17 Weeks

Ooops, missed a week!

Week 16 was an avocado. Baby has also developed the beginnings of eardrums, so can now hear us!

I think you could say I've "popped" this week... although I still think it's mostly the holiday eating that has put me over the edge.

We saw lots of family and got to share our news, which was exciting. Was great to visit with all the extended family in Florida, and then have some time in Charlotte, but boy I'm glad to have some time at home coming up. Also ready to get back on a regular eating/exercising/sleeping schedule!

Appointment #3

Had our first visit with the midwives today (3rd appointment overall). It was mostly an introductory appointment where they answered a lot of questions and just got to know us (Scott was invited and attended as well). I'd already had my general physical checkup done at the previous (~12 week) OB visit, so they didn't need to do anything extra. We got to hear the sweet little heartbeat, too! Apparently the little one was squirmy because he kept evading the doppler wand where the midwife was aiming it. Eventually she got him to sit still and we heard a nice strong beat at 155bpm! Again, couldn't stop grinning. :)

We've decided we're going to be less careful now about people finding out. We still aren't making a huge announcement but won't deny it if someone dares to ask! I also told Scott it was fine to bring up in conversation if it made for a good comedic moment. ;)

It's probably a good thing we aren't trying to hide... because there's not going to be a way to hide this bump for much longer!!

Another sneaky work bathroom selfie.

Also - I must sing the praises of BELLA BANDS!!! And don't bother with the off-brand or basic version... just get the real deal. It is SO worth it. They smooth and cover awkwardly unzipped/unbuttoned pants and hold them in place with the nice silicone gripper around the bottom. I got mine in the mail on Monday night and cannot stop raving about them. No more uncomfortably buttoned pants! I'm freeeeeeeeee. :D

15 weeks (a day late)

So technically today is 15 + 1, but I was busy yesterday and didn't get a chance to do a photo or update.

I took a sneaky (blurry) work bathroom pic today:

By the way, my pants are completely unbuttoned/unzipped today. Just did not even attempt it. My bella bands are supposed to arrive tomorrow - halleluia!!!!!

Slowly but surely, more of the world is finding out the news. We told some more people at work last week, and I found out that one of my good friends is expecting about 2 months after I am!!! We had discussed over the summer that we were both about ready to start trying for kids, and talked about how awesome it would be if we had them close together. SO EXCITED!

I have been feeling pretty good as far as energy goes, except I guess too many late nights caught up to me yesterday and instead of going for a run like I'd planned, I zonked out on the couch for 2 hours. I did get to ride 32 miles on the bike with Scott on Saturday, which was a great accomplishment! It was definitely sloowwwww (~12.5 mph average) but it's the longest distance since the metric back in October (at 6 weeks) so I'm counting it as a positive achievement.

I'm really anxious/excited for my appointment on Wednesday. It's the first one with the midwives, and Scott gets to attend with me. I'm very very eager to hear the little heartbeat again! If all goes well, I plan to stop trying to hide the blump/bump and will just let people gradually find out. We've been signing our Christmas cards to distant friends as "Beth, Scott, and Baby Trenor (est. arrival June 2015)" - we figure it's a cute, subtle way to let people know! :)

I'm just SO ready to stop hiding it already. I am ready to rock this little bump!

14 Weeks - 2nd Trimester!

So the past 2 weeks have been a transition, but as of now I am officially and totally in Trimester #2 - huge milestone!! I cannot believe it's already a third over with - time is flying by and we'll have a little babe before we know it.

I ran 9.5 miles today and BOY it was slow. We're talking 10:30-11:00/mi kind of pace. Wowza I haven't run that slow since EVER! I guess I should just be thankful for whatever running I CAN do, and the fact that I don't feel like crud. Hooray!

We decorated the house for Christmas this weekend - very happy with how the lights and everything turned out. I got crafty and made a very "us" wreath out of an old bicycle wheel that Scott had in the basement, and I did plenty of baking!

Lights on the house!

Bicycle wheel wreath

Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes

Gingerbread running men

We made an announcement at our holiday party with close work friends on Friday night. Everyone was really excited! It's nice to be able to talk to friends about it now. I think we'll let the rest of the "world" know gradually after our next appointment on the 17th.

After all of the holiday treat consumption this week, my belly is showing more than ever (though I still think it's mostly food!). I've had to resort to the elastic-around-the-pants-button trick for most of my pants at this point. I found this post on Instagram that really captures the "food baby" concept really well!

Pants adjustments - elastic around the button!

13 Weeks

Lucky 13!

Fingerprints, teeth, and vocal chords - incredible!

Over the past week we've let the news spread a little bit more freely (still keeping it away from work for now). I told Matthew on Wednesday evening, and I was really happy that he seemed genuinely excited. I told him he's going to be an uncle, and he goes, "OH THAT'S EXCITING!" We told a few of Scott's friends and family as well. I'm planning to tell the "girls' group" from work on Friday at our annual holiday baking night, and I've been playing phone tag with Amanda for the past 24 hours to try to tell her the good news as well. Honestly I really wish I could get one more listen to the heartbeat before telling the news widely, but I just keep telling myself that I have no reason to believe that everything isn't hunky-dory, so I will just keep on with that assumption until shown differently!

I think I'm finally seeing an actual little bump there, although it still really depends on what clothing I'm wearing. This dress I wore to church made things fairly obvious, so I wore a nice long fluffy scarf with it. ;) Over Thanksgiving my mom said she thought I was starting to show, though I argued that it was likely more the turkey & potatoes than baby.

I also got my thyroid numbers back last week, which were a bit over the appropriate range (3.08 vs. suggested max. of ~2.8) so Dr. White increased my dose to 112 mcg/day - pink pills instead of purple! I don't feel any different though, so I'll get my numbers checked in 4 weeks and hopefully it will have improved.

Other than that, nothing really going on - still feeling good (hungry all the time) and energy levels seem to be coming back. I was able to run a good pace at the Turkey Trot with Scott (8:40/mi) and we biked 2 loops at Pleasant Ridge yesterday afternoon.

Here's to the final week of the 1st Trimester!!!! :D

12 Weeks

I'm a couple of days late on this update... busy weekend!

Once again I feel like I've rounded another corner. 12 weeks is the beginning of transition from 1st into 2nd trimester. Woohoo! Still feeling good, and I have a bit more energy than I have in past weeks.

Not much to really report this week - excited to share the news with Matthew on Thursday! At least I can blame my slowly-expanding waistline on the turkey...

Appointment #2

200 days! Wow!

This week has held lots of exciting things so far (ok, two...):

I went for my second appointment today and they were able to pick up the heartbeat with the doppler - so cool to hear it again! They reviewed my blood test results and said everything looks good and normal. My hemoglobin is above average (which is good!) and I am blood type O+ (universally compatible! woot!). Not much else... just talked through family history, options for genetic testing (we're not going to do any), and other "what to expect" kinds of things. I was reallyreallyreally excited to hear the heartbeat again, and a little surprised since the Dr. (I saw Dr. Thurston today --- LOVE her!) said there's only about a 50/50 chance the doppler would pick it up this early.

Last night, Scott and I went to the Greenville Midwifery for their "Meet the Midwives" open house/Q&A session. It was really interesting and I'm strongly considering transferring my care to them (they are affiliated with the Greenville Hospital System, so they'll work with OBs in case medical issues arise). I just like their philosophy of viewing pregnancy as a normal, natural process that in most cases requires no medical intervention. Keep those needles and knives away, thanks! Still have some time to consider options and make plans, but we both got a really good feeling about their practice.

The other nice thing is that they only have 5 midwives, and you get to know all of them (longer appointments where they just sit and talk to you, and they're present throughout labor and delivery). The Greenville OB/GYN has nine doctors, you see all 9, and you never know who you will end up with actually delivering your baby. It's just very impersonal.

I am seriously considering doing a water birth... not sure if at the Birthing Center or at the hospital, but I like the idea of sitting in a warm tub of water during the painful parts! Just the idea of being able to move around freely and not have to be strapped in a hospital bed with IVs and needles and crap all over me.

Hooray for a good appointment! Now I have to decide whether to switch to the Midwifery or stick with the OB. Choices!!