Wow. So much has happened in the last 7 weeks-the baby is now 18 wks, 3 days-officially in our second trimester. We get our second ultra sound and find out the gender in 10 days! YAY! I have said from the beginning I think it is a boy, although I would love to have a boy or a girl. It just feels like a boy to me, but we will know soon enough. =) Running has become much more uncomfortable and thus I have made the decision to just use the elliptical or walk. I wish I had continued running those first few months of my pregnancy, because I would be in better shape and be able to continue running at this point. However, between the frequent potty breaks which running requires because this child is rolling around on my bladder and the breathlessness I experience, it is just not as much fun as it used to be. So if I am going to continue exercising, it needs to be something fun I will stick with.

This week our baby is about 5-7 ounces, the size of a sweet potato and his/er home (uterus, but I don’t like that word, it sounds strange) is about the size of a cantaloupe. Which is a very strange feeling when you are laying on your tummy. So I guess that should be ending soon, and I will need to shift to the side-sleeping position. Oh, what a joy! Since about 16 weeks I have been feeling some movement, which apparently is a little early for a first time mom. However, I do not know how someone could over look the feeling of something moving around in your abdomen? It does not feel like gas or some of the other things it has been described as online. It does feel like butterflies, or for me it was mostly pressure at first. Now, this child is full blown rolling around (especially when I wear my regular jeans and I squish him a lot while sitting). The rolls feel like when you drive over hills really fast in your car, only maybe a little more intense sometimes. I have never had morning sickness, only food aversions such as not being able to eat what I cook myself, look at raw meat, or smell certain foods. Also, after about the 11th week, the indigestion set in. I live and breathe by Rolaids, now. Oh the joys of pregnancy! Thankfully, my energy is back and shall I say, “let the nesting begin!”

This humors me: J is nesting about as much as I am! He is all about getting the house and yard ready for the baby. We had an incredibly large to-do list for the house before we ever knew we were expecting So, with this news, we have decided to get the ball moving. Things such as preparing the nursery, putting up a fence, repainting the inside of the house, and remodeling the kitchen have been put off a few times in the last year. The fence is important because our indoor/outdoor dog may become an outdoor dog full time, and also it will be helpful with having a child running around. We are both looking forward to all the new changes about to occur. However, I must say I have not been very enthusiastic about any changes until a few weeks ago. Was I excited about J and I have a child? Absolutley, children are a precious, wonderful gift from God even when you are not planning for them. However, it was everything else about it that was making me so nervous. Thoughts such as: Am I ready for this? What do we do to prepare? I don’t want to redo my entire life yet (that is selfish, I know) The birds will need to find a new home, etc. But now, I am embracing the changes, even if it did take me a little while =)