Timing

We've been thinking a lot about timing lately. First, there's the timing of the baby's development during pregnancy. What a strange thing. We've found ourselves measuring our lives in weeks - we only get 40. Then there's the timing of my eating, which has been a challenge. Then the timing of the trimesters and the birth. Should we travel during my second trimester? What will we do about taking leave? There's a lot to think about.

The hardest part of the timing so far has been when to share the news. We've had to do a delicate balancing act with regard to the timing of telling everyone. On the one hand, we're really excited about share the news with everyone we know. On the other hand, there's a risk that something could go wrong and we could have shared too much too early. To that end, I know we've asked a lot of our close friends and family by telling you so early. It's hard to keep such good news to yourselves.

It's week 9 right now. The typical time to tell everyone is week 12, but you don't have to wait until then. I have an appointment in early August. If that goes well, we will post on the blog that it's safe to tell anyone you want to. We really appreciate your caring and support so far, and we can't wait to share the love!

P.S. The baby is the size of a green grape this week. Baby used to have a tail, but that's completely gone. Baby's heart has four distinct chambers, and he or she is starting to grow teeth.

Being Tired

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One of the less fun aspects of being pregnant is how much it wears you down.  Because your body is in the process of rearranging itself and building a baby, a great deal of the energy you are used to having available is just gone.

Lindsy and I had both read about this and expected it to happen in theory, but the reality is still strange and takes some getting used to.  I think this is especially unsettling since Lindsy is typically really high energy, and she loves to get stuff done.  I am just not used to seeing her get home from work and just collapse on the couch!

From my perspective, one cool thing about this lack of energy is that this is a reminder of the incredible things that must be going on inside of Lindsy.  I am trying to help out by doing more stuff around the house, but often I am stuck feeling powerless to help, and all I can really do is leave her alone to get some much needed sleep. 

The Controversy Continues...How Big is Baby?

It's week 8. The same popular website that told us two weeks ago our baby is the size of an adorable little sweet pea sent an e-mail this week to let us know that the baby is now the size of a raspberry. The website recommended by my doctor sent us an e-mail to let us know the baby is the size of....a kidney bean. Gross. Just to recap, their website went lentil, blueberry, kidney bean.

Speaking of gross, most food sounds disgusting to me these days. It's been a real struggle to eat (with the exception of Rainier cherries, which I can eat by the pound). No problems keeping anything down, just no desire to eat anything. Hopefully this will get better closer to the second trimester.

We are starting already to look into daycare. We are, apparently, almost behind on this. If you live in the city, it's not uncommon to put your name on waiting lists the morning after you conceive. Though we have little experience on this front, it seems to be going well. If we're lucky, we can secure a spot at one particular daycare we have in mind - diverse, close to my work, and very child-centered. More on this after we visit.

We are also considering pregnancy photos. These are getting more and more popular. Here's a link to some really big fails. We're thinking of recreating this one:

My "good enough" activities this week: lots of old tv shows, force feeding, and cherries.

Good News about a Sweet Pea

I had my first sonogram yesterday. We have a tiny heartbeat! It was so wonderful to see it for myself. Dr. Macri was great, and so patient while I rattled off my index card list of questions. The baby is measuring about 6 weeks and 4 days. Everything is on track. We're very relieved. It's wild to think about how powerful the technology must be to measure something that small.

How small? You might ask. Well, that's up for debate. One popular website says the size of a sweet pea. Cute, right? The other website says a lentil. Wholesome, but not particularly cute. I tried to summarize the controversy for Andrew. We are both squarely on the sweet pea side of things.

There are pictures from the sonogram, but they're really hard to make out. I doubt they would be special for anyone but us. So, I am not going to post them. I will put up the next ones for sure, though.

Lastly, I've been asked about morning sickness a lot in the last week or so. Yes, I'm suffering a little more now. I'm a little nauseous just about all of the time. Fruit and cream oatmeal has been my meal of choice over the last few days - any fruit but banana. Does anyone eat bananas and cream? If you do, please send me your address. We have a lot of bananas and cream packets floating around.

Good Enough - Words to Live By

I've been doing a lot of worrying and planning, even though it's only week 5. Some of it's fun and productive. Some not so much. It helps to see so many of our friends having healthy pregnancies and beautiful babies. Our friends welcomed a baby girl, Sofia, today. We couldn't be happier for them.

Like most 20-somethings who worry, I turned to the internet for a solution. This article about "perfect enough pregnancy" was just what I needed. With my first OBGYN appointment in 8 days, it's nice to focus on being just good enough. Not perfect. And once we hear the heartbeat at that appointment, it sounds like the chances of miscarriage go down to something like 5%. I can live with that
 
A great discovery this week: our pool pass to the neighboring high rise gets us into the fitness center. Great news for my butt, which could use some time on the machines. Oh, and my heart, which has to be healthy for the baby. That too.

My "good enough" activities: eating lots of sugar snap peas, lounging by the pool, working out covertly in the "new" fitness center, drinking the occasional cup of coffee without guilt, taking naps upon naps, and trolling the internet for feel-good articles about pregnancy.