Baby Freiman at 17 weeks - week of May 30

Overall, Baby Freiman and I are feeling much better during week 17! The fall-asleep-during-lunch level of fatigue seems to have passed for now. We had a check-up on Friday where the doctor found a healthy heartbeat and reported we have a very active fetus. She was using the Doppler (wand and gel on the belly) so I'm not exactly sure how she could tell, but she was surprised I had not felt the baby move yet.

This coming Tuesday we have our anatomy scan which will hopefully tell us gender of Baby Freiman! David has bet his friend Eric $1 that Bay Freiman is a boy, based on two dreams he had this week.

Highlights of the week:
*hearing the heartbeat!
*three-day weekend and all the fun that goes with it
*my boss told me I was showing (most of the time I still feel that it looks like I ate a big lunch)
*re-discovering Green Tea Frappuccinos

What I've learned:
*I probably should have mentioned this weeks ago, but most of the pregnancy books out there are cheesy and annoying, especially if you're not experiencing the generic symptoms. My friend Sara ordered me a pregnancy planner that it looks like I'm actually going to enjoy using. It has a lot of checklists, which is exciting since David and I are learning as we go. :)
*Carseats are crazy heavy. I need to start lifting weights.
*I've heard two stories this week of babies recently born whose parents were told one gender during the ultrasound scans but the baby came out the opposite gender. We'll be painting the room green.

There's a guest appearance by my niece Brenna in the week 17 photo!

 

Baby Freiman at 16 weeks - week of May 23rd

It's interesting that Baby Freiman is an avocado this week...as this is the only food aversion I've had so far. Whether in raw or guacamole form, I'd really rather not discuss avocados in any fashion.

What I have been eating a lot of are pineapples, bananas, tomatoes, chai lattes, cereal (I haven't eaten cereal before now in at least five years), and McDonald's ice cream cones (don't judge me, they're really good and not that bad for you). And cheese. Loooootsss of cheese. 

What I love but Baby Freiman has rejected are Chick-fil-a (is this a political statement?) and coffee. 

Highlights of the week: I started knitting a baby blanket. It's aqua! We also walked to and ate at the new Buffalo Wild Wings about 1.5 miles from our house. Yum.

What I've learned: The baby can hear us! I've encouraged David to talk to the baby, because apparently they can recognize familiar voices once they're born.

Here is the week 16 photo - not much change!

An Exclusive Interview with David Freiman: Father of my Child

David isn't the blogging type, so I thought I'd interview him for this blog so he would have an indirect way to share his thoughts on being pregnant. Please let me know if you have any questions you'd like me to ask him next time. :)

Anna: What's your favorite part of the pregnancy so far?

David: Going on walks with my wife..and that you haven't been vomiting

Anna: What's one thing you didn't see coming?

David: A pregnancy blog

Anna: What are you most excited about?

David: More Freimans

Anna: What's one thing you know you need to learn more about?

David: 529 plans

Anna: What's one thing you have learned?

David: Fetuses do flips all day

Anna: What traits do you hope to pass down? 

David: the Freiman sense of humor

Anna: Any final thoughts for our viewers?

David: I'm really excited...and the kid better not be a Yankees fan

Baby Freiman week 15 - week of May 16

David says he can see "expansion at a quicker rate" so "it looks less like you're letting yourself go and more like you're pregnant." :)

It finally feels like spring, so we've been taking every opportunity to go for walks. I can definitely tell a difference in my sleep when I get some exercise!

Highlights of the week: 
*I've started doing more reading, and am currently reading Lean In for my book club which has turned out to be excellent timing. The book discusses women in positions of leadership and balancing career with obligations at home. *I'm enjoying not cleaning the litter box.
*Maternity pants 

What I've learned: 
*We need to start figuring out daycare ASAP. It seems as though we have several good options in our area...we just need to get cracking with the visits and waiting lists. 
*I figured out Google Docs this week, and we have implemented a shared grocery list to help us eat healthier and with more variety.

Baby Freiman Week 14 - week of May 9

This week Baby Freiman is the size of a lemon! 

Highlight of the week: I went to Memphis to visit my parents this week, and it was great to see my family and spend Mother's Day with my mom. We celebrated with Egg McMuffins (sans pork) and enjoyed some maternity shopping. 

What I learned: Whoever said the second trimester would be easier is a dirty liar. The fatigue has hit hard, as well as dizziness, shortness of breath, and nasal congestion (all normal per the interwebs). I also learned that baby carrots carry no nutritional value.

I gave this to David when we found out...small fry...get it?!

Baby Freiman at week 13

First Trimester Overview

I thought I'd dedicate the first post on this blog to the first trimester of Baby Freiman's existence. 

I would say on a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being "I can't stop puking" and 10 being "I feel great!" I would give my first trimester a solid 7.5. Overall my biggest complaints were acne and anxiety; of course, my regularly prescribed prescription drugs for these conditions were off-limits.

The highlights of the first twelve weeks were:
* Taking 6 positive pregnancy tests in late February
* 6 week ultrasound and heartbeat!
* David and I both completed some whirlwind travel adventures
* Upon telling my college girlfriends I was pregnant, they made me watch the detailed and highly informative Ricky Lake documentary on Midwifery (we have been known to keep it real). 
* 12 week ultrasound and heartbeat! Baby Freiman was clearly very comfortable and moving all around. I could watch all day!

On this blog you won't see any ultrasound pictures, but you will see some (clothed) belly shots and hopefully some pictures of Lana too. I'll share my discoveries and reflections of the journey that is Anna Freiman Being Pregnant.