I’m 8 weeks and 2 days along. Last week, I went to my OB for the first time. We had the first appointment of the day, as we were leaving for Florida a few hours later!

Shane was able to come with me, since he had the day off of work already.

The doc took a quick medical history, conducted a brief exam, and talked about nutrition, what to expect between now and the next time I see her, and the sort. She says that as of now, my due date still is December 30, though she said babies are rarely born on that date. Instead, our baby is looking at a birth date of Dec. 16 - Jan. 13, if born during the normal 38-42 week window. Sheesh, let’s narrow that down a bit, ya know?

I’m hoping it ends up being in December, before Christmas. I’m only so patient.

For the sake of keeping track of things, at my last doctor’s visit, I was 136 lbs., which is pretty close to my normal weight of 130-135ish. I’m supposed to gain 25-30 pounds total, so I should expect to weigh around 160-165 by the time I pop. That’s going to be interesting.

Also fun: At the doctor’s office, they had a ton of free baby magazines. Glad to know I don’t need to buy any to get my magazine fix!

My brief bout of morning sickness has passed. I felt pretty gross for a day, and then a few days later I was still sorta puny, but really, I’m feeling fine now.

I’m still pretty tired, but I just fix that by taking a nap. No biggie.

I need to schedule a time to get some bloodwork done. I’ll finally learn my blood type, among other things. I’ve had my blood drawn a few years ago to test my thyroid levels, and it wasn’t as bad as getting a flu shot. So, I’m hoping this goes well.

My next appointment is a few days after my 23rd birthday, when I’ll be at 11 weeks and a few days. The doctor will try to hear the heartbeat then (using a Dopplar device, I think) but she said there’s only like a 50 percent chance she’ll be able to find it. I’m really really really hoping we hear it that day!

I’ll have my first ultrasound at around 18 weeks, which will be at the end of July.

My clothes are still fitting fine, and it’s probably going to be awhile before I look any different. With first babies, ladies just look thick around the middle for awhile before getting that obvious round look. Not looking forward to the “fat stage,” but whatever.

It’s looking like I’ll need both warm and cold weather maternity clothes. I’ll probably be nice and round by August, and it’s usually hot through at least September, if not early October. Then, around here it starts cooling down nicely.

Last night, I had a dream about a boy baby. I think. I wish I could remember more details!

When we were in Florida, Shane’s dad kept suggesting names–all girl ones. I think he’s convinced it’s going to be a girl, lol. I can’t remember all of the ones he said, but he really liked the name “Faith.” I think it’s nice enough, but it’s more fitting as a middle name, in my opinion.

I’m 7 weeks and 1 day (or so) along.

Last week, I was feeling pretty good. This week, not so much. Probably a 3.5 or 4 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst). The tiredness has kicked in hard, and I’m now feeling more than queasy. I’m not to the point where I feel like I’m going to barf, but honestly, that’s not out of the question.

I feel worst right before I go to bed (as if I need another thing to keep me awake!) and when I don’t have anything on my stomach. Dry white bread feels pretty good on my stomach. Crackers are nice, too, but sometimes the flavor is too strong (!?).

I’m going to pick up some Sprite or ginger ale to see how that feels. Oh, and one of those motion-sickness accupressure wristbands. Maybe I can psych myself out of feeling woozy.

I picked up some anti-nausea gum for free awhile back, and I’m going to check with my doctor to see if I can safely take it.

From what I understand, the queasyness is all hormonal. It’s not like regular motion-sickness (though it kind of feels like it) and it’s not like a stomach virus. So really, there’s not much I can do until it just wears off. The second trimester (about six weeks from now) is supposed to feel much better. Yay for that!

The good news is what I’m feeling is quite normal, and healthy, even. It’s good to think my body is producing the correct hormones, and growing a (hopefully) healthy baby. Knowing that makes feeling gross much more tolerable!

I just hope that I don’t barf on our flight tomorrow. That would be really embarassing and uncomfortable. I also hope that I’m able to eat plenty of good food and have a really good time! It’s going to be my last trip to the ocean for awhile.

May 8, 2008

Dear Baby,

You’re growing like a little champion. Maybe that’s why I’m sooo exhausted lately. It’s like all I can do to stay awake anymore. If I’m not asleep, then I’m lounging in a comfortable almost-asleep position.

I know you’re rapidly developing, and are pulling nutrients and energy straight from my body so you can grow. But, I didn’t know it would zap me so much! If I think I’m so tired now, what in the world am I going to do when you actually get here? Eep.

I’m trying to eat regularly, with the goal of always having at least a little something on my stomach. I don’t like feeling famished and exhausted at the same time, so if I can at least be fed, that’s a good thing.

I’m really glad that I can take it easy, since you’re really giving me no choice. I’m glad that I work from the home, and my freelance work can be completed whenever. If I had to work 9-5 somewhere right now, I think I would explode. Or, fall asleep at the wheel :-\.

Ladies who have been there, done that, have told me that the tiredness does go away by the second trimester or so. That’s about six more weeks for me, around the first official day of summer. Can’t wait for that!

Love,

Mama

Dear Baby,

April 24, 2008 was the day that changed my life. It was the day that I found out you were growing inside me! I wasn’t expecting you’d be there–in fact, I felt as if my “monthly visitor” was imminent, even though she was a tad late. But, I had a nagging suspicion, and thought I’d take a test to be sure.

I couldn’t tell if the first test I took had two lines, or if it was my imagination. I hurried to the store, bought another test, and tried again. Sure enough, yep, you were there!

For the first few weeks of your development, you were growing, and I had absolutely no idea.

But God knew. He knew you were there. He put you there. In fact, the Bible says He knew you before you were even created.

He knows your name, what you’ll look like, what your personality will be like, and even how many hairs are growing on your head. He knows your children’s children’s children! Pretty incredible.

Before any human knew of your existence, you were loved. Now that your parents know about you, we love you, too. You have an entire family praying for you–a family that can’t wait to meet you and love you.

I can’t wait to meet you either–though I’m doing my best to be patient. You know what? I’ve never ever been excited for winter to come. I don’t like the cold or snow. But this year will be different. If all goes well, we expect to meet you around the end of December or early January. I couldn’t think of a better Christmas gift!

Love,

Mama

The trip Shane and I have been anticipating for many months is almost here! Next Thursday we’ll be flying to Florida for his sister’s wedding. I love weddings, and I love that this will be a mini-vacation. We’ll be there from May 15-20. Yay yay yay!

It’s funny how worn out you can be after a nice vacation. We anticipated being pretty tired on our Tuesday return, so Shane took the 21st off, as well. We’ll probably take it nice and easy that day.

I really want to come home to a clean house. It’s so much more welcoming to walk in the door, plop down your suitcases, and have clean bathrooms, a clean kitchen, a tidy living room, and a made bed in a decluttered bedroom. Coming home to a messy house makes you wanna just walk right back out the door.

Any time we leave town, I try to make it extra-clean for our return. Sometimes it gets done, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m going to make a list of everything I want to get done, since I do well with lists.

Here’s my to-do list of things I want completed by Wednesday night:

-Unload dishwasher, and make sure ALL dishes are clean. (Don’t wanna come home to a stink!)

-Wipe down countertops and stove.

-Look through fridge, and remove anything that will be spoiled by the time we get back.

-Take out all trash.

-Clean the bathroom and half-bath.

-Be almost completely packed. I’m going to start packing this weekend, and we’ll lay out our clothes the night before our flight and have everything but our last toiletries packed up, and car loaded with everything possible.

-A full gas tank. I’ve got a little less than 1/4 tank now (I think) and after we drive from the airport and back, it’ll be pretty low. Plus, prices are only going up, so I might as well fill up.

-Unplug everything but the refrigerator to save electricity.

-Get caught up on all laundry. I’m hoping to do our vacation laundry on our last night in Florida, so we won’t have to do it (and pay for it) when we return.

Hope I can get it all done!