Welcome Second Trimester!

I suppose I had half hoped that I would wake up this morning, the first day of my second trimester, and feel absolutely alive and energetic and strong... well, I can't say that it exactly worked out like that, haha. But before you, like my co-workers today, accuse me of being "Cynical Marcie," let me just say that I do feel remarkably better than I did a few weeks ago. I still have short bouts of nausea, and I still get tired easily, but I can now eat pretty much whatever I want without it making me sick. Getting out of bed in the morning is still ridiculously hard, but I think that might be more the fault of it being the last week of school (woohoo!) and less the fault of little baby.

So, week 12 and 13... less has happened these weeks as far as my body, but this has definitely been a busy couple of weeks. Drew and I amazingly put up with it being about 85 in our house before getting someone over to "repair" our air conditioning unit. But it is "fixed" now and we are staying somewhat cool... though every time it comes on I just start visualizing throwing money away to the electricity company. But I suppose it is worth it... when Drew is hot, he turns into the Incredible Hulk, and being pregnant makes it somewhat difficult to regulate my body temperature. I am getting to the point where I am starting to feel warm all the time (I type this as I sit in my classroom that is about 55 degrees, trying not to shiver, haha). God continues to show me over and over again that He'll take care of me. All of my financial worries are usually for nothing, because I have never had a day where I had to go without a meal, and I have a beautiful roof over my head. I need to remember to thank Him more often...

This week is a big baby week. It is the first week of the second trimester, which a lot of moms call the "golden trimester" because of how much better you feel. All of baby's important organs are there and have started functioning, and he (remember, we're calling it a he here until we know one way or the other) is practicing breathing in and out in the amniotic fluid. I think one of the coolest things about development this week is that my sweet little one has finger prints. How cool is that? It still just baffles me every time I read something like that and then hear someone say that it isn't a baby until it's born... last time I checked, a real baby had a heart, lungs, arms, legs, brain waves, and fingerprints... so, that sounds like a real baby to me!

I think the thing I am the most excited about happening in the next few weeks is starting to feel the baby move. In the books I have read, it says you can typically start feeling the baby move between weeks 16-20. That will be simply magical to me.

I am already wearing maternity clothes, but I would really like to start LOOKING pregnant instead of just overweight, haha. I think that should start happening in the next few weeks too, so they say in "the books."

New changes in the Dodd family - Drew will be teaching Forensics next year which is pretty awesome. He gets to go to a training in San Marcos this summer, and I am sincerely wishing that I could go with him and go to all the outlets while he is in class. Maybe I can go down on the weekend. I will be teaching summer camp again through Big Thought's Thriving Minds program. I have been doing a lot of planning today and I am pretty sure it is going to be totally awesome. And, Drew's mom is coming to visit (hopefully) next week! We plan to do lots of antiquing and shopping, and hopefully I can get her input on some baby things.

Wrapping up for this week, but to the right is a poll that I would like your opinion on... do you think it is a girl or a boy? I'd also really love to know WHY you think it is one or the other, hehe.