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Apologies for being rather silent here lately. I’ve been swamped with work, freelance and George’s cancer (update post on that to come). The weeks are just flying by and I don’t know where the time is going. I’m half way through this pregnancy already and I just don’t know when I’m going to find the time to do all the preparing I need to do before this little one hatches. :) Probably should overcome my aversion to baby stores, huh?

20 weeks

So last week I had another ultrasound, and it was pretty cool to see the “sprout” all formed and looking like a baby rather than a bean. We were also excited to learn that the sprout is a boy! I’m pretty relieved about that, actually, since we had been unable to agree on a girl’s name. My mother is a little disappointed though. I think she wanted to buy little ruffly dresses and cutesy things.

The child already has Mike’s nose and my chin.

Again with the exclamation points. :)

He waved just as the ultrasound tech was finishing up… HOW CUTE!!!

I’ve been feeling him move quite a lot now, which makes this whole pregnancy thing seem so much more real and interesting. It’s not as if I wasn’t excited before, but now it seems so much cooler! I know I’ve still got about 5 months, but I can’t wait to meet him!

I’ve had some people ask to see progress of the baby belly, and until now there really hasn’t been much to see. I present: weeks 10 thru 17. This last week I’ve definitely seen some growth, but I think these pics are a little misleading; especially since I usually wear looser clothes to conceal the bump. The most remarkable transformation so far has got to be the boobs… GOOD LORD, THE BOOBS! That’s all I’m gonna say.

Week 10
Week 12
Week 14
Week 17

While I’ve only put on about 5 pounds, my clothes are not my friends right now. I removed most of my wardrobe from the closet so that I wouldn’t get distracted by favorite garments that no longer fit me. It’s depressing when all you really want to do is wear that adorable wool skirt, but you can’t because it won’t zipper! So it taunts you from across the closet, making getting dressed a painful chore.

I am still rebelling against maternity pants, however. They are evil devices made to torture pregnant women. First, they only come in S, M, L… etc and they are tremendously unflattering. Second, I hate the sensation of fabric clinging to my stomach, so I must wear them slung low. Third, they fit ok for about 10 seconds until they stretch a little, and then I must resort to hiking them up every 5 minutes. If only I could get away with yoga pants at work. While not the image of fashion, at least they’d be comfortable.

All this talk of new babies in my family has got everyone on a baby craze. One of my cousins just had a baby just before Christmas. Another cousin is due in April. And then, of course, there’s me in July. And finally, a close family friend is due in June. Apparently, we all jumped aboard the baby train around the same time. So in preparation for upcoming showers, Mom started digging through her pictures looking for baby pictures of people… she happened to unearth this:

I think it’s one of the only pictures of my mom when she was pregnant with me. Isn’t she pretty!? I always remember this picture fondly. In fact, I was recently thinking about it. Unfortunately, the original photo suffered some damage over the years (in the form of a large crease running across the image) so Dad sent me a scan, hoping that the “Photoshop Doctor” could restore it. Above is the result. The plaid was a bitch, but I don’t think it came out too bad.

Since the cat is out of the proverbial bag at work, I am free to make the public service announcement: I am pregnant, knocked up, bun in the oven, gestating, preggers, whatever. It took a lot for me to keep this whole thing under wraps which is why I have been rather absent here of late. Some of you (and you know who you are) are slamming your hands down on the desk, screaming, “I KNEW IT!” Yeah, well… SURPRISE! It was inevitable, really.

[ November 11, 2009 ]

I recall a time when having kids was the last thing on my mind! You see, unlike some of my friends, I never had the overwhelming urge to procreate. The thought of stepping foot in a baby store used to give me the sweats, and quite frankly, I still hate going in them. I really haven’t enjoyed very much of the first 3 months — with the sole exception of seeing the first ultrasound. I can’t see myself being one of these women that proclaims to the world how much they love being pregnant. But then again, who knows; it’ve got a long 6 months ahead of me, as I start to balloon and not be able to fit into my clothes.

[ I didn't need the ultrasound tech to put the word "BABY" followed by 4 exclamation points to know what I was looking at here. ]

I would like to just skip through the pregnancy, labor & delivery business, but we all know that doesn’t happen unless you adopt. I know I sound negative about being pregnant. I don’t exactly hate it, but I just prefer how I feel when I’m not pregnant. I’m told by those more experienced that once you can feel the baby moving, it starts to get fun and interesting. I’ll keep you posted on that. :)

As the “all day” sickness is finally waning, Mike and I are starting to get excited about the prospect of being parents. Well, it’s a mixture of excitement and terror, but I challenge you to find any first time parent-to-be who isn’t a teensy bit terrified.

So throughout this whole adventure, I plan to resume blog business as usual (hopefully with a little more regularity) but perhaps also with pregnancy updates and maybe some “crafting for baby” fun. Sorry if that’s not what you were hoping for, but with the offspring growing inside me, it’s hard to think of much else.