Hello, Baby!

We went for our first ultrasound this week (as part of an Early Screen test to look for signs of Down Syndrome, etc.). It was awesome! I absolutely could not believe how well-formed the baby is even though it's only 2 1/2 inches long. It was also amazing how active it was. It was moving all over the place. Waving its arms and kicking its feet. It was moving so much that it took the ultrasound tech several tries to get the heartbeat measured. I still don't feel any of it, though. It sounds like it will be another month or so before I actually start feeling any of the baby's movement.


It was a really fun experience and it was great that Tim was there with me. I think it really made being pregnant more real for both of us. I know that it definitely did for me, even more than hearing the heartbeat. Ever since I found out that I was pregnant I have been conscious of what I am doing and eating and making sure it is good for the baby. I'm doing it even more so now because I'm so much more aware that there really is a little person growing inside of me.

I'm also finally feeling like a normal human being again. My appetite is finally back to normal (no nausea and not irrationally hungry all of the time). Also, there were a few weeks there where I was sooooo worn out all the time that I really couldn't make myself do anything other than lay on the couch and sleep and watch TV. It was totally unlike me. I'm usually so motivated to get things done but I just COULD NOT make myself do anything. No dishes. No cleaning up the house. No errands. And I really just didn't care. But that too has finally passed. I fee like I have a ton more energy now. I've been to the gym a few times and ran 4 miles on my own yesterday. I'm just trying to enjoy the next few weeks where I feel good and haven't started gaining weight yet.

Heartbeat!

I went for my first official doctor visit on Thursday (10 weeks) and got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It took the doctor what felt like an eternity to find it, but once he did it was awesome! It's so absolutely amazing that the baby already has a heartbeat considering how tiny it is. It also made the whole thing a lot more real now that it's obvious that there's really a little person in there. It also made me feel a lot better because the doctor said that once you hear a heartbeat there's only a 5% chance of miscarrying. Unfortunately, Tim wasn't there to hear too. We opted for him not to miss work to come to the appointment since we weren't having an ultrasound or anything and the likelihood of hearing the heartbeat this early was pretty slim.

We're scheduled for another round of tests that include an ultrasound in two weeks. I'm looking forward to finally getting to see the baby. I will be 12 weeks at that point so hopefully it will resemble a baby by then. And Tim will be there for that one.

The running group for the 1/2 Pig started this morning. I ran the 2.7 miles with them and it was a lot of fun even though it was cold and rainy. I was excited to find out that one of my friends from the group who was also trying to get pregnant was also successful with her "project". She's due about a week after me. We spent the whole time comparing notes about being pregnant. And we've also decided that later in the summer when we're both too huge to run we're going to walk together to stay in shape.

The 1/2 marathon is the only reason I'm even a tiny bit disappointed about being pregnant. I really wanted to do my first 1/2 marathon before I had a baby because I'm worried I won't be able to do one afterwards. I had planned on doing the 1/2 Pig last May, but the whole stress fracture thing kind of derailed that plan... There's always time to do one later, it just stinks that I won't be able to be a part of the process with all of my friends. Oh well, bigger and better things going on, I guess. I'm just going to run with everyone as long as I can and then I'll drag my fat ass out to cheer them on the first weekend in May. And now I'm even more determined to train for and run a 1/2 in the fall to lose the baby weight.

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the New Year in the south of France with some of Tim's family. We had a nice, relaxing time and got to spend a lot of time with Rich, Helen, Gee, and Penny, who we have not seen in awhile.

We found out that Helen is due August 5th - one day before us. Amazing! I mean, we couldn't have planned that better if we tried. It was nice to have someone there who is going through the same things as I am. We both couldn't drink, etc. Also, we were both STARVING the whole time. That's the new thing - I'm constantly hungry. At least the nausea has mostly subsided. Anyway, Helen's mom Penny kept calling us "Hoovers" because we were constantly eating. I hope I don't come out of this thing weighing like 200 pounds! It was also just fun to talk about everything with them - baby names, decorating the baby rooms, what Christmas will be like next year with little ones, etc. It makes such a big difference when you have someone to share it with.

We told both sides of my family at Christmas and we've also started telling our friends over the last week or so. It's really cool how excited everyone is for us. Even people who I would have thought wouldn't really be that concerned with it are so overjoyed when we tell them. It's a lot of fun. Now if only I didn't feel like crap all of the time...

I probably won't tell anyone at work for another 1-2 months. I think that's going to be hard. It's already kind of difficult because A) I feel like crap a lot and B) I'm so excited about the whole thing that it's constantly on my mind and I always want to talk about it, but I can't. I just want to make sure I time things appropriately, so I'm going to have to hold out. I wouldn't be comfortable saying anything until after 12 weeks anyway and that's not for another 3 weeks or so.

I have my first doctor's appointment Thursday morning. Hopefully we'll be able to hear a heartbeat...

Update on nursery decorating: I have found some bedding that I absolutely love. It has cows on it. Seems a bit weird, I know. Mom says I should keep looking around (she wants to go to the fabric store and see if we can find any inspiration there) and see if I still love it in 3 months. Rach seems to like the sock monkey theme idea...