Nearly 16 weeks - wow

Didn't have a chance to take my every-five-weeks picture, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Don't think one week will make a difference, though, at least picture-wise.

Finally bought some new shirts and pants. Shirts because my chest wasn't fitting into my work clothes that well, and pants because when you spend a lot of the day bent over double with tiny kids, you need something non-binding at the waist!

Hubby found some great Gap "barely showing" jeans that, when I wore them yesterday, sent the women here a-flutter. They couldn't believe how cute the pants were. They averred that when they were pregnant 1-3 years ago, they didn't have cute jeans like that! I also got some olive green cargo-like pants. Hubby is happy that they're not "mom pants" and that they have style. :)

I still feel like I'm not a grown-up yet. Being a mom will be even weirder.

14-and-a-half weeks and counting...

Finally ate (cooked) zucchini for the first time in, oh, about eight weeks. Last night. Have had an aversion to it since about Week 6, when I went all psycho on... Oh God, I feel the bile rising and that weird twitchiness in my throat just thinking about it... wheat pitas with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and raw zucchini.

Oh my God my eyes are watering. I can't believe I didn't throw up typing that (much less admitting it). Ugh. So when people ask if I have any aversions... it's raw zucchini. But the cooked ones last night weren't too bad, although I'd rather not think about it.

Okay, I need to go get some juice or something. That zucchini story put me over the edge. Bleh.

P.S. Tummy is starting to show...

P.S. 2: Time for the Baby Ticker again....

Approaching 14 Weeks

And all's clear. ;) Last Thursday, went to doctor for checkup and to hear heartbeat. Hubby came with. (I told him that I'd be fine going to most appts. by myself, but would tell him if a "meaningful" appt. was planned so he could attend.)

The doc moved the Doppler around my abdomen. Nothing. Just as I thought - I couldn't really have been pregnant this whole time. I was just getting fat. And tired and hungry. For no reason.

The Doppler heard my thoughts and replied, "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Then the doc said, "Oh- there it is!"

I strained to listen: "Ftftftftftftftftftftftft."

My husband leaned forward. "I can't hear it."

Fetus replied, "Ftftftftftftftftftftftft."

158 bpm, totally normal.

And that's when I realized, "OH MY GOD there's actually something in there." It's like a swallowed a little mouse or something and it's been living in my stomach. Weird. It really is. Can't believe there's something alive in there. It's like something out of "Alien", but it's real life. Wow.

No ultrasound until Dec. 23. Will definitely find out sex of baby. (Told my mom, "Not 'gender' - gender is a social construct!") People say, "Oh, you don't want to be surprised?" I say, "Something weighing eight pounds squeezing out of South Carolina will be surprise enough." ;)

12.5 Weeks and Counting...

C'mon. It's a little funny when you tell people you're pregnant and they say, "Is your husband excited?" What kind of question is that? If he's excited, that's good. If he's not... that's kind of awkward (i.e., "Uh, no... he said he's leaving me if I keep the baby."). They're just trying to make conversation, but it *could* potentially be... awkward.

So now I just play a little joke. If someone asks me, "Is your husband excited?" I reply, "No-- he's not even sure the baby is his."

;p

Just finished up 12 weeks

Amazing! I can't believe how much better I've been feeling the last few weeks. Although I did go work out today, just lightly, at the Y. Then I came home and talked to my neighbor outside for about 10-15 minutes. And I started to feel very light-headed. Not dizzy, but more like I was going to faint. So I went inside and laid down and that's been it for the last, oh, 5 hours. Except for eating, haha.

I also got the FluMist vaccine b/c I had a prescription for the flu shot and the state lifted the contraindication for FluMist for pregnant women. I ended up with a stuffy nose FOR A WEEK. Once this whole flu shot sitch gets remediated next year, I'm going back to the flu shot. I mean, I only got FluMist this time b/c I could absolutely NOT find a flu shot anywhere!

I've been under a lot of stress my entire pregnancy thus far due to a volunteer group I'm in - as an executive board member. After two years of doing other positions, this last one (VP) just about killed me and I quit. So now... I have time to scrapbook, exercise, possibly maybe even clean up the house (!!!).

I asked my husband the night I quit, "Can I just enjoy being pregnant now?" So that's what I'm going to do.