Gender ultrasound scheduled for...

November 9th! Almost a month earlier than originally scheduled- the doctor's office had a cancellation. And it's only a month away! I'm very excited to find out...

Also, here's a belly shot- 18 and 1/2 weeks.

18 week pregnancy survey

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Unknown... and I will never know!

Maternity clothes? Most definitely. I love that I have sisters that just had babies and are about the same size. We went to visit to pick up clothes and see the little babies.

Sleep: Waking up a lot but thankfully able to fall back to sleep pretty quickly.

Best moment this week: Hmm, I can't think of one. Since I did the last survey though, it's been visiting the family.

Movement: I think I've been imagining some. I'm SO looking forward to it!

Food cravings: Fruit and fruit flavored things for a while.

Gender: Unknown though the husband thinks it's a girl.

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out? In. I'm pretty sure it's never coming out.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: Movement!

Weekly wisdom: Don't try to rush things... people keep saying they can't believe we won't be able to find out what we are having until December (long story about doctor's office issues.) But, I'm trying not to be impatient about anything. I know pregnancy takes awhile and I know things aren't going to happen quickly. And they are already saying how miserable I'll be at the end of pregnancy and how I'll just want it to be over. Another pearl of wisdom: don't listen to them!

Milestones: I'm showing... We need to start taking belly pictures to post on Facebook and the blog.

It's been awhile!

But, I'm 18 weeks pregnant today! It seems like it's going so fast... I've been feeling great. A little heartburn but nothing that sitting up straight doesn't help. I'm showing and Dave and I have decided that we'll start taking weekly belly pictures so we can watch the change. I might try to post some, but it also may never get done!

I've been reading the book "Pushed" by Jennifer Block. It gets me so riled up and frustrated that Dave told me I'm not allowed to read it before bed anymore! I just can't understand how maternity care in the United States got to this point. I'm so glad that we've decided to have a natural birth, free of interventions as long as there are no problems.

I don't think women- or anyone really- in the US understands how far birth has gone from what is normal. Dave has a few coworkers who have been giving him "advice" about birth. When he told them which doctor we were seeing, they said they didn't like her. The reason? She's not quick enough to do c-sections, apparently. Well, that's good to know and I'm glad. I would very much like to avoid major abdominal surgery.

There's so much I've been learning since I got pregnant. I've subscribed to Mothering magazine and I love it. So much wonderful information about natural birth, breastfeeding and raising healthy kids. I like to lurk on the natural birth boards over there as well and read birth stories that are inspiring rather than scary (the ones that everyone seems to think are appropriate to tell pregnant women.) I'll try to remember to post links to the sites I've been reading and talk more about the natural birth that I want.

Cloth diapers

The bane of a mother's existence, right? Wrong! I'm very excited about cloth diapering. It's better for the planet, better for my baby and it's SO cute! Here are a few purchases I've made for cloth diapering.

These are basic infant sized prefolds. You can use them with pins or with a thing called a Snappi (the blue thing in the picture below) that won't poke you or your baby!

The picture below is a wet bag you toss the dirty diapers into (no soaking in bleach anymore) that keeps in wetness. The bag can be tossed in the wash with the diapers. Also in the picture is a Thirsties fitted diaper. Super soft and cute!

In the bottom picture are two Muttaqin diapers. They are fitted and include inserts which can be customized for absorbency. The prefolds can be used later for large diapers to add more absorbency as well.

All these diapers need a cover so the pee doesn't get all over you or baby's clothes. We will have some plastic type (NOT like the Gerber kind you are thinking of) and wool. I'll do a whole other post on wool later when I can upload all the pictures of the adorable softness I've knitted for our baby.

There are LOTS of options out there for cloth diapering. For more detailed information, and lots of pictures, check out this blog. Ooh, and there was just a post about wool, so you don't have to wait for mine!

10 weeks and midwife appointment!

How far along? 10 weeks, 1 day... I'm a little late.

Total weight gain/loss: Same... I'm starting to wonder if we should get a scale or if I should even care...

Maternity clothes? Just the one pair of shorts.

Sleep: Okay still. Going to bed between 9 and 9:30 at night.

Best moment this week: Telling friends. It was tons of fun to hear their reactions!

Movement: None

Food cravings: None really. I'll suddenly want something but if I don't have it the craving goes away.

Gender: unknown

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out? In.

What I miss: Being able to suck in my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: Telling my mother in law tonight and then the rest of the world!

Weekly wisdom: Keep eating!

Milestones: Met with another midwife yesterday. I'm thinking she's the one I'll choose.

Also, about the appointment, we tried to listen for a heartbeat on the doppler but couldn't hear it. I didn't really expect that we would since it's so early and I have a retroverted uterus. And I didn't pass out when I had blood taken, so that's always a plus as well!

Already thinking about labor

I'm already preparing for labor! I know, seems a little early, but there's so much to look into. I'm reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth right now. I'm really enjoying it and I'm pretty sure I'll be reading it again before this baby's born!

Also, I've been searching for natural birth videos and information. I just found this link of the 100 best natural birth blogs! I'm very excited to start looking through them to see if I can find a few helpful ones.

Well, that's all for now. This weekend we'll be telling my husband's mom and then the rest of the world! I'm really looking forward to everyone knowing so we don't have to watch what we say when out in public!

Nine week post...

How far along? 9 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: Same as last week.

Maternity clothes? I bought a pair of maternity shorts... they are comfy except for the elastic keeps folding down. Very annoying.

Sleep: Still good. Just waking up to pee several times a night.

Best moment this week: Can't think of anything...

Movement: None that I can feel! But according to ehd.com the baby is moving a lot right now!

Food cravings: I craved pineapple glazed ham for a week before breaking down and cooking one last night. Now we have lots of ham leftovers to use. I think homemade mac and cheese is on the menu tonight.

Gender: unknown

Labor signs: Nope.

Belly button in or out? In. I have an extremely deep belly button. I wonder if it will ever pop out.

What I miss: Being able to suck in my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: Telling everyone. I'm sick of people complaining about not being able to tell other people.

Weekly wisdom: Don't share the news until you are ready for EVERYONE to know.

Milestones: None really. Though apparently our baby grew ears this week!

Sorry, no belly pictures yet!