Baby update!

There are four of these filled with my beautiful, thoughtfully collected clothing now in my basement. Yes, this baby has given me a gut. A gut so big that I can no longer fit into about 80% of my clothes--mainly my nice suits and other work attire that I've bought over the past few years. About a week and 1/2 ago I fit nicely in the pants that I'm wearing today, they were zipped all the way up and I could breathe. Alas, today they are mostly unzipped, completely unbuttoned and are supported only by the trusty belly band. Maybe it's just fat, you might ask? Well, I'm down 2 pounds from my last doctor's appointment at the beginning of last week. So, I blame the baby. Happily, of course, I look forward to the day when I no longer look like I've been eating too many (reduced fat) oreos, but instead have a large baby bump.

But I digress... Also in the bin are several pairs of seven jeans and a brand new pair of white boot cut JCrew jeans bought at the end of last season that have never been worn. Am I complaining? Of course not. In spending four hours last Sunday afternoon packing away all of these lovely items, however, I definitely realized that I WILL be losing every single pound that I gain while with child. My clothes packed away in the basement are too special not to honor them by re-wearing each item with a baby on my hip as my accessory of choice.

I also discovered maternity clothing last weekend. A quick trip to Pea in the Pod resulted in a surprising discovery that their black suiting skirt looked nice and was really comfortable. Now, I wear the maternity band folded down. When the bump gets bigger, I'll be able to fold it up. Maybe maternity clothes aren't that bad after all! This whole being pregnant this is kinda fun ;-)

I'm happy to report that the baby has now decided to comply with its Mama after we had a little chat last week, and now lets me find it's heartbeat nearly every time I try with the doppler. Last Friday, heartbeat was 174 BPM, about the same as it was at the doctor's appointment that Monday. I found it again yesterday, although it wasn't quite strong enough to register on the digital BPM scale. It's neat to hear the sounds of the placenta whirring away in there, they have definitely become stronger and louder over the past few weeks. Baby is just tipping outside my pelvis, and I have a feeling in the next few weeks I'll have a legit baby bump. After all, with a torso as short as mine, there really isn't anywhere else for it to go.

So we're all doing well, fatigue is still kicking my tail, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Second trimester begins in four days! I'm counting the minutes until Natural Instincts takes my gray away...