12 Weeks

Well, I am technically 1 day short of 12 weeks but I skipped week 11 so I thought I'd get back to it today! Baby is the size of a plum at 12 weeks pregnant. The average fetus at 12 weeks is about 2.1 inches long and .49 ounces. Now that baby's got pretty much all his or her important organs, his or her main job is to keep on growing. Baby at 12 weeks is opening and closing his or her fingers and curling toes. And baby’s brain is developing fast!

How far along? 12 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I still haven't replaced the batteries in our home scale. Laziness or intentional blindness? You be the judge.

Sleep? Well, Noemi has been a champion and has been sleeping in her bed all night ALL WEEK. This is amazing and has made a huge difference, especially for Jay, who very kindly has been the one to go down to her bed at night when she wakes up. I think that Joaquin offering to sleep in her bed with her has been making a big difference. The two of them in the queen sized bed is just too cute and I love seeing Joaquin be such a caring big brother to his little sister when she is scared. As for me, sleep has been fine but I am starting to wake up with a sore back from the awkward positions already, so this may be a long few months.

Best moment this week? Jay and I had a great date at a newish restaurant on Balboa Island called Royal Hen. I still can't decide if my favorite dish was the pate with cherry compote, the zesty arugula and brussel sprouts caesar, my short ribs or the banana/chocolate heaven that was our dessert. Plus we ran into friends while there!

Movement: Just a few more weeks for this!

Food cravings: Pepperoncinis. Right from the jar. I'm serious.

What I miss? RED WINE. For a couple weeks it sounded gross but now it sounds like a little glass of heaven.

What I am looking forward to? Saturday. We are marching in the Women's March in Santa Ana. I am absolutely not looking forward to tomorrow's inauguration but I am glad that we will be part of the visible resistance to the many misogynistic and otherwise contemptable things our next President (ugh, do I have to say that?!) has said and done. Plus my shirt is awesome. It says "Keep Your Tiny Hands Off My Human Rights." Nothing like being a pregnant lady to really reflect on that one.

Milestones: Everyone at work knows now. That's always an interesting conversation but it is what it is. I could write a novel on all of the ways being a mom impacts a career but truly the biggest impact is during pregnancy and, obviously, maternity leave. While my employer is absolutely supportive, it is hard not to think about the fact that this may slow down my professional progress in a way that a man would never understand.

What I'm nervous about: Nothing. Truly. I am really enjoying not worrying about this pregnancy in the ways I did with Joaquin and Noemi. I was a ball of nerves my entire pregnancy with Joaquin; completely convinced that something could go wrong at any minute. I felt similarly nervous with Noemi, just to a slightly lesser extent. I think having a miscarriage before each of those pregnancies was incredibly difficult and created a lot of strain. This time I am not worried. Of course, there are no guarantees that nothing will go wrong, but after having two healthy babies the odds are in favor of relatively smooth sailing. In any event, worrying doesn't help anything and can in fact cause some complications. Maybe it's being older and wiser or maybe it's part of the natural letting go that happens when you have kids and realize that you can control everything, but whatever it is, it's definitely serving me well in this process.