I've been feeling all kinds of interesting things going on in my tummy for the past few weeks, but this has been a particularly active week for our little lamb. The sensations I felt first were like tiny effervescent bubbles popping in the mid to lower region of my abdomen. Then the feelings progressed to finger tapping movments and pop rocks popping all over the place below my belly button. Then yesterday, I think I felt my first kick (which felt like a person thumping me lightly with their finger) right smack dab in the middle of my belly, just below my belly button. Today, I've felt at least 4-5 kicks in the same spot as well as the pop rocks sensation in various places in my abdomen.

Every little bump and fizz makes me smile and touch my tummy. I love it! I can't believe I'm actually feeling him or her move now! Of course, all of these sensations makes me wonder even more if Im carrying a boy or a girl. According to some resources, its possible to know now (16 weeks tomorrow), while others recommend waiting a few more weeks.  

Our next appointment is on Tuesday, which will involve more bloodwork. The CNM didnt mention another sonogram would take place, but perhaps I can get her to squeeze one in if I ask her about when we can find out the gender. Otherwise, I guess we'll just have to wait until the August appointment!

Well, I finally got some pictures up of the nursery.  They are mainly of each thing in the room and not of the room as a whole, but at least you get the idea of what it looks like now.  I may update with new pictures later, as we keep on adding things to the room. For example, yesterday, we recieved a baby gift from one of my long time friends. She got the baby a University of Florida mobile - it has 5 little Gators hanging from it and they twirl around to the UF fight song. So cute! She's a great friend for wanting to get this for us,  especially since she is a Florida State Seminole!

Symptoms:

Pretty normal this week! Nausea seems to be almost gone, or I've just gotten used to it and don't notice it anymore. I've had a lot of minor headaches come and go lately. Very annoying! Appetite is a little nuts. Breakfast is usually the best tasting meal of the day and tends to get worse as they day goes on. By dinnertime, nothing sounds good to eat. The urge not to eat is so strong, but I eat a little snack anyway,  for the baby's sake. Cravings remain strong for cheese & crackers and milk. I've also developed a craving for scrambled eggs (usually, Im a fried egg girl!), bacon or sausage, and tons of toast. However, I havent had any strong urges for ice cream in a while, which surprises me.  Dreams are still crazy, but thankfully, I havent been able to remember any of them this week!

Total Weight Gained: holding steady at 12lbs. Yay! I guess my good eating habits paid off! 

Yesterday, we received several things from friends and family regarding our growing family.  We got two "congratulations" cards (one even included a Target gift card!) from friends & a prenatal heart listening device and Classic Winnie the Pooh crib sheets from my in-laws. Along with the gifts, my mother-in-law included the most beautiful handwritten note describing the blessing of this exciting new chapter of our lives. It made me cry!

In other news, I went maternity clothes shopping over the weekend. I got two pairs of jeans, three pairs of dress pants, 5-6 dressy shirts, and  bigger undies. I havent worn the shirts yet, since I dont have much of a belly right now. However, the pants have been quite enjoyable! They are much more comfortable than my pre-pregnancy clothes. The best part is that I still have some space to grow into them later!

The only shopping issue was bras. I chickened out and didnt even look at them! It has always been very hard for me to go bra shopping, because its difficult for me to find attractive looking garments in my size. I always get depressed looking at the products available in my size (plain, huge, and bulky) verses the cute, sexy stuff in the smaller sizes. And now that  Im pregnant, Im even bigger with even less decent-looking options. I know that looks shouldnt be a priority, but sometimes a cute sexy undergarment can make a huge difference with the way a woman carries herself. I always feel more feminine if I'm wearing pretty stuff! Sigh. I guess I better get over that, sooner than later!!

Symptoms:

Nausea remains an issue only at bedtime. Its quite aggravating feeling it hit me every time I switch positions (from left side to right side). Dull headaches come and go every few days. Nothing seems to get rid of them, but thankfully, they havent transformed into migraines. Cravings are still strong for dairy products. The strangest thing is that I have a love-hate relationship with peanut butter. I usually cant stand the thought of it, but once in a blue moon I'll crave it in a pb & j sandwich. Energy levels are still better than first trimester, but I dont think they are at pre-pregnancy levels. I tend to get out of breath quickly and tire easily, especially when outside in the summer heat. Nose remains stuffy and bleeding still takes place. Quite annoying!

The scatterbrain syndrome is starting to take effect.  For example, on the way home from work one day, I turned too early. Thankfully, I remembered the names of some of the roads that intersect with the road I live off of, so I was able to find my way home. I also have a tendency to forget if I've done something or not. Like yesterday, I couldn't remember if I had went to the bathroom 5-10 minutes earlier (since it felt like I had to go again!). Most of the time, I just lose track of some object (my keys, my watch, my hairbrush, or my drink). My dreams remain bizarre. One dream involved me completely forgetting that I had given birth to a baby. I mean, I went about my business (going to and from work every day, exercising, watching tv, going out) like I had never been pregnant. Meanwhile, my little baby was starving to death in its nursery. I finally realized that I had a baby when it started crying in the middle of the night! The poor thing was so hungry!! 

Total Weight Gained: 12 lbs. I need to get back on track with my eating (ate out a lot the last few days plus pigged out on a big homecooked American meal on Independence Day)! 

The time has finally come to start sharing our precious secret with the rest of the world. The first person we told was my dad, who came into town last Friday. He was thrilled and showed his support by hugging us to pieces! We celebrated with a yummy feast at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Throughout the weekend, he offered to do things around the house and yard. So sweet. My step-mom is so excited too. Allen and I called his parents and his sister and gave them the good news.They are all super-excited, especially his mom! Her reaction made me cry!

Now we're in the process of telling all our friends and extended family. So far, all the reactions have been warm and supportive.

Im waiting a few weeks before telling my office. We are approaching a very busy time of year and once things settle down, I will break the news to them. Im sure they will all be happy for me, but at the same time, I worry about my co-workers and boss treating me differently. My current plan is to become a full time mom once the baby arrives, so this means that my office will need to find a replacement or two to cover my responsibilities before I leave. I know I shouldn't stress out about it, but I do anyway.

In other news, Allen and I finally found a crib. We discovered it in a huge furniture consignment shop at a steal of $98. We had to take it apart in order to take it home and I was worried about how difficult it was going to be to put it back together. After purchasing a new mattress for it, we started putting the crib back together. It was a cinch! We made sure that the mattress and crib met the safety codes and then put it in the proper place. We still have a few accessories to get as well as hang some really cute color drawings we scanned (and framed in white frames) from a Classic Winnie the Pooh book. Anyway, we took some pictures of our nearly finished nursery, so all I need to do now is upload them on here. Oh, and I need to start posting progress photos of myself!!

Plans for my three day weekend include: spoiling myself with buying my first set of maternity clothes on Friday, having a celebratory dinner with my recently engaged friend and her fiance on Saturday, and spending some quality time with my sister on Sunday.

Symptoms:

Despite the long list of symptoms, I feel like I'm getting closer to normal. There are days when I don't even feel pregnant! The best news is that I no longer have breast tenderness. Yay! Nausea is usually limited to bedtime, however, I did get nauseous when I started talking about food this morning. Cravings are primarily for cheese and crackers, tuna fish on crackers, fruit, milk, milkshakes, ice cream, almonds,  and fast food (I do not give it to this particular craving very much!). Adversions are yogurt, vegetables (except ones that are fried/sauteed), and peanut butter. Not liking these items is so unlike me!!! Appetite is small but strong. I eat small meals frequently to keep from getting an upset stomach. My nose remains stuffy and still bleeds on occasion. I find that I feel most comfortable when I dont cross or bend my legs when I sit. When I do, it feels like Im cutting off my circulation! However, crossing my legs is very hard habit to break!! My left ankle, which was severely sprained twice two years ago is acting up again. My knees also feel sore every now and then too. Hopefully, the loosened joints do not cause too much pain down the road. Bloat is less noticible now, since my waist and tummy continue to widen and make 95% of my pants feel uncomfortable.  My uterus continues to expand (feel all sorts of twinges!) and sometimes I feel sensations as if the baby is going through a growth spurt! I've noticed that I ease myself in and out of chairs/bed to avoid over-stretching my supportive uterine tendons (hurts if I dont take precautions!). I may not look pregnant yet, but I sure do act like it!

Total Weight Gained: 10 lbs. I'm now at my wedding day weight, though this time the excess pounds are in my gut, chest, and butt, instead all over. At least  my face looks the same as it did 10 pounds ago!  

Father's Day weekend was a fun one for Allen. I treated him to a lovely homemade breakfast of cinnamon pancakes, gave him two gifts and a card, and took him to a Medieval Times dinner and tournament! He loved all the special treatment, though I think his favorite thing of the day was the The Dangerous Book for Boys gift I gave him. Its a great book covering all the things boys of all ages should know! He's been having a blast learning new things as well as reliving some old skills from his childhood.

We had our third prenatal visit yesterday. Finally! Our certified nurse midwife surprised us with news that I would only be doing part of my bloodwork on this visit and doing the rest of it at the next visit. I was kinda upset at that, because I really don't like needles and wanted to get it all done at once. However, she wanted to do us a financial favor, since we're currently waiting for our new insurance to kick in.  How nice!

The first thing we did was the ultrasound. It was so cool finally having the sonographer prepare me for a belly ultrasound. So much more comfortable than the transvaginal one! Anyway, as soon as I saw the baby, I held my breath and felt my eyes swell up with tears. He/she was so beautiful and calm, much different from when I last saw them. It looked like it was reclining back and napping! Unfortunately for him/her, the sonographer needed him/her to wake up and change positions to get a better look at its neck (Down's Syndrome test). So, the sonographer jiggled and pressed my belly to jolt the baby awake. That didnt feel so good to mommy, but she dealt with it for the sake of the sonogram.

After some poking and prodding, the little tyke woke up! He/she was kicking its long legs and waving it arms around. It moved its head back and forth and rolled over on its side, so I got a good look at the baby's profile and spine. I swear I could see a similarity in the baby's lips and Allen's! Then the midwife came in and said that the baby had Allen's legs! How funny! The sonographer got the images she needed for the genetic tests in 20 minutes. It was nice to see our baby for such a long time!

According to the sonogram, the baby is 12 weeks, 4 days old, is 6.41 cm (approximately 2.5 in) long, and had a heartrate of 162 bpm. Oh, and my uterus is no longer retroverted (tilted towards my back). It is in the normal position now (tilted towards my belly button), so the baby has a much higher chance of survival now. Yay!

Then came the fun part - being pricked in the elbow for a blood sample. Im not a fan of needles one bit and once I found out that a nurse-in-training was taking my blood and I got even more nervous! I was afraid she was gonna poke a bunch of holes in me before she found the right vein to stick! Well, needless to say, she hurt me big time! Thankfully she only stabbed me once, but it felt as if she used a ton of pressure to get the needle in place! The ironic thing is that her supervisor said afterwards that this gal had a "gentle touch"! I beg to differ!

Anyway, the next appointment is in 4 weeks. The rest of the blood tests will be performed, so its highly unlikely we'll see the baby next time. Im hoping they'll at least let us listen to the heartbeat. Otherwise, I guess well have to wait until August to see the baby when the gender will be determined!

In other news, my father will be visiting us this weekend. We plan on spilling the beans about our little secret. I think he will be shocked, but very happy. Wish us luck!

Symptoms:

Nausea continues to show up around bedtime, however occasionally it will show up after consuming too much food in one sitting. Stuffy, sneezy, and bleeding nose is still present - its impossible to keep nasal passages clear for more than five minutes! Emotions are still running high - I get upset easily and tend to cry at the drop of a hat. Appetite is still strong and filled with all kinds of cravings. I answer most cravings,  especially if they involve fruit or dairy! Energy seems to be returning, though it hasnt reached pre-pregnancy levels. Im falling asleep easily each night, but sleep continues to be interrupted 2-4 times per night due to nature calling. Nails and hair are getting insanely long. Body tends to get really warm at work as well as on the commute (usually Im freezing), however, Im usually freezing when Im in the house. Tummy is getting bigger under the belly button (due to my uterus flipping forward and growing upwards to my navel) and Im fitting less of my regular pants and undies. Time to start shopping in the maternity section!    

Total Weight Gained: According to the doctor's scale, I only gained a pound since my last visit. This doesnt seem right, so Im just going to go with my scale and report a 9 pound gain since finding out about the pregnancy.