12 Weeks, Maternity Pants, and First Cloth Diapers!

So 12 weeks has come and gone.  I'm just starting to get a little bitty bump - more noticeable if my shirt is tight or my belly is bare, but it's definitely there.  :-D  I also gave in last weekend and got myself some maternity pants.  I wavered between the idea of getting a belly band - stretchy fabric made to go over your pants to basically hide the fact that you're not buttoning them, etc and keep you in them a bit longer - but really that just wasn't something i'm comfortable with and honestly i think since they're visible it's really more of a giveaway in the case of work.  I mean who's gonna think I'm just wearing the SAME black tank every day ya know?  lol..  and the other option was buying pants in a larger size, but really the probably was with my expanding belly area just being an uncomfortable place for pants to cut into.  I was able to get maternity pants that will fit me now, and barring a huge body weight gain in legs and butt, should fit me through the rest of my pregnancy and after as well.  This seemed like the better investment to me.  I was admittedly a bit uncertain about the panels in maternity pants at first, but after trying some on in the store I was completely convinced.  All 3 pairs I got are infinitely more comfy than any of my other pants at this point.  So there you have it.  Some of my other pants I couldn't wear at all, others I could squeeze into but they were varying stages of uncomfortable - particularly as most of my day at work is spent sitting.  One thing about the maternity pants is that they allow my belly to buldge more than my other pants did - which kind of 'muffin-topped' things more.  I'm wearing the mat pants in this picture and I think it adds to the belly you see because it's just kinda doing its thing rather than being all constricted/confined etc.

So what's up with baby this week you're wondering?  Now that all the major organs are formed, there isn't much left to form.  Both liver and pancreas have started to function, pituitary gland has started creating hormones, and baby develops reflexes!  Vocal cords are also developing and the brain is now fully developed.  Baby can be seen (sort of) in this picture here sucking its itty bitty thumb even!  Eyelids are now fully formed and eyes will remain closed until the 7th month to protect the developing optic...bits.  lol.

We scheduled our ERA - Early Risk Assessment test - for this coming Friday November 20th.  It will involve meeting with a genetic counselor, some (MORE) bloodwork, and an NT scan which is I believe a higher resolution ultrasound that will allow the specially trained techs to measure the nuchal translucency at the back of the neck which can be a tip-off to genetic abnormalities or things like Down's, etc.  Hopefully this assessment will show that everything is as it should be with our little bean and will be a nice chance for us to get to see him or her again!  I've heard there is a chance that the tech might be able to make a guess at gender at this point - at the appointment I'll be 13w3d (last day of 1st tri!!!).  I'm hoping this is the case.  I'd love a guess by someone who has something they're going on.  I had a dream last night that I had a little girl and she looked just like me...but then at some point in the dream she turned into a kitten...so I doubt that's anything to go on.. lol.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up for a good guess though because I know it's not as reliable for another month or so.  Fingers crossed all the same.  :-)  The following Monday, November 23rd, we have our next midwife appointment where we should get to actually HEAR the heartbeat with the dopplar (which we weren't able to do at our last appt because of my tipped uterus).  And that will be super exciting.

This week we also received our first order of "fluffy mail"!  I scored a great deal on some gently used Kissaluv Size 0 fitted diapers (KL0's) from a mama on Craigslist and they arrived yesterday.  They are *so* cute and soft and cuddly.  These diapers (fitteds) will require a cover as they do not include a waterproofed outer.  Pictures of those to come when they arrive.  I can't stop looking at these little squishy diapers and thinking how tiny they are and what it will be like to put our own little baby's bum in them.  Jeff is still skeptical on the whole cloth diapering thing, but especially with the deals that I've scored so far, he seems, at the very least, to be coming around to seeing the cost savings involved.  I know many many mamas that cloth diaper (CD) and promise me that they would not continue if they didn't love doing it for their babies and if it was truly an immense amount of work.  I am looking forward to joining them and being able to help show other new mothers that it's definitely doable.  When I started to think about HOW MANY disposable diapers go on a baby, and then into landfills where they will stay forever leaching chemicals into our planet...it's just SO MANY.  It's always more work to wash something rather than throw it away and get a new one, but I believe that the extra work will be minimal, and that it will be more than worth it to us both financially and personally in the end.  :-)