Nine weeks and five days: nearly the size of a Brazil nut

All in all, it's been a pretty uneventful week. I've got rolling nausea, and it has become worse, but I haven't been sick at all. My lower back hurts at times, and I'm having some trouble finding a comfortable way to sleep - which doesn't stop me from falling asleep all the time!

We've announced the news to my larger family - it's the first great-grandchild on this side, so everyone's excited. A couple of my aunts had fertility difficulties of their own, so they've been particularly understanding of my anxieties. Also, my grandmother and aunt (mum's sister) both said they had relatively mild morning sickness, which really seems to be my case as well.

However, my sensitivity to smell remains. I went into the city to do Christmas shopping and could smell every horrible smell around. Then when the across road neighbours decided no party was complete without burnouts, the smell of burning rubber was absolutely horrendous.

Monday makes ten weeks, which is the week where the embryo becomes a foetus. It's also the week I turn 30, so maybe we should have a joint party. It's amazing reading about the development and seeing how much building is going on in there.

I've started reading about what do do with infants. Some of the books have been great, but very hetero-normative, which irks me. Others have some good information, but go over the top on the ultra-natural thing.

I've begun crocheting for the baby now (well once I finished booties with monster claws for a friend). So far I've finished a monkey hat and I'm 3/4 way through a baby blanket. We're not finding out the sex of the baby, but I'm refusing to use just 'neutral' colours. I do take great delight in using pink and blue together, since I love both colours.

Well, I think that's all for this very disjointed update. Hope everyone has a great Christmas/holiday :)

Eight week and six days: About the size of a martini olive . . .

-The biggest news of this week is that we've seen the baby! We went in on Wednesday morning to our fertility specialist and I had yet another internal ultrasound. M. came in (he declares that he could pick the baby straight away). The doctor quickly showed us the baby's (massive) head, and then pointed out a wonderful sight - a tiny, beating heart. We also got to see the arm, and the spine of the baby and we have our own print out picture that I like to stare at for hours.

-The doctor also told me to finish my pack of progesterone and that would be it for IVF medication. I had the last one on Friday! So happy to be done with all those unnatural hormones. He also said my ovaries were as normal as expected from an IVF conception.

-General consensus seems to be calling the baby 'junior' or 'turtle' because of the number of eggs we got during the egg pickup.

-The nausea has well and truly kicked in. Some days are worse than others, but the lists of smells I can no longer stand seems endless! Other than that, I think I might almost graze a b cup with my breasts, now; and I am incredibly, bone weary tired.

7 weeks and 6 days. Around the size of the diamond on Nicole Richie's engagement ring . . .

Long time, no post. Mostly because I've been finishing up at one job, plus going away on a retreat for another. The retreat was interesting because no one knows I'm pregnant there yet (waiting for the second trimester), so I couldn't explain things away when I felt off. Also, making sure I could eat the food was kind of special. Luckily the nausea was kind to me, as long as I kept away from the cooked mushrooms.

Most of my nausea is smell related. Mushrooms, coffee, chocolate and cheese toast from Sizzlers (darn) are out. Mashed potatoes, Gouda cheese, jelly lollies and almost any red meat are in. I can handle tea, but that's it for hot drinks, cold drinks are fine as long as they aren't too fizzy or milk based. So, world's most boring diet. (Also, if you're going to serve me tomatoes, they'd better be fresh because I can taste when they're not)

Tiredness is my life at the moment. M. regularly wakes me up when I fall asleep on the couch, and some tasks leave me zombie like. Probably because this week the embryo has (hopefully) doubled in size. Then there's the time spent staring at my now noticeable breasts (exciting when you start with a small A cup)

Wednesday is the day for our first scan, and therefore the first hurdle for my anxiety to get over ( well after the anxiety of going for fertility treatment, choosing ivf, giving myself injections and going through the egg retrieval). If all is well then, we may be able to look at telling less immediate family for Christmas.

Meanwhile, my baby stash grows. Mostly because I'm leaving my job and people want to give me a gift while they can. I look at them as gifts of love, and know that even if something goes wrong, I'll out them aside for later, knowing they were given with love and will be used with love eventually.