Dear Hop Hop,

Hello little one! This is my first of many letters to you! You have no idea how excited we are that you are growing so strong in my belly. I wish I could tell you how long we have waited for you, and although we have a lot longer to go, just knowing that each day you are getting bigger and bigger in my new growing belly makes me smile.

You big brother can’t wait to meet you either. He always asks if “the baby” can come with us. To that I remind him that you will always go wherever I go. He talks to you all the time too. I hope that someday you get to know his voice like you will get to know mine and daddy’s.

I am not going to lie. Thus far you haven’t been so nice to your mom. You terrified me in the beginning by sucking all of my progesterone, and then you caused mommy to spot which made me even more nervous than I already was. Although I thank you for not actually making me throw up, I will say that I have been feeling pretty crappy thus far. But I’m not going to lie…I will take anything you give me because that means that you are really there. Sometimes it is still hard to believe, but it’s true…you are my baby.

I wish I could share some craving but so far I haven’t wanted much food at all. I haven’t even gained any weight because eating is a chore and makes me feel sick. I am ready to chow down and eat random things! Isn’t that the fun part of being pregnant? I am ready for that time. The doctor said I should start feeling better soon. I have been having more good days so that is positive. I am hoping we are on the upswing now. It’s time for the fun to begin!

Being that your big brother still naps I do too. I take advantage of that regularly. I know once you are here those days are over. Running after your big brother makes being pregnant this time so much different. I am taking it easy as much as I can, and I am vowing to enjoy being pregnant with you as much as possible!

I can’t even explain how happy and excited I am to be your mommy. I will do everything I can to keep you safe now and always. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us. Such an adventure!

Hop Hop 14 Weeks

This week’s big developments: 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. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he’ll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you’re having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby’s stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body’s growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that’s in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He’s starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby’s liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it’s doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can’t feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist’s hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.