Week 9

It's the beginning of week 9 and not much has changed. I'm still tired a lot, but the nausea has reduced. Lots of stuff from the hospital has come in, including forms to fill out, although it seems a little early for some of them (you want me to say now who I want in delivery with me?) At this point I'm still just trying to focus on short term things: First Look test at 12 weeks, getting a new bed, resizing the maternity dress pattern so I can make it.

Here's a picture from this morning.

Most of that is just the vast tracts of me, but there is a bit of baby starting to come through as well.

More and more people in the know

Told a coworker and a friend yesterday our little news. Today Boss Man came in and started talking about business continuity and staffing so I figured I may as well let him know now too.

Every one has been very encouraging (natch), but Boss Man was especially pushing for as much prenatal care as I can get. His son was born very premature and he wishes they had thought to discuss options ahead of time rather than as things were happening. I've already scheduled the First Look ultrasound and blood test which looks at the risk of things like Downs, but now I definitely plan for the amnio too. Boss Man said it wasn't painful (for his wife) but the whole thing was rather emotionally scary. On the plus side of things, my lab results came in and everything is normal so far!

On the physical front, I seem to be having less morning sickness, although when I am sick it's for the whole day. My clothes are getting tight but I'm still not ready for maternity clothes. I'm going to have to do something about the underpinnings soon though as I'm really busting out (as it were.) My hips have also widened and I generally think I look lumpy. Time to get cracking on the sewing!

Week 8, for real this time

The lighting could be better, but I was feeling like it was the right time to record and didn't want to spoil the mood with bright lights. No, I'm not naked below that shirt.

7 Weeks, 5 Days

It's official: I'm pregnant. I had a proper ultrasound today and based on that we've got a due date of October 29. When I saw the heart beat (153bpm) I gasped. It was just amazing. It just seemed real now. The embryo doesn't look like much at this point, certainly not quite human. We had to have the head and body pointed out, but it was there and still recognizable if you know what to look for. I'm still just gob-smacked.

Week 8

These weeks may be changing once the dispute over gestational age has settled. I had my first prenatal appointment yesterday with the group's RN and it went well. Lots of medical history questions and a run-down of all the test they're going to do. At the end she offered me an ultrasound. She brought the machine in and we tried but all we could see was that I had to pee. So a transvaginal ultrasound has been scheduled for tomorrow.

Spouse was right in his last post, I did tell my mum and the same day too. Her reaction: Wow! Picture every possible way you can say the word "wow" and she probably did that plus a few more. I think she kept expecting us to say we were joking.

I know I said we'd do our first video blog after my prenatal appointment, but yesterday after I came home I was just too tired, nauseous and weepy. I'd like to do it after tomorrow's ultrasound as Spouse is coming to that as well. We'll get our first peek at our half-inch embryo!

Mum knows now

Today I phoned my mum, first time in a while and it was really for a general chat about how things were going.

Wife though was keen to tell her about our little geek baby who is still on their way. She was ecstatic to hear about it and of course I believe Wife will be telling her parents later tonight too.

All is still going well, but Wife continues to eat all the dairy.

Week 7

Here in the beginning of week 7 and yesterday was the sickest I've felt so far. My weight seems to be remaining steady, although high. The exercise I've been trying to do should be counteracting all the extra I've been eating.

Food

Speaking of eating, I've been a dairy fiend. Cheese has been even more appealing than usual, especially mozzarella "string" cheese. Ice cream (how cliche) is really good too and I did my best to not eat an entire pint in one sitting (finished in two though.)

Clothes

So many of my clothes are either elastic waist skirts and dresses or rather large pants so I haven't been outgrowing much yet. Things like a belly band are designed to keep you in jeans longer, so don't really apply to people like me who don't have any jeans and only wear two pairs of pants regularly.

I did, however, receive a pattern for a vintage maternity dress this week. It's a 1948 pattern and if I can manage to make it - it's rather more complicated than anything I've made before - then a couple of them should get me through several sizes during the pregnancy.

My underwear has been riding really low lately. I hate the feeling of it being below my flab but it looks like I'll be living with that unless I go for over-belly maternity knickers. The day I have to stop wearing my garter belt though is really going to suck. I may have to rig something up so I can still wear stockings when I'm big.

Homefront

Spouse is brilliant! He cleans! He massages! He buys me ice cream! Last night he made dinner too and, while simple, it was just what I needed. I've really loved seeing how happy he is about this too. He was the one who wanted children and really had to talk me into it. Even after I agreed, it still took a couple years before we even started trying but his enthusiasm hasn't dampened at all. And he's so good with kids. He'll make a wonderful father.

So that's the rundown at the beginning of Week 7. Next week I have my first prenatal appointment. It all feels so unreal now, but that might really bring it home.

Morning sickness

Nausea has hit with a vengeance this morning. I haven't actually vomited, but I've been sucking ginger candy and had my nose in a bag of lemons before I left for work. And it's only supposed to get worse in the next couple of weeks!

With luck I'll make it through the day without needing to run off to purge but that's seeming almost unlikely right now.

Afternoon update:
I have felt queezy ALL DAY! I'm sick of ginger candy, lemonade and fizzy water! How many weeks does this bit last again? Plus I just called a friend to whine (and I guess tell her I'm pregnant) and got her voicemail. So I hung up and will just mope at my desk.

Bliss on a Plate

It's probably too early but I think this may have been my first "craving." While I'm normally a savoury breakfast eater, and especially lean away from breads in favour of protein and fruit, this morning I had a NEED for pancakes. Or as I told Spouse, "The baby wanted pancakes." Well the baby may have wanted it but I enjoyed every bite!

Excitement

I've been told to record my feelings and as a dutifully well training husband, I've agreed with almost no grumbling at all.

I'm very excited to be having a child with my gorgeous wife. Firstly because I think our genes are superbly suitable for the next generation and secondly because I've always thought that I'd have a child of my own to bring up and learn from as well as teach about the world.

This part of the whole process however is the part I am to blame for; so the only thing I can do is profusely appologise, continually thank and be basically at the beck and call of my wife until it's over. For some reason science hasn't quite worked out how to do a pregnancy time-share yet, so I'm left with massages and chores.

I can't wait to tell people though,

Let's call it six weeks

Six weeks, at least until I hear otherwise from the OB.

So, six weeks! Nausea, nosebleeds, excessive thirst, constipation, cramps, exhaustion and weight gain! And that's just halfway through the first trimester!

My obsession for maternity clothes, which I don't yet need, is turning into an obsession for a new bed. We'll need somewhere for the sprog to sleep and a cosleeper seems the best option given the size of our apartment. Sprog can be right there next to me at night for easy feedings but not right in bed with us. The problem with this is that our current bed, a futon on a low frame is about five inches too low for even the lowest cosleeper I've seen. So, great excuse for a new bed, eh? I've slept on a futon for over a dozen years now so don't think I could go to a full-on mattress, but a platform bed might just fit the bill. Plus I've seen some with storage drawers and even nice headboards with shelves that could help organize things a bit.

But enough about beds, let's talk clothes! I'm obsessed with the Dalia Plaid Maternity Skirt at Due Maternity.

It's a bit pricy, but exactly the sort of skirt I wear now and I could probably use it throughout the pregnancy and into postpartum.

I figure I could get away with a couple of skirts, a pair of jeans (not that I wear jeans now, but maternity jeans seem to look better than regular maternity pants) and some dresses. I still need to get sewing so some '40s maternity wrap dresses could be just the thing to round out (as it were) the wardrobe.

Later this month we'll be doing our first video blog. Spouse has been doing more videos on his site and wants us to vlog the pregnancy as well. The first one should be recorded on the 15th, the day of my first prenatal appointment. Shortly after that we will be telling family and then opening up the blog (if you're reading this, you're either Spouse or it's after family notification.)

Right, that's it for now. Time to go suck on a ginger candy.