2/14

Ok.....this is my first foray into blogging, so bear with me. I was inspired after reading some message board postings on the "July 2005 Expecting Club" website. A lot of women had posted their pregnancy pictures and I realized that if they could do it, so could I. In fact, it makes sense since I'm so far away from so many people that I care about and who care about this baby.

For those that need to be caught up, I'm 18-19 weeks pregnant. Only the very boldest of strangers are asking me how far along I am, which makes me think that I'm either not showing very much or our general society is very, very scared to ask women about this. In comparison to other "belly shots" that I've seen, my belly seems diminutive in comparison. This is my first child and my mid-wife up in New Hampshire told me that the ligaments that hold the uterus in are much tighter on a first pregnancy. So, that makes sense. I've been told that the strength of your stomach muscles also factors in a bit, but that seems like a wives' tale to me. At seven or eight months I'll probably look back on this entry and laugh: I was actually complaining about not being big enough!

I haven't felt any movement with the baby yet, which is surprising because when Leigh and I saw the baby at the first ultrasound, the baby never stopped moving. When I first saw the baby, it was standing on its head, kind of floating there. It quickly changed positions and then started gyrating in this funky way in response to my laughing. Leigh claims that it was dancing, but I don't believe him. That was at 9 weeks and I'm due for my next ultrasound in two weeks. This is the "big one" where they do all of the prenatal testing to see if the baby is happy down there in uterus-land. I also get to find out the sex of the child, which I'm excited to know. My Mom is going with me to my first OB-GYN appointment in Houston and then on the ultrasound. She never had an ultrasound with my sister or I so it should be a good experience for both of us (cross your fingers).

Oh, did I mention that I moved to South Houston? I moved from NH about three weeks ago and have settled in nicely. My cat Honey keeps looking at me with a betrayed, hurt look that only cats can give. He can't go outside, yet and he is very upset about this. At my old house he went outside constantly; hunting and playing with his friends. I actually had to delay my drive down here one day because Honey wouldn't come back inside. When I went to work today he hid is head under my bed, but left his little butt sticking out. Like he was telling me to kiss off. It could be my maternal feelings kicking in, but I actually get upset about leaving him alone all day. Anyone want to support me on "Bring your pet to work" day? Come on....it could be a movement.

Obviously, I've been spending much to much time with my cat, seeing as he is one of my only friends down here. I'm trying to meet people and be social, but the unrelenting fatigue makes socialization hard. Being pregnant has also made me a little more shy. It's probaly because I don't want to explain the pregnancy to anyone or have to explain myself.