Dear Baby: 20

Dear Baby,

Here is what I have been craving lately:

1. Salad with blue cheese dressing
2. Sushi
3. Johnny’s tacos

Dear Baby: 19

Dear Baby,

Here is an update on the places you’ve already been:

1. California – again, this time Santa Barbara, LA, and Ojai
2. Neveda – Las Vegas

Dear Baby: 18

Dear Baby,

Here are some things I have eaten since I’ve been pregnant that are on the “DO NOT EAT” list:

1. Sushi
2. Prosciutto
3. Wine
4. Over easy eggs
5. Medium rare red meat
6. Blue cheese

Dear Baby: 17

Belly at 15 weeks 1 day. Grandma Linda thinks there's triplets in there because it is already quite a bump!

Dear Baby: 16

Dear Baby,

This is what Madame Zaritska birth experience and gender predictor has to say about you:

The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 16 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 11 pounds, 12 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have dark green eyes and fluffy brown hair.

It will be interesting to see if any of that is true!

Dear Baby: 15

Dear Baby,

Grandma Linda thinks there are three of you in my belly because she can't believe that I already have a little bump!

Dear Baby: 14

Dear Baby,

We had a bit of a scare with you on Thursday evening. I had been working on that laundry pile diligently all day long, and Grandma Sheila was there helping me. I had some period like cramping the night before and a little throughout the day, but associated it with normal pregnancy growing pains. Then, around 5:30 on Thursday afternoon I started bleeding. This was scary. I knew bleeding was normal, and probably meant nothing, but the fact that I hadn't bled at all so far during the pregnancy coupled with the fact that I had cramping scared me. Luckily Grandma Sheila was there to keep me calm and tell me what to do. So, I called my doctor, the office was closed, so I called Women's Triage which is a special emergency room for pregnant women. I talked to the midwife and she advised it was probably nothing, but that I should come in so they could examine me and confirm there was nothing wrong. Your dad was about an hour away playing volleyball and I didn't want to go without him, but also knew he doesn't answer his phone while he's playing. So, I called him about ten times hoping he would check his phone at some point and get the message that he needed to call me. He did.

He stopped playing and came home right away. Grandma Sheila packed some food for all of us because we all know how the emergency room can be. Once your papa got home, we headed to the hospital. Being able to go to the special Women's Triage was SO much better than normal emergency! We checked in, they brought me back, and we saw a nurse right away. After the nurse took my vitals, the midwife came in and talked to us, and then went to get the doppler so we could listen to your heartbeat. They put the doppler on my belly and it took a few minutes (your papa was a little scared during this time) to find your heartbeat, but they finally did and it was beating 170 beats per minute! Once they found your heartbeat and determined that you were fine, they did an exam and concluded that I had a subchorionic hematoma.

That's a big word, let's break it down: Subchorionic hematoma (also known as subchorionic hemorrhage or subchorionic bleeding) is a pool of blood clot that resides between the membrane of the placenta (chorion) and the wall of the uterus. The clot is typically the result of bleeding that occurs when only the placental margin of the chorion is separated from the uterine wall. You can read more here. The midwife said that this happens, and that I would bleed some more, but that everything was fine. What a relief!

Dear Baby: 13

Dear Baby,

Most people who know about you think you will be a boy.

Dear Baby: 12

Dear Baby,

Here's how my eating habits have changed since you've been with me:

1. In the early weeks of my pregnancy all I wanted was homemade ranch dressing.
2. Also in the early weeks of pregnancy if I didn't eat every two hours or so I would be overcome with nausea.
   
3. I can't stomach the thought of squash. This is especially funny because your dad and I belong to a farm and get vegetables each week, and each week there has been tons of squash. Normally I would eat it all up, now, squash has been nicknamed "that which cannot be said".
4. For weeks 6ish through 10ish I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese - from the box. The organic, no trans fat kind of course.
5. I can't seem to get enough dairy. Mostly cheese and yogurt.
   
6. I have lost my sweet tooth. I'll eat sweet things and they will taste pretty good, but my passion for sweets is no longer.
7. Your dad can no longer successfully predict what I would like to eat for dinner. This is making him a better chef.
8. I put powdered sugar on a grilled cheese sandwich. Delicious, although your dad said "you must be pregnant or something".
9. Pickles are delicious, although I always think pickles are delicious.
10. If I'm craving something, once I eat it, I can't stand the thought of it any longer - this makes it hard to eat left overs.
11. If I smell something that is strong to me my gag reflex starts to activate.
12. I eat a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast every morning, this is after the yogurt of course.
    

Dear Baby: 11

Dear Baby,

This is what happens during the first trimester of pregnancy: