Fetus-hood

I'm 9 weeks and 1 day today :) Yesterday was really funny, I'm a member of the "BabyBump" app and it requires an email. I've gotten quite a few really useful emails from them since I signed up, but yesterday's was just cute and funny.

It said:
"Baby's now the size of a green olive!
Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like...well...a baby!" 

I just thought that was so awesome! It's crazy to know that there is actually something living inside of me now. Not just a bunch of cells forming into something, it's an actual baby! Baby bump has really helped a lot, there are so many women on the forums that help each other out with everything you can think of. Any doubt you have in your mind you can ask and SOMEONE has been through it or has an answer to help you through it. The app has also sent me emails that I'm really glad I received. For instance, it told me that health insurance companies now have to at least help you pay for a breast pump, if not cover the entire cost. It has to be from a medical supply company though, and based on my area code baby bump located one near me, gave me the name, address and phone number for it! Once I'm 12 weeks I'm going to call them. That is one thing that I have definitely learned we need to invest in. Especially if I'm going to stay working. I want my baby breast fed, even if I can't actually breast feed, I want him/her drinking breast milk. So pumping would be the only option. I've also read several blogs where women start pumping almost right away and have pumped enough milk that by 11 weeks post partum, they have enough milk to feed the baby past their first birthday. Obviously everyone is different, there are complications, or things just don't work out. But I'd really like to do that if I'm going back to work, it would make my life so much easier. And if that's the case, I'm going to need a REALLY good pump. Preferably a hands free one which are close to $400! Ahhh.

My first appointment is less than a week away and I'm getting very anxious. I can't wait to see an actual picture of how things are going in there! I'm even more excited to hear the heart beat. It'll bring such relief once we hear it. I think once I hear it things will start feeling real. Not that they don't already, but then I will feel less doubt, I'll feel like this pregnancy has truly and actually started. Then once 12 weeks comes around I can start buying things little by little. I can't wait for that part! :)

I have been keeping up with weekly pictures, but have also decided that I want to do monthly pictures. I went on Etsy and found a really cool thing called "belly buttons." It's really cute designed stickers that you can stick on your belly or clothes while taking a picture. It has every month (in weeks, so 2 months would be 8 weeks) all the way up until 40 weeks. I bought the larger ones because they're easier to see from further away. These are them:

I haven't decided if I'm actually going to stick them to me, or punch a hole through the top of it and put a blue and pink ribbon through it, and tie it around the top of my belly. I found a really cute picture on pinterest of how I want it to look but with the stickers I bought:

I think that would be really cute, but with my face and everything in it. We'll see!