I understand that it's common for people to wait until the second trimester to share their happy news of pregnancy with others, because of a high chance of miscarriage in those first 12 weeks, and I completely get that hesitation. But since I already shouted out, "I'm PREGNANT!" at a complete stranger in the Kroger restroom after getting positive results, I guess I'm just not cut out for secret keeping. It seems to me that, even if Felipe and I do tragically lose our first baby, I'd still want to have documentation of the joy and excitement that came before the sorrow, and some record of the latter, too. Maybe that could even help someone else not feel quite so alone. Of course, we're praying that it is God's will for us to make it through this pregnancy with a healthy baby, but we know there are risks. Without further ado, here is our first picture of our little chickpea:
Of course there's no actual bump yet, just a lot of bloating right now, but it will be fun to compare over time. Future pictures will not be, I hope, selfies from my smartphone in the bathroom mirror.
If you can't tell, we are so very excited to become parents! I have spent the last week scouring the internet for information on all things baby, from breastfeeding to sling carriers to co-sleepers to gentle parenting methods to cloth diapers, and I am astonished at how many wonderful bloggers there are who give such helpful product reviews and share their parenting experiences so freely. It's perhaps the first time I've really been incredibly thankful for this resource, and for the doors it opens up. And you better believe I'll starting up my cloth diapering collection on Black Friday!
Symptoms so far are pretty minimal. I've had no morning sickness, thank goodness, but I do have tender/swollen breasts, constipation (yuck), extreme fatigue, and several food aversions. Apparently, this little one isn't a huge fan of salad. Oooh boy! Yesterday morning, I had a tiny little bit of spotting and nearly had a heart attack, but when I called the doctor's office (still sitting there in horror with my hands shaking like crazy, no less), I was told this could be very normal in early pregnancy, and to just drink a lot of liquids and take it easy for the rest of the day. Nothing else has happened, and I've been drinking water like a camel ever since. I'm thankful for a day off work today, though I should be in class right now, but my car wouldn't start this morning; so much for the trusty 1996 Ford Escort station wagon.
Some baby-related links I've enjoyed:
Naturalish Mama: BumGenius 4.0 Review - I found this super helpful, because it details some very easy-to-make mistakes regarding washing/caring for these diapers. Plus, Cotton Babies sent her all new replacement diapers when she wrote them about what had gone wrong -- now, that's customer service!
Everything I Know About Cloth Diapering - Great information about what's necessary when starting out with cloth diapering, but be aware that her estimates on cost don't seem to add up quite right.. at all.
The Art of Simple: Simplifying Babyhood - I needed this so much! After stepping foot in Babies 'R' Us last Saturday and seeing that there were about 10,000 options for each so-called "baby necessity," I was really considering prematurely filing for bankruptcy, but after reading this, I realized that there are definitely responsible alternatives, and it's certainly not depriving a child to take the minimalist approach to a nursery.
Lulastic and the hippyshake - Just overall, I've really enjoyed reading her blog, and that she really seems to do what she believes is best for her babies without allowing societal influences to affect her.
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