Everybody's fine

Oops. I kind of went a whole bunch of days without posting for no reason, huh? I mean, not really no reason because, well, I was in North Carolina and there were things going on like meals at all my favorite restaurants from ten years ago (I even got SUSHI! But don't worry, only the cooked kind) and swimming and sleeping and visiting with my parents and oh yeah, working. Ick.

Now I'm in DC. I drove back up from NC with my sister and her family on Wednesday, and yesterday I worked and then had dinner with a friend, and now here I am back at work today, and then I'll be spending the weekend at my sister's and then three more days next week at work and then I get to go home. I'm in that mid-trip slump right now--I've been here for so long and yet there's so long still left in this trip, and I feel like I haven't seen Torsten for several years and also did I mention that I'm pregnant and fragile and weepy? And I don't like being far away from my husband.

And yes, I know, this is the last time I have to be away from him for a very long time, indefinitely really because we have no immediate plans to travel again until well after Piglet is born. But I am not rational, I am grumpy because I am here and Torsten is there and it's been that way for far too long and it will continue to be that way for far too long. So there.

But despite the lack of posting, I'm fine, Torsten is fine, Montana is fine, and, well, as far as I know Piglet is fine too. I'm discovering that while the second trimester is significantly more relaxing, it's not exactly worry-free. My 16-week appointment is in exactly a week and I am just really keeping my fingers crossed that we will hear the heartbeat this time, and that if, like last time, we don't, they will, like last time, pull out the bedside ultrasound machine and we will, like last time, see a happy kicking baby in there.

Or! Even better! If we don't hear the heartbeat at the appointment, since this one isn't the last appointment of the day on a Friday afternoon, maybe instead of using the bedside machine that is terrible quality, they will refer us down the hall for a proper ultrasound, and maybe we would get a shot that would tell us the sex! That would be fun! Other than the nerve-racking minutes between the attempt to find the heartbeat and the ultrasound, obviously.

Of course, really what we're hoping for here is a nice clear heartbeat so that no ultrasound is required. Meanwhile, I went ahead and scheduled the 18-22 week ultrasound, when we really should get to find out the sex. It will be on September 2. So, assuming Piglet cooperates, we should have some fun info to share on that day.

Other than the whole hormonal weepy mess thing, and the linea nigra (which I think is getting darker), I'm in kind of a symptom lull right now. Of course, compared to the morning sickness all the other symptoms feel mild, but it is still weird that not much is going on. If I didn't know I was pregnant right now I would pretty much just think I was feeling a little weird and under the weather, and that is strange to me. So much for mother's intuition and what have you. I am just dying to feel the baby move.

Oh, but there is this symptom: I swear my nose is getting bigger. Like, not the inner membranes, which supposedly swell up and cause your nose to run, but the actual nose itself. It just looks bigger compared to the rest of my face. Googling this tells me that lots of other people have experienced it as well, but there seems to be no information on it from any kind of reliable, science-based source.

Still, it seems to be happening, and from what I can tell from the anecdotes I read online, it will most likely shrink back to its normal size after I give birth, so that's fine, but in the meantime, a big nose? Really? This is definitely another one of those symptoms that I could do without. However, if I did without all my symptoms then I would be annoyed and paranoid about not having any symptoms. So basically, with me you can't win. Sorry about that.