14 week belly shot

I've decided all future belly shots will be covered - no more bare bellies. The last one just didn't turn out well.

This shot makes me think a couple of things:
1) I still don't really look any different
2) My husband needs to improve his photography skills. What's he doing taking pictures of all the cat toys all over the floor? Oh well.

My clothes are still fitting fine, although they're starting to get a bit tight. And, my energy level is much better than it was. I didn't realize how tired I was a few weeks ago until I started to feel normal again in the last few days. It's kind of like how having a hangover can make you appreciate feeling normal.

Weird responses to our news

At this point, we've pretty much been telling everyone about this pregnancy. I've told work, and I'm trying to tell as many people face-to-face as I can. So, it's been a frantic few days of giving everyone our news.

During these few days, I've had a few weird responses:

Several people that are NOT particularly good friends have asked if this baby was "planned." Excuse me? I think that would be inappropriate for someone to ask that if they were a good friend, but these are more of acquaintances anyway. Very weird. Highly inappropriate.

One person told me my face was getting fat. He used the word "round," but he meant fat. First, that isn't true - my face ISN'T fat. At least not yet. And second, WHO SAYS THAT?!?!?!

And then, tonight, I went to a Halloween party. The hostess (who I've met once before and whose husband is my boss's peer) rubbed my belly. I'm FOURTEEN FRIGGIN' WEEKS!!! I don't know you!!! Why are you touching me?

I know none of these people are trying to be mean, but what the heck? I get why someone would rub my belly, but I really can't understand why someone would tell me that my face was round or ask if the baby was planned.

What am I missing here? Are people just idiots, or are they trying to be somehow supportive or nice?

A weighty issue

So far in this pregnancy, I've gained 5 pounds. When you read that, you probably think to yourself, "Well, that's not too much."

In your first trimester, you're supposed to gain 2-5 pounds. So, when I read that I've gained 5 pounds, my immediate thought is, "Oh no! I'm on the high end!" I try to talk myself down from those thoughts, though. I actually gained about 4 pounds almost right away (within about 2 weeks), and I've only really gained 1 pound since.

Gaining weight freaks me out a bit. Not a ton, but a bit. I've always been thin, through a combination of a fast metabolism and a LOT of time at the gym. The idea of gaining 30 pounds is really kind of scary to me.

I've always had the approach of trying to eat relatively food. I eat when I'm hungry, and I eat until I'm full. And, I go to the gym 4 days per week with cardio / walks about 6 days per week. So far, I've been able to keep up that same schedule since I got pregnant (other than the week of gym time that I took off because I felt sick), and I'm hoping to continue that plan for as long as possible.

I'm also trying to come to grips with the idea that my body is never going to be the same after this kid gets here. I'm not sure how I'm going to come out the other side, but something is definitely going to be different.

I'm just going to concentrate on being as healthy as I can and not worrying about things that I can't change.

I'll even predict my total weight gain. I bet I'll gain 30 pounds. As scary as that sounds, it's right in the middle of the healthy range of 25-35 pounds of weight gain. Now, I just need to wait and see.

Second appointment

We had our second appointment - everything looked great! They weren't able to find baby's heartbeat right away with the doppler, so they brought in a small ultrasound machine (this practice has several of them that they transport from room to room). It was crazy to see the little bugger flipping around in there! It really looked like a baby this time, instead of just like a gummy bear. We didn't get another picture, but we scheduled our anatomy scan for November 30th. That's when we'll find out the sex of the baby (hopefully)!

I think the midwife actually got enough of a glimpse today to guess what the sex was, but she wouldn't tell us. The small ultrasound doesn't produce the best images, and, since it's so early, there's no way she could have been sure. She did say something to the effect of, "Whoa! We got a really good shot there!" And she looked at us wide-eyed. When pressed, though, she wouldn't venture a guess. Not that I blame her. And, waiting another few weeks is no big deal.

So, now there really aren't any more excuses for me to tell everyone at work! That's going to be a little awkward, though. Telling people that you're pregnant is a little like saying, "Hey! Congratulate me!" I think it needs to be done, though, or people are just going to start gossiping at some point.

We also got some contact information for a local doula, which is exciting. For those that don't know what a doula is, it's essentially a labor coach. They attend the entire birth (unlike midwives or doctors who are generally in and out quite a bit), and they help you with things like pain management throughout the birth. I'm very interested in a non-medicated birth, and doulas definitely help with that. I hope I like her!

A bump picture (but only because I promised)

I had my husband take a first bump picture on Saturday (when I hit 13 weeks), and I'm posting it here. I'm ONLY posting it because I promised I would, though. It's a pretty terrible picture, mostly because you can see our trash can in the background. Just ignore that part.



I don't really think I look any different yet. A little thicker, maybe, but definitely no bump yet. I'll try to keep up on posting these as much as I can. Once I start getting a noticeable bump, though, you aren't going to be seeing any more bare belly shots anymore...

Welcome new readers!

Friends and Family - welcome to my blog! As you can see, I've been chronicling the last several months here, and I hope you enjoy what you read. There used to be a few more posts, too. I've unpublished a few of the more personal ones, although I will continue to blog anonymously. If you notice that the story line tends to jump around a bit, the missing posts may be why.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you all! And, I really need to get a belly shot up here at some point (although there really isn't much to see - definitely no bump yet).

Welcome!

We ordered our glider!

The glider I've had my eye on went on sale today, so I ordered it. I was able to use $200 in gift cards (I actually had another $50 card, but Target wouldn't let me use it), and, with the sale, the $350 glider is only going to cost us $162, including delivery! I'm pretty pumped.

So, now we have a crib, changing table, and a glider on the way. We'll need some sort of dresser, too, but there's no rush to get that. We'll be getting rather inexpensive furniture. We're still renting right now, and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on furniture that may not work in a future house. Plus, I'm not really a big fan of spending a ton of money on baby furniture. Some people choose to do that, but it's not really our style.

Next, we have to make some decisions on other baby gear. (I say "we," but I really just mean "I." My husband really couldn't care less, although he has said he wants a Maclaren stroller. The reason? The name sounds the same as the McLaren F1 car, even though it's spelled differently. Weirdo.)

Speaking of strollers, this is the one I'm thinking about right now: A BabyJogger City Mini.


As strollers go, it's reasonably-priced. It's only about $250 (compared to $500+ that I've seen for other strollers). We want something that's relatively durable for our daily walks (I hope to be able to go on walks at least occasionally with the new little one), but it still needs to be light enough to get in and out of the car easily.

I have other thoughts on more gear, too, but I'll save that for another post!