33 weeks and counting...

Pregnancy Thus Far...

"Baby Moves"
I first started feeling the baby move around weeks 14-15, and knew FOR SURE by 15w6d.  Mass had just started, the organ boomed to life, and The Baby immediately said, "WHAAAAAT?!?!  Mom, what IS that racket??"  It was especially adorable because when I finally quit laughing and started singing with the rest of the congregation, he stopped spazzing and calmed back down.  His early (and very noticeable) movements convinced me he was a boy.  :)

Now The Baby moves ALL THE TIME.  Especially during the night and early morning.  We exchange pokes and nudges nearly hourly, and I swear he gets mad when I put my hand over my ribs to keep him from kicking them - at least he tries much harder to get those bony appendages near my now-delicate ribcage. 

He calms down more when I pat (around where I think) his bottom is instead of rub.  We'll see if that holds up once he's born.  He also changes positions daily - so when people ask, "Is he head-down?" I can laugh and say, "He will be at least once today!" 

"Catie, you ate WHAT... and that was just lunch??"
The first trimester was a little bit rough - I was nauseated all the time (though rarely threw up!) and wound up losing about 10 lbs.  But by weeks 13-14, watch out!  I got my appetite back with a vengence, and since then have been inhaling food.  John doesn't even ask if he can have a bite of my food anymore - our roles have reversed, and now he gives me the food he's too full to eat. :) 

One example of a day of my outrageous meals:
Breakfast - bowl of cereal, 2 pieces of toast with apple butter, 2 glasses of water + 1 glass of OJ
Snack - cheese and hot chocolate
Lunch - 1 turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich, chips and salsa, applesauce, oreos and milk
Snack - more cheese and decaf hot tea
Dinner - 3 pieces of pizza (very conservative, I might add)
Snack - bowl of cereal again

"Feel this!"
The Baby gets hiccups 2-4 times every single day.  And call me crazy, but I swear he seems to get them after I eat.  These gentle little rhythmic bumps are how I know he changes positions - they are never in the same place twice in a row.

"Yes, that's normal.  Stop worrying."
Being a medical student means I know enough to scare the beejeebus out of myself, and not enough to know when to stop worrying.  On our first OB visit, our wonderful doctor understood, and offered an ultrasound to put me at ease.  She immediately pointed out (without laughing!) that:
1) I have elevated hCG due to a baby, not choriocarcinoma.
2) There is only 1 baby in there.
3) That one baby is in utero, not ectopic.
4) There's the hearbeat!  So at 6w, everything looks great. 

Since then, she and my parents have taken turns reassuring me that the variety of new signs and symptoms I've experienced are normal, and that The Baby is fine.  Thank goodness.

Now for the not-so-fun-parts....

"The exponential Catie Moments"
Catie Moments are those times when something is said or done that is really.... well, dumb.  Some call them Blonde Moments, but I am no longer blonde.  Therefore, they are Catie Moments.  And they have greatly increased since about week 8 or so.  For example, just a few days ago:
The Husband: "What did you just say?"
Me: "You mean out loud?"
Amazingly, The Husband did not even crack a smile, let alone laugh, before saying, "Yes, dear, out loud.  I can't read your mind."

"Oh, Bed Rest...."
Around week 18, I started having regular contractions.  They got so frequent and uncomfortable (and wouldn't stop!), that by week 24 I had to go on bed rest.  Which also means that I get to miss 3rd year rotations, and graduate a year late.  No worries, The Baby has already been informed that he will have to pay for his own college, since any money we were planning on saving for him is now being used to finish putting Momma through school.  :)

After I got over being shut up in the house for months, bed rest no longer looks so bad.  Lying around reading books all day, oh the torture! Eek, no more vacuuming for 4 months!  Needless to say, there are good and bad things about it... having an amazingly supportive husband, family members who are willing to come up anytime to help, and knowing this kiddo is safe and sound, make it all worth it.

"Oh, so I guess you don't know about birth control?"
Just to clarify, The Baby was not a surprise.  NOT that it's anyone's business.  This child was planned, prayed for, cried over when he took "so long" to get here, and loved before he was a reality.  There is one, and only one, appropriate response when someone announces a pregnancy, and that is: "Congratulations!"  Certainly not, "Oh sh*t, I'm sorry."  Or, "What were you thinking, being in med school and all?"  (Both of which were said... to my face).



Overall, despite the complications, this has been a fun pregnancy.  I actually enjoy the kicks and bumps (most of the time) because it reminds me The Baby is healthy and on his way.  The Husband has above and beyond proved he's a keeper, and reminds me daily why I chose him.  Make fun all you want, but I've had a packed bag and list of other things to take to the hospital for the last three weeks!  The Baby has had bottles and diapers and clothes for the last month, and last week I started washing and folding all his clothes, towels, blankets, and toys.  Mostly because I like seeing that he's ALMOST HERE!!