17 weeks

This week of my pregnancy can just go down in history as The Week of Tears.  Unexpected, illogical, I’m-not-even-sad-so-this-is-really-weird tears.  Here’s a sample of the madness: On Thursday, Bobby and I were both home for lunch and the fan was on in the living room.  It was making me chilly so I turned it off.  Bobby says “No babe, I’m hot.”  And I just started pouring tears. 

Ummmm….. what?!?

Pregnancy sure knows how to make a woman feel like a crazy person.  So through my sobbing I had to try to convince my poor husband that he didn’t do anything wrong and I have no idea why I’m crying.  What a mess.  The sweet way he wiped my tears away and gave me hugs kind of made the whole ordeal worth it though.  :)

When I got back to work I saw a friend who works in another building.  He asked how I was doing and said I looked great.  Aaaand, I started crying again.  Luckily, his wife just had twin boys a year ago.  So he was pretty familiar with the whacked out hormones thing.  But still!!!!  So embarrassing!!!

In other news, baby love is kicking away inside my belly.  It's pretty unusual (from what I have read) to feel this much action this early.  But we know from the ultrasounds that he is a mover and a shaker... so I can't really say that I'm surprised at how much I feel.  The doctor says that thin women are more likely to feel stuff earlier anyhow.  And I bring that up mostly because it made me feel really good that she considered me thin.  I certainly don't look thin if you ask me.   :P

Speaking of which, just for the sake of documenting this whole process, I am up 9 lbs now - and my butt no longer fits in my pre-pregnancy shorts.  So there goes my shot at that illustrious "You're ALL belly" status that I really wanted to attain.

16 weeks

I’ve been waiting for week 16 since the beginning of time.  Just about everyone I know found out the gender of their baby at their 16 week appointment.  I’ve had my mind made up that Little Duff is a little boy ever since my first ultrasound.  There is this crazy Ramzi Gender Theory that says when you look at your first ultrasound, if the baby is on the right and the yolk sac is on the left… it’s a girl.  And if your baby is on the left and the yolk sac is on the right, it’s a boy.  So… I guess that was all the convincing I needed.

So Tuesday, March 5^th rolled around and I had this overwhelming feeling that the doctor would not be able to tell us the gender with certainty.  And unfortunately my weird instincts were right.  Here’s what happened:

The doctor (or I guess I should say “the midwife” because that’s what she is - but it’s just easier to say doctor) kiiiiiind of lets on that she thinks it’s a boy.  But she was irritatingly non-committal about the whole thing.  Lady, I just want to be able to tear the tags off of the baby clothes I bought and breathe a sigh of relief!  Oh, well.  The wait continues.

Pregnancy update:  Still feeling great!  I’m still up 7 lbs.  Every once in a while I have a stress-filled, tearful moment that my clothes don’t fit anymore; but that’s all part of the process, right?

15 weeks

How far along? 15 weeks and 4 days.

Baby's size? Little Duff is now about 4 inches long and weighs 2.5 oz!

Weight Gain? This is getting harder and harder to divulge.  I’m up 7lbs now.

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of pants for work and a cute top from A Pea in the Pod.  I don’t plan on wearing either anytime soon.  But I imagine there will be a morning in the future where I just can’t find a single thing that will fit… and I’ll be glad I have these waiting for me.

Stretch marks? Still no.  :)

Sleep? Great!

Best moment this week? See next question

Movement? YES!!  On Tuesday morning I was sitting at my desk at work and felt 3 distinct taps from within.  I immediately teared up because I assumed it was the baby moving.  And then I waited to feel it again.  And then waited some more.  I eventually felt one more about an hour later… but that was it for the rest of the day.  So then I figured the entire experience had really just been some digestion thing.  Then Friday morning rolled around and I was rummaging through my closet for something to wear to work and I felt a little goldfish swimming around!!!  And I felt it pretty consistently for the next hour.  Pure magic!  And again, I could do nothing but cry and thank the Lord for this amazing experience.

Food cravings? I’m basically always in the mood for soup.  But all the same soups I’ve always loved; so I doubt that counts as a craving.

Symptoms? Nothing other than the old “getting fatter” symptom of pregnancy.  ;)

Gender? NEXT TUESDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

What I miss? Right now, nothing.  I am pleased as punch.  I was missing my ride on Space Mountain last week at Disney World though.

What I'm looking forward to? March 5^th!  I kind of got spoiled with having ultrasounds about every 2 weeks.  I feel like I haven’t seen my baby in years.

Milestones: I’m like, 4 months pregnant you guys! 

Emotions: Overwhelmingly ecstatic and thankful for this miracle.

14 weeks

Hey, so remember last week when I said I forgot to weigh myself, but hoped I was still at the 3 lbs mark?  Well, I weighed myself this morning... and I've gained 6.  So, yea.  That's double.

MOVING ON...

This week has seriously just flown by.  I can't even remember anything noteworthy.  Except for the fact that I told myself I would start being active several times a week, and so far have only followed through once.  I went for a bike ride at Quiet Waters Park after work on Wednesday.  I meant to go for a walk today, but didn't.  And tomorrow's goal is to swim laps.

I bought more baby clothes this week.  Boys baby clothes.  I don't know why I'm doing this.  The people at Baby Gap are going to laugh right in my face if I have to come back in and return it all.  I also had a major moment of weakness and bought two pairs of non-returnable baby Toms.  But seriously, how do you resist something this cute?  I figure my baby girl could still possibly wear these colors... or I could give them away if I had to.

13 weeks

Happy Valentines Day my tiny lovebug!  Today felt like the right day to publicly announce your existence.  We were showered with tons of well wishes and even found out that an old friend is also expecting a baby right around the same time!  So we will have a buddy to go to Mommy and Me with.  :)

We’re also happily in the second trimester!  I’m fairly certain I already feel my energy returning.  Thank goodness!  We have a big weekend ahead of us: attending a wedding in Orlando and also visiting Disney World!  I can hardly wait!

This week I also remembered that I have several pairs of pants and jeans tucked away in my closet that are a size up from my normal pre-pregnancy size.  I can actually button up the waist and sit comfortably!  Amazing!  I look a little sloppy in the leg and butt area because the pants are still too big for me in those spots.  But it saves me from wearing that darn belly band thing at work, so I deal with it.

I’ve been sleeping great, thanks largely in part to the Snoogle pillow that Amanda lent me.  It keeps my dog from crowding me off the bed and kicking me in the back all night.  So that’s a big win.  I forgot to weigh myself this week, but I’m hoping I’m still right at the 3 lb. mark.  13 weeks… 3 lbs.  That’s ok, right?  It probably shouldn’t be as big of a concern to me, but I can’t help it.  I really don’t want the weight gain to get out of control.  I still feel great and baby is doing great!  So that’s what matters most.

So now I’m just counting down the days until Bobby and I find out if this precious blessing is a boy or a girl.  18 days!!!!!!!

12 weeks

We’ve made it to the point where it’s considered safe to share the exciting news that we are expecting a baby.  Thanks to hubby’s loose lips, everyone we encounter on a day-to-day basis has already known for quite some time.  So… I guess that just leaves us with a Facebook announcement – which I’m sure I’ll do at some point.  I just haven't decided when.

I had two appointments back to back on Tuesday.  The first was with an ultrasound technician who did my nuchal translucency scan.  It took her several attempts to freeze the screen right where she needed it to be because sweet baby Duffin was having another dance party inside my belly.  :) But it gave me all the more time to gaze at the screen and cry my joyful tears.  She eventually got what she needed and said everything looked just as it should. [Hallelujah!]

From there, I had to give up some more of my blood (just one vile this time)… and then I headed into my second appointment.  This one was with my regular doctor and it was to hear the baby’s heartbeat.  ~ It was a beautiful, fast-paced whoosing sound. ~

My doctor’s eyes opened wide and she commented on how active the baby is.  This makes me think I’ll probably start to feel the movement sooner rather than later.  

11 weeks

How far along? 11 weeks and 4 days.

Baby's size? Sweet pea is the size of a fig. About 1.5 inch long.  However, at our 10 week appointment, baby measured 10 weeks 5 days… so we may be slightly ahead of the curve.

Weight Gain? This morning the scale showed 2 lbs.  Oy!

Maternity clothes? None yet.  :)

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep? I had one really rough night this week, but other than that I’ve just been getting up once a night to pee.

Best moment this week? Anytime I have a moment to myself where I can just put my hands on my stomach and pour my gratitude out to God for giving me this opportunity.

Movement? I can’t feel anything yet.  But I think about what we saw at our 10 week ultrasound every. single. day. and I imagine those perfect little arms and legs just dancing away.

Food cravings? I still haven’t had any genuine cravings.  But I have begun to feel hungry ALL THE TIME!  It’s driving me crazy.  I need to stock up on some healthy snacks so I can just graze all day long.

Symptoms? Insane hunger and occasional headaches (usually when I haven’t gotten enough sleep).

Gender? Still dying to know.  Hubby better hide my credit cards once we find out.  I’m pretty sure I will go on a baby clothes spending spree.

What I miss? Feeling thin and Starbucks white mochas.  (This still holds true from last time)

What I'm looking forward to? My appointment on February 5^th.  Ultrasounds are my new favorite thing in the world.

Weekly Wisdom: This week’s lesson is called “Round Ligament Pain: You’re Not Dying”.  Every so often when I sneeze or go from sitting to standing too quickly, I will get these *shooting pains* in my stomach (sometimes to the point where I have to scream).  It only lasts for 2 or 3 seconds, but as you can imagine it was very concerning.  My quick google search assured me that this is normal.  You can read about it here if you’re curious.

Milestones: We’re completing the first trimester!  Praise the Lord!! 

Emotions: Happy, grateful, excited for what is to come!