17.5 weeks

Well, time flies and I am getting HUGE.  I already look like I'm about 6 months pregnant - I guess I should have done more crunches before I got pregnant again. :-)

I'm super excited because on Thursday (February 23), I get to have another ultrasound and (hopefully) find out if this baby is a girl or a boy.

I still have morning sickness, but not as bad as during the first trimester.  The doctor prescribed Zofran for me, which helps a ton.  I still feel sick, but I feel okay enough to go throughout my day not feeling like I want to curl up in a ball and be put in a coma for the rest of the pregnancy.

We've been trying to help Squiggles understand that her world is about to change, but she doesn't really understand and seems to think the idea of a baby in Mommy's tummy is patently absurd.  I guess I can't blame her.

13 week ultrasound

Today I had my risk-assessment ultrasound - it was fantastic!   Uncle Lance came with me because he had never seen a live fetal ultrasound.  We got to see the baby's heart beating.  The baby was wiggling around like a champion - seems like this baby might be related to his or her older sister.

Everything looks great so far, and the ultrasound made me so excited to be having a baby!  Tim was super excited about it too - he kept texting me and asking how things were going.  My appointment ended up being an hour late, so he had to wait a long time.  When I finally sent him a text saying everything looked great, he sent a text back requesting (practically demanding) a picture, so I took a picture with my phone of a printout.  When he got home last night and looked at the rest of the pictures, he smiled and beamed and said, "I like the looks of that baby."  We're so excited!

12.5 weeks

Well, they say that morning sickness usually starts to subside around 12 weeks; unfortunately, yesterday was by far the worst of my pregnancy so far, and today hasn't been a whole lot better. Needless to say, I hope this aspect of the pregnancy ends soon.  Last time it never really stopped (got better for a couple weeks, and then returned with a vengeance), so my hopes aren't very high.

On a brighter note, Wednesday we get to have our first big ultrasound.  I'm excited to see the baby, and hoping desperately that everything is okay... I've been so sick that it seems impossible, but I'm sure everything is fine.

11.5 weeks

Well, I'm still feeling very pregnant. I've had a lot of morning sickness lately, and I have days when it's all I can do to get out of bed.  By the time I shower, I'm so exhausted that I'm ready to go back to bed for a few more hours.  Unfortunately, I have go to work. :)

I think I have been feeling the baby move a little - it feels like little tiny flutters in my lower belly.  It might be my imagination, but I think it's the real deal.  

We've been trying to Squiggles that a baby is on the way, but she doesn't understand.  She does like to look at the pictures in my "Week by Week Pregnancy" guide.  When she sees pictures of a developing fetus, she enthusiastically shouts, "Bay-bay!!!" I keep telling her there is a baby in my belly, but she just laughs as though that is a terrific joke.

Tim is excited for the baby to come, too.  He often puts his hand on my belly and strokes it affectionately or gives it a pat and says, "How's my baby?"  I tell him it's doing just fine.

I've been having dreams of banquet tables full of delicious food.  Roasted turkeys, homemade rolls, cakes, cookies, corn on the cob, filet mignon, grapes, cherries... everything delicious food imaginable. In my dreams, I can eat forever without being full or sick... if only that were the case in real life!  Right now I'm eating about a third of what I normally do... I just can't stand the thought (or look or smell) of food, and I have to force myself to eat whatever I think I might be able to keep down.  

Alas... all for a good cause. The best cause on earth, really.

Next week we get to have our risk-assessment ultrasound - that means I get to see the baby again!  I can't wait.

9.5 weeks

Today is Christmas - I've been emotional all day because I'm so excited about our growing family.  I was planning to work every day this week, but I've decided to only work a couple days because I want to spend time with Squiggles and Tim and start making preparations for the new baby to join us.  Tim got me a new sewing machine for Christmas, so I'm going to start by making the a receiving blanket for when we meet him or her in the hospital in a few months.

Morning sickness is in full swing now, so I haven't been able to enjoy all the delicious holiday food.  Oh well... small price to pay for such a huge blessing!

8.5 weeks

I had my first prenatal appointment this week, and met Dr. MacKenzie.  He was fantastic, and excited because he was Daddy's mentor when Daddy was doing his OB/GYN rotation in medical school.

When he first came in, he said, "Let's see.. you're about 8 weeks along, which might be too soon to hear a heartbeat with the doppler. How would you like to take a look with an ultrasound?"  I was very excited - last time we didn't get to do that at 8 weeks.

I got to see the baby wiggling his or her arms and legs about, and I could even see its heart beating.  It was so exciting!  The doctor gave me a picture to take home. :)  He said everything looks great so far!

7 weeks

Well, I officially don't have any more food cravings.  Instead, I have food aversions.  I have so many food aversions that it's easier to just list the things I can still tolerate.  They are:

1.  Ice water.  The second the ice starts to melt, the water is dead to me.  Must be ICE COLD.
2.  Mashed potatoes and gravy.
3.  That's all.

This pregnancy has been easier than the last in many ways because I don't have as much nausea, but it has been hard because I have been very sick 3 times so far.  I've had two colds / sinus infections, and one very nasty stomach virus.  Trying to keep on top of the nausea (by making  sure I eat a lot of proteins and drink plenty of water) has been much more challenging when I'm sick.  Oh well.

The other serious symptom of pregnancy I have had is serious weepiness.  I will cry at just about anything.  Almost any time I hear a Christmas song, I cry.  If Squiggles does something cute, I cry.  If anybody says anything funny, I cry.  If I like the weather, I cry.  If I don't like the weather, I cry.   It's so silly.  My emotions - all of them - just seem a little overwhelming.