Celebration

Dear E,
On Friday we made it to 13 weeks! I know there's confusion out there as to when the second trimester officially begins (12 weeks? 13 weeks? 14 weeks?), but whatever. I reread my blog posts from back in January/February of 2010, when I was pregnant with Stevie, and discovered it was right around 13 weeks that I started feeling a lot better. So making it to 13 weeks has been a big goal of mine ever since finding out about you. I remember being six weeks along and thinking another seven weeks sounded like a million years away. And here we are.

This weekend I made a huge effort to relax and really celebrate the fact that we've made it past the 13-week mark. To push the scary thoughts and the anxiety to the back of my mind, if only for a couple days. To just revel in the fact that today, right now, I am pregnant.

I'd have to say the best part about hitting the 13-week mark is that once again, I'm starting to feel much, much better. I wouldn't say I'm back to 'normal' quite yet, but the puking has subsided, I have some of my old energy back, and best of all, I am starting to get my appetite back! I seriously haven't actually enjoyed the act of eating in like two solid months, so just being able to eat a full meal, without it feeling like a horrible chore, feels amazing. I was so excited about my new appetite that I made Dad document the occasion while eating at Panera yesterday afternoon:

There it is, Baby. Your first official meal. Hope you liked it!

In addition to being able to eat again, I've also finally had the urge to re-enter the world again. I decided it was time to start acting like a human being. Time to move the bed out of the living room and back up to the bedroom (yep, it was down there for like a month!). Time to get out of the house (wearing something other than sweat pants). Time to vacuum the carpets, dust the bookshelves and the TV stand, and go through that huge pile of mail that now took up literally half the dining room table. 

I even decided it was time to actually blow dry and straighten my hair (instead of just leaving the house with it wet) for the first time since the end of July. I even thought about putting on some makeup, but decided I had to leave something exciting for week 14, right? Ha.

Here are a few pics of the bump and the straight hair:

This shirt actually kinda hides the belly. And please ignore the ugly maternity jeans...I hate those things!

Wait a second...is that an actual smile I see??

Had to include this one because I think it's funny. Your dad was being super annoying with the pictures :)

Having these little, short-term goals has been really helpful in making it through this pregnancy so far. And I love each and every time I make it past one of them. Get pregnant: check. See heartbeat: check. Make it to 10 weeks (end of the progesterone suppositories): check. Have a good 12-week scan: check. Hear the heartbeat with the doppler: check. Make it to 13 weeks: check.

The next goal is to make it to 16 weeks (and hopefully find out the gender!). Less than three weeks away! Then it's to feel movement. Then to have a good 20-week level 2 anatomy scan...and then I really can't even think past that point quite yet. Making it to March is just so overwhelming, but it really does help to break it up into manageable little chunks.

Alright, little E. Thank you for sticking with us for the last 13 weeks. I just know we'll get through this crazy ride, together.

I love you so much,

Mom