By now everybody in my life already knows and has for some time, but I haven't officially told the internet at large, so here's the pregnancy announcement post.
Estimated date of delivery: March 11, 2015, which puts us at about 16 weeks right now.
I'm feeling good now. Some minor morning sickness early on, then some very scary bleeding that landed me on quasi-bed rest for about three weeks. The whole experience was rather horrible, although I was well aware throughout how much I had to be thankful for. The baby looks absolutely perfect and our friends really came through for us with helping with childcare and just getting through. I did get pretty depressed because of the inactivity and feeling so useless and burdensome to everyone around me, and of course the lingering fear of losing another child. I wasn't even fully aware just how down I was until about last Sunday, some days after being cleared to do normal activities again. We had some good friends over for dinner, and even though I'd been having friends over constantly to help out, the contrast between that simple enjoyment of friendship and all the horrible feelings that marred all of those other "play dates" was so obvious. I'm so thankful to be back to normal. It all seems like a bad dream now. Now I'm finally able to enjoy this pregnancy!
One of the best things about this pregnancy has been Anthony. For a four-year-old, he seems to be extremely aware and he already loves this baby so much! He figured out I was pregnant when I was about six weeks along. We had been careful not to say anything in his hearing just yet. My belly was ever-so-slightly bigger, maybe. But it's right at his eye level, and he noticed when he squeezed in to give me a hug when I was standing in the kitchen! He asked point blank, "Hmm, is there a baby in your tummy?" He's named the baby "Daniel" and it seems to be sticking. If I'm still in bed when he wakes up in the morning he'll climb in with me and with, "Good morning, Mommy! Good morning, Daniel baby!" with a hug to my belly. He's been enthralled by all the ultrasounds we've been to, laughing with delight when the baby on the screen moves. Now that we don't need to go every week he wants to know when we're going to see the baby on the big computer again. He's asking all sorts of questions about how the baby knows it's time to come out, why does it take so long, why are babies born in a hospital, why can't daddies have babies in their tummies, etc. Katie Rose follows her brother's lead in talking to Daniel and stuffing her baby doll in her shirt but I'm sure she has no idea what's really coming!
