A fun moment in the airport and other fun "I guess I've popped" milestones

When we were going through customs at the airport last Friday, I had a funny experience. I went through the metal detector, and the grommits on my capris set off the the little light so the woman proceeds to wave the wand over me to see what was setting it off. She then proceeded to pat me down... spending extra attention on my tummy. She was checking to see if I was smuggling something in my baby bump :) Yup - a little brownie. I wanted to tell her that was all me, but just waited for her to figure it out as she kept pat-pat-patting my belly from all angles. Once she lifted my shirt a bit to see the offending metal grommits and saw the big ol' stretchy maternity panel, she let me go.

 

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Sometime over the course of our trip I went from looking kind of pregnant but mostly chubby to "holy cow, I look pregnant!" I don't know when or how it happened (though I suspect it had something to do with the pastry buffet table and sugary fruit punches...) but all of a sudden, I look pregnant - over the course of a 4 day weekend. At the beginning of the trip, I could see people checking out the belly but looking curious. By the end of the trip, I went to sit down for dinner and the hostess asked straight out, "how's the baby?" and the woman trying to convince us to book another Sandals vacation said, "after the baby, of course". There's no questioning now.

 

So ya... I've popped!

 

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I was just downstairs getting a coffee with my boss (well, I was getting chocolate milk) and one of the EAs I work with (who really drives me mental) was sitting at one of the tables with another colleague. She looks at me and from across the restaurant says, "Daphne!' I look over, and she's all smiles and rubbing her belly looking at me. I nod, and she said she was shocked - she had no idea! And the other colleague said she saw me yesterday and wondered. The EA said, "wow! you kept that a secret!".  Well, not really - I just try to avoid her at all costs because she drives me nuts. But I had a conversation with her just last week and she didn't notice it then.

 

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I'm not quite halfway there... and I look definitely pregnant. I'm going to be HUGE by the end! But as one of my HR coworkers says, it's okay that I have a belly already - the baby needs room to grow!  Grow away, little brownie!

 

T-1 day until our ultrasound! I can't wait :)

18 weeks - Sweet Potato

Weekly Pregnancy Journal


How far along: 18 w, 1 d

Total weight gain/loss: Since I was in the Bahamas on weigh-in Monday, I'm skipping this week. Let's just put it simply: weight gain = a LOT

Maternity clothes: Yup, and some of the non-mat shirts that fit me (even last week) are getting a little snug now.

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: Fab. And my SIL loaned me her wedge pillow, so I'm trying that out. So far I'm finding it uncomfortable, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Best moment this week: I think it was simultaneously a good and bad moment (or collection of moments) - in the Bahamas, when people didn't even question if I was pregnant and just asked how the baby is. I'm excited that I'm looking pregnant and not just fat, but on the other hand, I think I'm *way too big* to be only 18 weeks along! Either way though, as long as everything's healthy, that's a good thing.

Movement: I think I might have felt movement on the weekend... it felt like a light pinching from the inside out, and I can't think of what else that might be. So yay if that was our little brownie saying hi!

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: None

Gender: No idea. We really need to decide if we're going to find out - before our ultrasound on Friday! I still don't want to know though.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In, but it's huge and shallow

What I miss: Still would kill for a glass of wine. I had a sip of champagne on vacation, but otherwise stuck to my fruit punch and virgin daquiris. but I really wanted wine with dinner. I should ask my OB about having the occasional 1/2 glass when I see her next week.

What I'm looking forward To: Friday's ultrasound!

Weekly Wisdom: Try to be a little more sensitive when someone wants to throw you a shower. I think I really hurt my best friend's feelings when I told her that we're thinking of having a co-ed housewarming/baby-q at our new place instead of her doing a small BBQ for just my girlfriends. I think she understands (I really don't want a shower, and while doing a small thing at her place would be fun and not really shower-like (which is good, b/c I HATE showers), it would mean I'd have to do a BIG Indian thing with my in-laws which I really don't want) but she was definitely upset.

Symptoms this week: I had some red spotting on Sunday... which was scary as hell even though I knew logically that it was because of the vacation sexin'. It turned into brownish spotting the next day, and now it's gone. But that was still scary. Otherwise, I guess my only other symptom is feeling and looking big - I definitely look pregnant now!

New Question - Milestones: I can't do my own toenails anymore. It's been getting increasingly uncomfortable, but I was able to put a coat on Thursday night in preparation for the weekend of flip-flop wearing. I splurged and got a french pedi in the Bahamas, and noticed last night that I had already chipped one of the white tips. So there I am, sitting on my bathroom floor trying to bend and contort to touch up the white, and I bent so forcefully that I actually threw up in my mouth a little. So that's it, I'm getting professional pedicures from now on. Blech.

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

16 week doctor's appointment & bloodwork

So last Wednesday, I had a doctor's appointment and I still haven't blogged about it. It wasn't a super-exciting appointment, but it was good. We actually thought I was just going to the lab for bloodwork and not seeing my doctor (it was part 2 of the IPS testing), but it turns out it was a full appointment, then blood at the lab. So Nick didn't come with me (since we thought I wasn't seeing my doctor) and it turns out he could have. Lesson learned.

 

So here's what I learned:

 

She got back the results from my last set of bloodwork - I don't have HIV or Syphillis --score! Either of those would have been a really unpleasant surprise. I'm also immune to Rubella, which I already knew since I got my shots in preparation for the India trip we didn't take. My Hemoglobin is on the low side of normal, but that's okay. She says that might go down more during pregnancy. I'm not really sure what any of that means, but I'm sure she'll tell me if it's an issue. My mom said to make sure I get enough red meat. No problem there. 

My blood type is O+. Never knew that. Apparently that's my mom's too.

 

She took my blood pressure and it's normal, and then we heard the baby's heartbeat for all of 10 seconds - she didn't even have to search for it. As soon as she put the wand on my belly, I heard the woosh woosh woosh. She said it was like the baby was waiting to say hello :) Heartrate is at 146, which is totally normal. 

Then she did a swab (I was not expecting that at all, since I didn't know I was even seeing my doctor - surprise!), which was given to the lab, and I did more bloodwork as part of the IPS stuff.  Good times. I freaking love giving blood. But this time it was only 2 vials, and I didn't bruise after.

 

So all in all, a good appointment. I go back in 2 weeks for my IPS ultrasound (at the lab, not with my doctor - for real this time, I don't see her that day) and then the week after I see my doctor again.

 

Good times!

17 Weeks - Onion

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 17 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 11. Ugh. But in my defense, I haven't really gone to the bathroom in a couple of days, so that should account for something.

Maternity clothes: Yup

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: Is great. I'm still sleeping on my back a lot and it's totally comfortable. I need to buy one of those triangle pillows so side-sleeping is more comfortable

Best moment this week: My doctor's appointment (which I still haven't blogged about - I've been lazy) was pretty good. It's always great to hear that everything is okay - and that I don't have Syphillis :) Ooh, and I found REALLY CUTE bee bedding that I MUST BUY. No matter how expensive it is (which it is, very). But it's absolutely adorable.

Movement: Still can't feel anything - but I want to so badly!

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: None

Gender: No idea. And I really don't want to find out, but Nick really does. This is a problem.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In, but it's huge

What I miss: Wine. It's going to be weird doing an all-inclusive and passing on the champagne.

What I'm looking forward To: Bahamas! And next Friday's ultrasound

Weekly Wisdom: Try not to be too offended when people say "wow, you're already showing!" Wow thanks, I hadn't notice. And really I'm 4 months pregnant. It's okay that I look pregnant!

Symptoms this week: Nothing much, really. My gums are still really sore (My dentist appointment next week is sure to be brutally painful). Other than that, feeling normal. I have a cold and a sore throat as of yesterday, but that's not our little brownie's fault.

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

16 Weeks - Avocado

Weekly Pregnancy Journal



How far along: 16 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 9.4

Maternity clothes: Absolutely. And on Friday I went shopping again and bought 2 mat bathing suits for our bahamas trip, and some shirts from Old Navy.

Stretch marks: Not yet - and I bought some stretch mark cream now.

Sleep: Is great

Best moment this week: Um... It was a pretty good week, but nothing really major in terms of pregnancy moments. I guess it would be when someone I don't really know at work asked if I'm expecting - I guess that means that I'm looking more pregnant than fat these days :)

Movement: Still can't feel anything

Cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: None

Gender: No idea.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In, but it's definitely starting to change shape.

What I miss: Alcohol. We were at my sister-in-law's for most of the weekend while our condo was being perused by strangers, and I was acutely reminded of how much I would like a Corona to go along with the BBQ'd goodness. Brutal. Also, we went to the liquor store on Saturday to get some wine to put in our wine rack (also for the open house) and it was painful.

What I'm looking forward To: Bahamas! And an ultrasound in 2 weeks!

Weekly Wisdom: I need to quit worrying about my weight and just focus on eating well.

Symptoms this week: A bit of light brownish spotting this weekend, but I think I just overdid it trying to get ready for the open house on Saturday. It's gone now, and otherwise, I feel great.



Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.

A perk

They're doing the annual Spring carpet cleaning at the office this weekend, so the department is busy moving boxes that have been permanently fixed to the floor for the past 6 months up on top of filing cabinets and tables.

And I don't have to help.

The one guy in my department said, "Well, Daphne is exempt because of her condition". It makes me sound like I'm dying, but I'll get over it if it means I don't have to lug dusty boxes around today, and then back to their original spots on Monday.

Score!

Whose bellybutton is this?

So yesterday, as I was busy moisturizing after my shower, I looked in the mirror and saw something shocking. There appears to be a big, gaping hole in my stomach where my little and deep belly button used to be. All of a sudden, it has changed - it's huge and wide and you can see straight in - it's not the shadowed little circle it used to be.

I showed Nick when he woke up and he said, "I don't think I've ever been able to see the 'back' of your bellybutton before!" Meaning that it went in so far that it just seemed like a black hole.

And so it begins. I hope it just continues to flatten out and doesn't ever pop out... though I know that's probably an unrealistic hope.

Also, my belly's starting to feel less like a big roll of fat, and more like a thin layer of fat covering a hard baby bump. Which is awesome :) I don't mind feeling like a whale if it's a hard bump, but when it just looks like I've been eating too much, well, that's not so cute.

spot on - from theBump

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, "surely she doesn't mean me," then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is 'Congratulations!' with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.
   
2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father - not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase 'my baby'.
   
3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it...
   
4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
   
5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight... ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments gives her license to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is 'You look fabulous!'.
   
6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.
   
7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, mother-in-law or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren't invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won't be invited to be there when it comes out either.
   
8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor's appointments, ultrasounds, labour, delivery, the hospital and the new parents' home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to 'help out'. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
   
9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
   
10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.
    
    Sincerely,
    All the Pregnant Women in the World

15 Weeks - Naval Orange

Weekly Pregnancy Journal


How far along: 15 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 9. I know that's not supposed to bother me, but it does anyway. I'm looking pregnant, but I feel like a fraud because there's definitely some lump over the bump - even above the belly button, though I know my ute hasn't expanded up there yet. I need to stop worrying about this.

Maternity clothes: Yup. Last week I hit a new low in my fashion style - I bought some mat pants at Wal*Mart. I don't think I've ever blogged about it before, but that place is my nemesis. I hate it... but the jeans were only $25. ...And I hate myself for getting sucked in by cheap pants.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Is great

Best moment this week: Finding out about our surprise trip to Bahamas! Nick and I went out for dinner on our anniversary and he put our trip itinerary in my card. I was so surprised! It's just a 4 day, but I'm so excited to sit on the beach and for the first time not feel bad about looking like a whale. :)
Also, we went to my SIL's yesterday and she showed us a bunch of baby stuff we'll be inheriting from her, including a beautiful cherry crib and bouncy chairs and such. Sweet :)

Movement: Still just in the bowels

Food cravings: Nothing really. I'm still hungry every few hours, but I'm eating normal food.

Aversions: None

Gender: No idea.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: 'living' in our condo. It's listed now, so everything has to be spotless *just in case*. It's nice that it's always clean, but having to plan when I do laundry so it's not hanging up when we leave the house isn't fun.

What I'm looking forward To: Bahamas!

Weekly Wisdom: Um.... I don't think I've been very wise this week. No wisdoms.

Symptoms this week: I just feel huge.



Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now outmeasure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements.

A list...

Of things that bother me

1. That one of our managers writes her smiley face emoticons backwards (-;
2. People who shuffle their feet
3. Toilet paper rolls on 'backward'. The free edge should fall down the front, not the back.
4. That my husband seems incapable of putting his damn hair gel and comb back in the drawer when he's done with them
5. When doctor's office waiting rooms only have 2 year old copies of Sports Illustrated to flip through on your ridiculously long wait. Come on - you make enough money to spring for a couple of magazine subscriptions.
6. That one of my colleagues talks to her email as she's reading it. She has no internal monologue. "How am I supposed to answer that?? Well, I'm not writing back to you right now."
7. The long and cumbersome process that is submitting my expenses at work
8. Packing for weekends in London
9. Putting laundry away

That's all that's on my mind right now. Back to work for another hour, and then I'm going home. Long weekend!

14 Weeks - Lemon

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 14 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 6.8. Ugh. And I've been eating better this week too. I'm going to be a whale.

Maternity clothes: Yes, and it's wonderful. I'm still wearing my non-mat jeans (the new ones fall down) and some non-mat shirts, but otherwise, I'm as comfy as can be.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Is great

Best moment this week: Buying a house! WOOOOO! Getting a Mother's Day card from our little brownie (I think daddy helped him/her do the shopping ;)

Movement: Still just in the bowels

Food cravings: Nothing really - my appetite has waned a bit. I'm absolutely starving every few hours or so, but I don't eat very much in one sitting. Like, a yogurt and banana or half a sandwich pretty much does it for me.

Aversions: None

Gender: Maybe a girl? But really, no idea.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Still would love a glass of wine.

What I am looking forward to: Getting pictures of our new house!

Weekly Wisdom: It's just as well we didn't buy that last house, because it just wasn't meant to be. When it's right, you won't have to convince yourself.

Symptoms this week: Um... other than the bleeding gums, I'm feeling pretty fabulous.
Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

Here it is!

Pictures of the inside of the house to follow after the home inspection on Tuesday.

But I took a drive-by on Friday, so here's the front of our new house!

We Bought a House!

We went to see a house last night in the area we've been eyeing, and Nick somehow knew (even before we saw a listing or pictures) that we were going to buy it. Apparently, our realtor knew too, since he brought already-drafted purchasing papers to the showing.

We love it. It's perfect.

The area is so family friendly

• there were a ton of kids outside playing in the evening
• it's a quiet crescent
• there's a park really closeby with a baseball diamond, tennis courts and a playground
• it's walking distance to the elementary school
• there are two Montossoris right in the neighbourhood
• neighbours were out chatting in their driveways

The house is perfect.

• The backyard is beautiful, and comes complete with an interlocking brick patio, a hot tub, a gazebo, a shed, and tons of grass and gardens and room for a play set
• The kitchen is gorgeous, with a $9000 professional gas oven and range hood
• The living/dining rooms have beautiful cherry floors
• Main floor office
• 4 bedrooms upstairs - one of which we may turn into a kick-ass walk-in closet and ensuite bath
• a beautifully done bathroom, that we'll unfortunately have to wreck... they put in an incredible shower, but we'll need a bathtub with kids
• The basement is so well done and has a really cool bar under the stairs, and they threw in their pool table because they have nowhere to move it to in their apartment
• The downstairs guest room and bathroom are spacious
• And there's a laundry chute! How cool is that??

We don't get possession until July 31, which seems forever away, but I'm sure once we have our condo ready for sale and on the market, it'll fly by.

I can't wait to go back to our house and take pictures and start planning out what paint colours we want. And then we can start shopping for baby furniture and a dining room suite!

We bought it at list price, which was totally fair for the neighbourhood and the beauty of the house. And it was well within our price range, so we can't go wrong!

Now we just have to wait for the home inspection (which we expect will be easy since they moved in 5 years ago and have done an impeccable job renovating it). And then it's ours!

Yay for Nick and Daphne! We're homeowners - well, we were before, since we own this condo, and owned the last as well. But now, we get land! And two stories! And room for a barbecue!

Flossing...

... is excruciating.

I haven't flossed in a while, I'm not going to lie.
My flossing 'routine' is normally brought on by (a) visits to the dentist, (b) eating a bag of microwave popcorn while watching a movie, or (c) going to the Keg for dinner. It's not a normal part of my dental hygiene routine, because frankly, I hate it. And I know I should floss regularly... but I don't. So there.

For the past 2 months or so, I'll admit that I haven't picked up the floss once. I know, I know - "Don't neglect your gums!" But here's the thing - brushing my teeth has been a bit of an ordeal on and off these days. Sometimes it's fine, but sometimes just approaching my back teeth with my toothbrush makes me gag. It's a daily surprise whether my gag reflex will be on overdrive or not.

But the last week or so, I've noticed a bit of blood when I'm brushing - and I use a soft toothbrush, so there shouldn't be any blood.

So last night, I decided to floss. And holy crap, it looked like an old-fashioned vampire movie when I was done. Blood everywhere. I turned to smile at Nick to show him and he freaked out. It was gruesome. And today, my gums feel like I took a jackhammer to them!

Which normally would be enough to deter me from flossing for a while... but I know I have to keep at it. Because of the extra bloodflow going through my gums, apparently gum problems are really common during pregnancy. So I need to keep flossing. And this does not make me happy.

We're going to the Keg tonight... and I'm really not looking forward to the havoc this will surely wreak on my poor sensitive gums. I wonder if I can convince myself to forego the steak and get a salad or something instead....

13 Weeks - Peach

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 13 w, 0 d - Woo Hoo for 2nd Tri!
Total weight gain/loss: + 5.6. Ouch. But in my defence, we spent basically every evening last week with our realtor, and ate nothing but fast food because we only had 5 minutes to eat. And we have no food in the house, because we've had no time to do groceries. Once we buy food, I'll be back to normal eating habits again and will hopefully slow down my quick progression to whale-hood.
Maternity clothes: I went shopping on Friday and bought some maternity clothes, and I've never been more comfortable in my life. Hooray!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Is normal
Best moment this week: Spilling the rest of the beans and finally just being pregnant instead of secretly pregnant!
Movement: Bowels - still totally normal. Baby - Apparently moving up a storm, but I still can't feel it.
Food cravings: Sandwiches, fruit. But I don't think that's really pregnancy related - I think we just need to do groceries, and I always want what isn't in the fridge.
Aversions: Nothing.
Gender: Still no idea.
Labour Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Still would love a glass of wine... but otherwise, I'm okay.
What I am looking forward to: Our next ultrasound... which won't be for weeks. My belly popping so I look truly pregnant! Getting my highlights touched up again (since it's 'controversial', I decided to wait until 2nd tri to get them done. I'm going to make an appointment for this Friday)
Weekly Wisdom: If you see a house you like, don't hum and haw over it - just buy it before someone else does!!

Symptoms this week:
I can see why people call this the golden stage of pregnancy - I feel great! I feel kind of fat still (looking forward to my tummy 'popping'), but otherwise, I feel fab!


Your fetus is forming teeth and vocal cords... savor this, their non-functional phase. Baby is approaching normal proportions, with a head now only one third the size of the body. Intestines are in the process of moving from the umbilical cord to baby's tummy. (Much more convenient.)

The rest of the beans - if it's on facebook, it's official

We changed our facebook statuses before dinner last night, and were so excited to get home from Oliver & Bonaccini's to see the madness that ensued.

Mine said: Daphne has a bun in the oven
Nick's said: Nick is preparing for the late-night ice cream & pickle runs.

As of this morning, I have 29 comments ranging from "Congratulations!" to "Holy Cow!" to "Are you just baking again, or do you really have a 'bun in the oven?'" And I got an email from an old friend who moved to BC a couple of years back, who knew about my old no-babies rule - she was floored, and happy for us, and curious if this was planned ;)

So that's it - the world knows. I'm wearing maternity clothes, and the world knows about our little brownie. It feels so liberating to not be hiding it anymore!

Now, I'm not just cautiously pregnant, I'm PREGNANT! And I'm going to be a mommy in 6 months!

Ahhhhhhh.......

I love maternity pants.

I went shopping after work and dropped nearly $500 on clothes (ack, I know! but necessary) and I'm so glad I did. I wore a new pair of mat pants and shirt to dinner tonight, and it was wonderful. I felt great, and I think I actually looked skinnier without the muffin top that was happening with my other pants.

I even bought a dress for the wedding we're going to in 2 weeks. It shows off my best assets (the girls) and is really flattering. I certainly don't fill out the belly that much, but it's pleated in the front, so it doesn't look like I'm wearing a maternity dress, per se.

And I bought 3 new bras at la Senza that are the most comfortable things ever - and I had to go up in band size, which meant the cup was a little bigger too. Whatever, they're comfortable.

AND I bought some maternity underwear, because my old favourite boy-cut style was starting to roll under my gut and they aren't 100% cotton, so they were getting really hot. So, I now am the sort of proud owner of under-belly bikinis, and under-belly thongs. Nice.

I'm so glad I finally told work, and now I can be comfortable!

I broke pants

I was trying to zip up a pair of pants that fit last week (with a bella band, but still - the zipper at least did up) and I broke them. I was trying so hard to pull them up that the zipper pull came right off.

Nick laughed hysterically when I told him. I didn't find it so funny. My closet is absolutely stacked with clothes, and nothing fits me. It's so frustrating.

Time to go shopping!

Spilling more beans - telling work!

I spilled more beans yesterday - I just couldn't wait to tell work. I was going to tell them today in our monthly meeting, but it got cancelled so I said screw waiting! So I waited until everyone got into the office, and then rallied everyone out of their desks and just pulled out the ultrasound picture. They were all so thrilled - and they totally knew. They said they had been talking about it for weeks, but were just waiting for me to tell them. Even the only guy in my department noticed - and I rarely ever see him!

What tipped them off:

• I stopped coming in in the mornings with a cappuccino made at home. Antonia even asked me how my capp. maker was a while back - I said great.... when in fact, coffee just tasted bad so I wasn't making it.
• My acne. They all noticed that (great). Good thing the meds are finally working!
• My weight. They all noticed that too. And they said that this is the first time I've just seemed content with getting bigger. I'm normally the one pushing everyone to do South Beach together, and now I'm advocating bigger pants.
• My eating habits - they said the saltines were a dead givaway. And while I only felt sick for a couple of weeks, those few times they saw me munching on crackers confirmed their suspicions.

Anyway, they're all really excited for me. I then went and told one of the Marketing Managers that I work closely with, and she was so excited - but she had no idea. She looked at my tummy as I was sitting in her office, and said this is the first time she'd noticed it.

And then I went and told the Marketing Director - who used to be my VP at the Internet Franchise. She was surprised... sort of. At dinner a few weeks ago with the old work crew, she noticed my tummy and that my face had gotten a little rounder - and thought it was weird because I was skinny everywhere else and I've always had such a narrow face. So she said she's glad her suspicions were correct, and she's really excited for me.

So, the only beans left to spill at work are to the President, who is the most family-friendly man ever. He'll be so happy for me, and I love that. I'll have to set up a meeting with him or something, because I rarely run in to him unless I'm writing a speech or something for him.

And tonight, I think we'll change our facebook statuses and watch the madness ensue! I plan on saying, "Daphne has a bun in the oven", and Nick's going to say, "Nick is heading out on an ice cream and pickles run" :)

12 Weeks - Plum

Weekly Pregnancy Journal



How far along: 12 w, 1 d - now that my EDD has been adjusted officially!

Total weight gain/loss: I didn't get on the scale this morning because I usually do this on Thursdays. I'll check tomorrow.

Maternity clothes: Very soon, I'll need to buy some pants.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Is normal

Best moment this week: Doctor T-B saying everything looks great! Seeing our little brownie moving around in there. Hearing the heartbeat. It's been a good week!

Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - we saw him/her moving around in there, and it was unreal!

Food cravings: Fruit

Aversions: Nothing, but I find that I'm really really hungry, but then only eat a little and I'm full and just want some juice.

Gender: Still no idea.

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Fitting into my pants. This is getting ridiculous - I need to go shopping.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my work on Friday and just being pregnant already!

Weekly Wisdom: You're probably not fooling anyone, but if it makes you feel better to deny the pregnancy a little longer, well, that's okay.
Symptoms this week:

• Nothing over the top. The acne is definitely getting better now that I'm using all this new stuff


• My bloat really looks like a baby belly now


• I can't seem to sleep in any more because I have to pee around 5 or 6 every morning


• My boobs are pornographic, and still very tender

As you move into the second trimester, baby shifts into the growth and maturation stage. After weeks in the critical development stage, almost all of baby's systems are fully formed.

Our first baby picture!

How cute is that???
Seriously cute. That's how cute.

The baby was moving around and stretching its arm over its head - it was adorable. And Doctor T-B says everything looks just fine, so go ahead and tell my mom it's okay to tell everyone now :) She said I'm measuring 12 weeks 1 day, so it looks like the due date really is November 7! So that means I'm behind on my pregnancy journal :)

So I guess it's safe to tell everyone now... but I'm still wary. Not that I'm worried about anything going wrong with the pregnancy at all - because I'm 100% confident now. I just don't want close friends to find out at the same time as acquaintances. So we're going to call our close friends tonight (the ones who don't know already) and then in a few days, I'm going to change my facebook status to "Daphne has a bun in the oven." I'm constantly baking something, and often have this in my status, so we thought it would be fun to make people guess if I'm actually baking a bun, or if I have a bun in the oven.

We're going to see a few houses tonight. Now that the 2nd trimester is just around the corner, the heat is on to find a place that we'll be happy with for the next 5 years or so and just buy the damn thing. We've come to terms with the fact that we're not going to buy our dream house right now, so we should just get something that's nice for now, and get on with it so we move while I'm still useful.

Big Ultrasound Today!

At 2:30 p.m., we'll be heading to the OB's office to see our little babe again. We're doing the IPS testing and 1st Tri ultrasound. And we'll get a picture of the ultrasound this time! Woooo!

I'm excited :) And one of the best things is that the appointment is at 2:30 so I get to leave work, and then just work from home after. That's fab. So I get to go home right after the ultrasound and scan that little picture and send it to our families and my boss and upload it to my blog :)

And provided that all goes well today, I'll feel pretty comfortable telling people. We'll wait until next week to announce it on Facebook (much to Nick's dismay) but we can tell friends and such now.

I can't wait to just 'come clean' with everyone!

The sweetest sound I've ever heard

My SIL (the doctor who prescribed me wonderful acne-killing face medicine a couple of weeks ago) brought her doppler to the BBQ so we could try to find a heartbeat. She made us promise that we wouldn't freak out if we didn't find it - she couldn't find it most of the time on herself because she was so swollen all the time. But since we have our big ultrasound on Tuesday, she brought it anyway.

So we're all waiting for the non-family guests to leave the BBQ so we can go try it out... But as 11 rolls around, we realize they're not leaving anytime soon, and say screw it. Nick, SIL and I go into the bedroom and close the door. My SIL got me all set up and covered in US goo, and put the wand on my belly. She searched around for a minute or two, pointing out my own heartbeat and the sound of the umbillical cord passing by the doppler, and then the most beautiful sound I've ever heard comes out loud and clear over the monitor.

Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh Woosh....

Our little brownie has the sweetest heartbeat. Around 135 beats per minute (which is in the range of normal - hooray!) I was floored. And the babe was swimming around - we could only get maybe 15 seconds of heartbeat before s/he would move away from the wand. I had just had a cup of tea, so maybe the babe was feeling a little frisky :)

We invited my other sister-in-law in to hear, and then my mother-in-law.

And she let us take the doppler home, as long as we returned it on Sunday so she could take it back to the office on Monday.

So we listened again before bed, and then again in the morning before I showered. In the morning, we decided to call my mom. I ended up waking her up (oops!) but told her that someone wanted to say hi. We put the phone up to the monitor so she could hear the woosh woosh (still around 135 BPM). She said, "what the hell was that?" I told her it was the baby's heartbeat, and she melted. We put the doppler back to the phone, and I could hear her saying, "Hi baby! This is your grandma!" It was so sweet. I apologised for waking her, but said we figured she'd want to say hi before we had to take the doppler back.
I think it completely made her day.

I could listen to that all day.... But that's okay. The big ultrasound is Tuesday and we'll get a picture of our little baby brownie!

So apparently, I'm not fooling anyone.

We went to look at a house on Saturday on our way over to my sister-in-law's for a birthday BBQ. I was wearing a cute little sundress, which I figured hid my bloated belly pretty well - it was empire waisted and pretty flowy.

So we're looking through the house, and decide it's not for us. On our way out, the realtor asked what we thought about it. I replied, "it's nice, but it doesn't have enough bedrooms." Without hesitation, she looks at my stomach and says, "Which number is this?" I kind of stuttered and said, "Oh, it's our first." Then we left. As soon as we were out the door, Nick says, "Do you want to go home and change?" Well no, because I don't have anything else at all to wear!

This lady was so confident that I was pregnant, she didn't even hesitate to ask! Nervy!

So at the BBQ, I was pretty self-conscious and tried to make an effort to suck in and stand in flattering ways. It was a family BBQ, which meant that half of the guests knew I'm pregnant (my in-laws), but the other half were my sister-in-law's in-laws, who obviously didn't know. But they were all looking at my stomach, and I knew it.

As we were about to leave later that night, my brother-in-law tells me that his mom knows. She went up to him and said, "Listen, you don't have to say anything, but just tell Daphne Congratulations". He denied knowing anything, and said that if I'm pregnant, I haven't told him yet. She just shushed him and said, "I'm your mother, and I know when someone is pregnant."

So ya, I was kind of upset for a bit... but in the end, I am pregnant, so whatever. I'd be horribly offended if I was just getting chunky, but I am actually growing a little person inside me, so whatever. We'll be telling people soon enough - in a week! Or less! So whatever.

I might have to break down

...and buy some mat pants. I am so incredibly uncomfortable now, and I'm really running out of things to wear. Only one pair of jeans fits (my fat jeans) and even those have to be worn with the bella band. The other jeans won't even get up past my thighs.
And shirts aren't much better. Once I 'come out' at work, it'll be better because I won't be trying to hide my ever-expanding belly (I don't care that it's not baby yet, I look pregnant, and that's really all that matters when you're trying to keep it quiet). But for now, I have a very limited wardrobe of drapy shirts that still cover my stupid chest acne (the prescription is helping, but they're going away so slowly). And with it getting warm out now, I'm really limited since I can't justify wearing my heavy layer-y sweaters.

I might have to make a trip to Motherhood on Saturday. I want some jeans that fit comfortably. I hate fighting with my wardrobe every morning.

I can't wait for my appointment on Tuesday. Then I'll tell my department on Friday at our monthly meeting, and then I can just be pregnant at work. I'll be 12 weeks next week, so I think that's long enough to wait. Some people say that's the end of first tri - some say it ends at 13. Whatever, as long as the ultrasound goes well, i'm telling!

11 Weeks - Lime!

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 11 w, 0 d
Total weight gain/loss: + 3.8lb, which is somehow comforting this far along in the first tri, since I read that you should only gain about 4 pounds total by 3 months. I'm right on track for that. And really, it's all in the belly, so I'm not really upset about it - it's starting to look pregnant, not just fat.
Maternity clothes: Considering it soon. I need pants.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Is normal now - I go to bed at normal times, and wake up refreshed. I'm still having really weird dreams - I should start blogging about those.

Best moment this week: Seeing our little brownie on the ultrasound! Getting a prescription for my acne from my SIL.
Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - not that I can feel.
Food cravings: Nothing really.
Aversions: Nothing. I'm feeling totally normal these days, and it's great. Even coffee tastes good again - this is fantastic news!
Gender: No idea, but my brother-in-law said that he thinks it's a girl because of my horrid acne. He said that girls 'suck the beauty out of their moms'.
Labour Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Having a glass of wine with dinner.
What I am looking forward to: Tuesday's big ultrasound! Then on Friday, I'll tell my department in our HR meeting. Then the next week, I'll tell the world!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't be upset when people don't react the way you'd like them to. It won't change anything, so just move on.
Symptoms this week:

• My horrible sciatic pain has really subsided this week (funny - after Nick and I had some super-awesome sex. I think it un-pinched the nerve! And he's so proud of himself for 'fixing' me ;)
• Boobs are huge and tender if I try to sleep on my stomach.
• The bloat is looking more like baby every day.
• The acne is still there, but after 3 days on antibiotic cream and a new cleanser recommended by my MD sister, I think it's met its match.
• Nausea and exhaustion may have departed for good - I think I'm already in the honeymoon stage of pregnancy at 11 weeks!
  

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

I've been so blog-lazy!

I've been delinquent, and I know if I just skip over the news of the last 2 weeks, I'll regret it later. So, I'm going to do a series of posts to catch up - and I'm going to adjust the dates so they reflect the approximate day it all happened.

• Telling the in-laws (April 11)
• Our first ultrasound! (April 17)
• Telling my dad (April 18)

Bean Spilling - Telling my dad

We saw my dad and Susan on Saturday for dinner, which marked the last of the spilling the beans to family marithon we'd been running. Since we had just seen the babe the day before, we were pretty confident in telling them.

My SIL dressed Ty in the Super Cousin shirt we gave him, and when he took off his sweater, I said, "Ty, show Grampa and Susan your shirt!". He was not interested - he ran to the back door and wanted to go play outside. And Dad and Susan weren't really intent on seeing the shirt, no matter how many times I said it.

Eventually, my Dad read it and didn't get it at all. So I said, "because Ty's going to be a cousin". He just looked at me and said, "Oh really? Congratulations". Not excited - more awkward and matter-of-fact. Very anticlimactic. He hugged me really briefly and shook Nick's hand. End of story. Then Susan came to the backyard and said, "okay, so what shirt do I need to see?" She read it, and said, "Oh, that's great news" and hugged both of us. That was it. It was so awkward.

I know my dad and I aren't as close as he and my brother are, but it was dissappointing. It's not that he's not excited to have another grandchild, it's that he just doesn't know how to react.

Meh. Whatever. At least the rest of the family is over the moon - and he'll be excited later, I'm sure.

So now the whole family knows. Not long now before I can tell work and the rest of the world! After my big ultrasound.... that's coming up so soon!

First Ultrasound!

We had our first doctor's appointment!



I met my OB, and she's really nice. When she realized that I was only 10 weeks, she didn't understand why her admin had booked me in so early (she does appointments starting at 12 weeks). I told her that my doctor thought she could check out my cyst while she was doing an ultrasound, and she said, "well, I'm not doing that kind of ultrasound today". Which meant HOORAY - she didn't need to use the dildo-cam! It was a tummy ultrasound!

So we saw our little brownie, and it was amazing. It really made it feel real - it's not just a 'concept' of pregnancy, there's actually a little baby in there. It was unreal.

So it was a really quick ultrasound, since she can't do anything until 12 weeks testing-wise. And she didn't check the heartbeat. But brownie's measuring at the right size (though she's still giving me November 7 as a due date instead of 12, since she's going by my LMP. I'm sure she'll adjust that at my next ultrasound).

So, the 12 week biggie is set for April 28 - which, coincidentally, I think it the original u/s date they gave me before I bumped it up to 10 weeks. Next Tuesday! So excited. And we'll get a picture of our little babe next week too :)

Holy crap - there's a baby in there!

10 Weeks - Prune

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 10 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 2.8lb, but I swear to god I'm huge. I'm starting to look pregnant, and I'm really limited on clothes that fit and hide my bloat.

Maternity clothes: Considering it soon.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Isn't as all-consuming as it was before. I can stay up until 10:30 or 11 now, and it's wonderful.

Best moment this week: Telling the in-laws. I have to blog about that - they're all so excited!

Movement: Bowels - moving regularly. Baby - not that I can feel.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Aversions: The last week or so I've felt really quite good - food isn't the worst thing in the world any more. Yay! Maybe now I can lay off the bagles a little bit!

Gender: No idea

Labour Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Being excited to shop for Spring clothes. Liking coffee. I really miss coffee. Wanting sex. I have absolutely zero sex drive, and my poory hubby is getting fed up.

What I am looking forward to: Tomorrow! Meeting my OB! And my SIL said she'll bring her doppler home from the office so we can listen for the heartbeat on Sunday (we'll hear it tomorrow, I'm assuming, but can't hurt to hear it again!)

Weekly Wisdom: Don't eat broccoli-onion salad at lunch when you have a meeting with the President at 1:00. The whole time I was in his office I was thinking, "Oh my god, I'm going to burp broccoli on this man"

NEW QUESTION: Symptoms this week: My boobs aren't as sore - still huge though. I'm crazy bloated as the day goes on. I have terrible skin, and I need to go buy more high-necked shirts because the chest acne is raging again. Nausea and exhaustion seems to have gone away this past week, so that's good (unless it's a sign of something bad, of course.... we shall see tomorrow I guess).





With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

Spilling Beans - Telling the in-laws

My in-laws came over on Good Friday to have dinner at our house to celebrate my Mother-in-law's 60th birthday. The whole family came - MIL/FIL (London), SIL/BIL + their 3 kids (London), and SIL/BIL + their son (Toronto). It was a full house, and we took the opportunity to tell them our news - I was 9 weeks along.

So everyone had gone in on a gift for my MIL - we had a painting done of a poster she loved. So we brought it out, and she was surprised. And she thought that was it for gifts.

Then, Nick and I handed her another box, and the siblings were confused, since we hadn't told them we had gotten her something independantly. We took an Indian jewellery box and wrapped it up with a bib inside that said "Thank Heaven for little babies". As she was unwrapping, Nick said, "Mom, it's your 60th, so we couldn't help but go a little overboard. So if you don't like it, just pretend". When she saw the box, she got all excited thinking we got her jewellery. The siblings were so confused, because the whole family buys all our jewellery through my BIL, who is a wholesaler. So they were ticked that we got her something from somewhere else without them knowing.

When she opened the box, there was a brief moment of disappointment when she realized it wasn't a necklace set - and then she realized what it meant and squealed and got up to hug us. The whole family was excited and gushing - and my poor nieces had no idea what was going on until my SIL said, "Daphne Mani has a baby in her belly!" We had to tell them quickly that it's a big secret, so they couldn't tell their uncle and other grandparents yet - since they were staying with them in Toronto that weekend.

My one SIL was so surprised - she didn't know we were trying, or even that we had changed our minds about kids (well, that I changed my mind). She was ticked that Nick didn't tell her. The other SIL, who knew that's why we cancelled India but also thought we were on a break for now, was surprised because she had come straight out and asked Nick if we were still on hold, not two days before, and he lied to her face.

It was awesome. The next morning, I took my MIL to a hair appointment (we were going to a wedding on the Saturday) and she told me in the car, "it's not that it's more important, but.... well, this is the first grandchild that will be 'our family' - the other kids belong to their fathers' families. Not that it's more important, but still". Because in Indian culture, her daughters leave their family to join their husbands, but their son stays with the parents forever. She was so careful not to make a big deal about it - but I know this really means something to her. It's the only kid to carry on the family name.

So, in a nutshell, they were thrilled. And my SIL (in Toronto) was shocked that we had everyone over to our place when I was pregnant. "You should have all come to our place so you didn't have to do so much work!"

The cutest thing was when my nieces were leaving. I reminded them both that the baby is still a big secret, so they can't tell their uncle or grandparents or anyone else yet. The 6 year old said "I'm really good with secrets - I didn't tell anyone about our baby brother!" I said great, thanks. Then she got all serious, and said, "Daphne Mani... can I tell them when the baby is born?" She was so concerned that she would have to keep the secret that long! I assured her that she'd be able to tell them long before that!

The wedding on Saturday was great - and the sari I wore hid my bloat, for the most part :)

Spilling the Beans - telling my family

I've been blog-delinquent this week, mostly because for some reason I've been unable to connect to my home computer from work (boo). This also means I haven't been on theBump through the day, which is probably a good thing considering how swamped I am at work these days. There's just too much to do.


But screw work for a minute - I want to write about last weekend when we told my family the big news! Here's how it went down:


We went to my Mom's on Saturday, and shortly after, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew came over. We were going to do birthday presents for my brother and nephew later, but we told them we had Easter presents for Ty and the baby, and handed them two little packages with Easter cards.


It took some convincing to drag Ty away from his toys, but eventually, he sat with my brother and opened the T-shirt. Trev pulls it out and says, cool! (because it looks like superman). Then he read out "cousin" in a confused voice.


And then silence. Like, nobody got it. Crickets, for like, a minute and I wondered if I was going to have to spell it out for them. Then finally, my sister-in-law says very slowly, "... is Ty going to be a cousin?" and I said "yes, he is!" It took another 30 seconds or so before my mom got it, and she shouted "Oh my god!" Then everyone got up and hugged us and congratulated us. My brother seemed really excited - which was sweet. I expected him to be happy obviously, but he congratulated us on the great news 5 or 6 more times over the weekend.


My mom already invited herself up to stay with us for a week to 'help out' when the baby is born - which totally isn't happening. I told Nick that before - I know we'll be exhausted and kind of lost, but I want to do this just us. After she mentioned it a bunch of times, I eventually suggested that she come up a couple of weeks after to stay, just because Nick will likely be taking off a couple weeks at the beginning, so I'll really appreciate the help when he goes back to work. She agreed. Bullet dodged.

Overall, it went well. They're all really excited for us, and they're sworn to secrecy until I give them the go-ahead.

When we told them that we're telling Nick's family this weekend, my mom said, "okay, I'll be sure not to say anything until after that." Um , NO. You can't tell everyone yet! Not for another month! She was bummed, but understood. I mean, I still haven't had a doctor's appointment yet! For all I know, the baby could have stopped growing and I don't know it (I really hope not, but it's entirely possible).

Ty's big birthday party was on Sunday, and when we were leaving I went up to my brother to say goodbye and he congratulated me again on the great news and hugged me. I think he's really looking forward to being an Uncle. He's an uncle on my SIL's side, but (and I know this sounds terrible) it just means more when it's your own family. I mean, I love the kids on Nick's side to death, but there's just something special about my own brother's son, you know? He's blood.

So tomorrow's the big day with Nick's family.

Here's the plan:


The family's coming to our place to celebrate my MIL's 60th birthday. We're going to make her open her present right at the beginning, even though she'll want to wait for cake. We're going to say something like, "it's your 60th, and we went a little overboard but we couldn't help it. We had to get you something special". Then we have a big necklace/jewellry box wrapped up so she thinks she's getting some Indian jewellry. (this will confuse everyone else too, because the family buys all jewellry through my BIL, and he won't know anything about it). Inside the box, laid out like a necklace, is a bib that says "thank Heaven for little babies". And the cat will be out of the bag :)

And then, I can start soliciting free medical advice from my SIL the doctor :) Like, what the hell can I do about this damn acne??

Okay. I should be working - I'm freaking swamped. So I'm off. Some pictures of my brother and Ty:

9 Weeks - Green Olive

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 9 w, 0 d
Total weight gain/loss: + 2.5lb. I feel like a cow and this bloat is out of control.
Maternity clothes: Not yet, but I'm really in need of a comfy pair of yoga pants for the evenings
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: is still filled with weird dreams. The last few days I haven't been as exhausted, and it's been great
Best moment this week: Telling my family!
Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - not that I can feel.
Food cravings: Nothing really. Still loving the fruit & yogurt. Anything carby.
Aversions: Nothing specific. The last few days I've actually felt good, so I'm trying to eat better.
Gender: No idea
Labour Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Picking out clothes in the morning and not worrying if they'll fit. My skin - I seem to have traded my complexion with that of a 15 year old, and I would like to have mine back now please.
What I am looking forward to: Next Friday's doctor's appointment! Telling my in-laws this weekend.
Weekly Wisdom: Buy groceries and you won't have to eat crap all the time! Don't let your junk-food-aholic husband talk you into fast food just because it sounds easy.


Your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!

8 Weeks - Raspberry

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 8 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 3lb. I really need to start watching what I'm eating more. I'm a carb-aholic these days because it calms my stomach, but I'm going to need to do something about that.

Maternity clothes: No, but if I keep this up, it won't be long.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: is my friend

Best moment this week: Getting the Super Cousin shirts in the mail

Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - apparently he/she is moving now, but I can't feel anything.

Food cravings: Nothing specific, but fruit and yogurt always sound good, and anything carby.

Aversions: It depends on the day. I could be totally in the mood for something one minute, and the next the idea of any food makes me feel horrid.

Gender: No idea

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Not worrying constantly. Feeling normal. Not feeling like a cow.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my mom & brother on Saturday. My appointment in 2 weeks to tell me everything's okay. Looking pregnant, not just fat.

Weekly Wisdom: My husband is the most calm man in the world - he can make me chill out even at the worst of times.

Milestones: SPOTTING. Last night. Stringy and light brownish. And no matter how much the books say it's normal, I'm freaking out. FREAKING OUT. Nothing so far this morning, but I've been lying down so it might take a while to show up.

Oh, and my boss told me that our Admin Assistant thinks I'm pregnant because I've been looking really tired lately, I've put on some weight, and she caught me eating some saltines at my desk. She told my boss, "if she's not pregnant, I'm worried about her because she might be sick." Crap. The cat is crawling out of the bag, and I still have a month before I want to tell anyone else at work.

Your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

Blargh.

Today at lunch, I thought I was doing just fine. I wasn't thinking about my Mr. Noodles - just chatting with the ladies and eating, and the evil nausea fairy seemed to have pissed off for a while.

I look over at two of my colleagues sharing a disgusted look. I give one the "What?" look, and she mouths, "tell you later." okay. I continue with the noodles.

Then, two of the ladies leave to go for a walk (read: smoke) and my friend explains what happened. The one woman had been eating vegetable soup with a plastic spoon, and the spoon was bright orange after her soup. She then - without even wiping it - dug her spoon into her strawberry yogurt and started chowing down.

Just the thought of this made me gag. I honestly thought I was going to have a Mr. Noodle-tastrophe. And I didn't even see the soup/yogurt incident first hand!

Thanks, nausea fairy, for reminding me that I'm pregnant.

Procrastinating

I should be cleaning the condo right now (we have an appraisal at 6 p.m. tonight and the place is a pig sty) but I'm feeling like I could vom after bending over cleaning the tub, so I'm taking a few minutes out to drink some ginger tea. Rosy (our robot vacuum) is still working on our bedroom floor, so I'm still kind of multi-tasking.

So the cutest things arrived in the mail on Thursday:

This is how we're telling my mom, brother and sister-in-law the news on Saturday. We're doing a dinner to celebrate Easter, my brother's birthday and my nephew's birthday all at once. So at the beginning of the evening, we're going to give my B & SIL two boxes to unwrap - one for my nephew, and one for their unborn babe (expected to arrive late August) - as Easter presents. Then they'll open the boxes, and voila!

I'm still apprehensive about telling them before I have a doctor's appointment, but whatever. It's the perfect opportunity even though I'll only be 8 weeks.

On Thursday and Friday my nausea seemed to magically disappear. Of course I was relieved, but also worried (because the lack of symptoms makes me neurotically wonder if there isn't really a baby growing in there, and I'll go to my appointment and tell me it was all for nothing). Despite the worrying, Nick and I went out to Asian Legend on Friday night to celebrate the lack of stomach ick. But lo and behold, the ick is back. I feel generally like ass all the time. The idea of food makes me feel ill. And I can't open the fridge now without feeling like hell, because the Asian Legend leftovers are so smelly. I think I'm going to have to pitch them today because I can't just avoid the fridge forever.

We told Meg & Bryan the news on Saturday night - we went over to their place for Earth Hour and munchies and after Meg ran through the assortment of delicious sangrias and cocktails they could offer me, I told her, "I think I'll have to pass on the alcohol for the next 9 months or so." It was fun telling them, and I then cracked open the bottle of sparkling grape juice I had brought so I could properly cheers with them.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I should get back to the cleaning.

7 Weeks - Blueberry

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 7 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 1lb (But I feel so much bigger)

Maternity clothes: No, but I now only have one pair of jeans I can wear without my my bella band

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: is filled with very vivid (and weird) dreams.

Best moment this week: Getting my OB appointment bumped up to 11 weeks

Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - not yet.

Food cravings: Anything with marinara sauce. Otherwise, fruit and yogurt are the only things I really want to eat.

Aversions: Lunch. I really don't want lunch.

Gender: No idea

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Feeling normal and not having to keep saltines at the ready just in case. Having the skin of a 29 year old instead of a 15 year old. Wanting to have sex with my husband (he really misses that too). Right now, I'd rather sleep.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my mom & brother next weekend!

Weekly Wisdom: I don't know if ginger ale actually helps the nausea, but it sure does taste good.

Milestones: Um.... I don't really think I hit any milestones this week :(

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Two new ones

Behind my ear. Two giant, pulsating *painful* pimples behind my right ear.

I am so lucky I have hair to cover this disgusting new affliction. I gross myself out.

On all kinds of -ne and becoming even more blind

Acne. Backne. Chestne. NECKne and even SCALPne.

I'm a walking pimple, and it's disgusting. I've had chest zits since my BFP that really don't go away. I can't wear V-neck shirts anymore, and honestly, that's about 90% of my wardrobe - and it's getting too warm to wear turtlenecks.

On the weekend I found a great big ugly zit on my right shoulder. Awesome. Yesterday, one appeared on the left side of my neck - at least my hair covers it. I have them on my scalp for crying out loud. WTF?

And all of this is on top of the raging 15-year-old acne that has taken over my face the last few weeks. One pimple starts to fade, and two more pop up in its place. And no amount of concealer can cover these babies. This is awful. I miss my clean and clear.

Oh, and another fun thing: I think my eyesight is getting worse. I read about this in WTEWYE, and hoped that I wouldn't be plagued with this fun side effect of pregnancy. But I'm afraid I'm not imagining it - everything's getting blurry. I noticed it last week when I was watching TV in bed with my glasses on - I had to tilt my glasses to be able to read the guide. But I thought it wasn't a big deal, because my glasses had an older prescription and I was tired and the TV isn't that big. But yesterday I was trying to read the guide on the living room TV (a 40" TV, so it's not like the writing was small) with my contacts in, and had the same problem. And as I write this, my monitor is fuzzy - and I sit pretty close to it.

So not only am I retaining water around my belly (and thighs), but even my eyes are water logged and fat, and now I can't see. This is awesome.

Remember when I didn't feel pregnant? Ya, me neither.

I'm sneaky and I'm not ashamed of it.

I called my new OB's office this morning and was talking to the receptionist about my first appointment. She informed me that the doc doesn't see anyone until 12 weeks, as that's when all the testing and such begins. Fine. I understand (though it sucks ass). But I explained to her that my GP thought they'd try to get me in to have a look at my cyst at the same time. The receptionist looked at the schedule, and was able to get me in 10 days earlier. It's not much, but it's good enough for me!

I totally pulled the ovarian cyst card, and I'm not ashamed of it.

Woo! I now have an appointment for the 17th at 2:45 p.m. - which is awesome, because we're planning on telling my Dad the next day at dinner. So I'll know if things are okay by then. Sweet. I was worried about that. I'm uncomfortable as it is telling my mom, brother, sister-in-law, and Nick's whole fam before we even have an appointment. But I was REALLY uncomfortable telling my Dad & Susan. They're great and all, but I definitely wouldn't be comfortable with them knowing if anything goes wrong - they're family, but not 'close' like that.

In non baby-related news, I'm officially a klutz and should stop trying to fix things. I was re-staining parts of our floor on the weekend and got a big sploosh of stain on the back of our cream couches. Awesome. I've now spent the better part of 2 days scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing trying to get the purplish brown bloops out of ultrasuede. It's not fun. I'm normally very handy, but this weekend was just not meant to be the 'fix up the condo' weekend as we had originally planned.

There are currently two plumbers in my master bathroom replacing our shower handle thingy - it's been dripping since we moved in, but now it's really bad and we need to get it fixed if we plan to sell this place and move on up to the suburbs.

I don't know why, but I'm kind of uncomfortable with plumbers my own age. They should be my dad's age, for some reason. Greying hair, beer gut, bifocals, and telling stories of all the crazy plumbing issues they've seen over the years. These guys are like 30. Whatever though. As long as it's fixed.

Well, I'm going to head to the kitchen to eat some saltines. Good times. Then when the guys are gone, I think I'll go shopping to hopfully find some shirts that will hide the spare tire I'm cultivating due to (a) eating crackers constantly to keep the m/s at bay, and (b) the full fat-full sugar stuff I'm eating now that I'm trying to cut out the artificial sweeteners.

6 Weeks - Sweet Pea

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 6 w, 0 d

Total weight gain/loss: + 2lb

Maternity clothes: No, but I wore my bella band the other day. I am huge.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: is awesome.

Best moment this week: Finding out when my ultrasound is (though I'm ticked that it's not for another 6 weeks. I'm going to see if I can bump it up, but her office is closed this week)

Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - not yet.

Food cravings: Anything that will make this nausea go away - like crackers.

Aversions: Nothing sounds good to me. Does that count?

Gender: No idea

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Getting up in the morning and not feeling like I'm going to vom.

What I am looking forward to: My first OB appointment.

Weekly Wisdom: Saltines are your friend.

Milestones: MORNING SICKNESS







Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!), and blood is starting to circulate.

UGH.

I just about lost it this morning. I feel wretched.

I went out last night to buy some saltines and arrowroot cookies, hoping they'll play nice with my tummy. So this morning, before I got out of bed, I had a couple of arrowroots. I felt okay while I showered, and while I was doing my hair I had a cup of lemon ginger tea, which is supposed to calm the nausea. So far, so good. I'm feeling okay.

I made myself a grilled cheese sandwich to eat on my way to work. I'm just about to walk out the door, and it hits me. A HUGE wave of nausea - way worse than anything I experienced yesterday. I barely kept the tea and cookies down.

I got down to the car and it was all I could do to chew and swawllow a cracker without heaving.

This is not fun.

I was able to eat my grilled cheese and a few more crackers on the way in to work, but I still feel like hell. I think the key is never letting my stomach be empty, but the problem is that no food looks good and the threat of throwing up definitely deters me from eating. Not good.

Oh, and I got a letter in the mail yesterday stating that my first ultrasound with my new OB is on April 28. APRIL. I'll be 12 bloody weeks pregnant by then! This effing sucks. I think I'll try to call and see if they'll do an earlier appointment, but I'm pretty sure I already know what the answer will be.

Okay, I think I get it

So I think I finally feel pregnant.
I think I have the beginnings of morning sickness. Over the weekend it started, and then yesterday and today it's gotten a little worse. I wake up so bloody hungry, I could eat a full-on linebacker breakfast. Like, I might die if I don't eat *everything* right now. But the idea of food makes me feel rather ill. It doesn't matter what breakfast food I'm thinking of, it all sounds gross. But I'm so hungry.... but I feel nasty. On the weekend, I actually turned down steak and eggs (we went to the Keg on Friday, so we had leftovers) both Saturday AND Sunday - it just didn't sound good.

This morning I had a bowl of cereal and a yogurt (and am still hungry), and I think if I let myself think about it for a minute, I could definitely throw it all up.

I hope this general feeling of queasiness is as bad as it gets for me and that I don't actually start tossing my cookies (or, fibre1 cereal, as the case may be) every time I need to eat.

I need to go buy some saltines tonight. And fruit. I really REALLY want fruit.

Oh, and I'm wearing my bella band for the first time today. I'm wearing my favourite jeans - the ones that I had to unzip in the car on the way home from work last week because they were killing me. Today, it wasn't just uncomfortable to do up the top button, it was absolutely impossible. So I broke out the white/lace one today, with a floaty pink shirt I bought last summer. I think that will be key to me hiding my bloat from people at work - wear empire waisted and comfy shirts I already own so people won't think they're maternity shirts. If I go out and buy new shirts, they might suspect. And I definitely don't want them to know I'm knocked up until after my ultrasound (man, I wish I knew when that was scheduled for!)

5 Weeks - Appleseed

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 5 w, 0 d
Total weight gain/loss: - 1lb
Maternity clothes: I bought two bella bands online the other day - waiting for them to arrive. I don't have bloat or belly yet, but let's face it - anything that will make these jeans fit better will we welcome.
Stretch marks: Not yet.
Sleep: ... is needed. I napped for 3 hours after dinner last night, then slept all night, and I'm still tired.
Best moment this week: My doctor calling to tell me that the blood test was positive. My husband constantly checking out my enormous boobs.
Movement: Bowels - still moving. Baby - not yet.
Food cravings: Nothing specific, but I could eat EVERYTHING IN MY PATH and not be full.
Food aversions: None.
Gender: No idea
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Being full after a huge meal.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling pregnant, not just starving.
Weekly Wisdom: Eating *everything* is probably not a wise way to start out a pregnancy - but the key is taking good-for-you snacks to work and eating often.
Milestones: Nothing major since the last report.

Your embryo (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!