The (Miserable) First Trimester Comes to a Close

My miserable first trimester is at its end.  Unfortunately, I don't anticipate magically feeling better now like many pregnant women do, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.  With Callum I was nauseous and exhausted the first trimester, but started throwing up every day at lunch during the second.  I was substitute teaching, and I would eat, go throw up, and go back to class.  It was unpleasant, but surprisingly less unpleasant than the first trimester had been because I usually felt a bit better in the afternoon once the unpleasant moment had passed.  This pregnancy has been MUCH worse than the first, but I am sure it is in large part because this time I am keeping up with a two year old, and last time I was taking it easy on summer break for the first trimester.  I have felt a hair better this week, but suddenly my gag reflex is being more than a bit overactive, so I fear that I know what is coming next.  Fingers crossed that it's not true.

Last week was the appointment where we got to see the first ultrasound and hear the heartbeat for the first time.  Logan has been working nights, so he woke up early so that he and Callum could tag along to my afternoon appointment.  I don't think two year olds really "get" pregnancy---I mean, it's a pretty bizarre concept to buy into---Mommy has a PERSON inside of her body.  Yeah, right.  :)  However, I think he was as excited to see a picture of the baby on the screen as he could have been.  Logan was disappointed---and I was relieved---to see only one baby hiding in my big belly.  Then we heard the heartbeat, which was a metallic whooshing sound.  Callum was fascinated to discover that the strange sound he was hearing was the baby.  After the doctor printed out the ultrasound pictures she handed him one and he started walking around looking at it and mimicking the sound of the heartbeat.  She asked what he was doing and he replied, "That's what the baby says!"  We were all quite charmed.  He has been making that sound to himself regularly since then.  I love that boy, and I can't wait to meet the new child growing inside of me!

People have been asking me whether I have "mother's intuition" as to which gender the baby is going to be.  The answer is no.  In fact, I actually feel like people who "know" are just on the right side of pretty awesome 50/50 odds.  I was CONVINCED that Callum was a girl.  I knew it in my bones, and everyone else believed it too.  Until the 20 week ultrasound, that is.  I guess mother's intuition was really just mother's wishful thinking.  :)  I had a VERY difficult time adjusting to the reality that the child within me was a boy.  We hadn't even considered a single boy name!  I am quite relieved that I didn't wait until the delivery room to find out the gender, because I may have lost my mind after that horrifying delivery if they had told me that my girl was a boy.  As it was, I had spent 20 weeks getting used to the idea and getting pumped to meet my son, so I was fine.  We are actually hoping for another boy this time around so that we can reuse all of our things and so that he will have a brother and cousin close to his age, but we all know I would be thrilled to get a girl as well.  Only a couple more months and then we'll know!  Stay tuned!