written September 12
We are rounding out the end of 18 weeks and for the first time I've been sick two mornings in a row. Fun! In the first three months my nausea was pretty much 24/7, which was confusing to my ravenous appetite. This far along I still have bouts of nausea, though they tend to spike while brushing teeth and taking pills getting ready in the morning and on the way to bed at night. That's alright, I'm not mad at the symptoms. I prayed fervently, almost desperately, for continued signs to reassure me in the first trimester, the last thing I plan on doing is being ungrateful for those continued signs, even if they are lasting a bit longer than I think I may have needed.
This week has been a week of growth spurting, or so it feels. Some days the best description I can give is that I just feel all womb-y. Things are stretching (that ligament pain thing has not been bad at all, except when it decides to be bad and it's REALLY BAD), adjusting, moving (just me, no baby feels yet) and it all feels just sort of strange. Right now I have an over-expanded feeling in my upper stomach, that distended feeling you get after stuffing your face at Thanksgiving. Lunch was a good hour ago and I had a leftover bun-sized sausage (no bun), a few bites of roasted potato and 2 small slices of deviled eggs. I don't think it sounds like a lot, it didn't feel like a lot at the time and yet, stuffed.
We had another appointment with the midwives last week and so far so good. I've somehow managed to lose 3 pounds (of COURSE!) but it is thought to be water weight and nothing to be worried about right now. My blood pressure had been a little high so I got on some medication to help nip it in the bud, am checking it daily, and that seems to be working out. The heartbeat is strong in this one, bounding and higher and to the right of where it was last time. I'm anxious for when I can actually start feeling Peanut do all that moving in there, which, according to words people say in books and things, should be any time now.
Last Sunday we started our Bradley classes, which had some mixed results. In the first class we learned that our teacher is nice enough but also a bit dry, skimpy in the humor department and sometimes more than a little quirky. I wasn't blown away but Clif was beyond not impressed. The next night was a catch-up night that Clif couldn't attend, but I found it to be a noticeable improvement from the night before. While it might not be the most stimulating instructor, I know there is a lot to learn and I'm so eager for the knowledge and skills.
Throughout this process Clif has been absolutely and completely amazing. He takes my moodiness and insane hysterics in stride, comforting me as much as possible. He cooks, cleans, and checks to see how I'm doing. Yesterday he heard that I was sick in the bathroom and when I came out he was ready to get out of bed and make me an egg, knowing it's been one of my go-to foods when I'm not feeling well. I'm touched by his attention and care and so lucky to have him for a best friend, husband, father-to-be.
In a week and a couple of days we should, hopefully, find out if Peanut is a he or she.
