18 weeks and counting!

17 weeks 3 days

I can't believe how fast my pregnancy is already going, almost half way through and I still don't even quite believe that I'm pregnant! I feel like I'm finally starting to actually have a little bump and not just look like I let myself go, which is helping it feel a bit more real! We go back for an appointment with our midwife next Wednesday and will get to schedule the big ultrasound then. I’m hoping we won’t have to wait too much longer as I’m growing more and more anxious to “see” our baby! I don’t know how women did it before ultrasounds!

We’re really enjoying our birthing classes. There are 8 couples, most due in July & August, but one other couple due in early October (like us). The instructor is fantastic, she took the class herself 12 years ago with her first pregnancy and has been teaching ever since. She is also an ER nurse at Fairview Hospital so it’s interesting to get her insight on the behind the scenes of hospitals as well as her input on how to avoid feeling pressured into any unnecessary procedures. We really hope to be able to do a completely natural birth and this class is definitely helping us prepare both mentally as well as physically as we’ve already learned some exercises and relaxation techniques that Brad is doing a wonderful job of reminding me to practice every day :-).

We've also kept ourselves quite busy recently researching baby gear. One of Brad's favorite hobbies right now is visiting Babies R Us on the weekend to test things out. I think we had a 3 week span when we were there every weekend (to be fair, at least one of those times was to buy a baby shower gift for a friend). Anyway, we're having a great time preparing and are looking forward to the upcoming months!