14 weeks

Our little peanut is already 14 weeks...slowly we are creeping up on the half-way mark. It's hard to believe we are only 6 short weeks away from our 20 week appointment, during which we will get to see our baby again. This is often the time when many will find out if their baby is a boy or a girl...we have decided not to. I feel like this pregnancy is going by so quickly!

Entering the second trimester, I was hopeful that I would start to feel better. While on the whole the nausea has subsided somewhat and my energy on some days is higher than others, I can't say I am over the hump quite yet. Last week I thought I had finally made it - the acid taste disappeared from my mouth and my nausea was nowhere to be found. But then the weekend hit and it all came back with a vengeance. Poor Steve has had to deal with not only a very active toddler, but a very sick wife as well. I am still hopeful that the next week or 2 will bring about some change. I also find myself cringing when I hear myself complain because we are so blessed to have a healthy baby growing inside.

Many have asked me if this pregnancy is the same or different from Anna's. I would say it's a little of both. Similar in that I was very sick with Anna up until the 15th or 16th week - after that I felt quite good until the last several weeks. I would say this one is a little harder because I have Anna to look after which is a much more active job than sitting at my desk was, and my hours are sometimes longer. The peak of my sickness also tends to come in the late afternoons (vs. mornings with Anna) and last through the nights - making sleep difficult. Other differences include food aversions and cravings. With Anna I craved sugar and chocolate - and with this baby those types of things make me very ill.

For some reason over the course of the past week, I have started to sense that this baby is a boy. It's just a feeling, based on nothing, but I would lean in that direction if I had to say what I thought this baby is. That said, I have had only one dream about the baby, and in that dream we gave birth to a baby girl. Go figure. Either way, we will be equally thrilled with a son or daughter, we are not hoping for one over the other.

Over the past few days my stomach has popped out. I will take a picture soon and post it here so you can see how this baby grows. Please keep us in your prayers...more posts and pictures to come.