17 weeks

Christmas was really nice. Everyone got along quite well (except for the newlyweds, who had a few miscommunication issues - so glad that phase is over for Dh and me!!). I got some great presents - a cool jean jacket with fur at the neck & wrists from Dh, Satin Hands & Satin Lips, a funky vase from my m-i-l, also some large gifts cards to Gap & Meier & Frank that I plan on using on Friday!! And I finally got Stargate! Yay! Ha ha Yes, I'm a dork. Dh got a guitar from his parents and Blade. He's really excited, and is out shopping right now for a stand and instruction books. Ooh and I got a fabulous massage from my s-i-l Teaje. Yesssss.
When I lay down and look at my abdomen, the pregnancy is really obvious. Standing up and in clothes, it's more disguised, but I am solely in maternity pants now. Some are still a bit too big, but my belly has just popped out too much these past couple of weeks to fit into any pre-pregnancy pants. I am starting to look much more pregnant. Dh is really excited by this. Now that I am really showing, he loves to come up and pat or rub my belly, and exclaim "Look how pregnant you are!" It's really cute.
Between my boobs and my ever growing belly, I definitely have more weight in front, and I can feel it. I find myself moving around differently, to maintain balance.
Oh and I found out that my cousin Jas is due just 3 weeks after me! And Dh's friend Jan is due in August. And my college buddy Alanna is due on Easter. So basically every married girl in the world is pregnant! Ha ha It's exciting!
So the "reason" for the complete lack of Christmas bonuses at work was "Christmas came so fast this year." Sorry, but that's the biggest load of bullcrap I've heard in a while. Why don't they just buck up and tell us the firm is broke and our jobs are all in danger. Which I'm starting to think is actually the case.
I have planned for myself a fantastic shopping adventure Friday. I'm going to pace myself, drink plenty of fluids, rest whenever tired, so that I can last all day, baby! I'm going solo, because that's how I do my best shopping. When in pursuit of the Super Deal, you have to be able to focus. I had a dream about shopping for clothes a couple of days ago, and I woke up really stoked. I haven't really had a desire to shop for months, so it's nice to feel like my old self again! Ha ha

16 weeks

A co-worker asked me flat out on Tuesday if I was pregnant. I blundered through some (entirely unconvincing, I'm sure) denial. I think I even tried the line "Are you saying I look fat?" but this co-worker didn't have the grace to be embarrassed. Of course, she was really just making a statement of fact about my belly. So good thing Christmas is soon, because I don't know how much longer I could keep this a secret!
I was really bummed yesterday. For lunch I got beef vindaloo and naan from Royal India, which I luuuurrrrve. And it gave me killer heartburn for the entire rest of the day. So I guess my dear beef vindaloo is out for some time. I'll just eat lots of naan. Ha ha
We leave tonight for Dh's parents! Yay for Christmas!
My belly continues to pop out more and more, though all my maternity pants remain too large. And I moved up another cup size.

The baby's heartbeat

I wasn't expecting it at all - at my prenatal Friday Ms Campbell whipped out a little gadget (a doppler I suppose) and said, Let's listen to the baby's heartbeat. So we did! It was fast; my heartbeat sounded sluggish in the background. She showed me where the top of my uterus was (higher than I thought), and didn't lecture me for being less than perfect on the vitamin front.
I wasn't expecting to hear the baby's heartbeat (I'm not sure now why), so I didn't have any time to get excited about the prospect. But as I have thought about it since, the cooler it gets. Somehow this makes the whole thing seem more real - there is a tiny little baby in there with its heart pumping away. Crazy.
I finally got my hair cut today. As further proof of the insanely conflicting statements I hear from women all over now, Clarissa told me yesterday, "I can't believe how much you're showing already!" and Myesha told me today, "You're still so tiny!" So am I tiny or showing? And is that good or bad? Screw it, I say! Everyone tells me something different, and it's more than a little annoying. So here's my final decision: I'm showing, but not alot. If you didn't know, you probably wouldn't guess. Though this past week, it seems like my tummy has suddenly started popping out.
Dh is back from his conference, yay. We bought a tree (went to the bargain lot, since we'll really only have it for 6 days - on the 22nd we leave for his parents'). For 10 bucks, the tree is surprisingly nice. We had big plans for Christmas shopping today, but someone's new lack of endurance got in the way. By the time we left the mall, I was completely pooped. Shopping with me is no fun anymore! After some resting on my part, we headed off to Dh's work Christmas party, which was surprisingly enjoyable. 7 days until Christmas, I'm so excited!!!!

Treat Your Petechiae Naturally!

A little trick I've discovered: If you, like me, get little red dots around your eyes (burst blood vessels) from vigorous puking, try a little witch hazel morning and night. Works wonders. As a bonus, you can use the witch hazel as a toner on pesky pimples, since "they" (the powers that be) do not recommend using salicylic acid while pregnant. I like Thayer's because it has lavender in it.



Thayer's Lavender Witch Hazel Toner

When the bruising was especially severe, I let the witch hazel dry, then gently patted on some arnica. I found the spots went away quite quickly with this treatment.

Arnica Cream

15 weeks

My trip to Orlando was great! Even though it rained! At least it was sunny on Saturday, when we went to Universal & Islands of Adventure. What I did not realize was that I wouldn't be able to go on any rides because I'm an expectant mother! Oh well, we went with another lady from Dh's conference, Pati from San Francisco who is really cool, so Dh at least had someone to go on rides with. And I read half my book (May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons, quite interesting). Ha ha And I tried calamari, black grouper, and aligator for the first time. The grouper was delish, the calamari interesting & good, but I did not care for the aligator.
I had a lot of Braxton Hicks during my flights, apparently my uterus does not like flying any more than I do! (No word on how the baby feels about it.)
My belly is getting a bit bigger. And I'm already starting to grow out of my new bra! I had no idea there would be so much boob growth!
Oh and my second prenatal appointment is tomorrow. Though I don't really know what they are going to do, other than test for protein & sugar in my pee, and make sure I haven't blimped up!

14 weeks

I'm excited that I finally figured out how to put that ticker at the top of my page.
But I'm most excited that tomorrow I fly to Orlando!!!! Woo-hoo!
NONE of my regular pants fit anymore. I didn't realize this would happen so quickly & completely or I would have got in a "last wearing" on them all. Now I must sadly throw them all into the corner of my closet and figure out what to wear until all the maternity pants fit (only a couple fit so far). Friday I bought a pair of jeans 2 sizes larger than normal, and with a belt they are working out pretty well. I also broke down and went bra shopping. And figured out why my bras were so uncomfortably tight - I've gone up two cup sizes. Yeah, Ms Small is starting to look distinctly busty. It's weird but fun.
Rachel recommended I wait until January to drop the news on Kevin, since both Kevin & I will be out of town for much of December. That way I neatly sidestep any possible shafting on the Christmas bonus (not by Kevin - by the partners - yeah they're uncool like that). And then I can just be up front with Kevin about not working after the baby is born. So that's my new plan.