Baby update

Week 10 is officially over! We're moving into week 11, and that means I'm only one week away from my second trimester! Let me tell you guys, it feels great. Supposedly by week 13 my nausea should be mostly relieved, my energy will return, and life will be just a little bit easier.

If only the Ohio weather would follow the same trend. I had the WORST time coming back to Dayton from Grove City this afternoon. 35 was icy the whole way, so it took me twice as long to get home as usual. What a pain.

Backtracking a little ... This morning I had my first visit with a doctor. So far, everything is going really well and the baby and I are healthy. Dr. Grogg had a little trouble hearing the babies heartbeat at first (which made me nervous!) so we did another ultrasound and could hear it right away! Here are the new pictures - just 10 days after our last ultrasound and the baby looks completely different! It has gone from a "jelly bean" to a "lime", or so I'm told. I am so amazed at how quickly s/he has grown... things are starting to get interesting! (Be on the lookout for a tiny afro soon... I feel like it's only a matter of time.)

In less interesting news, it's week 3 of Winter quarter, and things are going pretty smoothly. I actually like all of my classes (especially English 357, of course) and am keeping up so far despite all of the other things going on. I love my job at the writing center, and all of my friends there have been really supportive and excited for me. I can't explain how much that means to me. Branden's doing well with classes too, and had an interview for a campus job today!

Currently he's trying to dig one of our cars out of the snow so he can go get a Red Bull. He's been outside for about 20 minutes now, and I'm not seeing much progress. You have to admire his commitment, though.

We Have a Heartbeat

Today was the first time we saw our child. It was something we knew would happen. We have seen and heard about from others. I felt so connected to the world when I saw the little "soy bean" in the monitor. (That's a quote from The Office for those of you that didn't get it.) It was the most sobering, magical moment in my life until the ultra-sound technician pushed a little button on her magic machine and we heard a heartbeat. I haven't experienced the level of emotion that I felt when I heard the 173 beat per minute heartbeat of my new favorite person. It felt like someone threw a bucket of cold water on me that washed away all of the left over doubt and fear. My hair stood on edge and I could hear a vague distant voice saying, "Hi daddy, I'll see you soon."

Coming August 13 to a hospital near you. (due date as of now)

Ahh, morning sickness. My new best friend.

Yep, it's true. Morning sickness IS real and is currently running my life. FUN FACT: It doesn't just occur in the mornings! How's that for a double-whammy? Not only am I susceptible to getting sick almost every day, but it can be ANY TIME OF DAY!
Fortunately, I've learned how to avoid this issue for the most part, with a mix of constant snacking, lots of water, and avoiding tight clothes. There are times, however, that I forget to eat "on schedule" or don't eat enough, and my body definitely lets me know. I've also heard that ginger is a good nausea preventative? Maybe I should snort some ginger or at least drink some ginger ale... I'll let you know how that experiment goes. I'll probably just stick with TUMS, to be honest.
It's also very helpful to have a boyfriend who LOVES to cook. Right now, for example, Branden is in the kitchen cooking chicken and rice because my stomach has been pretty angry with me today. He's stocking up on healthy recipes for us as well. How did I get so lucky??

In other news, our New Years Eve/Day went well. We got to spend time with some good friends and enjoy relaxing in Dayton, and then spent the next day watching movies in bed and cleaning my apartment. I hope all of yours went as well, and once again I want to thank you for all of the love and support you're giving Branden and I these days! It helps more than you know.

Love, Jill