2.21.99

Week 14

Katie left for Oklahoma on Monday morning (2.21.99), and I'm on my own for the week. We found out that we're not the only ones in the world having a baby in the fall -- in fact, lots of friends and family are also expecting.

Over the weekend, we had the chance to get together with a few of our friends who are due in the next 3 months and some that have young kids already. Everything was great, until the bbq pit bottom fell out, and the glass of red wine spilled on our friends' white carpet (none of which was my doing). After that, it just got better!

And everyone that has heard of the good news have really been supportive. Thanks!

Katie's finally writing down how she feels in the pregnancy journal I got her. She said she didn't want to do much of that kind of stuff before the end of the first trimester, but now she's ok with it. She also saw last week's page and thought it was corny. But then she took to the idea. Katie also had a chance to talk to her friends who are about 3 months further along than her, and she seemed to be sharing some good thoughts.

In church the other day, Katie noticed an announcement that a new "family guild" is forming for young married couples. A family guild is where several families make a commitment to the group to be active in each other's lives, and offer support socially and spiritually. Since we've been wanting to get in one for a while, it sounded like the right opportunity. (We hadn't joined one before because all the existing guilds were of long-established families with older kids.) But then we noticed the new guild is for young couples without children. Mmmm, guess there's a problem there . . . She's going to call and check it out, though.

From the journal: she's feeling fairly well, except for continued headaches and sleeplessness. As far as sleeplessness, it's pretty much a factor of just not being able to get comfortable. Katie's also getting better about what she'll eat. She's still finicky, but not as bad. Last night, she just wanted Won-ton soup and Chinese steamed vegetable dumplings.

It's week 14 and everything is humming right along. Here's a peek at an ultrasound from January that I just dug out:

What do the experts say? Here's the scoop, from Baby Center

How the baby's growing: Your uterus is big enough now to announce to the world that you're expecting, but your baby is still teeny tiny. In fact, he or she is only about three to four inches long and weighs just over an ounce. Despite the small proportions, you'd see a fully formed baby complete with unique fingerprints if you could look inside your womb now.

How your life is changing: You're officially in your second trimester. That's great news for two reasons: One, your risk of miscarriage drops dramatically now and two, at this point many women see early pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness subside. In some cases heartburn replaces the nausea. Birth is still months away, but your breasts may have already started making colostrum, the fluid that feeds your baby for the first few days after birth, before your milk starts to flow. Many couples also notice a distinct libido lift in the second trimester as the woman's nausea goes away and energy returns.

Well, looks like I'm on my own this week. Having Katie out of town always bums me out, but I always get through it! I'll just have to ask the right questions when she calls and be sure to check out her journal when she gets home.

Knowing that friends and family are all expecting around the same time is a plus. It gives us common ties, beyond what we've had before. I've always seen how couples grow apart from their friends when kids come -- but are drawn to others with children the same age. It's nice to know we've got a built-in network now.

The only problem, though, is that the normal jubilation within the family -- including all the help that comes in the first few months -- is going to have to be split among many of us. And I don't even want to think about "Baby's First Christmas." What about the natural competitive nature all parents have when it comes to their kids? We'll just have to see.

What am I eating while Katie is in her food funk? Last night I had fried rice and seseme beef -- extra spicy.

And the Beat Goes On . . .

Check back next week --