13 weeks

How Far Along: 13 weeks. Now in the second trimester, which feels like an excellent accomplishment. 

Total Weight Gain: So I heard the general rule of thumb that ladies in the family way should gain "about a pound a week." I see several issues here. One: most sources currently agree that weight gain for a woman of normal BMI having a singleton should be 25-30 lbs (yikes). Or, as one friend's doctor put it "anything above 30 lbs is yours to keep." Thanks for that. However, a pound a week puts you at about 40 lbs, which obviously is not within the recommended range. Hm. But I'm more concerned about Issue Two: poundage per week implies a fairly constant, linear change. This is clearly not how it works. Really what I'm worried about here is that everyone ("everyone") says the second trimester is when it explodes--as people don't gain 12 lbs in the first 12 weeks--and you'll have at least one weigh-in that induces a crying panic attack. I think it's time to get back on the salad train. 

Size of Baby: This is my favorite size reference yet: baby is the size of a medium shrimp. We could have a whole cocktail buffet theme! And it's not a fruit!

If a non-fruit referent is whigging you out, have no fear. One could also say that baby is the size of a peach. It's a good Southern baby, after all. 

are the shrimp and peach really the same size? oh well.

Fingerprints have formed on tiny fingers (whoaaa). Baby's body is starting to catch up to the oversized noggin. Baby can open and close its fists and make sucking movements with its mouth. If mouth finds thumb, sparks fly. 

Maternity Clothes: White jeans still fit. And if they still fit past Labor Day, I'm still wearing those puppies. Etiquette be damned. I love you, white jeans--never leave me. However, I have also decided that it is wise to be prepared, at least in the pants department. This is probably good advice for life in general: always have pants. Thus, this weekend, I think I will be making my inaugural visit to the dreaded maternity store to try on jeans. I am not what we'd call a tall drink of water, so I usually need jeans hemmed. This takes a while, and I don't want to get into a situation wherein I am desperate for pants. Hopefully, after I have a sense of how sizing works, I can do the shopping from the safety of the internet. Sara has remained non-commital about this adventure, but here's a secret: she's DEFinitely coming. If you want baby-holding privileges later, you gotta pay your dues.

I also emailed a friend who had a January baby a few years ago to see if she kept anything. I remember her having cute stuff. While there is currently a proliferation of babies in this friend group, most people either gave birth in completely different seasons and/or have bodies like Gisele. This limits my borrowing options. Friends, just plan your future babies for Jan/Feb/March, because it looks like I'm going to have to build up a collection here. 

Gender: ?? Maybe I'll put up a poll soon. 

Movement: Definitely present, as we saw last Friday. Excellent form for future backstroke starts, but I can't feel it.

Sleep: Meh. Trouble falling asleep, and I think I'm sleeping more lightly--it feels like I partially wake up often. I still have some strange dreams, but they seem less vivid for right now. The body pillow has arrived, and I think I'm in love. This may merit its own post. I am already nervous about going out of town in November and not being able to take the body pillow. You can't take it on a plane, right? Right. That's crazy. Ok.

What I miss: Nothing, really. Doin' ok. Just truckin' along.

Cravings: None. Need to overhaul the diet (see above). 

Other crazy symptoms: Olympics withdrawal (oh, you too?). Aches and pains. 

Best Moment this week: This past weekend, we had absolutely glorious early-fall-esque weather. It was so nice to get in a little walking, porch sitting, and generally to be able to walk out the door without getting hit in the face with a steamy wet sponge sensation. As a personal rule, I always try to be mindful about never wishing time away--so I can't say that I want fall to be here right now--but it made me excited for all of the changes to come. 

And other things:

It's also nice to feel like I might be getting back in the swing of, you know, life. Monday night (after a day of work and errands, thankyouverymuch) I made dinner--nothing fancy, but it had been a long while since I could handle a kitchen full of smells. Eating out every night is probably not good for anyone's waistline, either. 

How's this for crazy: this week we also put Baby on a wait list for preschool (the program accepts children starting at age 1). So that's how that game is played. I will say, however, in our defense, this is being proactive about child care options so that we can both work, not born out of a belief that a child's Ivy League future begins in Pre-K. Baby's already brilliant, duh. So, assuming we get a spot (and that we take it), we should be covered in 2014. Perfect.

Looking forward to dinner tonight with a couple who is also expecting. We were due date buddies until  they found out she is having twins. Identical twins. Two babies that are the same. So it will be interesting to have a side-by-side comparison of one baby vs. two babies throughout this journey. Her due date target is now mid-January (she's a tiny little thing), which seems nuts. They'll find out in a few weeks whether they're boys or girls, but we have to wait a while longer--fewer ultrasounds for the singletons. Would you rather have 2 boys or 2 girls at once? I have no idea. Frankly, both options are terrifying.