15 Weeks...

Well, here I am sitting at 15 weeks along, and I've got a doctor's appointment this Wednesday.  Holy week went by in a blur, and I am hoping that all those  hours singing and not sleeping hasn't taken a toll on my little one growing inside.  I have not rested as I should these past few weeks, but I think it has to do with the fact that I'm feeling much better now that I am out of the first trimester.  The "morning sickness" and the strange salivating has subsided, and although when I eat certain foods, I still get a little queasy, I feel pretty good most of the time.  I also have been so busy, I haven't had much opportunity to feel tired, except in the morning after a busy busy evening. 

My belly is definitely starting to show, and it's particularly noticeable after I eat a large meal.  At the end of the day as I'm getting Tay ready for a bath, she and I can stand next to each other and her little toddler belly and mine are quite similar...:)  Depending on what I'm wearing, it can still look like I'm just putting on some weight as opposed to actually being pregnant, but I think it's pretty obvious that I'm pregnant...and I look forward to it being more pronounced in the next few weeks. 

It's funny how different this pregnancy is from the first.  Mostly, the difference, I think, has to do with the foods I'm interested in eating.  I feel like I ate a lot of salmon (or fish, in general) and fruit when I was pregnant with Tay, but with this one, most of what I'm craving is salad and spicy foods.  I've also craved naeng-myun, made spicy with the mustard.  I can also eat and enjoy eggs (like poached eggs), whereas when I was pregnant with Tay, I couldn't even stand the sight of eggs, particularly scrambled eggs! 

As for my health, I know I was sick with a cold at the very beginning of the pregnancy with Tay, and I was also pretty sick this time around, too, but it was a much more aggressive sickness, but short-lived.  Thankfully.  I'm a little concerned now, though, because it seems after last week's over-exhaustion, I have caught another bug that's giving me quite the discomfort with nasal stuffiness, coughing, and sneezing.  I hope it doesn't progress much worse than it is now...definitely do not want to go through what I did with the first cold in the first trimester.  Ugh.

I think this go around, my stomach is just a lot more "ready" to flip inside-out as opposed to the first time...it's strange, but even the slightest gagging sensation will result in a full-on gag session or throwing up.  It's rather unpleasant, and I'm hoping all of that is gone, but even so, I accidentally gagged myself brushing my teeth one morning and I spent about a minute gagging in the sink with nothing in my stomach but acid.  Just not pleasant...I really don't like that super-watery-mouth feeling when it thinks you're going to throw up, but you're hoping you won't, so you just breathe and pant trying to keep it down, but your mouth is just producing saliva like crazy.  Wow, that was a long sentence that probably doesn't make sense to anyone else but me...ah well...

I wonder if they'll be able to tell the gender of you at this next visit.  I really really really hope so because I really really really want to know (and I know there are many others who want to know, too), but I have a feeling they'll tell me it's too early to tell.  I don't know why I'm so very curious this time around, but it's definitely something that's in the forefront of my mind about you lately.  It's hard, I think, to really start talking to you and addressing you like my own little baby until I can picture you as a little boy or girl.  My guess flip-flops regularly, but something tells me you might be a boy.  Maybe it's because I feel like I'm getting a little hairier than I think I normally am...maybe it's because of the gender predictor kit...who knows.  No matter what, I'll love you and you've already got two other built-in people who will love you as much as I do. 

You have also got the most caring and loving little sister...if you could only see how she is around other children...and her strong belief in the need for fairness in life...her loving actions to protect those who are smaller than her...her willingness to help others...it's beautiful and you are a luckly little one to have such a loving big sister.  I looking forward to the day you get to meet her.  :)  She will love you...very much.

I'm really looking forward to the Wednesday appointment.  Let's hope you're doing well, even though I am a bit under the weather...