Pregnancy update – 18 weeks
David says I’m in the “honeymoon” phase of pregnancy, which sounds about right. I’ve been feeling great! The chiropractor has fixed my back issues, I’ve been playing tennis 1-2 times a week, I’m not quite as exhausted as I was in the first trimester, and the fact that there is a little baby in there has become much more real and exciting. All of the scary genetic testing has come back to show that FB is at no risk for Down’s Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Spina Bifida and some other tragic genetic defects (big sigh of relief!). My belly is definitely getting bigger, and I’m starting to outgrow my regular clothes, although this belt buckle thingy has been a life saver — http://www.mybbuckles.com/shop.html, it is pretty much the only way I can wear my regular jeans anymore.
My mom and I have even started to do a little baby shopping, which is super fun and great timing with all the post-xmas sales! I’ve booked our Doula, birthing classes at the hospital, found a good prenatal yoga studio, and signed up for some prenatal personal trainer sessions at our health club. We’ve even picked out some paint color for the nursery, but will wait until the gender confirmation on 1/23 (although, I’m SURE of what gender FB is!).
Ahhh, cravings — they have gotten much stronger for sure! And basically all of my cravings now revolve around BEEF. I can’t get enough. Beef enchiladas, beef lasagna, beef chili, meatball subs, cheeseburgers, basically anything with beef, preferably ground beef. I’ve never eaten so much beef in my life. What I really want right now, is a good beef stew, but my mom needs to teach me how to make it! I hope I’m not clogging all my arteries with this beef habit (or you might even say obsession), hopefully since it is just temporary it is OK. The next strongest cravings have been for baked potatoes and BLTs with turkey bacon and then after that probably fruit. I am still making sure to eat salads and veggies, but I sure am not craving them! Poor David has got to be on beef overload because that is all I’ve been cooking or want to go out for. One afternoon I needed beef so badly that I actually got a headache that only a meatball sub could cure, for real!
I’ll get some new bump pictures up soon! Ciao for now!
Ellie, my protector
Anyone that knows me and my favorite furry girl, Ellie, knows that we are very close. She regularly follows me around the house and stays by my side. However, lately Ellie has been a little extra protective of me. I’ve heard that dogs can sense expectant women and sometimes even change their behavoir when their person is expecting. I’m thinking maybe Ellie is even more in-tune with me than I ever knew!
Here is my favorite recent Ellie story —
When the painters came to paint Andrew’s new room, David was at work and I was home alone with Ellie. Ellie always goes a little bonkers when people come in to the house, but this time she went maybe even a little extra-bonkers. My mom was going to take Molly for walk, so I asked her to stop over and take Ellie with them so Ellie could get some exercise while I was stuck at the house with the painters, and so Ellie would leave them alone. Ellie LOVES my mom and is always excited to see her and go on walks with her. Frequently when my mom is around, Ellie couldn’t care less where I am. Well, not this time. About 10 minutes after my mom came and took Ellie for a walk, they showed up back at my house. My mom explained that Ellie refused to go with her. Ellie kept turning back to look at our house and pull towards home. My mom tried to get her out of visual distance of the house, hoping Ellie would then be fine to go for a walk, but Ellie stood her ground and just wouldn’t budge. So, after my mom tried and tried to get her out for a walk, she finally gave up after less than a block and brought her back to me. We think Ellie didn’t want to leave me alone with strangers in the house. There is no other explanation. The weather was fine that day, usually she’d have loved to go. Ellie has never ever fought going on a walk before unless it was weather related.
She is such an amazing animal. I love my little Ellie-dog.
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