Beer belly update

Still just looking like I had too many nachos...

Here's what we're working with at week 16:

And for fun, here are closeups at 14 and 16...

14w4days

16 weeks

Unfortunately, the pictures aren't exactly the same... so the comparison is a bit hard. But they look sort of different, right?  Hmmm...

The 16-week appointment

Well yikes, who knew that being pregnant could be quite so uneventful. I suppose I should relish this time now as it won't be this way forever, right?

So today we went in for our 16 week appointment! We saw Dr. Hardesty instead of our usual doc, because in the practice we visit there are three different doctors who rotate the duty of delivering babies (which doesn't include my normal doctor, Dr. Butler).

Dr. Hardesty was lovely! She looked younger than me and was friendly and enthusiastic, so that was nice to see.

Basically, all I did was step on a scale and ask her a barrage of questions. In the beginning I was worried I wasn't gaining enough weight, but that fear has dissipated. It seems I've gained a whopping 8 pounds so far. Apparently that's not a lot, but it seems like a lot! Especially because I'm only halfway through month four. It didn't help that today was a "hungry" day and I'd already eaten a ton. Oh well.

After the weigh-in, she checked to see how I was feeling, and we decided that I wanted to get straight to hearing that little heartbeat again before we proceeded to my questions. She informed me that sometimes it can take a while to find it, so I shouldn't worry.

Of course I worried! The first time it took Dr. Butler about 10 seconds to find the heartbeat, and I'd say it took Dr. Hardesty about 30. I watched Jeff's face the whole time who put on a nice big (fake) grin as we waited. Although, I noticed he wasn't actually looking at me. Finally, there it was.

That little whoosh, whoosh, whoosh that I can now recognize as the heartbeat. Dr. Hardesty smiled and packed up her equipment, and I asked if she had measured it or not. Because I had read that it's supposed to be measured (yes, I'm probably an annoying patient)! She smiled and politely told me that she's done it so many times she doesn't have to count, she just knows it's at about 150, which is perfect. Alright!

That was it. I asked some questions and got some free pre-natal vitamins and was sent on my merry way. It's nice to hear the heartbeat again and know that he/she is still in there growing, but it would've been great to get some visuals!

Just one more month to go, and we'll get to have an ultrasound, and get a peak at our little grape, who is now the size of an avocado. At that point we'll be able to post pics and report the gender, so stay tuned!

Nope, not showing yet

For those of you folks in other cities wondering... nope, I'm not showing yet. Well, I feel like I've got a bit of a beer gut going, but overall the world can look at me and have no idea that I'm carrying a baby in my tummy.

If you're keeping track, I'm at 14 weeks (and 3 days). It's a weird time, because I don't really have any symptoms, and my outward appearance has barely changed. If you look closely you may see a small, tiny bulge in my stomach, but it just looks like I had too many chips and biscuits on our U.K. trip.

According to the all-knowing Internets, this isn't strange at all for a first-timer. Some people commented that they didn't show until about 18 weeks! That's a month away! It's certainly a funny feeling worrying about the fact that my stomach isn't any bigger, since I've been programmed since a young age to desire a flat tummy.

Jeff and I have been recording the belly growth, just in case. Partly to see if there is any change, and also because we may want to have this visual representation for years to come (of my fat belly!).

Here I am at 14weeks and 5 days... Hello beer belly (or rather, pizza belly)!

Pictures from the United Kingdom!!!!

Look at us in front of Buckingham palace!

Here are all of our pictures from the Babymoon. Keep in mind Baby Parker was there for the whole trip!

We're baaaaack!

We've returned from our excursion to the other side of the pond, and from what I can tell we're all in tact! We had a fantastic trip, and really did our best to live it up in what will most likely be our last big outing before Baby Parker arrives in May.

I imagine Baby Parker had a great time, but probably didn't really notice anything was different. On the whole, the baby didn't slow me down at all. The only big annoyance was that I needed to visit the loo rather regularly. It gave me the opportunity to bless many different shops, pubs, castles and cathedrals throughout the UK.

Another plus was that I got a ton of exercise. We walked everywhere!! Including up about 320 steps to the top of a cathedral in Durham, but it was worth it for the fantastic view.

Of course we visited many, MANY pubs throughout the United Kingdom, and I even treated myself to a glass of wine or two (shhhh). I also enjoyed my fair share of chips and interesting flavored crisps. Luckily, the UK was more vegetarian friendly than I had anticipated.

Thanks to Anni and Kamal for being fantastic hosts and tour guides! The trip wouldn't have been nearly as fun without their company.

Photos to come soon! We'd love to show the little grape the many places it visited while still in the womb...