And Baby Makes Three

3rd Prenatal Appt.

Some health professionals have a more maternal or sisterly manner about them than others. The woman I saw today is one of those people. You just get the idea that they are happy for you and really want everything to go well. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again -- it was stronger than last time, much easier to distinguish.

Still no official confirmation of our authorization to have the Level II ultrasound next Monday. These insurance people really piss me off. My husband and I need to take time off from work for this appointment, but they don't seem to feel that they need to give us any notice whatsoever as to whether we are authorized to go.

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"There is one area where the carefree me is still duking it out with the mother I'm about to be. The reading piles on my nightstand have narrowed down to two, perfectly mirroring the wrestling match taking place between my past and future lives: fluffy, chick-lit confections in one stack, and earnest, mothering material in the other. I also find myself vacillating between starry-eyed awe at the miracle of life and wide-eyed horror at the indignities of pregnancy and motherhood: the aches and pains, the hemorrhoids, the torn vaginas, the spraying breast milk, the exploding diapers, and, finally, the exhaustion." [From Here to Maternity @ babycenter.com] Amen, sister.

Shopping & Sharing the News

I'm at that uncomfortable clothing stage where regular clothes, even the larger size items I'd retained from before I lost weight, are becoming uncomfortable to wear, but I'm too small for most maternity things. I bought a maternity bra, but accidentally purchased the same size as my current ones, so will have to exchange that. I'm less than enamored of the maternity underwear, but they'll probably work better once I'm bigger. Two pair of maternity pants I bought at Target are too long so I guess I'll have to shorten them for now. If they are too short later on, I can just let the hems back out. But my Mom took me shopping at JC Penney Saturday and although we were displeased by the ridiculously small number of dressing rooms and sales clerks, they had some nice things. Mom bought me the most luxurious pink velour pants and jacket that will be my favorite casual outfit, plus some winter white chinos with a tummy panel and a matching sweater. I bought a navy blue pair of the chinos -- they actually had petite sizes -- what a concept. That's the problem with the pants from Target -- they're not petites. Mom also bought us the baby's first outfit -- a onesie with puppy dog faces on the left chest and the feet -- so adorable.

We're sharing our happy news with folks outside our innermost circle now and it's a lot of fun. Friday night I called my best friend from high school to tell him. I'd been meaning to call him for ages, but we've been away and have had company a lot lately. He was very happy for us. In church Sunday we shared the news as well. Everybody was pretty surprised.

Today I am at 15 weeks, 5 days, in the fourth month and the second trimester of pregnancy.

Sharing the News

On Saturday my husband drove ~ 4 hours roundtrip so he could tell his grandmother about the baby in person. (I stayed home, not being quite up for so much driving for such a short visit.) Interestingly, she said she'd had a dream that someone in the family was going to have a baby, but she didn't know who -- and she's had similar dreams before when others were expecting. Later that day we visited my grandmother to share the news with her. She got the most surprised and happy look on her face.

The nausea has pretty much ended. It's been waning in recent weeks. I'm feeling less fatigued, which is a relief. I was going face down into the pillow at what seemed like ridiculously early times. Now I can spend a little more time with my husband in the evenings and will hopefully have the energy to tackle some projects before I get larger!