The four month mark

Here's the first photo of the "baby belly".  I know that it isn't huge but my stomach is certainly bigger than it used to be.  I went for my monthly check-up yesterday and all continues to be well with the pregnancy.  My thyroid medication is working well and doesn't need to be adjusted.  The doctor always asks me if I have any questions but I really don't.  I had been worried about the weird cramping and stretching in my belly, but I googled it and was reassured that this is normal.  The doctor showed me where my uterus is currently sitting- the top of it is almost up to my belly button.  I can feel the hardness of it and can feel where it slopes off.  It's so amazing that it's already so much bigger but I know that there is still a long ways to go.  As for other new developments, my boobs also seem to be getting bigger and bigger (probably too much information but too bad, you signed on to check out the blog!) and are a frequent topic of conversation between Scott and his friends.  I've ordered some compression stockings to help with my varicose veins (thanks Mom!) and I've put away almost all of my "regular" clothes.  I have one pair of pants left and can still wear some of my tops, but I probably only have another week or two of wearing these clothes.  My maternity clothes are all in the closet and the drawers - it's a bit strange to switch over to a wardrobe that has mostly been donated to me as I don't have a good sense of what's in my closet but I'm sure that I will get used to my new clothing choices.  

As for the next few weeks, the baby is supposed to double in size (it's currently the size of an avocado) and increase in weight.  Looks like I'm about to get a whole lot bigger!

p.s. Note that Scott had to include the dog and his mountain bike in the photo!  That man loves me but he sure also loves his dog and his bike :)

p.s.s. Thanks to my Mom for pointing out that Cara looks totally shell-shocked in this photo. No, it's not because she's sad that I'm pregnant and is worried that she won't get enough attention once the baby comes.  Rather, you will notice that her "dolly" is in the background and she is pissed that I made Scott stop playing with her just so that he could take the picture of me.  

Other things the baby likes...

1. Poutine

2. Pizza

3. Beef (but not chicken)

4. Pasta with cheese and butter

5. Egg McMuffins

6. Bacon and Eggers from A & W

7. Burgers

8. Pancakes

9. Waffles

10. Sourdough bread

11. Cheese tempura (SO yummy!!!!)

I'm sensing a trend here - the baby seems obsessed with white carbs, cheesy goodness, and processed meats.  I'm not sure that this is such a good thing...

Being pregnant messes with your (my) head

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a bit of a worrier.  I come by it honestly as I come from a family of worriers.  Ironically, I'm married to a man who is the anti-worrier - he barely ever gets worked up about anything. Anyways, becoming pregnant has produced a constant stream of worries.  At first, I was quite worried about having a miscarriage.  Then, once I got to the three months mark, I was much less worried about that.  Now I worry about gaining too much weight and/or not gaining enough weight.  Sometimes I think that my baby belly should be bigger and other times I think that it's doing just fine.  I go in for monthly doctor's appointments and in between appointments, I start to worry that the baby isn't doing ok.  Normal cramping starts to freak me out and I worry that my body is doing something that it shouldn't.  However, every time I see the doctor, I get to hear the heartbeat and I feel confident again that everything is as it should be.  Hearing the heartbeat makes me happy!  

I know that there will be so many more things to worry about as this child grows, both inside me and out in the real world.  Howefver, I do feel truly blessed to be going through this experience and to be having a child.  

The first 'flutterings'

It might be wishful thinking or it might be the placebo effect, but I think that I am starting to feel little baby movements.  I often feel my tummy stretching out but this is different.  It's very subtle but it does seem like I can feel something moving.  I'm pretty keen to feel the baby move for real so I might be imagining this but here's hoping!

If the baby likes ice cream...

It sure doesn't seem to like vegetables.  I have barely eaten any veggies over the past four months. I still eat fruit but I just couldn't be bothered with veggies. Hope that this doesn't mean that my kid is going to be a picky eater...

The evolution of belly rubbing

I've always been fascinated by the way that pregnant women rub their pregnant bellies. I've wondered why they do it and I've wondered how they came to get into that habit. Now that I'm 15 weeks pregnant, I've come up with my own little theory...

1) I keep rubbing my belly because I'm always checking to see how big it is and I'm checking to see if it has grown since the last time I touched it.

2) My belly feels very strange, much of the time. I feel little twinges, tugging, pulling, cramping, stretching etc. and I'm often drawn to rubbing my belly to see if I can feel anything (like the baby moving - which, for the record, I can't feel yet).

3) It's very soothing to rub one's belly. I like to use the belly rubbing as a way to connect to the baby and to send positive, loving messages to him/her.

For now, I try to keep the belly rubbing to a minimum when I am in public. However, I assume that I will become a constant belly-rubber when I start to feel the baby move. That is one stage of pregnancy that I am anxiously awaiting!

Princess Preggo

It is unbelievable how nice people are when you are pregnant. I've heard rumours of this phenomena but it's actually something else to be on the receiving end of it. When I overpacked (as I always do) for my trip to Madonna, my friend carried my suitcase. When one of my friends brought dinner over the other night, she cut all the chicken up into small pieces, just because that's the way that I like it. When I crave ice cream, Scott goes down to the corner store to get it for me. When I visited my youngest sister, she brought me tea in bed. The list really goes on and on. I don't know if I want to tell people when the baby is born because I don't want all this niceness to stop!

The baby likes ice cream...

Alot!  I eat it every night (and no, that did not happen before I got pregnant)

Adventures in dressing

I get to play the "game" every morning.  Which pants still do up?  What can I wear with the belly band?  Which shirts hide my "baby bump that currently looks more like a spare tire than a baby belly"?  What tank top do I need to wear to make my 'too-short' shirts look long enough?  Should I wear maternity clothes today?  Decisions, decisions...

Stereotypes

I'm trying to resist some of the stereotypes that come along with being pregnant because I've never really been a huge fan of stereotypes (I just don't like to make generalizations about people). However, I've noticed that some things seem to be true about being pregnant: 

I cry, alot!  I don't think that I'm super hormonal and I haven't cried at some random commet that Scott made but I have cried at the following things: I cried at the BC Ferries ticket counter when I couldn't find a parking spot, I cried today when I was listening to the Remembrance Day stories on CBC and I cry when I see the 'On-Star' TV commercials (although, truth be told, I always cry at those darn commercials...)

Scott has gone for his first late night cravings run.  I was hankering for some ice cream last week and Scott was kind enough to run down to the corner store to pick me up some.  Such a sweet guy :)

The ultimate in stereotypes has to be the books that are created for men about becoming a father.  Scott was really hoping to find a good book that provided some insight into what was happening to me and to our baby.  However, the only books that we could find were about how his life, not to mention his sex life, was all but over.  So frustrating!

It's endlessly fascinating...

My body is changing every day, sometimes even throughout the day.  It seemed like my baby belly finally popped out on Friday, only to disappear yesterday. My belly is much smaller in the morning than it is by the evening but I think that my tummy muscles just get tired from trying to hold the belly in.  I'm still working my way through my larger-sized pants and I don't really look pregnant in most of my clothes.  The belly is most noticable to me when I'm looking down towards my feet or when I look at myself from the side as my waist is getting very thick!  It's not that noticable when I look at myself straight on.  However, it's only a matter of time before the "bump" will be impossible to hide.  

Sharing

It seems that pregnancy and having children is one of the last great times for sharing in our society. I have already received a bunch of clothes from friends who are willing to lend me their maternity stuff to wear and we have gotten offers of baby clothes, cribs, and other baby things to help us with our little May arrival. It's so nice to be on the receiving end of all these items and it is totally appreciated. I guess that child-raising is a whole community unto itself and one that I'm curious to enter into.