know yet is Joy because we still want to keep it a secret for a little bit and we aren't sure that Joy can do that. We will tell her in a few weeks most likely.

On Monday I am going to tell the people at the office with a cake. The cake is going to say "Dr. Goodman is going to be a grandpa" and I will leave it on the breakroom table and everyone will see it. I will tell people that I made a cake if they want some and tell them to go see it. I really think people will be surprised. I am telling them so early because I think the word got out and it is my secret to tell, so I am going to tell everyone before it filters through the office. Today I am going to Costco to see what their cakes cost and what designs they have. I hope they have something that I will like.