7 weeks and 2 days (or 3 or 4 or 5 days)

This was taken last Wednesday, on April 22nd. I weighed half a pound more that morning than the morning of my positive pregnancy test. I think my weight is fluctuating back and forth a bit but it should be any day now when I start to see a steady increase. I've been eating soooooo unhealthily. The only thing keeping me in check is that if I eat too much, I get terribly nauseous. I'm so lucky because this is closest I've gotten to "morning" sickness (which as any pregnant woman knows can strike at ANY time of day). I am used to putting away pretty big portions. Now, I can barely eat half of what I used to eat without making myself sick. I have to stop before I'm even satisfied and then just wait a little while and have another bit of food then. And the kicker is that I feel great and really enjoy the food in the moment. It's about 15 minutes later when my stomach starts churning. So every day I'm learning more and more just what I can eat and how much of it I can eat. Sweets are still not really appealing to me...I can eat them if they're set in front of me, but after a few bites, I'm done. I'm still craving fried food (chicken fingers are my best friends), potatoes, pasta, cheese, bread, and crackers.

In much more exciting news...I finally got to see my baby last Tuesday. AND IT WAS AMAZING! I went in for what I thought was a routine doctor's visit and when my doctor walks in, he informs me that I am due for an ultrsound to confirm the pregnancy. I had NO idea that they were going to do it that day! Gaby was soooooooooo upset. He had been waiting so anxiously for the first ultrasound (which we thought was May 11). When I called him and told him that they were about to perform an ultrasound, he was devestated. It really sucked not having him there, and it was kind of weird not to share that moment with anyone except the OB. I would have become much more emotional if Gaby was with me, but since I was there alone, I didn't want to weird the doctor out by getting all weepy.

Anyway, it was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Before that ultrasound, I really didn't feel very connected to this baby. I knew that I was pregnant, but the idea that there was a baby in there was still a very abstract one to me. But seeing that little blob on the monitor and seeing the flicker of his or her heartbeat was truly magical. I know it's cheesy, but I really can't explain the rush of love I felt for that little blueberry at that moment. Truly an incredible moment. Now I feel SO connected to the baby. I'm constantly rubbing my lower belly, talking to my baby, and becoming really excited for December to finally roll around! We still have a ways to go :) I'm also just counting down the days till May 11. I can't wait to see the baby again, and for Gaby to finally get to meet his baby.

Oh, and my ultrasound actually revealed that the baby is measuring a handful of days bigger than I had originally calculated. So it seems like I'm due in the first few days of December as opposed to the 6th or 7th like I originally thought.

Last Friday night, we babysat our friends' 7 month old baby, Ava. She is truly one of the happiest babies I have ever met in my entire life, and was so easy to take care of...it was the easiest babysitting gig ever! Gaby, of course, was beyond wonderful with her (no surprise there), but what REALLY made me excited was how good the puppies were. They were so loving and although not quite "gentle" (they were definitely all about wanting to lick her little face the same way they lick ours, and clearly that required a need for us to hold them back), they definitely exceeded my expectations. Stella, who is somewhat skittish at times, was actually terrified of Ava at first and would run any time Ava reached out for her. After a while, though, she was okay. Shula just wanted to be next to her the entire time, and was totally cool with Ava grabbing her face and pulling her hair. When Ava was napping on us, the girls just wanted to get close to her and sniff her head (and her diaper lol). Overall, the night was a great success. The pups still have some work to do before they're fully baby-proofed, but we're not as far from good behavior as I thought we might be.

You can't really tell from the angle of the picture, but Ava totally had her left leg draped over Stella's back and Stella didn't mind one bit :)