The First 20 Weeks

5-8 Weeks

I have generally felt okay... the fact that I'm not living over the toilet bowl is the shock of my life. To call what little nausea I've had "Morning Sickness" would really be a disgrace to Morning Sickness. But it does make even thinking about eating unpleasant. If babies' eating habits are set in the womb, this child's primary food groups will be crackers and Nutella, the only things I can stomach reliably.

The things I've been craving are mostly things I can't get in Denmark: baloney + American cheese sandwich on white bread, Subway Cold Cut Combo with tons of mayo, pizza Lunchables, Chipotle salad, Cafe Rio salad, chicken nuggets. And burritos, like you wouldn't believe. My main aversion has been to chicken-- I can eat it just fine in nugget form, but the thought of cooking a chicken breast is sickening.

Baby W got his/her first nicknames. I called him/her "Baby Blueberry," due to the fact that he/she was the size of a blueberry sometime recently. Todd changed that to "Old Blue." (We watched A Christmas Story this month.) So sorry, child.

9 Weeks
My nausea and aversions have gone way down, HOORAY! I don't hate all food! I eat stuff! I can swallow my huge vitamins that smell like regurgitated dirt! I still don't look at all pregnant, though I now can't suck my stomach all the way flat.

According to every old wives' tale I've ever heard, we're expecting a boy. My complexion is fine, I mostly crave savory things, I'm not terribly sick, and the Chinese Gender Chart says boy. Todd leans a little toward wanting a boy and I lean a little toward wanting a girl, but obviously neither of us truly cares. I just want to know.


10 Weeks
I told my high school friends and the Darden wives about the pregnancy today. So much for my years-old plan to keep the pregnancy to ourselves until 20 weeks! I would surely have let something slip anyway.

Aside from tiredness (especially in the evening), I feel better every day. And baby was thankfully 100% cooperative on my flights from Denmark back to the US. I can eat vegetables again and more foods sound edible all the time, though I'm still iffy on chicken. Weirdest aversion.

11 Weeks
We got to see Baby W for the first time this week! Seeing him/her on the ultrasound was just crazy--something's really in there, and it moves! I expected to see an alien blob, but you could nearly count fingers and toes! The doctor took a couple pictures of the scan for me to take home, then Baby W started "performing" by kicking his/her feet and fist pumping, so she took a few more. Todd was sad to miss the first ultrasound (he's still in Denmark), but happy for a good report and pictures!

12-13 Weeks
I absolutely must have pizza Lunchables.

14 Weeks
My family saw me for the first time since I've been pregnant. My sisters giggled and pointed at my tummy (which still looks like nothing to anyone except those who know) because yes, it's a little funny to see me looking a bit... round.

15 Weeks
I may have felt the baby move? Todd and I were playing Risk (the board game) with Caitlin, and I felt something possibly squirm slightly?

16 Weeks
More of this brief, squirmy stuff... I do think that's the baby.

17 Weeks
Now I'm sure s/he's moving around. It feels like popcorn popping inside my lower tummy... but sometimes it's a distinct kick!

We find out Baby's gender next week. I still think it's a girl and will be very surprised if it isn't. Not unhappily surprised, though. I truly don't care. Todd thinks it's a boy and he thinks he'll be right because he suspected I was pregnant when I assured him I wasn't.

18 Weeks
So much for motherly intuition-- Todd was right, it's a BOY! I think daddy is rather proud. I was just so happy to see  10 fingers, 10 toes, and nothing we should be worried about. He's a squirmy little guy-- the ultrasound pictures are all blurry because he would.not.hold.still.

19 Weeks
Todd felt the baby kick for the first time-- he was thrilled. It was sweet, I won't lie. And I definitely think I'm looking pregnant these days. I'm down to one pairs of pants that still button. Stretch, hips, stretch!

20 Weeks
I got my first random stranger tummy run from the checkout lady at Costco. It didn't bug me nearly as much as I thought it would. We're halfway to baby! And if it doesn't look like much... refer back to week 5 and you'll clearly see these extra 15 lbs.