A Pregnancy Post

I have been looking at a lot of different blogs lately and I am jealous that I have not been updating how I have been through out my pregnancy. So although I am 6 months pregnant already it is never too late to start sharing a little about what I am experiencing. Plus, I figure when I am a stay-at-home mom, this blog will be an outlet for me to communicate with others in the world.

1st Trimester-
I found out I was pregnant almost right away. Of course, we had been trying to get pregnant, and in December I decided to try an ovulation kit. I guess it worked in our favor because within a few weeks my body was not doing it's regular thing! I was afraid to actually take a pregnancy test, since I didn't want to psych myself out. However, my sister was in town for a weekend trip and she convinced me to get a test (she even bought it). Actually, she bought two, and when I tried to use the first digital test I did not follow the directions and I messed it up. So I had to wait until the next morning. I woke up before everyone else and took the test. It did not take long to say that I was pregnant, and surprisingly I was very calm about it. It was as if I knew this all along but I was not as excited as I wanted to be. That came later though (it just did not feel real yet).

I walked upstairs and told my sister, then snuck back into bed to tell Joe. He was super excited. Of course, there was no way we would be able to keep a secret so we called all the family, starting with my grandparents. It was special and very exciting! Pretty much right after I found out that I was pregnant I started to feel the symptoms. I was tired, had to pee all the time, and I had a strong sense of smell. In fact, I found that I really hate a distaste for tater tots...ugh, they still sound gross. Luckily I did not really have morning sickness, but I did feel nauseous in the afternoons. It was weird, but as long as I ate regularly I was not that bad. I definitely can not complain, because many of my friends were sick their whole pregnancies.

We took a trip to Seattle towards the end of the first trimester and I was feeling great and just starting to show with a little gut. In fact, most of the time I really just feel like I have a huge gut. I guess I thought it would feel different. It was also on this trip that I first started to feel things...I didn't know if it was the baby or not. Now I am thinking it was probably the first movements from the baby and pains from my stomach stretching.

Of course, everyone was asking us if it was a boy or girl, but we did not know yet. Plus, I had no clue what to expect. We both wanted a boy, but I did not really have any inclinations that it was a boy. Well, at one point I did have a dream that we had a boy and I thought he was the most beautiful baby. However, I figured it was just a dream. Now I find that experience to be really special.

2nd Trimester -
My appetite started to pick up, even though I don't feel like I am eating that much more. I just went through a month were I wanted to eat a lot of fatty foods. I guess you might call them cravings, but it really doesn't feel that desperate. On the other hand, I have grown to love fudgcicles. Yum!

I also have started to notice the baby movements a whole lot more. Usually at night or when I am sitting down. I think I am just too busy to really pay attention to the feelings. I also noticed that my stomach was really starting to grown. In fact, I was forced to look for other options in clothing. So I bought a few items of maternity clothing. Mostly dresses, because they seem to be the most comfortable. In fact, it wasn't until last week that I realized I cannot wear my jeans anymore, so I figure that is pretty good if I lasted six months in my normal clothes. Joe and I also went rock climbing for the first time in a while...I was horrible. I was trying to be careful and felt really off balance at the same time.

Two weekends ago my parents came for a visit and we worked on a vegetable garden. I was so excited to get things going, but of course we needed to get a little weeding out of the way. Let's just say my back was killing me and I noticed how much more exhausted I felt at the end of the weekend. I'm continuing to feel tired quickly...and since we don't have air conditioning I am starting to feel uncomfortable in my skin too. I'm hoping I will be able to survive the heat with very little swelling in my ankles. I feel like a blimb already. I had my husband take pictures, as you see above and I look so bad. Actually, I think I look much better in person, but that never seems to come out on camera.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for students and it could not come too soon. I am anxious to get started on the baby room. Plus, my heartburn is getting worse. So it will be nice not to experience that while encouraging teenage boys to stop talking and focus on their assignment! I have also been paying attention to my belly a lot more, with hopes that I might see the movement, but to no avail. In fact, Joe has still not felt our baby boy and that makes me sad. I can't wait for him to be part of the excitement. Each time I feel him kick me, I notice that I am more inclined to talk to him as well. And then I think, is this really happening? I'm going to be a mom...am I ready for this? Will I be good at it? I hope so. I want to be more excited, but I feel really scared for all the upcoming changes. And to make matters stranger, I have three students that are also pregnant, who see more excited to be moms than me! Weird...maybe I am just more realistic about it.

So at this point, I'm going to try and take a few more pictures. It will be nice for baby Jack to see them one day. Plus, in two weeks I am going to paint the baby room and start the decorating process! So there will be lots to post about. It might not be my travels, but it will be something.