What am I going to do with a little girl?!?

When I first found out I was pregnant, I KNEW, I mean I just KNEW it was a boy. After all, had not God been preparing me for a little boy all these years??

When I was little, I was surrounded by little girls and I guess I had grown tired of being around so many of them. I was not enamored with their clothing options; and the dramatics and girliness had become lost on me.  Being around another female child was just run of the mill.

Then, my best friend’s mother had a little boy. It had been a LONG time since anyone had a little boy... and this one... this little boy was my heart. I cannot tell you how much I loved that child. At twelve years old, I was in love. I decided right then, that I wanted a baby.  Not just a baby, but a little boy. (Now, granted, I wanted said baby to be EXACTLY like this little baby, but I wanted a baby nonetheless.) I loved everything about them! They had the cutest little clothes and shoes… their sweet little curls and haircuts… the adorable things they said… This little boy in particular called me his girlfriend for a while. (Apparently, if you play play-dough and let them play with your hair and give you a mustache, you are real-woman-of-their-dreams material.) Eventually, they go to kindergarten and find more interesting things than you and turning your hair into a mustache.

 But it was okay, because right about that kindergarten time, my youngest aunt also had a little boy. In fact, he and his sister came and stayed with us for a while. I fell in love with that child too. Since my sister wasn’t really good with babies, he stayed in my room. Who knew such a tiny baby could hog up so much bed? Who knew that I would finally get over my fear of poop because of THE most horrendous diaper explosion at 2am??? (Note, I totally had to wake my parents up to take care of that one. I have never seen anything like that to this day. Just want to give credit where credit is due.) Who knew that poopy little bed hogs could steal your heart? I didn’t. But he did. From around that time, I became Bum-Bum. (Why Bum-Bum? Because during that time, when my sanity was slow, I would sing to him. I would sing the pink panther song.)

I could write for days on both of these boys, but let's move a little farther along in time… during school I always ended up observing and helping out in the k4 classrooms. Every. Single. Time. Do you realize how cute little boys are at 4 years old?? Do you realize how hard it is not to let your heart melt like butter when one of them comes up to you with a book, asks you to read it to him, and then plops his little hiney down in your lap (Like it's no biggie - I don't know you... but... okay.) and snuggles up for some story time?

Fast forward to 2011. I started working at a day care. I was over the toddler room in the afternoons. For 95% of my time at the day care, every single one of the children under my care, was male. Oh, and I would come in just as they were waking up from their naps. They would bring their passy’s, blankets, and sweaty little heads over to me and just crawl in my lap. All they wanted was just for me to hug and rock them for a few minutes. They knew that when I pulled the snacks out that I was going to kiss each one of them on the top of their sweet little heads and tell them that I loved them… And I meant it every day. We would play games like “Chase the invisible bug.” (Little boy giggles are the funniest.) And when they unexpectedly saw you... they would get so excited! They would run and tackle you like they hadn't seen you in a million years. 

Now, I work in an office filled with men… with mostly men customers… and I will be the first to tell you that I love my job. I get the best treatment and men are refreshingly honest and blunt.

So of COURSE I would think that any child in my womb would be male! Why would someone like me, a person who loved little boys so much, and had so much experience working with little boys, have a little girl?? It seemed as if God has been lining me up for a lifetime of being around the male race…. Except that he wasn’t.

I was sitting at the table at 5AM one morning. I had just finished my Bible study, ("A Woman's Heart" by Beth Moore, in case you're wondering.) and I was writing a note to my baby… and it hit me. This child in my womb, was NOT in any way, shape, or form, male. This was a woman-child. Why? Because I wasn’t prepared for that. Because it wasn’t what I had planned. Because it wasn’t (what I thought) what I wanted. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. A girl was exactly what God was going to give me, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

I told Ben, and he thought I was nothing short of crazy. But considering the rush of hormones that had been going on, he made sure to tell me gently. He told me that there was no way for me to know that for sure. After all, I was only 7 weeks along.

I finally started dreaming about my baby. It was always genderless or a little blonde haired boy. Which REALLY confused me… I even had such wild thoughts as “Maybe it is a boy… maybe the increased testosterone would trigger me having dreams about having little boys… maybe that’s why I’ve suddenly become such an aggressive person… Maybe that’s why I’m growing a mustache thick enough to rival one of my great aunts…” Yeah, the ideas got a little out there.

 But I had started thinking about having a girl just to be prepared for when the ultrasound technician told us what I felt like I already knew. We started talking names, and we picked a name we loved. I started planning how the nursery would look, just in case. 

Two days before the ultrasound, I dreamed Ben and I were in the room and the tech gave us an envelope. We opened it and it said that it was a little boy. I was stunned. This couldn’t possibly be right. I KNEW it was a girl. I asked the lady if she was sure. She laughed at me and said yes. So, I asked her to check again. She did, and sure enough right there on the screen was the unmistakable evidence that my baby was a boy.

The next morning, I told Ben. I also told him I was confused… because I was a little disappointed... I had grown a little accustomed the idea of a girl... If it was a boy, I would love it to the moon and back… but I wouldn’t get to use the name that we had picked out... and someone could take our name before we got to use it! AND I would have to let go of this nursery plan that I had grown attached to... and start ALL over!

The day that we found out, I was nervous. I had a feeling that I wasn’t the only one that wanted a little girl now, but knew that even if it was a little boy, baby would be our world… We would love, love, love baby more than anything.

I'm still not crazy over some things about little girl world. Hello, what am I going to do when she becomes a teenager?? And have you seen some of the clothing options these days??? There's an awful lot of pretty-woman BEFORE she started hanging around Richard Gere. BUT I would be lying though if I didn’t tell you how excited Ben and I were in that room when they told us that it was a little girl. It would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I may have had a few tears of happiness run down my face. I am so glad that God doesn’t always give us what we think we want… and that His dreams for us are so much better than our own. Because the dream I had never had, never wanted, and was deathly afraid of, was suddenly my dream come true.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see about some rather ginormous hair bows

22 weeks

Like my PJ's??? :)

 

How Far Along? 22 weeks and 1 day!

Baby Size: An ear of corn!

Total Weight Gain: Well, from my normal weight - I have gained 11 lbs. But I had lost like 5 lbs... and I've gained that back too... so if you add THAT in... then I'm up 16.

Maternity Clothes: I love them.

Stretch Marks:  None yet that I know of...

Best moment this week: Finding out that baby is a girl and very healthy! Also, getting to see my parents and sister this weekend! (Which explains why I'm in my PJ's and no make-up in the picture. We didn't get home until late today - but it was a great trip!!)

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement: Yes. She already has patterns. She's an early bird (but naps during the morning) and I told Ben this afternoon that she's going to be one of those people that "talks themselves to sleep at night" (Just like Mommy! Joy for Daddy! lol.) I call her the ninja baby though - she can be kicking and rolling around like crazy... and someone will put their hand on my belly and she will disappear! She'll be still for what seems like forever and then WHAM!

Food Cravings: Cold and sweet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not eating.

Started to show yet? Yep!

Gender: Girl!

Belly Button in or out? Weird. The top part is even with my belly... and the bottom half is shallow, but still in.

Wedding Rings on or off? On.

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? Well, neither of these things are weird, but it's news for the week:

 

We've got ourselves a name! We're not giving it out yet, though. We can't decide when to let the cat out of the bag. Maybe in a few weeks? Maybe in a few months? Maybe when she's born? The thing is, it's so hard not to slip up and call her by her name in front of people!

 

On the way back up from my parents, we did a grown up thing and talked about our Will. I hate talking about things like that, but it's something we knew we had to start thinking about and ironing all of the details out on.

 

Looking forward to: Right now, working on the nursery and buying things!

The Big Twenty (One) Week Check - Up

Tuesday's appointment was kind of long, so this may be kind of long also...
(Okay, yeah. It's long.)

Gosh, I don't even know where to start!

We have been waiting on this appointment for what seemed like FOREVER. (It was 5 weeks instead of the usual 4 week wait.) Besides getting to know baby's gender, I also had a lot of anxiety and questions start compiling over the last month. I just wanted to hear that everything was okay with my baby!

I've been having dreams about baby for a long time. Every time I dreamed, baby either had no gender or was a boy. Two nights before our appointment, I dreamed that Ben and I were in the ultrasound room and the tech handed us an envelope. We opened it and it said that we were having a boy! I didn't think that I had a preference, and never in a million years would I think that I would want a little girl, but in my dream I was a little disappointed. In fact, I asked the technicians if they were sure. They said yes, but I asked them to check again... and so they showed me his little boy parts on the screen. I woke up and was thoroughly confused. What the heck did all of this mean? Did this mean I was having a little boy? Did this mean that I would rather have a little girl??? Suddenly, I REALLY wanted to know!

By the time that Tuesday rolled around, I was a ball of energy. I couldn't sit still. I could barely think straight. What was baby? What was I going to do if they told me something was wrong? Luckily, my first appointment was at 1pm. I ended up leaving work at 11:53... because I just couldn't wait out those last couple minutes. (What if someone came in and wanted to talk and ask a bunch of questions?? Didn't they know this was one of the biggest days of my life?!? Best to avoid any complications and just head to the house to grab Ben.)

We stopped by Wendy's on the way to the hospital. Just a quick meal, right? Wendy's HAD THE LONGEST LINE IN THE WORLD. We finally got to eat, and I couldn't even finish all of my nuggets, but I did have a good deal of strawberry lemonade. (Figured it would help out if baby wasn't feeling too squirmy.) We got to the hospital in plenty of time, and I signed in. We were third in line in the waiting room. They called in the first people... then they called in the second set of people... then they called in the lady who walked in after us... then they called the lady who walked in after her... I was starting to get nervous again. What if they forgot about us??? It was already 1:20! (And I needed to pee.) Finally, a nurse/ultrasound tech opened the door and Ben and I forgot about everything but being excited. Her name was Nancy and she was SO nice! I was really comfortable and let me pee first! We talked to her about family history and I was able to ask her any questions I liked. Then I laid back, pulled my shirt up, she squired the warm gel stuff on my belly and the fun began!

Baby was laying face down and had it's back curved and it looked like an alligator. Since we had some questions about spinal things, and baby was showing it off so beautifully, Nancy checked spine first - and everything looked AWESOME! Since Ben had let her know that we REALLY, REALLY wanted to know the gender, she told us that we'd go ahead and jump to the fun part. I looked at the screen and HAD NO CLUE what I was looking at. It just looked like a big bunch of blobby things to me... so Nancy asked if we could tell. I said nope and she told us she was going to let the student tech tell us... but before she could, Ben belts out that "IT'S A GIRL!" He sounded so excited, and so hopeful! (No worries, they confirmed and pointed everything out!) I might-maybe-may have had a tear or two come out... Ben announced that as soon as we got finished with the doctors office visits, he was going to buy his baby girl something TODAY.
We got to see her little nose (totally mine), her little lips (totally Ben's). We also took a look at her brains, her legs (She's got some strong, thick, sturdy little legs! As soon as I saw them, I said "So THAT's why her movements feel more mule-ish!) We saw her kidneys, liver, stomach, etc. We got a profile view of her face, and her hands were right up close... as soon as we said something about it looking like she was sucking her thumb... Whoosh! The hand disappeared! (She's a fast little mover!) She was totally posing for her pictures though, they told us! haha.They double checked my cervical length (All's good! Made me feel a thousand times better!) and the amniotic fluid (lots to swim in! Which is good, I was worried.) After she finished with her measurements, she left to type up a report and the student took over. She was SUPER sweet too, but baby girl was getting tired of picture time.
We kept trying to catch a view of her hands... so she threw both of them behind her head and kicked her feet back. She looked REALLY comfortable. She finally moved one hand forward and we got a look... and she immediately moved it to her forehead. (Which her pose was extra funny because it was the exact same pose I had while I was watching her on the screen!) Finally she covered her face with both hands... and since that didn't stop the viewing, she flipped around and buried her head in my hip bone.
We talked to the doctor there - again, super nice! - and he said that our baby was about 15oz and everything looked WONDERFUL! I felt so relieved and happy! (Even though my butt was asleep for lying on my back for so long.) We ended up getting to my second doctors appointment about 10 minutes late. I love my OBGYN and so does Ben. We know a few of the people there, and they ALL know Ben. They smile when he comes in because they know he gets excited and shows off pictures and everything. He just gets so excited! I signed in and he didn't even sit down! He barged through the door looking for a friend of ours who works there - he had to share the news! We talked until they called me back, and they had the run-of-the-mill stuff... pee in a cup, step on the scale, ask any questions, take your blood pressure... and then we went to wait in the office on the doctor.
My doctors office makes you visit with each of the doctors so that you can get to know them all before you deliver. This time I was meeting with one of the man doctors... I had never had to see a MAN lady doctor... I was a little nervous, but Ben was still on a high from finding out about having a girl. He gets bored, so he started playing with the bendy light at the end of the table. I fuss at him and tell him to stop... he doesn't do so until the following convo happens:

Ben: You know, the way that light is set up... I don't think that light is used to look down at anything.... I think it's supposed to look up... at places that don't see normally see the light...
Me: Duh. They use it to look at hoo-ha's when they do exams, babe. I told you it was a heated light!
Ben: I touched it.
Me: It's okay, it doesn't touch anything.
Ben: Yeah, but the doctor wears gloves and turns it on and off... the same gloves they touch hoo-ha's with!! Dang it! They don't have one of those hand cleaner things! They have to have some around here somewhere!
(at that part he starts looking around rather frantically for some hand sanitizer.)

The doctor makes in in, and we get to hear baby's heart beat (159 - only one up from the last two visits!) and I got to ask any questions. He let me know that I am rh negative and that around 28 weeks, I will have to get a shot to make sure that my body doesn't start producing antibodies that might hurt the baby/ future babies. I'll have to have another one after delivery, and shots during any subsequent pregnancy - unless Ben is also rh negative. (So we need to check into his blood information just in case.) All in all, he's a pretty cool doctor. (you know your doctor has young children when they use tough medical terminology such as "poop.") I told Ben that I wouldn't mind if he delivered my baby.

Afterwards, we went shopping... we went to two different stores before Ben finally found a dress that he was happy with. (What can I say? He's a picky man - and this is his baby girl!)

Okay, this is ridiculously long. I'm going to wrap it up, and will tell the rest of the story of how we told our parents next time. :)

It's a...

... Thought a few of you might want to know! So we let Daddy announce this one. :)

(More doctors office details tomorrow! Tonight, we're pooped! Time for a little shut eye! Goodnight everyone!)

21 weeks

 

 

How Far Along? 21 weeks and 1 day! Wow, is time flying or what??? It's weird to think that in approximately 18 weeks I'll be holding my little baby!

Baby Size: We find out for sure come Tuesday, but for right now we're looking at something near a spaghetti squash.

Total Weight Gain: Not sure. We sold my scale at work - so I weighed myself at Ben's work and it says that I'm up a couple more l-b's. 

Maternity Clothes: I love them.

Stretch Marks:  I don't think I have any, but I panicked a little this morning. Baby is active in the mornings before I get out of bed, so I pulled my shirt up to watch baby wiggle around... and saw three or four red marks. I'm hoping it's just where I slept funny...

Best moment this week: Ben getting kicked in the ear. I told him to lay his head on my belly - and it wasn't two seconds before I watched his whole head bounce! lol

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement: It's wonderful - all of the time.

Food Cravings: Cold and sweet.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Started to show yet? Yep!

Gender: Can't wait to see who is right!

Belly Button in or out? In, but it's much more shallow.

Wedding Rings on or off? On - but I still have to take them off every now and then when my hands start to swell

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? I think I covered all of that in my last post... Lol

Looking forward to: Tuesday!

 

The Truth.

Pregnancy. You've read the books. You've seen the movies. You've flipped through the magazines.

You've heard the symptoms:

Pregnancy will make you a more passionate, caring person. Suddenly all of your senses are hightened - so anything that is good now, is even more amazing! (So that chocolate you think it heavenly now... once pregnant, you will think God handed you from His personal kitchen.) Your hair will become long, thick, volumous, and luxurious. Your skin will begin to "glow." You will have a bond with your child from the very moment of conception. Those movements are like sweet little butterflies stirring in your tummy.

All in all, other than some occasionally uncomfortable sickness and tiredness you will suddenly become Heidi Klum. 

What a glorious thing as the pregnant female! 

If you are thinking about having a baby, stop reading there. (Really, come to the bright side - we really do have cookies - and they taste even better than before!) You may also stop reading if I just described your pregnancy, if you are male, or under the age of 13. 

If you have been pregnant or need a little bit of birth control, read on! (But have a chill pill, a cookie, and don't judge me... I'm just being honest about my current situation.)

What they DON'T tell you is that...

You're passionate, yes. To the point that after five phone calls, you must resist the urge to slam your headset repeatedly into the counter. You cry over songs, TV commercials, movies, books... Darn it! You cannot help that Disney thought it would make a good story line to kill off Simba's dad, or throw Dumbo's mother in jail! There are starving kittens out there!! And is it really your fault that the stinking pickle jar lid is sealed too tightly??? Or that they planted tomato fields on both side of your house?!? Don't they know its summer, you're pregnant, an you hate flies and tomatoes?? How could they do this to you?!!! (Do any of this? Me?? Noo... Of course not...)

Senses heightened? Why yes, when it's good - it's really good. But if it stinks, you barf. If it's bad, you gag. (And probably cry on both accounts.) 

Yes your hair will be more long, luxurious, volumous, etc. For some of you though, your hair will seem to fall out on a daily basis. That amazing hair they were describing was actually your belly hair. (You will step into the shower one day and freak out twice.)

Glowing skin? Maybe because you have enough pink and red little zits to make a 13 year old boy sigh with relief... Because  at least his problem acne isn't as bad as the hot mess you've got going on.... You sweat a lot more too. You also drool - and not just when you're sleeping... Though that does seem to intensify. Lessons: concealer, baby-safe zit cream (lots of reading, try to avoid freak outs.), and do not get to exuberant when speaking, nor do you bend your head and leave your mouth slightly open.

You don't always bond with your child at conception. (This is no way makes you a bad mother.) In fact, there may come a time when you tell your husband (and your boss) that if you didn't know you were pregnant, you'd be sure you were dying. (For real, type in some honest symptoms from pregnancy and see what WebMD tells you.) Sometimes, you can be scared to get your hopes too high or too attached to your own child... But it comes anyway. They don't ask sweetly if they may have your heart... They barge in a rip it out for perminant possession... Don't worry, you won't notice - you'll think its sweet.

Those sweet little flutters you hear tell about, sometimes never start as butterflies. Sometimes they don't start at gas bubbles. Sometimes your child was taking it more as a Muhammad Ali thing, than a flight of the monarch's thing... Occasionally, those movements may make it really hard not to pee yourself. (No pads for 9 months woo-hoo!! Wait, what do you mean I might pee myself in public?!?) And while there is no feeling compared to your sweet child rolling and kicking, there is also no feeling compared to getting whacked in the hoo-ha (from the inside) 40 times a day. Maybe getting hit in the urethra is worse, but awkward it is. Especially when it's multiple times and you're trying to have a serious conversation with a male customer about products and billing... And why they should want to talk to you, since you're a knowledgeable, together, logical adult.

You discover that there are foods you can't eat, you can't tan (even the spray kind... So looking like Heidi just flew out the window) and those cute pregnancy clothes you dreamed about? Yeah, they won't fit for a few months... But then neither will any of your old clothes. Once you can fit into those stylish mom-to-be get-ups, you discover that for payment, they require your firstborn child. ($99.50 on the SALE rack?!??!!!!) 

Nevermind the fact that anything a pregnancy book may describe as "mildly uncomfortable" is truthfully never quite as mild as they seem to make it out to be...

Now please do not get me wrong, I am madly in love with this child. I sit and watch my belly move for HOURS. And any time baby moves I make Ben immediately drop everything and hold my belly.

I cannot wait until I hold my baby... Until I can touch those tiny little fingers and toes and smell that perfect baby smell... To change those diapers and soothe the cries and tears. I know it will be beyond difficult, but I don't mind... Because I know that (at least in my mind) my child will be perfect. People ask me all the time if I want a boy or a girl... And I honestly don't know. I just love this baby, and wouldn't trade it for the world. 

I'm just saying, babies I understand. Pregnancy I do not. I cannot explain it in any way, shape, or form. And I have not met anyone who can explain it accurately. Really, there are no words. 

But, I had some awesome advice given on multiple occasions. Treasure it and laugh about it.

I will be an impeccably funny pirate by the end of this.

Whoah-oh! we're halfway there!

(Like my cleaning clothes?)

 

How Far Along? (I hear angel's singing... and they sound like... Bon Jovi??)  20 weeks and 1 day

Baby Size: We're just going to go with a banana.

Total Weight Gain: Not sure, but I'm starting to worry that I'm not gaining enough. Don't let the picture deceive you. (Ben laughed when he took my picture. He said the shirt made me look much rounder all over than I actually am. I've had a couple of people comment that when looking at me from the front, I don't even look pregnant.)

Maternity Clothes: I love them.

Stretch Marks: None yet. 

Best moment this week: Swimming yesterday. It was really nice just to sit there and float around. Wait, maybe it was my dream the other night. I was toting my baby around and it was so happy and so beautiful. (And yes, I knew the gender in the dream! :))

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement: Yep - sometimes I swear the kid is standing straight up in there. The other night I had a strawberry banana smoothie from McDonald's before bed... I really think the baby decided to use my bladder as a trampoline so that it could launch itself up closer to my ribs. Weird - and it made me have to pee - but funny.

Food Cravings: Cold things. Sweet things. I REALLY need to start eating better.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Started to show yet? I get a few comments here and there. :) I had two people tell me that this past week I really grew!

Gender: Everyone has their opinion... which most are leaning towards girl. (Apparently I'm carrying high.) Who knows? My gut says one thing, my dreams say another. Either way, I can't wait until I can finally call baby by his or her name!

Belly Button in or out? In, but it's much more shallow.

Wedding Rings on or off? On - but I still have to take them off every now and then when my hands start to swell

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? The most horrible belly pain ever. Earlier this week it felt like my stomach muscles were pulling apart... talk about painful!

My back is achy if I stay in one position too long.

Occasionally, the baby kicks me in the bladder... or the privates. Really awkward - more so when it happens in public.

I occasionally have these melt-downs... I tend to panic. I panic because my house is dirty. I panic because I don't have anything ready. I panic because what if something is wrong with my baby and I don't know it yet? I panic because what if I'm not gaining enough weight. I panic because I'm trying to get everything at work prepared. I get anxious because I can't do the things I once could. I worry that I won't be seen as valuable. I freak out and cry because if I can't even keep my house clean now, what am I going to do once the baby gets here? I freak out because I can't find anything to wear. I cry because I don't always feel pretty. So... yeah... I spend a lot of time praying.

Looking forward to: Tuesday after next.

19 weeks

 

How Far Along? 19 weeks and 1 day!

Baby Size: Okay, I kinda stopped keeping up with this. I think we're a Mango?

Total Weight Gain: Not sure. If the scale at work is right - I'm about 2lbs under what I should be.

Maternity Clothes: I love them.

Stretch Marks: None yet. 

Best moment this week: hmm... I woke up one morning and placed my hand on my belly - as usual. (It's still a shock to feel how big my belly has gotten!) BUT, this time... as soon as I put my hand on my belly, my little baby curled up into a ball and rolled to a stop right up under my hand!

The funny moment of the week was probably last night. Ben was talking about a Pachelbel song and how it was used in a Coolio song. Ben then decided that since the baby could hear now... and everyone said that music is good for babies... that he would play and sing some Gangsta's Paradise to our little one. Who ever said that our baby wouldn't be cultured?

Miss Anything? Not really.

Movement: Yep! It's all quite regular now. I can even feel baby when I'm up and moving around. I think the baby thinks it's the Karate Kid! I don't mind - it calms me down whenever I'm worried that something could be wrong -  and Ben can feel the baby move!

Food Cravings: Sweets and cold food right now.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Started to show yet? Yep! If it hasn't "popped" yet - it's been working on it this weekend...

Gender: I can't wait to find out...

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding Rings on or off? On!

Weird Pregnancy Stuff? This weekend kind of blew me away. I was extremely tired on Friday night. I went to bed super early and Ben came to bed much later. When he came to bed I noticed that my belly was achy and hard. It lasted for at least 5 minutes. This freaked the mess out of me! I was worried I was having a contraction. I was awake for over an hour trying to see if it would do it again. The next day my belly ached ALL DAY LONG. It was all stabby on the sides. I ended up taking Tylenol, resting, and drinking enough water to drown a whale. This morning it was still achy - but I did some stretches and it eased up! I've figured it up to be that round ligament pain that everyone talks about. I had one or two other little concerns - so I'll probably call the nurse tomorrow morning just to ease my mind. I know, I'm a worry wart... but I never imagined I could worry about someone that I've never really met so incredibly much! I mean, I loved my baby from the start... but ever since I've felt those little rolls and kicks... I cannot explain it and I'm so worried! Especially since the last doctors appointment didn't go as I expected - and it's such a long time until my next appointment!

 

The dreams are getting BEYOND weird. Example: I dreamed the baby was moving around in my belly and I lifted my shirt to show Ben... but the baby started going nuts! Before I could put my shirt back over my belly, the baby's legs popped out of the left side of my stomach! Then baby's head popped out of the right side of my stomach! It had a head full of dark hair and was screaming it's poor little brains out - everyone kept telling me I needed to "soothe the baby" (no one else thought that it seemed weird that it looked like I had been stabbed with a baby in the abdomen)  but I started freaking out - I knew I needed to put my baby back in my stomach  - but I didn't know how!

 

It's amazingly hot. Worse so since neither of our cars currently have working AC. Ben's truck does have this amazing little side window... and when he opens it, it blows cool air directly on my tummy. I have a tendency to pull my shirt up over my belly when we ride around. (Sexy. I know.) Ben just laughs at me - especially when we see someone we know and I'm rushing to cover my belly back up... but I can't explain how hot it gets now! I woke up this morning and told Ben that I was seriously contemplating joining a nudist colony.

Looking forward to: Finding out what baby is!