Fifteen Weeks!

Oh dear, another week where I'm just barely squeaking in with the update in time. I'd blame it on how busy we are, but we were enjoying a stay-cation for the past 5 days, so that's not really true. Let's just got with pregnancy brain. :) Yeah, it just slipped my mind.

The biggest and most exciting news to report this week is that I am all but certain now that I'm feeling our squirmy little baby wiggling and thumping away in my belly! It's just about the most magical sensation I can imagine, but it's very hard to describe. In some ways it feels like I swallowed a gold fish, in others it's like that nervous "butterflies in the stomach" feeling you get sometimes. I told R it's almost like that feeling you get when you unexpectedly go over a little hill in the car and it "gets" your stomach (you know, a tiny version of that over-the-top roller coaster feeling?). I feel like the baby is saying, "Don't worry, Mama, I'm still in here growing!" I don't know quite how to explain it, but it's a feeling I've waited almost four months to feel, it makes me smile every time, and it's something I know I'll always remember.

The other noteworthy things from this week were:

• Nearly fainting in the (packed) Apple Store on Saturday. There we were, sitting on stools at the Genius Bar when out of nowhere, the feeling hit. I suddenly felt uncomfortable: hot, short of breath, and just generally out of sorts. Now, I've passed out before, and I recognize the feeling of impending loss of consciousness. I told R I needed to go walk around because I didn't quite feel right. I stood up and as I tried to make my way out of the store, my vision started going black around the edges, my face and arms went tingly, and my ears started buzzing... I held onto tables as I kept walking and willed myself to make it to a bench outside. I just kept thinking, "If you fall, try not to hit your head on one of these tables." Wouldn't that have killed the vibe of the Apple Store?! ;) Anyway, I made it to the mall rotunda area and sat with my head between my knees until the world righted itself. R took me to get a bottle of water when we left and I felt much better in no time. I have been feeling much dizzier and more prone to blacking out lately, so getting plenty of food and water, plus being more slow and deliberate with my movements seems to be the best game plan.
• Buying some of my first maternity clothes (all shirts, so far). The Fourth of July sales were pretty compelling, so I snagged a few cute tops that fit me like sacks right now, but will be perfect for work in a few weeks/months. I'm not used to buying clothes in the hopes that they will fit me soon, and it's even weirder to think, "I hope I get big enough that these don't look silly." Pregnancy is very strange.
• Sort of popping this week. I've been having twinges and aches deep in my abdomen, which I can only describe as "stretching". It actually hurts a little, but it's another reassuring sign that things are going as they should. I woke up one morning this weekend and said, "Well, there's a baby in there." I have a little tummy now that I can't suck in, so I think that's the real deal. The average onlooker still wouldn't guess that I'm pregnant, I think. In fact - confession time - I find myself rubbing my belly in public so people realize I'm pregnant and not just putting on weight. ;)
• Hitting a new clothing low this morning: the button on my jeans ripped out (as in, the button is no longer attached to the pants). Talk about "under pressure"! Truthfully, it was more an impeachment of the jeans than my belly - they're pretty worn. That said, this incident lends further support to the "time to buy some clothes that fit" pressure I've been feeling for some time now... it's hard to say goodbye to my clothes, though, as that feels like it means saying goodbye to my body! (Luckily, my burgeoning little belly is pretty cute - at least that's what R tells me!)

Okay, the tracker:

Week: 15

Weight: -2 during first trimester (will update every four weeks when I visit the doctor for an official measurement)

Baby is the Size of a(n): Orange!

Symptoms: tired, hungry, dizzy when I get up too quickly, round ligament pain when sneezing/coughing/shifting positions, tailbone pain when sitting for awhile, heavy & crampy feeling in lower abdomen, very vivid dreams, and serious moodiness (waterworks!)

Current Obsession: sweets (I have been baking like a maniac!), blueberries, cherries, waffles/pancakes/French toast, oatmeal, tomatoes, all the vegetables from our farm share, and whole wheat English muffins

Current Aversion: beef, eggs, seafood, and anything greasy (this is basically a non-issue now - I'll eat these things, but they don't sound the best)

Thinking About: when I'll really pop so that other people can tell I'm pregnant; when R will be able to feel the baby move; whether we're having a boy or girl; designing a nursery; finishing up our registry; and dreaming up names (we have a strong contender for favorite right now!)

Picture: