Somersaults?

When I put my hand on my stomach I can feel branflake moving around like crazy! I can't feel anything if I don't touch my stomach, but I'm sure that's coming.
This week I have felt pretty nauseated. At 15 weeks, I should be past this. A friend gave me an ad for these cool accupressure bands that I'm going to order online and see if they help.

Ole Softie

Blake came home the other day from fishing and told me that he was thinking about the first time he holds the baby. It was so powerful that it brought tears to his eyes and he says "I'm already turning into an ole softie!!!"
We were talking about homebirth a month ago or so and I said, "Honey, what is your greatest fear about homebirth?" And he pauses for, maybe a minute, and then says, " I just want someone to hand me a clean baby!!" HA! I laughed so hard and said, "Ok, well you've attended open heart surgery and I doubt it's going to be as gory as that!" He says, "I just want it all swaddled and cute, you know, like in the commercials". Oh my goodness, I still laugh when I think about how he said the clean baby part. It was just so cute and innocent.
He's going to be a great daddy!!!

Midwife Meeting & Good Stuff

We had an excellent meeting with the midwife. We got lots of good info and loved her personality. She's very mothering and has a gentle spirit about her. She'll be taking a birthing class with us in July/August.
I haven't been feeling well at all since my last post. I think I jinxed myself. Lots of nausea and low energy which turns into the blues.
Things I've been craving:

• Hard candy
• Golf
• Orange pop (I haven't bought any yet, but it sounds YUM--oh, and I haven't had orange pop in years)
• Crystal's Pickles--Vlasic will have to do for now until I can make some this summer. Or, get another jar from her, hint hint! ha!
  
• Champagne (off limits!!!!!)
• Ice Cream
  

I'm sure I'll add to this list.

Things I love about pregnancy:

• The cravings
• Baby clothes
• Being excited about something good, pure and a new life
• General feeling of well-being--the hormones make me feel good!
• Having to take time for myself and learn how to rest

Things that I'm not so fond of:

• The smells--ewww. I can smell anything a mile away!
• Puking almost every day
• My body expanding
• Feeling as if I can't do the things I want to due to sickness
• Thinking twice about something and wondering if it's safe (i.e., pulling up carpet or spray painting), and then not being able to do those things.
  
• Eating every two hours
• The acne that is so horrible. I will need to get reconstructive facials after this baby!
  

Energy has returned!!!

The past 5 days I have felt wonderful--other than those discomforts above! I've been working 10+ hour days and haven't been able to do that in about 3 months! It feels great to be productive again for this goal-oriented gal. This week I weeded all the flower beds, painted some trim outside, cleaned the house from top to bottom, drove to Fay-town 3 times, ran errands, grocery shopped, dealt with an extremely stressful situation, ironed for 3 hours, cooked a big Easter dinner...among all the other little things I can't think of. All of those things I did before pregnancy but haven't been able to in a very long time.
I still have a little nausea but I think that is fading as well. I have been taking phenergan in the morning and hopefully I can stop taking that soon.
I'm so thankful that I'm starting to feel better. If I don't get things done or feel capable of doing anything I start on a downhill funk slide.
Our appointment is Tuesday with the midwife. I'm really excited to talk to her about all this good stuff.

We found a midwife/doula!! 187 days!

Last time I posted, I mentioned that I would write about the research I had planned for this month: midwife/doula, labor techniques and baby gear.
We found a midwife who is willing to fill the doula role. A doula is someone that "mothers the mother." She is one of the best midwifes in NWA and I'm so excited to have her be a part of our experience. The funny thing is, is that she lives on the street right next to us! We had an amazing conversation and our first appointment with her is on the 21st. Her services include: attending childbirth classes with us in order to get to know us and bond, help us with the birth plan and be our advocate in the hospital so that it gets followed, help me labor at home as long as possible, support me in the labor techniques I've learned, support both Blake and I in the delivery room, and breastfeeding support.
Blake will be an awesome labor coach. He is already doing his part! We will both be grateful for an experienced person to guide both of us.
The labor techniques are still being worked out. We'll take a class in Rogers, and I'll find out more about that in our meeting with the midwife. I'm not sure if we will take the class at the hospital too. I think that meets for four weeks and the class in Rogers is a six week class.
Now, my favorite, baby gear!! Baby clothes and baby things are so adorable. I've practiced self-control though and haven't bought anything except diapers. Consumer Reports had an issue last year on car seats. So far, that's all I can find that they have tested. I know they have a book on baby products tested so I will go to Barnes and Noble and take some notes.
I'm ready to go shopping at Babies R Us!!

12 week appointment was successful!

My appointment went really well today! I love my doctor and it's really nice to hear that we agree on everything regarding the type of birthing process we want. He is even pro-home birth!!!! He told us that based on our philosophy and low risk that it would be fine for us if we wanted to consider it. It was funny because I didn't bring up the home birth subject--he did. Blake and I have talked about a home birth, but have decided to have this one in the hospital. I have done hours of research on home and hospital births so it's not something that I would do uniformed. Because of our doctor's support of the natural process I feel confident we can have the experience we want. Praying that we don't need a C-section (his percentages are lower than the national average), but in the end, a healthy baby is all that matters!
Blake got to hear the heartbeat, which was exciting, and we got to ask the questions we've been thinking about. Example: What is his C-section rate, episiotomy rate (very low), SSMH policies, labor & delivery room questions, natural methods to relieve pain, how long can I labor at home, how do I reach you in an emergency..etc. It was a very informative meeting!!
My next appt is May 5th and they will do blood work (not an amnio) to assess the risk for Down Syndrome and other genetic abnormalities. Then, 8 weeks from now we get to have the biggie appointment where they do a full scan of all the organs, and we find out if we're having a boy or a girl.
I told him about the cough I've had for 12 weeks now and he said that pregnancy can cause things that I'm already prone to, to be exaggerated, like allergies. He's going to keep an eye on it-- so far he's not concerned.
I watched an awesome movie today, "The Business of Being Born." It inspired and motivated me. I told Blake that he shouldn't watch it or he'd change his mind about home birthing! Definitely worth checking out whether you are expecting or not.
I'll post more about this month's research this weekend.

Doctor Appointment Tomorrow!

Tomorrow we go in for the 12 week appointment. I'm excited and ready to see another ultrasound. It will be the first time Blake gets to hear the heartbeat.
For those of you who have asked us what name we have picked out for a girl, we are going to wait and see what we're having before we announce it. Even though I'm convinced it's a girl it might not be.
We're still working on coming up with a boy's name. So far, just a couple that we like, but nothing that we really, really like.
My nausea is getting better, but I'm still really tired. That could be the benadryll that I'm taking to keep my congestion down.
I will update after our appointment tomorrow afternoon!