17 Weeks

Another week has passed and the baby excitement continues! Monday was my last surprise. I was finally able to tell my boss the good news. Well, my good news at least! It didn't happen the way I wanted it to, but that's OK. He had been in a meeting prior to me starting my shift so when I saw him walking around I stopped him, and as soon as I told him there was something I needed to speak to him about, his quick and curt reply was "your not pregnant are you?". And since I couldn't lie about it any more I smiled and said, "actually, I am".

His quick thinking lead to the following Q & A

Boss: "really?"
Me: "yes"

Boss: "your joking?"
Me: "no"

Boss: "you'r serious?"
Me: "yes."

Boss: "really?"
Me: "yes"

There was a very short pause and then...."Well, congratulations." And I said "Thanks". He continued on his way, looking shocked and confused. And of course that part baffled me because not one month ago, we had been sitting in his office during my review talking about how I was probably going to want to start a family soon. I guess the shock of it all just needed to settle in. And it did.

The next day was full of congrats and the usual questions,
"When's the baby due?"
"How far along are you?"
"Do you know the sex yet?"
"Are you going to find out?"
etc...etc...
It was very repetitive but I loved every minute of it. My biggest joy in life wasn't something I needed to keep from anyone anymore and I now have the advantage of enjoying it to the fullest. I know the novelty of it all will wear off and I'll eventually get tired of answering the same questions over and over again, but I'll deal with it when I get there.

And I'm sure my lil' bean isn't the slightest bit phased by all this excitement. He/she is now the size of a small pomegranate and I've started talking to them more in hopes that he/she can hear me. The skeleton is starting to change from soft cartilage to bone but I'm still not feeling anything distinct yet. Along with that is the growth of the umbilical cord. It is getting stronger and thicker. My lil' bean has also started to put on a little bit of fat. He/she will take the next several months to gain the body fat needed to maintain their body temperature when they are born. As for my lil' bump...it's getting bigger. I've skipped the belly band and bought maternity clothes this past weekend. It wasn't as frustrating as I thought it was going to be but I really did have to think about what I was buying. With the price of clothes I wanted to be as sure as I could be that it would all fit me as my belly expands. I started with a few pairs of pants, some long sleeved shirts and a versatile cardigan. And the best part of it all is that I feel much more comfortable.

16 Weeks Happy New Year Everyone!

It's the first day of 2010 and I know it'll be one to remember. I've had a chance to tell a lot of people about my lil' bean but there's still some who haven't heard the good news yet. My father is one. I was ready to tell him after lunch a few days ago, but he only seemed comfortable while playing with my sister's kids. When we sat down for lunch he was only paying attention to the kids even though I was sitting right next to him. The few times we tried to start a conversation with him, he responded with only a few words. Now this is not completely out of the ordinary for him but I guess I was hoping for a different situation in order to share my good news. In the end, I decided that telling him over the phone would be the best for both of us.

Another person I was hoping to tell this week was my boss. I thought he would have been around for the 3 days between Christmas and New Years but I was wrong. On Monday night I wasn't sure how I would tell him and was hoping he wasn't going to be there. Then as I was brushing my teeth Tuesday morning, I new exactly how I was going to spill the beans. I was feeling great during the 45 minute drive to work, and when I got there his truck wasn't in the parking lot. I wasn't worried and didn't think anything of it. He didn't have to be the right at 7am like the rest of us so I just went about my day. 8am came quick, then 9 and 10am. By then I was a little disappointed that my plan of action was not going to be implemented. Oh well, it'll have to wait until next week.

Thursday was only half day at work so I planned to visit my grandmother, Aunt, Uncle & cousin before seeing my mom. They were having a late breakfast and insisted I have at least some coffee with them. I didn't. And that's how they found out. They didn't believe me at first but when I repeatedly told them I wasn't joking everyone was happy & excited. I told my grandma next and she wished me all the best. I left after a couple of hours and stopped by my mom's. We had a bowl of soup and chatted for a while. Then Paul & I went out for a quick lunch before coming home. He doesn't work too far from my mom's so it all worked out well.

Later that night we were going to a friends for New Years Eve. There was 4 couples there and we had a good time eating, talking, and playing Rock Band. And of course more congrats and questions about the baby mixed in with other conversation. It was 3am by the time we got home and I was exhausted. Now I've got 3 more days before I have to be back at work and I'm going to make the best of it.

This week my lil' bean has grown to be the size of an avocado, about 4 1/2 inches long. He/she is dancing around and probably sucking their fingers or toes, and playing with the umbilical cord. The head is now being held more upright and the neck is very developed. The eyes are still moving under the lids and the ears are almost in their permanent position. The heart is working to pump 25 quarts of blood every day and this will only increase as he/she grows. I haven't felt any movement yet but my lil' bean is due for a growth spurt. He/she will be doubling their weight in the next few weeks and I'm sure that will lead to some movement I can feel.

15 Weeks Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas is almost over and it's been a great couple days. It started with Christmas eve at my mom's. Turkey dinner with all the fixin's and then the good news of my pregnancy, followed by dessert. Everyone was happy for me & Paul and we answered all the usual questions, "When's the baby due?", "Do you know the sex yet?", "Are you going to find out?"... The night continued with opening presents and periodic questions about the baby. It felt great sharing the news with them.

The following morning started with Paul making me breakfast. We talked about how we would tell his parents later that day, and decided to use the photocopies of the ultrasound pictures. We got to my in-laws at about 3:30pm and were just sitting around talking. When everyone was settled in we started opening gifts. It took a little while to get through all the gifts but the very last ones were plain white envelopes for my father & mother in-law. Paul had them open the envelopes at the same time and they were quite surprised and very excited to become grandparents again. My sister in-law was really excited to become an aunt for the first time. And of course we answered the usual questions...again. Dinner and dessert came next with talk about the baby. It was a few hours since then before Paul got to tell his brother who is living out in British Columbia. He was happy too. It has been another great night and we are happy that our little secret is no longer a secret.

Tomorrow I'm seeing my dad but I'm not sure if I'll tell him then. I know he'll be happy for us but he's not one for expressing his feelings. We'll probably get a nod and "Oh that's good. You guys must be very happy. Congratulations." Either way it'll just make the rest of the day uncomfortable. It's a better idea if I tell him over the phone.
As for sharing the news with other people, Paul told his bosses and his best friend a few days ago. I'll be waiting until next week to tell anyone else.
And my lil' bean couldn't be happier. He/she is about the size of an apple with legs that are now longer than the arms. Elbows and knees are able to move more freely and the eyebrows and scalp hair have begun to grow. The eyes can now sense light behind the eyelids even though they are still fused shut, and in a few weeks my lil' bean will be able to hear my voice. This has definitely been a Christmas to remember.