Almost 14 Weeks

I've finally been feeling like me again. There were only a few times that I felt sick this past week. It has been a wonderful change. My weight has fluctuated quite a bit. One morning I was up to 122 and another I had gone back down. I've read that in the second trimester, I should expect to gain about a pound per week. Maybe that will get back on track next week.

Today's weight = 120.5 lbs.

First Maternity Clothes

I'm not "showing" by any stretch of the imagination, but I am getting a little thicker around the waistline. This week it was more apparent to me when my fitted shirts seemed to hug my tummy, so I decided to buy some maternity clothes. I didn't want to buy a lot because I have no idea how big I'll get and how fast, but I did buy a couple of tops and a skirt all with plenty of growing room. Andrew has kindly taken a couple of photos of me wearing my new tops.

Baby Garrett's First "Encounter" with a Movie Star

Okay, well not exactly an encounter, but Bruce Willis was at Centenary today scouting out campuses for his next movie and he walked past me...twice! He was slightly incognito with a long, scraggly, gray beard, cap, t-shirt and jeans, but it was definitely him. That concludes my first movie star sighting.
(photo compliments of Google)

Almost 13 Weeks

Last week was rough. On top of feeling sick Sunday through Wednesday, I had to grade 46 laboratory notebooks, participate in a Science and Math Open House, give a review session, make cookies and banana bread for my students snack on during their first exam of the semester and grade those as well. I feel much better today and hope that as I start my second trimester, that I'll see fewer and fewer days of nausea.

Today's weight = 120.5 lbs.

Almost 12 Weeks

I naively thought that my "morning sickness" would be gone for good once it stopped plaguing me every minute. I don't feel sick all day, but there are several hours at a time that my stomach just won't calm down. Other than that, my week went well. Hearing the heartbeat on Thursday was lots of fun. It's difficult not having any other pregnancy sign to reassure me that the baby is doing well except hearing the heartbeat every four weeks.

Today's weight = 119 lbs.

Baby's Second Hurricane

Hurricane Ike is making its way through our area this weekend. There has been constant light rain and lots of wind. Andrew and I went to the movies to watch "Burn After Reading," but after only 15 minutes, the entire theater lost electricity. They gave us free passes to come again, so maybe next weekend. The electricity at our house has flickered twice, but we haven't gone without. The whole day has left Molly tuckered out.

Doppler Heartbeat

I had my 11 week appointment with Dr. LaBarre this morning. He was looking for the baby's heartbeat for the first time using the doppler. He did a little searching, then said, "Here it is. Your baby is hiding behind your bladder." To that I started laughing and he said, "Oh, it's an earthquake." That made me laugh even more. He had to search again for the heartbeat which didn't come in as well, but it was still nice to hear. I wish we could have heard it longer, but the giggles will make that difficult. My next appointment is in four weeks on October 9th. He said at that point we'll just listen to the heartbeat again.

Molly's First Birthday

Molly celebrated her first birthday by going to PetSmart and picking out some toys and treats. She picked out a giraffe (which is identical to the one she has eaten twice), a green, squeaky football (to celebrate the beginning of the NFL season) and some treats that look like Fig Newtons. Andrew and I ate some cake for her.

Almost 11 Weeks

Approaching 11 weeks and my biggest complaint is that I get major indigestion after eating dinner each night. I feel incredibly full and bloated to the point of bursting. I look much more pregnant in the evening than I do in the morning. Other than that, things are well. Our friends have lent us several books and tips. One tip being that we should fill our "fun hump." Basically that we should store up on our fun like a camel in preparation for the first 6 months of Baby Garrett's life. We're sleeping in every chance we get and going to the theater to watch any movie we find remotely interesting. We know it will be worth it. (The picture isn't great, but Andrew doesn't like to do retakes.)

Today's weight = 118 lbs.

Note to Self: No Indian Food

We went out last night with our friends, Joshua, Scott, Katie, and the new Dean of Student Life here at Centenary, David, to a very nice Indian restaurant, "Indigo." The food was delicious. I had lamb and spinach with rice. Apparently, Baby Garrett is not fond of Indian cuisine. About 30 minutes after leaving the restaurant I started feeling sick. That feeling didn't diminish until half-way through my morning lecture, at about 8:30 am. I'll just have to keep that on my avoid list.

"Early Education" Center Visit

Today Andrew and I visited a highly recommended child care center to get our names on a waiting list. We've heard that it can take a year to get a spot, so it looks like were just in time. It's held at a Methodist church a few blocks from campus. They actually say that they aren't a "child care center," but an "early education center." They start the children on curriculum I believe at 2 (but I may have that wrong). They also said that last year all of their preschoolers tested on the high end of the kindergarten learning or beyond. The infant room was a little intimidating to two soon-to-be parents without even a baby bump. It's still difficult to think that far ahead when we're still adjusting to the idea of a baby. It feels good to have something in mind, even if we chose another route.

Baby's First Hurricane

It looks like Baby Garrett has made it through its first hurricane. Gustav hit the Shreveport area sometime last night and early this morning. The eye didn't get us, just peripheral storms. There might be a few more tomorrow, but we're holding up well.

It was so much fun to tell our family and friends that Baby Garrett is on the way. Their excitement just multiplied ours. We're telling our colleagues/friends Thursday night and Friday afternoon. It will be such a relief to not hide it anymore.