24 Weeks and a Disappearing Belly Button

Another doctor appointment today. I am 24 weeks, 2 days officially. I gained 4 pounds since my last visit so I am now a grand total of 156. My doctor was pleased and could tell that I've been really good about staying active. I heard Nathan's little heart beating and it is now much louder and more pronounced than ever before. I had a question for the doctor today about the swine flu vaccine. I am not one to worry about getting sick... I don't even get concerned about catching a cold. It's weird though being in an at risk group, according to the CDC, and being cautioned about getting the swine flu. My concern about getting the famous H1N1 virus vaccine is due to the vaccine being tested very little by the time it's distributed in mass quantities. If I weren't pregnant, I wouldn't think twice about it but I don't want anything unduly harming Nathan. I heard that testing will begin this month on pregnant women so we'll see how that goes. My doctor said that the odds of me getting the swine flu and falling deathly ill are virtually the same as walking outside and being hit by a car or struck by lightening. The odds are just so low that I'll be a victim. However, he also said that if I were his wife then he'd tell me to get the vaccines for both the seasonal flu and swine flu. So, that was good enough for me. October is when, supposedly, the vaccine will be available. Dan and I both are in at risk groups so we'll both be in line. My next appointment is October 5th.

As the title of my posting amply states... my belly button is disappearing. It's such a weird thing to see! Kinda gross too.

Be sure to vote if you haven't already on Nathan's middle name!!

Kisses!!

23 Weeks and Growing

I am now 23 weeks with Nathan and cannot believe I am roughly 17 weeks away from welcoming a beautiful baby boy into our family. Last night Dan and I were talking about how Nathan is now around 11 inches long! Wow! My tummy has started growing at a fairly rapid rate as my uterus is now overtaking everything else in the abdominal region. The most uncomfortable time now is after dinner. Imagine an organ near your stomach suddenly pushing on your stomach hard after you eat. It makes that "oh man, I ate too much" feeling 10x worse. For some reason, it doesn't happen at breakfast or lunch... only dinner. I need to get some good pictures of my tummy posted on the blog. I'll try and do that over the Labor Day weekend. Supposedly the 2nd trimester is the honeymoon phase of pregnancy but I am affected now more than in my 1st trimester. My back hurts most of the day from it being pulled forward in a sway back position and my glorious sciatica has returned... and the gas... OHHHH the gas pains. I just keep remembering that I have a human being forming inside of me and naturally I am going to feel some aches and pains. Sleeping is fine... I have a pillow between my legs and another by my arms that I grab on to. I only get uncomfortable around 2 in the morning because I haven't moved for hours. So I usually adjust and fall back to sleep. As a dear friend of mine recently told me, enjoy your sleep now as much as possible, so I have taken that advice to heart. My next appointment is September 8th and I'll write more then. Hope you all have a great holiday weekend! Kisses :) :) **There is a new poll on the blog for Nathan's middle name. Thomas won by a landslide so I have pitted it against 3 others that we like. Please vote. It really helps**