I Can Hear Your Heartbeat...

(Now I have the Partridge Family stuck in my head!)

I finally got to meet my midwife yesterday and she was great. In my initial consultation at the doctor's office, the nurse was convinced they would not let me even attempt a vaginal delivery because of a surgery that I had not long after Kate was born. The midwife, however, did not see this as a problem and I am so happy. If I have to have a C-section because of an emergency or something, that's one thing. But to not even be able to have the option was very upsetting to me. Anyway, the appointment went great. It was my first, so they had to do a Pap smear and exam. No biggie. But I also got to hear baby's heart beat. It sounded amazing! Strong and steady at 148 beats per minute. Old wives' tales say anything above 140 is a girl and anything below is a boy, but we'll see. The midwife, Karen, said that according to the Chinese predictor charts, it's a boy. Someone will be right, I'm sure:)

It was great to finally hear the baby, but I started feeling some signs of life in there on Friday, February 4th. I was only 12w 4d, but I'm still feeling it now. There's definitely a baby in there (as if the expanding waistline wasn't evidence). She wanted me back in four weeks for a checkup and ultrasound, however she's out of town on March 7th. So, as I hoped, we got to push the ultrasound to March 14th, my birthday!! With Kate, we had her ultrasound on Friday, March 13th, so it's fun that the dates are so close AND so close to my birthday. I can't think of anything more fun to do for my birthday, either. Our friend Sara took the day off so she can keep Kate during the appointment. She even suggested Kraig and I do breakfast or lunch that day while she has Kate. How sweet! I'm very thankful to have her as a friend.

Yesterday was the 13 completed weeks mark. Welcome, second trimester!! It feels like time is flying by. In less than 5 weeks, we'll know whether Kate will have a brother or a sister. I can't wait! Oh, the picture included here is a belly shot from yesterday. I'm going to be huge again!

How I'm feeling...great!! Minus the stuffy nose leftover from last week's cold, I feel great. Karen gave me a prescription for a nasal spray and a muscle relaxer for my restless leg syndrome, so good sleep is finally headed my way. I'm definitely in my maternity clothes now. I even went shopping for a few new things this weekend and found some things that I love. I love being pregnant!

Twelve more days...

The anticipation of finally getting to hear our baby's heartbeat is killing me. I don't feel pregnant most of the time. Sure I have some minor things, but I've never had morning sickness. Isn't that like the grand sign of pregnancy? I'm not saying I want any, but I would like some more confirmation that our little one is growing strong. Twelve days until the next doctor's appointment. It's kind of exciting, though that we'll be going for our big ultrasound in 6-8 weeks. It's unbelievable!! I can't believe I'm eleven weeks already. We've known for almost two full months already. Where does the time go? I'm sure it'll slow down very quickly, but right now we're on warp speed.

I'm still at this impasse between regular clothes and maternity clothes. My pants are tight. Tighter at sometimes than others. My t-shirts for sure are tighter. Maternity pants, however, fall down. Maternity shirts are baggy. I forgot about the in-between phase. I've been scouting the stores for good maternity deals, but so far I haven't bought anything new. It won't be long and I'll definitely need new jeans. My previous maternity jeans are so not cute. They were okay last time, I thought, but they don't look right with any of my shoes. I'll probably pick up a pair or two to get me to spring and then I have several cute pairs of capris and shorts. The belly band is always helpful, though. It's the only way my dress pants come close to fitting.

It was a baby kind of weekend for my friends. My friend who was on hospital bedrest with twins had her babies early Saturday morning. The twins were born a 32 weeks, plus a few days. They seem to be doing well. In the pictures, only one of them was on oxygen which is phenomenal! They must be strong little boys! Another friend had his baby Friday afternoon, also a boy. And there are so many ladies pregnant that I know right now. It's crazy how they seem to come in waves. I'm excited, though!

How I'm feeling...I'm feeling good. The exhaustion is still there and I'm not sleeping well at night, but that's about it. I'm starting to get a little more excited and it's feeling more real. I just can't wait to hear and see our little one finally!!