Part 2

So i've been told that once you get going into the second trimester you're supposed to start getting a portion of your energy back. This has yet to happen for me yet. True, I am only a little over a week into it, but i'm still really looking forward to feeling like "the old me" again. Lately i've been feeling pretty run down and am wishing I could have a few cups of coffee to make myself a little more lively.
Hence, this doesn't take away the fact that I am getting a little bit more excited about this whole process. This week we have a full week ahead of us with birth activities. I've been reading quite a lot and decided that I absolutely want a midwife, so i've made an apppointment with one on Friday, and hope that she will be the one I could fall in love with. The place that I have been going to has just not been doing it for me. There are 5 obstetricians who work in the practice and I wasn't in love with any of them. I need to feel comfortable while i'm giving birth so the search is on!
We are also hopefully meeting with our potential doula this week too, who I also can't wait to meet. I am starting to feel like things are begining to come together a bit more now and am becoming about the whole birthing process. I can't believe that at this time next year I will have a little one on my arm.

14 weeks 4 days

11 weeks 6 days

A few weeks ago, Amir took a bunch of photos of me so that we can start documenting my ever expanding belly during these next 9 months.

The Secret is Out

So, yes, i've been gone for quite some time. I guess it was because I felt as though there wasn't a whole lot to say, as has changed now. This summer was amazing. Although the summer weather here never really came, we still were able to make the most of it. We had a wonderful time visiting LA and seeing old friends. I love that city more than any other in the US and always will. After a week there we took a road trip up to San Francisco for another week of just relaxing and hanging out in one of our other favorite city's. I didn't want to ever come back from my California dream.
Upon arriving back in IL about a week into it we were lucky enough to make it to Lollapalooza to have our final blowout of the summer. It was the hottest weekend of the summer, and I was sad to see it come to and end.
A few weeks after that I found something out that was to change our lives forever. One day I was feeling extra sick at work and left early, only to come home and take a pregnancy test(well maybe 2). It was positive and I could and couldn't believe it all at the same time.
So up until this past week I was keeping it a secret from most everyone until I made it safely through the first trimester. I have just heard the horror stories of quite a few ladies I know not making it through. I can only imagine telling a bunch of people then later having to go back and tell them the horrible news. So as of last week we heard the baby's heartbeat and saw it dancing around like crazy. I thought it might be okay to let the secret out, even though i'm still a little nervous. It's definitely nice to have people know and tell you how excited they are for you. There are at least 7 other ladies I know who are pregnant right now too, so it's really great to be able to talk about it with them too.
This whole experience is still so unreal. I haven't gained a lot of weight yet, and haven't felt the baby move so i'm not sure it has completely hit me yet. Yesterday I bought a book by Ina Mays Gaskin called "Guide to Childbirth", which is comprised of a lot of different women talking about their births and i'm just excited to be learning again.
Mostly i'm SOO glad that the secret is out because that was one of the hardest things i've had to keep in my life.