Almost 15 Weeks

[ 14w5d ]

My belly grew quite a bit. I showed it to my friend Monica, and she was blown away by how big it had gotten, and how hard. It was finally cold enough, so I pulled out my favorite pair of corduroys this week and found that I couldn't button them. Thank goodness for my bella band and the old rubber band trick. Within a month, I'm guessing I will have to graduate to full-blown maternity pants. We'll see how long I can hold out for tops.

Adam and I went to SuperTarget on Saturday to look at baby stuff. We're pretty sure that's where we're going to register. They have a good selection and it's not nearly as expensive as Babies R Us. We also looked at the maternity section, which has some cute stuff.

Friday night, I watched The Business of Being Born and it made me think differently about the birth process. Before, I assumed that I would take whatever drugs were offered during the birth, but I'm seriously thinking about doing it all natural. I have books to pick up at the library about childbirth and coming up with a birth plan that I'm planning to plow through, and a list a mile long for my doctor at my next visit to help me make my decision. There is so much I hadn't considered, and assumed that the birth was just something to get through instead of something that should be experienced fully.

Things have been so busy for us that I'm more and more glad not to be teaching next semester. School ends in six weeks, and Adam and I will have at least a month of "normal" life before he goes back in the spring. He says next semester will be his toughest, a good thing since he won't be disturbed by the baby until the very end (and hopefully can finish early in preparation for the baby). He's also taking a class on women's and children's health -- we'll see if that's helpful.

Bitty Belly

[ 13w4d ]

I had my third doctor's appointment yesterday. They drew some blood, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, and found out I gained a measly half pound. The doctor asked me if I've been eating enough, and I told him I've been eating everything in sight. He said he's not concerned, but for the next three months or so, I should be gaining about a pound a week. I'm glad to be running regularly, and that means I need an extra 300 calories per running day, on top of the extra 300 I should be consuming anyways. Hence all the ice cream. Looking at this picture, though, it looks my face is fattening up nicely.

I felt pretty good all week, short of a few emotional lows. I've been having some pain in my sides, which the doctor said is round ligament pain and most women don't feel it until around week 20. Apparently, he said there's not a lot of room in my "normal, little belly," so I'm feeling it early.

I did notice this week that when I look down, I can see my belly protruding. It's kinda weird (and I assume it will only get weirder).

At my next doctor's appointment, I have my second ultrasound. Exciting!

Finally Telling

This week, we finally got the word out, and it feels strange. It's a relief not to hide the pregnancy anymore, but it's sort of scary that this is all really happening. From here, we can't go back. This baby is coming.

I ordered a bella band online, and it showed up on Friday. It's a band that goes around the top of prepregnancy pants to keep them up when the waistband gets too small. The pants stay up even if they are unbuttoned or unzipped. I gave it a whirl with a pair of tight jeans that barely fit, keeping them unbuttoned while we were out running errands, and the thing really works (not that I technically need it yet, but I will in the future).

Adam and I ran the Guns N Hoses race Saturday morning in 31:15. He ran with me the whole time, which was really sweet. This week, I'm going to get to the Y, so I can swim laps and give my legs a bit of rest after running another 10 miles last week.

Doctor's appointment on Friday.

The Home Stretch, aka. Almost Through the Scary Part

[ 11w5d ]

Well, here is the beginnings of a baby belly. I read that in the 11th week the fetus doubles in size (only about 1.5 inches, but still), so it made sense when I noticed that some of pants started cutting in to my middrift this week. It's really exciting, though nobody else can tell. And I'm almost through the first trimester. It's been a long couple of weeks of praying and hoping the pregnancy sticks. It looks like it's going to.

This week, the exhaustion of the pregnancy seemed to lift. On Wednesday, I noticed that I felt considerably better and have continued to feel well the past few days. I ran almost 10 miles this week, and Adam and I signed up for a 5K race next weekend.

We're planning on letting the cat out of the bag next week -- telling our families, bosses and coworkers, and friends. We're really looking forward to not having to keep this to ourselves.

Fetus

Today, the baby is officially a fetus and no longer an embryo!

Week 10 -- Belly Shots

[ 10w5d]

Well, here it is. Ten weeks, five days, and no pooch yet. Part of me is enjoying the fact that I can still hide the pregnancy, and part of me feels ready to see a real manifestation of this child's growth. I started checking a 1st trimester message board on webmd.com and read that a lot of women are outgrowing their regular clothes as early as six weeks. I did a little research this weekend to prepare for maternity clothes shopping, and I'm anticipating that it won't be easy or cheap. My plan is to take stock of all of Adam's and my clothes to see what I can get away with wearing (I have lots of cardigans and blazers -- I hope they'll make it through), then make a list of what I'll need. I'll be mid-sized through the winter but huge when it starts getting warm again. Thankfully, though, I won't need any large items like a new winter coat (like I would if we were in the North).

This week was more exhaustion, some running and walking Penny around the neighborhood, and a lot of boredom with food. I guess I've just been eating too much of the same things, so we got some different types of foods when grocery shopping. Adam already made chili, a good way to usher in fall.

I also found out this week that I won't be able to teach next semester because the baby is due to be born before the end of the semester. USA won't make exceptions for people who can't be there a whole semester, so I will be returning next fall. Honestly, I'm disappointed but quite glad to know that I will be able to relax after work everyday. Adam will still be in class, and I'll certainly be bored and pulling out my hair, but I'll be relaxed. Perhaps, I will take a community class to keep myself occupied.

First Ultrasound -- Week 9 (Really)

Today, we saw the first pictures of the baby via ultrasound. Everything looks good, and we even got to see it wiggle around. According to the measurements, I am 9 weeks 3 days today. This changes the due date to April 21. I figured I wasn't as far along as they had calculated, and I'm kind of relieved to find out I was right.

[ The baby is facing us. See its arm and leg buds? Just imagine it shimmying side to side. :) ]

[ This second picture is in 3D. It's supposed to give a more realistic perspective of the baby. ]