Baby: Week 13

13 weeks. Baby is the size of a peach.

The last several weeks I’ve had good days and bad days in the morning sickness department, but this last week has been consistently difficult. Putting our dog Annie to sleep last Monday made me very ill and I was very sick all night. I’m not sure if it is just coincidence or just that my stomach hasn’t recovered, but I haven’t had a good day since.

Last Friday, I wasn’t feeling well at all and rode in the elevator with a co-worker with a HOT DOG and SAUERKRAUT. SICK! Hot dogs are my one major aversion and this literally grossed me out the rest of the day (just typing about it is enough to make my stomach turn!). Bill and I went into the grocery store that evening and I asked him to drive through McDonalds. I thought a vanilla shake might be a safe dinner. How excited was I remembering it was almost St. Patrick’s Day! I ordered a “shamrock shake” and that cool, green, peppermint goodness gave me a good twenty minutes of belly relief. Heck, I’ll take it.

My neighbor recommended “preggie pops” for morning sickness, but the stores in town are sold out. Our local health food store is ordering for me. I’ll hold onto hope that these will give me some temporary relief.

I’m still not showing, but I can tell things are changing. I have always had a pretty flat stomach and it does stick out a bit now and is starting to feel harder. I can feel the difference this week in the way my pants are fitting. My skin is a mess – it is dry, yet still gets breakouts. Fortunately, my energy is improving. I now go to bed at a normal time most days, but I do like to nap when I can on the weekends.

I’m really excited for Friday – officially second trimester. So fortunate this baby is still thriving and selfishly looking forward to the potential of feeling better in the coming weeks.

Enjoying: Generosity and kindness. My next door neighbor heard from Bill we were watching our nephews and niece. She knows I’m not doing very well and came over and asked if they could come over and play at her house with her daughter to give us a short break. I was so appreciative of this. And the kids loved it too. Thank you, Kim!

Not Liking: The terms “prego” and “preggers”. Is it just me or do these terms diminish something so amazing? Oh, let’s not forget “Baby Mama” or “Baby Daddy.” OK, I’ll stop now.