Sept. 3, 1999 (12 weeks, 1 day) - We had our second doctor's appointment where I was just hoping we'd be able to hear the heartbeat that we had seen at 8 weeks. Well, to my suprise she broke out the ultrasound and Frank and I got to see our little one squirming away, moving arms and legs wildly, swimming like crazy! It was absolutely amazing! I'm in love already! The doctor's appointment went pretty quickly, I found out I've lost a pound since my last visit, and everything else was normal. She asked us if we had any questions, and I know I should but I just couldn't think of anything so we were on our way. I got my test results for thyroid and some references for endocrinologists and I have made an appointment with one for November 1st, the earliest I could get. My next OB appointment is on September 29th, and should be the same routine as this one. I can't wait to see that little one again!!

Sept. 9, 1999 (13 weeks) - Well, the word is out here at work. My supervisor brought in a little pregnant stuffed bunny for me to put in my office, then sent out an email for everyone to stop by and ask me about my new "friend". I even updated my website with the announcement so there's no secret anymore. I'm almost finished with the 1st trimester which is a relief. Last night I had a hard time getting to sleep, as I was lying still I could feel some weird twinges going on and my heart seemed to be racing a little. I'm not sure if it was gas or baby, but I like to think it was the latter. I'm just hoping it becomes a little more noticeable in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to that. Until then, most of my posts will probably be pretty boring, at least until the next appointment.

Sept. 13, 1999 (13 weeks, 4 days) - Well I read somewhere that this month is one of the most rapid growth months and I had definite evidence of that this weekend. I felt a lot of stretching of muscles this weekend but still haven't felt much in the way of perceived fetal movements. However, I have definite started to develop a little belly and I can tell that it's no longer just me being overweight. I still haven't really gained any weight, in fact I may have lost another pound, but I know that I will be getting it back pretty soon. It's going to be so hard to wait this next 2.5 weeks for the next appointment. I am so anxious to see the little one again and see how much he/she has grown!

Sept. 17, 1999 (14 weeks, 1 day) - I am officially in my second trimester according to all accounts as of yesterday. Some consider it after you finish 13 weeks, some consider it based on the completion of the third month LMP (Sept. 10th) but in any case it's now done. We are more than 1/3rd of the way through the 40 weeks. I know it's supposed to go fast, and really these first 3 months went by pretty fast, but I think the end of the summer always does. I can't help but admire the little pot belly I now have, though I would have never thought I'd enjoy it so much. It's not very obvious when I wear loose fitting clothing, but it is definitely there and it's not all me. My appetite seems to be getting a little better, but I'm going to try not to go crazy. My bathroom visits really haven't gotten less frequent, and I thought they were supposed to, but that's okay. I'm used to it by now. I am still feeling little bubbles going on in my abdominal area, but can't really determine that it's not just gas, although I don't think it is. From what I've read, it should become more clear in the next few weeks and I'm really looking forward to that. We have less than 2 weeks until our next doctor's appointment and I think I can hang on until then. I'm still convinced it's a boy, but I think I've finally narrowed down the girl's names a little more. Of course, you know it will be a boy - mother's intuition!

Sept. 20, 1999 (14 weeks, 4 days) - Not really a whole lot to say, except that as of this weekend I've noticed that I am dreaming a lot more lately. It's possible that I've always dreamed this much, but I've never remembered my dreams as much as I do now. Most of them are very strange, but every time I wake up I remember what I was dreaming about. I read in one of my pregnancy books that this is common, but it's definitely taken me by suprise. Other than that, I've noticed I've been getting a few very minor headaches, nothing severe and I haven't felt a need to take anything for them, but it's not very common for me to get headaches. Other than that, my appetite is still the same, don't think I've gained any weight or at the most possibly 1 pound, but my stomach is starting a growth period and I really can't wait for it to become a little more obvious. At this point, unless I wear tight clothes you can't really tell. Oh, this weekend we did the needle and thread thing and that also indicated boy. I don't think I'm going to worry any more about coming up with a girl's name.

Sept. 27, 1999 (15 weeks, 4 days) - Still not much to talk about, just hanging on until our appointment in 2 days. I did have another dream this weekend, and this time I had a girl in the dream. So much for the dream prediction ideas. Now I'm just not as positive about my boy vibes anymore. Still not sure if I'm feeling anything, get a little sensation now and then but can't say for sure if it's baby movement. I'm still not putting on weight and my appetite hasn't really picked up at all either, so I guess that's not a bad thing. Hopefully I'll have more exciting news later this week.

Sept. 29, 1999 (15 weeks, 6 days) - Well, my weight has remained the same, I gained back the 1 pound I had lost last visit but it's still keeping steady which is great news to me. However, I had a little scare when they took my blood pressure, didn't say anything to me, then had me lay down on the table and turned down the lights and told me to stay still for a little while. This is NOT something that makes a pregnant woman feel good! I tried not to panic too much but they came back in after about 10 minutes and took it again and it was back down to where they wanted it. Apparently it was just slightly elevated before and they wanted to make sure it wasn't a problem. Dr. Lahom then came in and measured me then used the doppler to listen to the heartbeat for a while. Apparently it's pretty slow, so I'm back to thinking it's a boy. We then drove to Howard County General Hospital to get some paperwork about pre-registration and childbirth classes, and then to the lab so I could have blood drawn for the Triple Screen Test. The good news is that we can now schedule a detailed 18-20 week ultrasound, which we'll do once we return from vacation. Hopefully at that point we will be able to determine the gender for sure. Probably won't get another update from me until the second week in October!