17 Weeks*

When I first announced that I was pregnant almost a month ago, I promised that I would write a post explaining why we waited so long to tell everyone.

And I did.

…but I didn’t post it.

The first three months of my pregnancy were… hard. I was physically exhausted and dealing with bouts of nausea, but I was also on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.  I’m sure the raging hormones contributed to the way I was feeling, but it was also like the weight of 6 years worth of the “When are you going to have a baby?!?” questions we’ve received from friends and family suddenly rested like deadweight on my shoulders and I was terrified that something would go wrong. It just took me a little while to push through the anxiety into the excitement phase.

So, the post I wrote ended up being very rant-y (and very cathartic). I decided not to publish it, and will give you a little pregnancy update instead. :)

I am currently 17 weeks and 1 day pregnant. The idea that I am only three weeks away from my halfway point is insane, and yet my little wee belly keeps on growing and telling me that it’s true. Right now it looks like this:

It’s funny–when I look at myself I think my belly is enormous, but it looks so teeny in the photo! I haven’t felt any discernible movements yet, but my doctor tells me it could start any time.So, here’s a little bit of info for you (idea borrowed from the lovely Tania!):

How Far Along: 17 Weeks*
Size of Baby: An onion! (Think… spanish onion.)
Weight Gain: 4 pounds
Movement: Not yet.
Cravings: Nothing really. I constantly want fruit and vegetables. And vegetarian sushi.
Food Aversions: BBQ’d hamburgers and most sugary sweets. Except brownies.
Symptoms: Some cramping across my abdomen (my uterus is stretching) and mild headaches started last week. They come sporadically and don’t last forever so I’m not terribly concerned. OH. And my hips. They feel like they keep shifting and hurt when I don’t sit properly.

I was exhausted for the last 16 weeks, and juuust started feeling like my energy is back this week. I am thrilled about this as I technically started work yesterday. There are several schools in my board who run a modified school year and they started this week. So, it’s back to 6am wake-ups and waiting for phone calls for me!

In other news, I had my monthly check-up with my doctor yesterday. All is well–my blood pressure and glucose levels are good–and I got to hear my bean’s heartbeat again. It is just the coolest experience… once she finds it. haha! When we first tried four weeks ago, she couldn’t find it. She searched forever, but the bean was either running away or hiding. I was a little worried, so she had me come back in a week later to try again. That time she found it almost immediately and the steady thump, thump, thump was like music to my ears!

Because she had found it so easily the second time, we assumed it would be the same yesterday.

Umm… nope.

After looking for a few minutes, she still couldn’t find it. She got a determined look in her eyes and told me that she never has so much trouble finding a heartbeat and that our baby was stubborn. I laughed and laughed–this is definitely going to be my child…

A few seconds later I heard her call out “AHA!” followed by the steady thump, thump, thump of the bean.

(Apparently we were playing hide and seek. I love this kid already. haha)

I wish I could explain how it feels to hear that heartbeat… there just aren’t words. In two weeks we get to go for our first ultrasound to see our baby and (hopefully) find out what we’re having! Most people seem to think we’re having a girl, and my witch doctor friend did the ol’ wedding-ring-on-a-string over my belly last night and apparently that test indicated a girl as well.

I have absolutely no idea.

When I was first pregnant I felt like it was a boy, and now I have no clue. It’s just my little wee bean. :)

Other than that, things are good. I’m thinking very seriously about having a midwife at the birth and am meeting with one in two weeks, just before my ultrasound appointment. I definitely, definitely want to have the baby in the hospital, I just like the idea of the care that midwives provide. So I shall keep you posted on that front!

I’m still wearing all my own clothes, though top buttons on pants are becoming unfriendly. I have a whole pile of maternity clothes that Peeah lent to me, but I’m just not ready to go there yet. haha! It won’t be long before that top button and I go to war though…

Lastly, I bought my first baby item on Saturday: a car seat and stroller. Mom and I went yard saling on the weekend and I was actually on the hunt for a crib when I spotted the stroller. When I realized that the car seat and stroller were priced at $60, I immediately got on the phone  to get some info about the make and model. Another lady at the sale told me privately that she had purchased the exact same set new for $400, and I learned that Peeah had recently sold her set on Kijiji for $125. We tested everything out to make sure it was all in good condition, and I was sold. It’s less than 2 years old, comes from clean, non-smoking home and just needs a wash!

So this baby thing is very real. There is a stroller in my living room…

…and it belongs to me.

Whoa. haha