8 weeks, 2 days

It is Friday after a long TAKS testing week and I am relived. Surprisingly, my energy levels were okay this week and I have been good about going to the gym. Eating has been interesting and yesterday I had a soft pretzel and a slice on muenster cheese for lunch. It was so good! Fruit and salad has been tasting wonderful to me, so that is a good thing.

Yesterday, I received my first cloth diapers in the mail! I had ordered 3 BumGenius 3.0 One Size in a seconds sale. Seconds supposedly have some minor visual flaws but nothing that effects their functionality. I looked over one of the ones we received and couldn't see anything wrong at all! The BG 3.0s should start to fit the baby between 10 - 12 pounds and fit through potty training. I'm hoping they are a good fit for our new moon!

I found a baby name quiz on NameNerds.com where you choose a name from each list and they give you about twenty lists. Then it tells you what your naming style is. My top styles were Modern Unusual (30%), Classic Unusual (25%), and Classic Eccentric (20%). Modern Unusual means you like modern-sounding names. None of these old-fashioned names for you! Newly coined names and ambigendrous names are probably trends you like. Classic Unusual means you prefer names that have a history. These are fashionable classics that have come back into use after several generations of quiet slumber. While Classic Eccentric means you prefer names that have a history. Perhaps you like names with historical connections or meaning. Although your favorite names may be considered stuffy and old-fashioned by some, to you they sound fresh and new and are ready for dusting off and being plunged into the new name pool.

Our top boy name falls under Modern Unusual names, so that seems to be accurate. There are a number of other names on that list that I also like. Our current top girl name didn't fall on any of those three lists though. Based on the description of Modern Unusual it might fall in that category. I could be addicted to this site now as it has a number of name lists sorted in different ways than other baby name sites!

Today is also Justin's 29th birthday and his last birthday not being a father!

8 weeks

Today I am eight weeks pregnant and the past week went a lot quicker than previous weeks. Weeks like these remind just how quickly the next 32 weeks are going to go! My first midwife appointment is only one week away and I'm looking forward to it. I have some questions regarding working out for her. My trainers at the gym have been great but we want to ask for some advice in certain areas so it will be good to talk about that. Surprisingly I'm not really worried about the fact that I'm going to have blood drawn at the appointment. I think it's a combination of having done it back in August at my physical and the fact that I have a wonderful reason to get blood drawn this time! I'm not looking forward to it, but I'm not freaking out about it... yet. Who knows what next week will bring!

I pray for the baby everyday and ask that she/he is developing correctly and growing strong and healthy. So far I've been struggling with fatigue and nausea pretty much everyday. I just keep reminding myself that it is all for a good reason!

7 weeks, 1 day

Yesterday was the 7 week mark which means only two more weeks until my first appointment at Nativiti. Earlier this week, they called and left me a message with some fantastic news about what my insurance will cover. We're responsible for my $500 deductible and the first $45 copay. After that, insurance will cover everything 100%! It was amazing news and quite a blessing.

On Tuesday I had some spotting in the morning and although I had told myself I wouldn't let it upset if it happened, it's so hard to see it and not worry. But it's completely natural and when I looked it up, it can definitely happened during this time as the embryo implants further. It was just the one brief bit on Tuesday morning and nothing since so I have faith that it is a good sign of my healthy baby doing what she/he needs to do!

It's also Earth Day today which (hopefully!) means some good deals online in the world of cloth diapers. This is a decision we've made and so I'm going to spend the next 33 weeks working on getting the best deals I can. Today I made my first CD purchase! I got one BumGenius AIO xs in Twilight and one BG AIO s in Clementine with a coupon code, one was free which means I only paid $16.95 for two BG AIOs because shipping was free! This is definitely a good deal on brand new BGs.

6 weeks

Today I'm 6 weeks pregnant and approaching the halfway mark for first trimester! Some days seem long when I'm sitting at work feeling sick, but I can see how quickly time is going to go. Yes, late last week I started feeling nauseous in the mornings and sometimes in the afternoon. Now it comes and goes all day long. Eating throughout the day seems to help some as does ginger ale. It's bearable though because it's for a great reason. I'm also still pretty fatigued at the end of each day but I'm doing my best to get to the gym or get outside and walk the dogs each day. Everything seems to be going well and I'm looking forward to my appointment with my midwife 3 weeks. I pray each day that our baby grows healthy and strong and I'm so thankful for this blessing.

5 weeks

Today mom and I went to tour the birthing center, Nativiti. We saw the exam rooms, the ultrasound equipment, the living room and kitchen areas, and both birthing rooms. After the tour we met with one of the midwives, Melanie, to learn more about Nativiti, midwifery, and to answer any questions we might have had. It was a wonderful experience and it is definitely the way I want to go with my pregnancy, labor, and birth. Tomorrow I'm going to call to set up my first appointment which will be around 8 weeks. The first appointment will be about an hour and a half long and we will talk about things like nutrition. At the appointments after that they give you half an hour, just in case you need it! This is the kind of personal care that feels right to me. I'm looking forward to this adventure and doing it on my own terms!

4 weeks, 4 days

Yes, we're at 4 weeks and 4 days on 4/4. Cheesy, but I kind of like it. Tonight, Justin and I watched The Business of Being Born, a documentary about midwifery and home births that someone on the Bump recommended to me. It was amazing and strengthened my desire to have a natural birth. I'm looking forward to our appointment at Nativiti on Wednesday. I pray that God is leading me in the right direction and I know he has wonderful plans for us. Watching the mothers in the documentary hold their babies right after they were born was incredible. No matter the pain and the challenges I have to overcome on that day, I feel like that is the first place my child should be -- in my arms. I would also recommend The Business of Being Born to anyone who is interested in learning more about the birth options that exist.

4 weeks, 3 days

Today I was browsing boards on the bump and ran across a baby name site I hadn't been to before. Baby Name Genie has a baby name generator where you type in your last name and you can specify boy or girl or either and it generates a name. I put in our last name and didn't specify a sex. The first name it suggested... Evan Moon! I was amazed because Evan is the name we are set on if our little peanut is a girl. Her middle name will be Lee, just like mine. Evan Lee Moon. I was just amazed to see Evan pop up! Maybe it's a sign! I believe we're also settled on a boy's name if the peanut is a boy -- Brennan Lewis Moon. I like both of them a lot and continue to pray for this baby to grow healthy and strong!