Twenty weeks two days

At last the suspense is over: it's a boy! Seeing him on the ultrasound was so amazing. He was very active, kicking and even somersaulting; his legs are so long! I've been saying to myself today: I have a son. It's a great feeling.

Partner has said that I now look like I'm pregnant, and I definitely have a tummy now. Even through my chef jacket, I look pregnant though I'm still not huge. It's still hard to believe that it's actually me: that I'm actually having a baby. I'm going to be a mother. My son will be named Franklin Hill.

In Partner's family, children have two middle names. I want his middle name to be Richard, and Partner thinks we should have it be Rigel. So it could be Franklin Richard Rigel. But perhaps we will just stick with Franklin Richard. Franklin, by the way, is after Partner's father. It is important to both of us to have family names.

I'm tentatively going back on vegetables, though I still have a lot of aversions. My heartburn hasn't been too bad (probably because I've been avoiding trigger foods) and I feel really healthy. I've been walking the dog on my days off, and it does tire me out, but in a good way. I'm also still managing full days at work, so no problem there. I want to be in the best shape possible during and after my pregnancy.

I do get irritated pretty easily still; I've caught myself snapping at people at work. However, I have tried to warn them all that I have a short fuse, and it's caused by hormones. At least, I think it is. I don't think I'm normally this irritated.

Eighteen weeks one day

I have been feeling little movements in my tummy over the past week or so. I only really notice them when I'm relaxed and not concentrating on anything. Once or twice they have been definite little kicks. Mostly they're little flutters.

I'm managing to do my full hours at work now, though I sleep a lot at night. Normally I'm in bed for about ten hours if I can, though I get up two or three times to pee. I do get quite tired, but not so much that I can't cope. I need all the hours I can get, really, to build up for my maternity leave. I'm thinking I will probably start it at the end of January. Maybe. It's not something I can gauge from this point.

Partner has been receiving things on freecycle for the upcoming baby: namely, a travel cot (he says it's more like a playpen; I haven't seen it set up), and a futon. Our spare bedroom has a double bed which he says he's giving away, and the futon can be set up as a sofa there unless we need it as a bed. This way the guest room can be a nursery. Apparently his parents are going to buy us a carseat. Partner wants to make a baby crib/cot but I'm not sure he has the time/materials. I would be fine with a second-hand one, so long as it's sturdy.

And I've begun my first knitted baby garment: a hooded cardigan. I'm thinking as I make it, it could be quite small. But then, I don't know how big newborn clothing actually is. I guess I'll just have to see.

Sixteen weeks five days

My hunger has not abated, and I have quite bad heartburn which is stimulated by most foods. I still have an aversion to food in general which has not been helped by the heartburn. Food is still disgusting and I don't want to eat it. Only I'm starving all the time to the point of pain, so I must eat.

I made a tummy band out of an old t-shirt and it works great. It's nothing special, and I only spent about ten minutes on it, but it covers me up, and I can wear my normal trousers (low or unbuttoned) while wearing it. Even some of my shirts now are too small to wear. I took off my chef jacket in front of a coworker and she said amazedly, "You're showing already!" I am, a little. I guess I'm technically four months along now. Actually my chef jackets are starting to strain a little. Normally they are quite big on me, and they're still big in the shoulders but tight in the middle. Luckily my chef trousers are also big on me, or I wouldn't be able to get them on.

A good friend of mine is due in February and she says she would like to send me a baby blanket. As we don't know what we're having yet, I've asked that she send something in bright or gender neutral colors. She's having a boy, and I would like to send her something in return. I thought I'd like to try knitting a hooded baby cardigan for her, but I'm going to make one for me first, to get the hang of it. I've just finished knitting some socks for myself (my first knitting project) so I think I can manage, but need practice. I also want to knit socks for Partner for Christmas. The first sock I made took a week, the second about five days. I'm not a fast knitter. But I'll have to knit fast if I want these done in time.

My mother also wants to make a baby quilt, which I would be happy to receive, but I do already have one. It's the one she made for me when I was a baby.