Am I Lying to Myself When I Say I'm Almost Halfway There?

I’ve been trying really hard not to turn this completely into a pregnancy blog because I’m sure many of you don’t care to read about every little smptom, but it seems that when I try not to write about the baby I can’t come up with anything and I sit here staring at a blank page.  So, this entry is all about baby, because I’m tired of not writing.

As of tomorrow, I’ll be 16 weeks along.  I keep wanting to say I’m almost halfway there, but in reality I have another four weeks before I’ll be halfway there.  It seems so far off when I think of it that way.  The picture over there was taken this morning while I was playing around with my new cell phone’s camera (in the newly remodeled office restroom of all places).  It certainly isn’t the best, but I realized that I haven’t really taken any belly shots yet and, as you can see, there is most definitely a bump these days.  Even though I’m still trying to squeeze into my favorite pair of pre-pregnancy jeans, I’ve been wearing maternity clothes for well over a month now.

I continue to be amazed at how different this pregnancy has been for me.  It is like my first pregnancy in many ways, but very different in other ways.  I definitely don’t remember being so tired all the time when I was pregnant with Zach.  This time around, no matter how much sleep I manage to get, I’m still dragging through the day.  I have major food aversions this time around too.  I suddenly don’t like any kind of soda and my food choices are pretty much limited to anything super salty or super sweet (excluding chocolate!).  Pizza tastes awful to me, as do cheeseburgers, chicken, pretty much anything cheesy, greasy, or spicy.  I’ve been craving weird things like beef tips and gravy with mashed potatoes or Sour Patch candy.  I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart today for dog and cat food and ended up with a bag full of Funyuns, Jolly Ranchers, Jelly Bellys, vanilla pudding, and of course Sour Patch watermelons.  Oh, and if it weren’t for the sudden onset of constant heartburn, I would be downing about a gallon of lemonade a day.  Can we say sugar rush?  Perhaps my body is just trying to compensate for the lack of caffeine in my diet these days.

When I’m not trying to cope with the weird eating habits I seem to have taken on, I spend a lot of time daydreaming about what life will be like once this baby arrives.  I’m so anxious to find out whether it is a boy or girl so I can start getting ready.  I’m also trying to prepare Zach a little bit for what things will be like once baby arrives.  We’ve been talking a lot about the baby and about how he will be a big brother.  I am really glad that he has been around babies so much during his life.  I know it will be a whole different thing when there is one in his house that is around all the time, but at least he knows somewhat how to treat a baby.

I want so badly to start getting things out and getting ready but I know it is much too early for that.  I’m trying to make myself wait until at least after Christmas.  Then we’ll do some bedroom re-arranging, set up the crib, and make space for the new arrival.  Yes, that still seems a little early for a baby arriving at the end of March, but I want to give Zach and the animals plenty of time to get used to the idea before we bring the little one home.

March seems so far away right now, but I know it will be here in a flash.