16 weeks

16 weeks today! Only 4 more weeks, then I am halfway through this pregnancy! It's hard to believe how far along I am now, but on the other hand the pain of waiting for this time is still very real. Even in the early stages of the pregnancy, I can still feel each day seeming like 3 days while waiting for the next blood test or scan. Sometimes I still find time dragging while waiting for the next milestone.

Anyway, here is my 16 week belly pic:

and here it is compared to the 14 week shot...

Feels like I am popping out more and more every day. People at work seem to keep a close eye on my belly - it is strange hearing people say how big you are gettting, and even stranger when they make you stand on the side so they can stare at your belly. It's hard not to feel like I am constantly on show.

I caved the other day and bought some new bras - I'm now a whole cup size bigger! I also bought my first maternity outfit - a dress that you can also wear as a skirt. I really need to go shopping for some summer clothes as I'm running out of things to wear. But it's hard at this in-between stage. I'm still too small for maternity outfits, but too big for 'normal' clothes.

Oh and I finally managed to get a pic of the nursery manchester that I bought last week - this is the main pack:

There was also the fleece blanket that I bought seperately, it is green with the same style of embroidery on it. Hopefully our new shed will be up this weekend, then we can look at getting the cot into the nursery and start getting everything together. I finished my 'baby list' the other day and am just tweaking it now with the advice of some very helpful mummies. Seems overwhelming looking at such a big list, but I keep telling myself that we have heaps of time. And hey, if I can pull off a beautiful wedding by myself in 11 months, I can handle baby prep!

Right now

One thing I have really noticed in this pregnancy, everything has to happen right now. If I need to go to the bathroom, I need to go right now, if I suddenly feel like salt & vinegar chips, I have to have them right now, if I think of something that I need to get done, it needs to be done right now. I was reading a post on a forum today that was talking about what people were eating for lunch. One of the things mentioned was a nutella sandwich. It's been ages since I've had nutella, yet after reading that I thought I could really go some nutella. But the difference was, I needed it right now. Instantly I was off to the shops to get some nutella.

And yes, it tasted every bit as good as I expected!

Showing

I had my first stranger recognise my pregnancy just by looking at my body yesterday. It was the cashier at the shop where I did my grocery shopping last night. After looking at me she asked how far along I was. Pretty gutsy question at this stage of the pregnancy in my opinion. And quite scary to think that I am only 15 weeks and showing that obviously. In my defence, I was wearing a fitted singlet top and it was at night when I always seem to look bigger. But still, it gave me an idea of what to expect from complete strangers who notice my baby bump.

On one hand, it was great - she loaded all my bags neatly into the trolley for me, even stopping to ask where I would like my eggs. But on the other hand, I can see myself getting very frustrated answering the same questions for the next 5-6 months - so far the most common question asked (including from family, friends and acquaintances) is by far - "Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?". Now before I even started thinking about starting a family, I didn't really know that much about pregnancy, but I did know that you have to be about half way through before this is even an option. But the cashier last night (who in her defence, was only about 17) came up with the dumbest question I have heard yet - "Are you excited?" What kind of a response is she expecting for that question???

I'm starting to think that these pregnancy hormones are making me a little irritated...

First baby purchase

Well, we did it. We have made our first baby purchase! I have been thinking about the theme for the nursery for some time and had decided on teddy bears. They are not too common at the moment, are gorgeous and will last a good few years as they are not too 'baby'. I also figured that they would be pretty readily available in lots of different products. But I have been struggling to find cot linen in a teddy bear theme. The only one I have been able to find is Winnie the Poo, which while nice, is too common for my liking.

While shopping on Monday afternoon, I came across a gorgeous cot set of Paddington Bear. As they were having a 20% off sale I managed to also get it at a great price! In the set was a cot quilt, cot topper, cot flat sheet, cot fitted sheet, cot pillowcase, hooded towel, wash mitt, nappy stacker, waffle bunny rug & a polar fleece blanket. It is a lime green & yellow themed colour so beautiful for either a boy or a girl. One thing that I have discovered while baby shopping is that it is very difficult to find gender neutral products!

I bought another book the other day (no, not another pregnancy book!) - The Choice Guide to Baby Products. A fantastic book which has a great list of baby items to buy categorised into essentials, optionals etc. It also has details on what to look for when buying baby products as well as comparisons of specific brands. We've bought a big shed that is getting put up on the weekend so that we can turn our current 'storage room' into a blank slate which will become our nursery. So the planning is now officially on the way!

14 weeks

The last few days in particular I have started to notice my belly popping out a bit more so I though I should take another belly pic.

I've also started compiling them all together so that I can see how my body is changing over time...

I've also just noticed my first amount of weight gain - after weighing myself this morning, I have put on around half a kg since the start of my pregnancy. I was a little concerned that I did not put on any weight during my first trimester, but my OB is not concerned and says that my uterus is growing nicely so I'm not too worried about it now.

Scan Pics

I think I forgot to mention earlier, we ended up getting the pics from the NT scan last week. We have 37 of them, but they are on x-ray films so I have had great difficulty trying to get them onto the PC. After much playing around and some great advice, I have managed to get a couple of them on here...

face side on

the start of a backflip!

I'm so in love already...

Back to the gym

I started back at the gym last night. Our gym has undergone a full on expansion and reno since I was there last and it looks fantastic! I had an appointment set up with my trainer to write me a new program now that I am pregnant, it is very strange to hear a trainer tell you to take it easy! My new program is very easy - 10 minute warm up, light weights, then 10 minutes on the treadmill only. I am to do this twice a week, with an optional 3rd day for just 40 minutes of cardio. Again, only on the treadmill and only walking with optional incline. Every 4 weeks I am to speak to the trainer again so that she can make sure my program matches my fitness and comfort levels as I progress through the pregnancy.

I started off last night with an easy 20 minute walk on the treadmill and felt fantastic. There are so many benefits to keeping fit during pregnancy, I just have to keep remembering to take it easy and pay attention to my body. I really love going to the gym, I've missed it over the last couple of months. I can't wait to go back again!

On another note, I booked in my 19 week morphology scan yesterday - it's on the afternoon of the 13th of December. Seems like so far away, but really it is only just over a month!

Results & Check Up

I had my appointment with the OB this morning to go over the results of the scan and blood tests. Everything went really well, he was very happy with the progress of bub. My uterus is growing nicely, and everything is progressing beautifully. The only thing he could find was in my blood test results - my immunity to Rubella is only borderline. He suggested that it would still probably be enough to cover me, but I am not completely imune to it. Other than that, all of my results were good.

I had my blood pressure checked which was fine, then I got to hear the baby's heartbeat! For the first time! I have seen the heartbeat a few times now, but this was the first time I was able to hear it. It's funny, even though I am very aware that I am pregnant, I still have an element of surprise when I have any sort of contact with the baby. It's still such a surreal feeling to know that there is a human life growing inside of me. I don't know if I will ever really grasp that concept.