Baby Bear - week 11

 ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JAN 17, 2014

Last night we heard baby bear's heartbeat. I expected it to be emotional, but I was just utterly speechless with a goofy smile on my face and tears just welling and falling. I laid on the bed at the birth center, and the student midwife, under the lead midwife's supervision, pressed and scanned the doppler and speaker into my lower abdomen. At first it was just static and my heartbeat, and the longer the scanning took, the more I anticipated what baby's heart beat sounded like and wanted to hear it so badly. And then there it was. and it sounded amazing. It sounded so real and alive and healthy. I nervously laughed, smiled, cried, and looked at Ben, both speechless. 

What an amazing gift we have been given. 

The past few weeks have been weird. I'm way thicker in my midsection, and very thankful for winter - sweaters, layers. bulk. I'm hoping to hold out another 4 weeks before I tell my boss and coworkers. I've been getting mild headaches, overall tiredness, and just plain not-feeling-like-myself-ness. I'm hoping in the next week or two the energy comes back and I can join real-life again. Second trimester is supposed to be glorious, right!!

I'm already getting a little freaked with saving more and more money so I can comfortably take time off work after the baby is born. Very aware of the rug, crib, and rocker we need to buy. Aware of the basement we still need to organize. There's still my closet to organize so we can move my dresser into the baby's room. The dresser that still needs the huge crack in the wood repaired before baby clothes arrive!