First Ultrasound

Okay, I'm way overdo for my second post, and I swear I'll start writing regularly eventually. Maybe.

Twelve weeks

Plenty has happened since the last time I wrote, but of course, most of it can't be seen. By that I mean that Booger is growing in leaps and bounds. The last time I wrote, Booger was probably about 1.5 inches. Now, Booger has probably doubled in size! The most exciting thing for us is the fact that we had our first ultrasound last week. At that point, Booger was 2.46 inches. I think it's cute that he or she wasn't even 2.5 inches, which is the average, because he or she will probably be short like us. While it's too soon to tell, I got a kick out of our baby being "short."

Baby Booger!

The ultrasound itself was amazing. We brought our moms, which was really nice. Before the ultrasound began, Craig's mom said to the woman, "You're about to see the most beautiful baby in the world." She might be slightly biased. Both Craig and I were expecting the woman to have to search for a minute before finding Booger, but as soon as she put the wand on my belly, we could see Booger on the big screen mounted on the wall. It was incredible! I was so in shock that I teared up and burst out laughing at the same time. I kept apologizing to the woman because my stomach kept moving, but it was just such a surreal experience. It was almost as if I hadn't fully believed there was a person growing inside me until I saw little him or her kicking and waving. I couldn't believe how much detail we could see at just 13 weeks. Booger's profile was especially impressive (and I joked that he or she clearly has my nose). While Booger wasn't super active, he or she did do a couple of big kicks and punches, which gained plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from those of us spying on his or her activities. Towards the end, Booger put his or her hands up over his or her face as if to say, "Okay, that's enough. No more pictures." Craig's not much of a crier, but every time I looked over at him, he had a huge smile on his face. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

Booger's arm!

Not a whole lot has been going on other than the ultrasound. Of course Thanksgiving has come and gone. Unfortunately Craig had to work during the holiday and missed out on family time, but we made a nice little feast the Sunday prior so that he wouldn't miss out. We kept talking about how crazy it is that next Thanksgiving there will be a little baby enjoying the festivities with us.

Attempting to pose with our Thanksgiving meal

In other news, I got a full-time job at a customer care center! While it's not necessarily my dream job, it pays well, offers good hours, and I won't have to spend a lot of time on my feet. I'm currently in my first week of training, and so far, it's been quite an adjustment for me. Before this, I was only working on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus various days of substitute teaching. Basically, I was able to be a lazy bum. I could sleep in, eat whenever I wanted, and stay in my pajamas all day. Once I have my actual shift, I won't have to start until ten in the morning. During the six weeks of training, though, I have to be there at 8:30. I realize that that is not very early at all, but this pregnant woman has been very spoiled. Plus, yesterday we took a little trip to Omaha, which meant leaving Yankton at 6:30 in the morning. I felt sick and had a terrible headache, and I didn't feel better until I finally drank some coffee in the afternoon. I've done so well avoiding caffeine for the most part, but as can be seen, I didn't really have much of a need for it in the past. It looks like that might have to change a bit with this new job. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. The job itself actually seems like something I will enjoy (I like to talk, and I'll be on a phone all day), and I really like the people in my training class.

Thirteen weeks

The last thing I'll write about tonight is the fact that I have grown. I understand that this is to be expected, but so far, it's been such a strange experience for me. I'm sure every pregnant woman experiences this. Basically, I like to think that I'm very in tune with my body. Not much has changed since I was about 14 years old. While I've always joked about my size, I love my body and have been comfortable in it for years. For the first time in ten years, things are changing quite a bit. First of all, there's the weight gain. I've gained about eleven pounds since learning that I'm pregnant. Honestly, I'm not concerned with numbers (although I've approached and surpassed digits that I've never encountered before!). Instead, it's the fact that I can physically see my body changing. I'm expanding in places I was convinced were going to forever remain the same size. To speak bluntly, I broke a bra. Seriously. I had a pretty good idea of my measurements due to years of fittings for costumes, so I compared those numbers with my new measurements. I've grown an average of three or four inches in each measurement! My understanding is that there's still quite a bit more growing for me to do, but soon I'll actually start looking pregnant. For now, my body is changing without really looking pregnant. It's a really crazy feeling to witness and experience my body growing at such a fast rate. Then I think about how fast Booger is growing, and my growth doesn't seem very impressive at all.

Lava Baby says "No more pictures"

Well, I think that's it for tonight. I should have been in bed a while ago, but I'm glad I'm finally getting another post up!