May 26-June 1 & June 2-June 8, 2008:
So at the end of week eight and beginning of week nine, I got a fantastic surprise. Saturday morning, Jon had gone to Best Buy for something, and the doorbell rang. When I opened it, my dear friend Kate was standing there! Apparently, Best Buy is code for "airport." I just started bawling and hugged the heck out of her.
Kate and I became best friends in middle school when I lived in Eugene, Oregon, and have remained close despite the distance and rare but precious communications over the years. We'd recently gotten in touch again, but I hadn't seen Kate since my wedding (a few days shy of four years prior), and I had recently been telling Jon how much I missed her. So, Jon flew her out here to surprise me. He also planned for the three of us a trip to Austin, including a meal at our favorite local restaurant there (Trudy's), a lovely hotel stay (at the Omni), a concert including my favorite originally out-of-Austin musician (Bob Schneider playing acoustically) and a fun night on the town (we got to hang out at a great little smoke-free dueling-piano bar). It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone's ever done for me (thanks forever, Baby!). I also got to tell Kate in person about the pregnancy, and she was so super excited, she was practically in tears. I really look forward to her meeting the baby; she'll be a great honorary aunt!
Then, May 29, Jon and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, made sweeter by our love's manifestation in the form of the pregnancy. It's weird knowing it would be our last anniversary with just the two of us in existence. As excited as we are for the baby, we realize we'd better savor this dynamic while it lasts!
Week 10 rang in my last week of school as a teacher. It was bittersweet as I knew I'd really miss my coworkers and the daily interactions and fun aspects of the job. However, I knew retiring would be in my best interest physically and mentally since I'd need to take especially good care of my body and keep down my stress levels. It felt pretty real when the kids asked about coming back to visit the following year, and I knew I wouldn't be there, and then I had to clean out my room. Sigh. All the same, a big part of me did welcome retirement! In the end, I don't regret the decision. I suppose I sacrificed getting that coveted five-year pin, which I would have received the next year, but I'm going to be strong about that. We can't have it all, right?
On an interesting note, I discovered this week it was more comfortable to unbutton my jeans while sitting for long periods in the car. Very classy strategy, I know. I prayed regularly that I would never get pulled over when practicing this. My panicking to refasten my pants would be awkward with an officer walking up to the car.
Still can't find the belly pics, but I'll keep looking, and there are plenty in weeks to come! Hold tight!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Weeks 7 & 8: It's a ... heartbeat!
May 12-May 18 & May 19-May 25, 2008:
I started feeling a little more pregnant during this time such as some mild localized soreness (you know what I'm sayin', ladies), stuffy nose, super senses (mostly smell; I had to throw out most of my soaps and lotions because I couldn't handle scents very well), etc. Fortunately, I never had morning sickness, but I did get what I call the "evening quease." This consisted of a general unpleasant feeling in my gut from late afternoon through bedtime. My food choices, therefore, largely incorporated carbs like bread and cereal and other such bland delights. Anything greasy or fried was a no-no item. Farewell for now, fast food.
Oh, and we did tell our parents around this time, too. We decided, especially in light of the previous loss, that we would not tell siblings or others until safely (if there is such a thing) into the second trimester. All baby's grandparents were very excited for us; this will be number 10 for Jon's parents and number one on my side. Of course, it makes it that much harder to be away from family, but that's what blogs are for, right?
Perhaps one of the most special moments was during week eight, when we had the first prenatal appointment. Jon came with me to this one, and it's great he did, because we got to experience the first ultrasound. I was so very nervous that the ultrasound would reveal something tragic; it's really hard to believe one is pregnant sometimes before you can actually feel the baby, and this can cause a lot of doubt. My OB warned us that at this stage, it's still possible to not see a heartbeat but still have a viable pregnancy. However, if the heartbeat can be detected, it lowers the chance of miscarriage significantly. Thankfully, when she showed us the screen, Jon pointed out the heartbeat right away. He made comments about how tiny and fast it was. I felt like Rachel on "Friends," when she can't decipher her baby on the ultrasound and worries that it's a reflection on herself as a mother. It took a lot of pointing and squinting, but I finally saw that precious little flutter. I think.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to get pictures, so we don't have the photos from this ultrasound. Also, strangely, I can't find my belly pics from this and the next few weeks. I'm working on the latter, and if I find them, I'll post them. However, to console you viewers, here are some photos of Jon from this time period. Shockingly, they are bass-fishing pics. You can see part of our boat, too, which has provided us with many enjoyable recreational hours. Now that I'm prego, though, we're having to be more careful when riding across those waves!
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