Graduation - Week 13

I'm basking in the final week of my first trimester. Saturday is graduation day as we move on to the second trimester. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this journey is already 1/3 over...at other times it feels like it can't move fast enough. I just can't wait to meet this new member of our family! He/she is already 3 inches long from crown to rump, about the size of a peach, and our little brainiac has quite the head, which right now is about 1/2 the length of his/her body. Not to worry though...over the next few months, the body will catch up and, by the end of July, that huge head will only be 1/4 the body length. A new development this week is our little peach's vocal cords! And I'm sure those little vocal cords will get quite the crying workout in those late night hours after birth. Another new development this week was the addition of elastic-waist maternity pants to my wardrobe! They're not the most fashionable jeans in my drawer, but boy are they comfortable!!! It's like wearing sweatpants all day. I love it!

There's not much about the first trimester that I mind leaving behind...nausea, vomiting, exhaustion. I may miss the ability to see my shoes in a few months, but right now I'm just so excited for the second trimester! I'm looking forward to getting my "pregnant look". Sometimes I wonder if people look at me and wonder, "Is she pregnant or is she just getting fat?" It'll be nice to have that unmistakably beautiful pregnant belly. I'm also looking forward to more energy and a larger appetite. But, my list-topper of exciting developments in the second trimester is definitely finding out if we're having a boy or a girl. I'm so tired of saying "he or she" and I can't wait to call the baby by name. I think everything will feel a bit less surreal when our little bambino has a gender and a name. In the meantime, I just pray he/she is enjoying his/her stay in my warm and watery womb and that everything is progressing as it should.

In other news, we enjoyed quite the North Carolina snow storm this week, along with a lovely day off of school. We snatched the opportunity to go for a walk in our own winter wonderland and snap a few memorable photos...Enjoy!