Here, I shared our pregnancy announcement and documented weeks 4-8 of pregnancy! Now weeks 9-13 have gone by — our first trimester is complete — and I’m excited to share more about my experiences!

Week 9 of Pregnancy

In Week 9, my dear friend Tarah of Tarah Elise Photography kindly came to our house to capture some maternity photos for us! Even through experiencing our ultrasound in Week 7 and our maternity photos in Week 9, pregnancy still feels surreal.

In Week 9, my food cravings and aversions were so strong. Cravings: Oranges, apples, watermelon, yogurt, and truly anything sweet. Aversions: Practically everything else! We use Purple Carrot for meal delivery, which has been helpful in encouraging me to keep eating a variety of vegetables and whole grains. Otherwise, I think I’d live off of fruit for my entire pregnancy! Truly. 😂

Week 10 of Pregnancy

While I’ve had bloating since Week 4, Week 10 marked the official appearance of a somewhat-baby-bump! My pregnancy symptoms had come and gone in weeks prior, but Week 10 marked a little less nausea and a little less exhaustion. We celebrated Thanksgiving with family, which was really fun and relaxing.

How We Told Our Family

We finally shared our pregnancy with our family, too! We set up a tripod to take a family picture, but really, we were taking a video. Then, we asked everyone to say “Turkey!” but Ben and I said “We’re having a baby!” I’m really happy we have everyone’s reactions on video, because everyone reacted so hilariously! 🤪 The best part about Thanksgiving was, of course, being with family and being able to celebrate together. The worst part about Thanksgiving was, apparently, I no longer like any Thanksgiving foods thanks to food aversions.

Week 11 of Pregnancy

On Friday of Week 10, we returned from a few days in southeastern Wisconsin where we celebrated Thanksgiving. We had a relaxing weekend at home in Minnesota, and it was really nice to begin Week 11 well-rested and with our house decorated for Christmas.

During Week 11, I tried to get accustomed to listening to my body and resting as much as needed. The truth is, no amount of resting feels like quite enough 😅 but I have been reminding myself to go easy on myself; growing a person is hard work! We ended Week 11 with a check-up — and we got to hear our baby’s heartbeat… 150 beats per minute! It was awesome.

Week 12 of Pregnancy

On Monday of Week 12, Ben and I had our 12-week ultrasound. Over these past 8 weeks, I’ve read about how long the wait between appointments can feel… and I completely agree! Even with all of the apps and books available to help you track your pregnancy, there is something so relieving about seeing your actual baby and knowing they are progressing the way they should.

Our ultrasound on Monday was simply amazing; I looked over at Ben, and I don’t think he blinked for the entire appointment! 🤪 We were both taken aback by how much “Teeny” looks like a baby now; we were able to clearly see their tiny fingers, arms, and legs. Thankfully, everything looked good, and we left our appointment with a lot more peace of mind.

Week 13 of Pregnancy

Week 13 of pregnancy was memorable! Understanding we didn’t want to know the gender of our baby until delivery, our doctor’s office told us we should wait for the results of our genetic tests to be delivered via email from our doctor’s office, rather than via a third-party. (That way, our doctor’s office could remove the gender from the results provided by the third-party.) So, we followed their directions. Then, I received the results from our doctor’s office (Baby is perfectly healthy!) and our baby’s gender was included! 🤪

Knowing I can’t keep a secret from Ben for 2 minutes, let alone 6 months, with his blessing, I created a gender reveal scavenger hunt for him so I could try and create a special experience for him! It was really fun to do — and fun to see his reaction! We ended Week 13 with lots of holiday season fun — watching all of our favorite holiday movies, going to the Mall of America, going to the European Christmas Market in Saint Paul, and having an “ugly sweater” board game night with friends. (We made these vegan stuffed shells and this vegan cornbread — and both turned out to be delicious recipes!)

Now, I’m so truly excited and relieved our first trimester is officially complete! I’m really hopeful I’ll turn a corner with regards to nausea and exhaustion in the coming weeks.

More Motherhood Posts

I’m sharing more about our journey in my Motherhood category. There, I’m gathering up my favorite resources and documenting pregnancy week by week!