13 Weeks

Dear Baby Dickinson,

We had a busy week! We went to a Wounded Warrior Project dinner Monday night. We met a man named Mark Leonard with the Arkansas Freedom Fund, and they're going to loan Daddy an adaptive bicycle for an extended period of time. That is a dream come true!

We got our house listed, and it sold the first day! We went through a few days of negotiations, but the offer came in the first day.

Yesterday we took Connor bowling at the Air Base. It is such a good deal to go bowling there. I can't wait to go with you someday!

We are on the hunt for a new house. We found one we LOVE in the Wildwood subdivision. We put an offer on it, but there is already one other offer on it. We're waiting to hear back. Whatever house we end up with is where you will begin your life, so this is a big deal. This one has a nice pool and a huge fenced in back yard, though, so we are really hoping for it.

I'm feeling good lately. It makes it so hard to not lift things and do activities I shouldn't. I took pics this week about midway through the week (at 12.5 weeks) and today (at 13 weeks).

I had my first weird craving this week... cottage cheese with pickles. Boy did it hit the spot once I ate it, though!

You are now the size of a peach... about 2.9 inches long and weighing about 0.81 ounces. Your body is looking more proportionate. Your head is now about 1/3 the size of your body. You're forming vocal cords and teeth, and you already have fingerprints. Your intestines are moving from your umbilical cord to your tummy.

We get to go back to the doctor this week and hear your heartbeat again. I am so excited! We'll see if Daddy or I can get through it without crying. We haven't yet. :-)

I Love You!!
Momma

12 Weeks

Dear Baby Dickinson,

Today is Father's Day. It's so awesome to be able to give your Daddy a Father's Day gift from you. We went to church this morning, and then we drove up to Newport afterward to see Dandy for Father's Day. We were going to head on up to Paragould to see Papa, but he knew how much we had to get done to our house in Vilonia, so he told us he would see us later in the week to celebrate Father's Day and we could go on back to get some work done on our house. So we headed on back and got a lot of work done to the patio. We even conned Connor into working on it some... but that lasted all of about 10 minutes. :-)

We finally got to a point where we couldn't do anymore without more supplies, so Daddy decided we needed to build an outdoor table out of shipping pallets. I started helping him, but we were nervous about me ingesting chemicals. So he did the rest by himself. It turned out really good.

I helped Connor make a candy bar for his stepdad, Barrett, for Father's Day. I love doing those things with Connor, and I know it makes him feel good to always have homemade gifts for his mom and stepdad at all holidays.

I was able to get back to jogging this week. It felt so good! I go much slower than normal, I don't run as far as normal, and I run with a much shorter stride than normal, but I still do it! I just want to shout to the neighbors "I'm Pregnant!" though because that bump is showing up!

You are now the size of a plum... about 2.1 inches long and 0.49 ounces. Most of your critical systems are fully formed. You're developing your reflexes. If I poke you, you will move. I still can't feel it, though. Your brain is developing fast, and you're opening and closing your fingers and curling your toes. I can't wait to kiss those little toes!

I Love You!!
Momma

11 Weeks

Dear Baby Dickinson,

My body is definitely changing. I bought my first pair of maternity pants Friday. I'm not really "showing" yet, but I've gained enough weight and my hips have widened enough that I needed some more forgiving pants. I had coffee with Elena Taff Friday, and she convinced me to try a Belly Band. I got one at Target, and it really is cool. I think it will help a lot through the first half of the pregnancy.

Your Nucle Zac got to work with Magic Johnson Friday. I think that is so stinking cool! I loved Magic Johnson when he played for the Lakers!

Daddy and I ate at Cajun's Wharf in Little Rock on the river Friday. It was a very nice date night. It was a little difficult to not share Daddy's Ahi Tuna with him, but it's so worth it to keep you healthy.

I'm really starting to feel much better. I'm definitely not feeling like I do when I'm not pregnant, but I'm getting better. I hope to get back to running soon.

You have now reached the size of a lime... about 1.6 inches long from crown to rump, and you weigh about 0.25 ounces. Your head is about the same size as the whole rest of your body. Your skin is see-through, but you're looking more and more like a baby all the time. Your fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and your tooth buds, hair follicles, and nail beds are forming. It's so exciting to think about how much you are growing and changing in my belly.

I Love You!!
Momma

10 Weeks

Dear Baby Dickinson,

We made it Facebook official this week! We went back to the doctor Thursday. We got to hear your heartbeat. The nurse practitioner was able to find it immediately. It was a whopping 177 beats per minute! I weighed 129 lbs., so the weight gaining has begun. My blood pressure was 118/70. Everything looked good, and they believed you were very healthy, so we couldn't keep you a secret any longer. We decided it was time to share you with the world. We received an overwhelming response of support from people on Facebook. It's been fun!

The guy came to look at the house. He liked it, but we haven't heard anything back from him. I'm kinda thinking he won't end up getting it. We have decided to list it with that agent, Kelly Tedder, instead of doing it ourselves like we had originally planned, though. We still have more to get done before she lists it, but it will be soon. It's really looking good.

Tonight I enjoyed our back deck for awhile while we still have it. It was so nice. I poured some organic sparkling apple juice in a wine glass, turned on my Kindle, propped up my feet, looked out through the woods at the beautiful horizon, and listened to the rolling thunder in the background. It was so nice and relaxing. I couldn't help but think of you the whole time.

You're now 10 weeks. You're the size of a prune... about 1.2 inches long and 0.14 ounces. You have working arm joints, and your cartilage and bones are forming. Your vital organs are fully developed and they're starting to function. Your fingernails and hair are starting to appear, and you're swallowing and kicking. I can't feel your kicks yet, but I CAN'T WAIT until I can!!

I Love You!!
Momma