say what you need to say

Tomorrow: 16 weeks. 

No real update, otherwise. I'm doing well, I have some energy, and I'm still hungry constantly. Still wondering when it will start to feel real. Hearing the baby's heartbeat blew my mind, and it felt real right then, but now I'm back to feeling that this whole thing is surreal. 

Soon I'll begin to feel movement, and that will probably make it more a reality. 

Going to Mom's in a few days to visit, shop, eat, and drive home with my brother's car. Now I have my own transportation! I'm excited. 

The next exciting thing is this semester ending in six more weeks. Not that I'm counting. ; )  

I'm just ready for a somewhat relaxing summer, with no classes except for some prenatal yoga classes. I can't wait to go swimming and be in the sun. It's still pretty cold here, so I'm dreaming of those hot, sticky Missouri summer days. Very similar to Georgia's. 

Everyone teases me about having twins. I wonder if I will . . . 

sprout and the bean

We heard the baby's heartbeat!!!

It's right around 150 bpm. It was so exciting, I think Scott and I both had watery eyes. It's just really blowing my mind right now, that there's an actual baby living inside of me, and that it's real, and not my imagination. 

Next week I'll be 16 weeks along. I can't believe it - that's 4 months! It will almost be half way over. 

Good news on being able to stay in our apartment. That just means that with all this second trimester energy I'll need to spring clean this place. I mean, it's dusty and full of Rufus' hair, and more than one room could stand having walls painted and windows cleaned. Maybe when school lets out in early May the weather will be perfect for opening windows and painting. I feel like steam cleaning the carpets might be a good idea, too. I just don't know when they were last cleaned. We'll also have to rearrange furniture, and probably buy another bookcase. Maybe when we get our tax money back we can do some things for the apartment.

Next week, Wednesday through Friday, we'll be in Iowa visiting Mom and Michael. It will be weird without David there, since he's in Texas now doing his basic training for the Air Force. We're leaving Rufus at the apartment, and having friends walk and feed him. I wish we could take him but it would probably be more stressful for everyone involved, Rufus included. I don't know where he would sleep, and how he would get along with Mom's dog. I am excited to see my Mom, though, and hang out with her, spend time together, maybe go shopping. And though it'll be short, it will still be a nice break from Columbia. 

I am just so thrilled about hearing the baby's heartbeat. It makes me want to eat healthier, because it's really a baby that I'm feeding, not just myself. I'm going to work on eating more vegetables these next four weeks, so I can report back positively to my midwife, who is so sweet anyway. 

I think a huge part of my good mood is the weather. It's sunny and warm today, and birds are chirping. The grass has gone green over the past few days. It looks as though spring might actually arrive. I seriously thought it would never come. 

be here to love me

13 weeks as of tomorrow! 

I can't believe my belly's sticking out so far. I'm sure most of it is water retention and bloating (how I despise that word), but it sure is sticking out. At least I have some proof that I'm actually pregnant, because sometimes I just feel crazy and pudgy. 

My pants are really starting to not fit, even though I'm not gaining much weight. 

I weigh myself every morning, and throughout the day. I waver between 116 and 120. Most women gain the majority of their weight during the second trimester, so I've got that to look forward to. 

I have a presentation in one of my classes tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to that. I'm morbidly nervous about presentations, and my heart speeds up uncontrollably and I blush, and I don't even hear what I'm saying. That's what happens when I do presentations, so tonight I'm not even practicing. I'll just get up there tomorrow and suffer through it, no reason to suffer through it mentally tonight. 

Today I worked on my baby registry at target.com. It's fun, exciting, and weird to be picking out baby stuff. I've been asking Lindsay for advice, and she tells me what she loved, what she never used, and what she already has that she'll let me borrow, which is a HUGE blessing. 

Another blessing: my brother left for basic training today, and he decided to let me borrow his car while he's away for 5+ months. That's wonderful because I can run errands now without having to coordinate with Scott. I can just grocery shop or do laundry when I have some time, and then he doesn't have to try to fit it into his tight schedule. Even more importantly, Scott's car is a coupe, which would be a pain in the ass to have to put a child in and out of a carseat in the back, but David's car has four doors. It will make life easier. I have a secret plan to keep David's car, but we'll see how that goes. 

Well, I didn't mean to blab so much about myself, but I've just been tremendously blessed as of late, and I'm so so grateful.