I’m going to try to keep this as uh…delicate as I can put it. But if you don’t like to read about gross things, stop reading now.

OK. Shane and I went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner today. I thought tacos, refried beans and Mexican rice sounded absolutely delicious, and that’s what I ordered: The #10 on the menu.

We noshed on some free chips and salsa. That was ok–the chips were slightly stale and the salsa seemed a tad ketchup-y, but it was fine.

Our meal came, and it tasted good. I had a few bites of everything, then I suddenly excused myself to go to the restroom.

I’m glad it was empty in there.

I was sick. Both ends. Did NOT feel good. Fortunately for everyone, there was a trash can in the stall, and I was able to grab it and put it to use.

My body got rid of everything I had recently consumed. Yuck!

I was disturbed when I went to wash my hands that there was no soap in the dispenser. Made me wonder if I had come in contact with someone’s icky germs!

I went back to the table and told Shane that I would not be finishing my meal. He was finished eating and I went and sat in the car while he paid the bill.

He didn’t get sick, so it makes me think this was a baby-related barf.

Maybe my body rejected a particular spice or something. At any rate, it did NOT want to digest what I had eaten!

I don’t think we’ll be eating there again for awhile.

Last night, I had a pretty vivid dream. I was at the hospital and I had just given birth to my lil baby. Everything was fine, but I didn’t get to see the baby before it was wisked off to the nursery.

People came to visit, and asked, “Is it a boy or girl?” and I was like, “I don’t know!”

I had Shane run down the hall to find out. Then, I realized it was written on my medical identification bracelet thing: Grl!

Yes, they had ommitted the letter “i” from my wristband.

I then remember requesting ice packs for my dainty lady parts. Lol.

Don’t know what happened after that.

So maybe it’s a girl?

I’ve had other dreams recently with babies. Toddlers, actually. I didn’t know for sure if they were mine, but all of them were boys.

I’ve dreamed about boy and girl babies now, so I’m back to square one. I don’t really have any intiution about the baby’s gender. No preference, either.

In 5-6 weeks, we should know for sure! Or at least, be able to take a more educated guess.

According to some web sites, the 13th week + 3 days marks the beginning of the second trimester. Others say 12 weeks; still others say 14. What?

All I know is, I’m in my 13th week now! I’m just about 1/3 of the way there, give or take.

Last week, I mentioned that I was getting my energy back. Well, that was just a teaser. I’m not exhausted like I have been, but I’m still finding daily naps are pretty much a necessity.

Not looking all that different from last week. I have a slight pudge in my lower abdomen, but I’m fairly certain it’s mostly (if not entirely) bloat. Yay, bloat.

My jeans fresh out of the dryer are too tight to button. But, they don’t typically have a lot of give to them anyway. I tried out my belly band with it, and it held up my pants nicely.

So, I’m just twiddlin’ my thumbs, waiting for my belly to pop out. I’m sure when I’m at 36 weeks, I’ll be thinking about my smaller days.

Yesterday morning at around 8, I really wanted a pizza from Papa John’s. Um. They don’t open that early. I’ll order a pizza (I won’t be able to eat the whole thing, I swear) for dinner tonight. Mmm, garlic butter!

Here’s what the baby is up to (from BabyCenter.com:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby’s tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you’re having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

Aww! A shrimp!

I’m trying to become more organized, but when you’re a scatterbrain like me, it isn’t always easy.

At first, I tried making a daily to-do list. I’d write down all the tasks that I wanted or needed to accomplish that day, and set out to cross things off.

Well, that didn’t go so well. Some days, I just didn’t get much done. I’d see my huge list of things I hoped to accomplish, and I felt like a failure.

These days, I make a to-do list for the week. I tackle projects whenever I have time. Some days are more productive than others, and that’s OK.

Most things are completed by week’s end, and if not, they make it to the following week’s list.

Works for me!

I’m at 12 weeks today, and wouldn’t ya know it–I feel pretty good! I’m not exhausted like I have been for the last six weeks or so. Just in the last day or two, I’m feeling my energy return and I don’t need two naps per day anymore.

This is cool! I can actually get stuff done now.

Shane, on the other hand, has been wiped out from work, and he’s getting more rest than I am. He was complaining to me about how tired he was, and I was like, “Welcome to my world! Lololol.”

So hopefully I’m not jumping the gun, but maybe they’re right–as you get close to the second trimester, you start feeling a lot better. I have a week and three days, technically, until the 2nd trimester begins. Bring it on.

Still no baby bump to report. I do look bloated, and that’s probably baby-related, but it’s too high to actually be Baby.

I bought some things for the baby the other day: Classic Dr. Seuss books and “The Very Best of Mother Goose.” Got ‘em at Goodwill for $0.50 each, oh yeah! And they’re like new. No markings or any evidence that a child touched them at all. Still, I’m going to rub Lysol wipes all over them. Cuz why not.

I also bought a cross-stitch quilt kit. I thought it would be nice to make a little keepsake blanket (more for decorative use though–I don’t want baby poop or barf all over my hard work! heh. Although…there is such thing as projectile vomiting…). The quilt looks a lot more complicated than I first thought. I haven’t started yet, but I hope to soon.

These last few weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out, “What in the world do you do with an infant? And how can you do a good job without spending a bajillion bucks?” I’m still searching for those answers.

I’m certain that I want to nurse for at least the first six months. I’ll make sure a good lactation consultant teaches me everything she knows. It’ll work. For sure.

I’m also considering a more wacky idea: Cloth diapering my little baby’s tush. In the last few years, incredible advances have been made to cloth diapers. Some work exactly like a disposable: They snap or velcro on, and when you’re done, you take it off. Just, with cloth, you toss them in the wash rather than in the trash.

It would be nice if we had a washing machine in our apartment. Unfortunately, I have to go downstairs and pay $1.25 per load for a wash. Grr. Read more about my diapering thoughts on my main blog here.

OK! On to BabyCenter.com to see how much the little one has grown since last week.

The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won’t be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby’s brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.