I’m a couple days late on this post, but I assure you, I’m still 14 weeks pregnant. 
I’ve just been busy playing and enjoying my last few days before school and work starts back up again.
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Baby
So, what’s happening inside my womb this week?
“Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another… From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.” [Source]
At last week’s appointment with our midwife, we were able to see first hand what a lemon-sized baby looks like. Our midwife has a ceramic replica of the typical size of a 13/14 week old baby – complete with umbilical cord – and it was special to place that replica next to my belly. There really is a lot happening in there!
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Momma
[Note the cat. Her family had to move away for 6 months and she’s adopted us.]
I feel like I’ve reached the “honeymoon” stage of the pregnancy. The nausea has almost completely subsided, I’m no longer incapacitated with fatigue every afternoon, and I’m able to cook and eat leftovers [!]. Of course, because I’m now feeling so good [and can’t yet feel the baby] I sometimes worry that everything’s okay in there. I know it seems strange, but still sometimes think to myself, Maybe I’m not really pregnant. But then I listen to our recording of the baby’s heartbeat and it all comes back to me: Everything is just as it should be.
Speaking of the heartbeat, our midwife went to find baby’s heartbeat at last week’s appointment and she couldn’t [which I panicked about for a minute, but it’s nothing to worry about]. There were three lines on the doppler, which means there’s definitely a baby in there, but she said it sounded like my placenta was in front of the baby at the moment. We got to listen to my placenta – which sounded pretty much just like my heartbeat – and she said it sounds very healthy, pulsating strongly [a weaker placenta will often have a higher pitch on the doppler].
A few randoms for this week:
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Current cravings [which seems to be the #1 question I’m asked now that I’m pregnant]: ice-cold fruit, hot chocolate, banana buckwheat pancakes, Spider solitaire.
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Current aversions: strong smells in the kitchen, perfume.
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Emotional breakdowns in the market: one, while shopping alone, looking at salsa. Let the hormones begin.
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Family discussions at the moment: circumcision [because we won’t be finding out the sex, we’ll need to be prepared]
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Current weight gained: about half a pound up since conception, but definitely feeling the shift from muscle to fat. My midwife and I had a really great talk about how much I feel comfortable gaining during my pregnancy – and how to go about the gaining issue in a manner that’s healthy for both me and the baby – yet another reason I’m so glad to have her.
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Workouts this week: 5! And feeling good! Three at-home weight training sessions [which kicked my butt], a TurboKick class at the gym, one at home, and a beach workout. Next week I start teaching TurboKick again, so I need to be on top of my game. It helps to have more energy again!
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Most nervous about: starting school and work again in a few days. I hope I can keep up with an over-loaded semester, the kickboxing classes, and all the clients with severe mental illnesses. I’ve also got the NASM Personal Trainer certification test to take this month…
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Most excited for: the baby bump that seems to be showing up already!
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Baby items bought so far: Zero. I’ve promised not to purchase anything for the baby until at least the 3rd trimester because we’re not big consumers and because I know we’ll be over our heads with baby stuff once the time comes. But I’ll be honest: it’s really hard not to buy things like this:
[It’s even unisex!]
We did get our first baby present this past week – a homemade blanket and embroidered baby tee from our good friend Stu and his ‘ohana.
[they’re so cute I can barely stand it]
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Pr
evious Hapai Posts:
Our Journey to Becoming Hapai – Part I
Our Journey to Becoming Hapai – Part II
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Aloha Pumehana. Whether you’re here to find balance, wholesome recipes or inspiration, I hope you enjoy the posts. Please subscribe to Green Plate Dinners to receive automatic updates and be the first to read new posts for free!
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You should check out the Maui Mama local paper for baby stuff, as well as mommy information. There is also a big upcountry mom’s group that trades stuff. When their baby outgrows something it moves onto the next. If you’re not into consumerism this is a great way to keep your footprint down. It’s also a nice way to meet other women who have been where you are and who you could do play dates with later on down the line. If you’re interest I could get you some contact information.
Ahhh…that Maui Moa outfit is so cute! Maybe I can find you something on Kauai… 😉