thoughts on pregnancy at 14 weeks

Phew.

That's how I feel after this week, now that I've finally had a chance to breathe. And sleep in. My laundry needs to be folded and put away, my suitcase needs to be unpacked (or maybe not, since I'm leaving again in less than a week) and my house really needs some more cleaning.

But...I kind of don't care.

Because first and foremost, I'm growing a human. And that is a lot of work. So if I choose to let the dishes sit in the sink for another hour, it really doesn't matter. Laziness doesn't exist when you're pregnant. It all falls under the "taking care of yourself and your baby" category.

I knew I liked being pregnant for a reason.

Anyway...

Second trimester, people!

One of my two pregnancy resources says it started last week and the other said it starts today. Either way, I'm officially in it. Now that the news has been shared across the globe, I can start sharing updates on the ol' blog without hesitation. I've been sending emails to the grandmothers-to-be each week, but maybe they aren't the only ones who want to stalk my budding offspring?

To kick us off, let's look at the obligatory baby bump picture, shall we? The iPhone-camera-in-the-bathroom-mirror is the best I can do until my husband returns to take more flattering shots, so just go with it and don't judge me. Because I will cry.

There's a wee little bump...can you see it?

Now for a list of info and random facts about my current state. Hopefully this will answer all of the common questions that might be floating out there, but feel free to ask any others.

• He/she is due October 14, just in time to pick out a wee little halloween costume :)
• I haven't had a bit of morning sickness, thankfully. I honestly can't believe it. But other than being a little more tired than usual and having some killer headaches every now and then, it's been a breeze so far. I've been able to really take care of myself as far as rest is concerned and I think that's helped a lot. Either way, I'm not complaining!
• We are going to find out of it's a boy or a girl. In about five weeks!
• The name will be top secret, whatever it is. I like the idea of having that one little secret between us until the end and Andrew doesn't want to have to deal with unwanted feedback/opinions from people who may not dig the name.
• Yes, Andrew will be here when the baby is born. He may not get any time off afterward, but at least he'll be here for the big event!

Developmentally, here's what I've learned about where we are this week. And let's use the male pronouns for simplicity's sake, but I promise I'm not hinting at anything. I have no idea what we've got in there. Now, the list:

• The little one is about the size of a lemon and weighs about 1.5 ounces.
• Brain impulses are in full gear now so he can make facial expressions and suck his thumb. So cute!
• His body is starting to grow faster than his head, so we don't have the whole bobble-head thing going on anymore. And by the end of the week, the arms should be proportionate with the rest of the body.
• The kidney, liver and spleen are starting their work...way to go, organs!
• And even though I can't feel it, the babe should be moving all about. We saw some wiggles on the first ultrasound - I can't wait to feel them myself!

So that's that. I can't believe everything that's going on inside my body right now, but it's amazing. God's creative nature has never been more evident to me than now. It's kind of crazy.

And so incredible.