Well, technically 18 weeks and 4 days, but whose counting, right?

Yesterday Simeon and I had an appointment with my OB. We started the appointment with the obligatory weighing-of-the-pregnant-woman and the peeing in a cup. Both of which I just love. (Could you hear that sarcasm? If not, you need to listen a little more closely.) However, the dreaded doctor’s office scale–the scale that so many women come to loathe–has actually come to be my friend. In fact, yesterday it informed me that I have not gained a single pound. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. I actually had to check twice because I didn’t believe it myself. But it’s true. No weight gain so far. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t know how it’s physically possible (as I can no longer fit in any of my normal clothes), but they assure me it’s true. I even asked my doctor when I should worry that I haven’t gained any weight and she actually laughed at me. Apparently I don’t have to worry about that just yet.

The peeing in a cup was fairly uneventful. As I can pee at any given moment with my new “pregnant bladder” I don’t have to worry about having to go on command. I do, however, worry about the amount I can pee. Usually it’s about a tablespoon. I swear. So that little cup can be quite intimidating when I can’t even fill it to the first line. But alas, I have always provided enough for them to run the necessary tests, so I figure I am good to go.

Then came the actual fun part: listening to the baby’s heartbeat. My doctor was having a little trouble getting the gel out of the bottle, so she shook it and of course it took that moment to loosen up and squirt not only across my tummy but also down my leg. Then I was laughing so hard my doctor had trouble finding the heartbeat under my bouncing belly. Finally she found it and I made sure to ask what the beats per minute were (I was in trouble with my sister for not asking last time) and she informed me it was in the 130s. So take from that what
you
will.

Then my doctor handed Sim and I the magical little slip of paper to go and schedule our ultrasound. THE ultrasound. This was the entire reason I was looking forward to this appointment. So we walked up to the scheduling desk only to be informed that she needed to check someone’s schedule before setting my appointment and of course that person wasn’t in, so she would call me later. At this point, I couldn’t really argue, but I was still crestfallen. No ultrasound scheduled. *Sigh* So freakin’ lame.

Ah well, at least my baby has a good heartbeat. And I haven’t gained any weight. I got those things going for me, right?

**Updated: I just got off the phone with my doctor’s office (I finally had to call them myself!) and have my ultrasound appointment scheduled! My appointment is set for Monday July 31st. That’s right, on my birthday! What a happy birthday present for me!

I just now reached that point in my pregnancy where the All-You-Can-Eat buffet is no longer wasted on me. Food (finally!) tastes good again and I can’t seem to get enough. Watch out!

There is nothing, NOTHING, more terrifying than a pregnant lady taking a shower and opening her eyes after washing her face to see the shower floor splattered with blood.

There is also nothing more relieving than while searching for the source of the blood catching a glimpse of her face in the mirror and realizing it was just a bloody nose.

God Lord was that scary! But what a way to really wake yourself up in the morning, eh?

Apparently another fun side effect of pregnancy starts around the second trimester involving my nose. According to my What to Expect Pregnancy Club daily email, “the mucous membranes of your nose may start to swell from all the pregnancy hormones circulating in your body, which are also increasing blood flow there. The result? Your nose probably already knows: congestion, and possibly even nosebleeds.” Oh joy.

Well, over the last couple days I kept getting these really bad headaches. Not headaches like I normally get, since I am a migraine girl myself, but intense pain right between my eyes. Knowing the majority of headaches are either due to lack of sleep, hunger, or dehydration, I was going to bed even earlier, frequently snacking, and drinking tons of water. Nothing was even touching this thing. Finally I cracked and took some Tylenol. (I know, I know. Stone me. I’m hurting my unborn child. But at least it wasn’t crack, right?) But even that barely did anything and wore off quickly. Starting to get desperate and thinking that my baby just wants me to be miserable for the rest of my life, I did what all desperate women do: I went to Google.

After skimming over all the horrible sites proclaiming I had every disorder or life-threatening condition in the book, I found something that clicked. I was having a sinus headache. I retrieved the email about my nose and it all made sense. The email went on to recommend some pregnancy safe solutions such as saline sprays, nasal strips or humidifiers. Since my family always had a humidifier when I was growing up, I promptly pulled up Target.com to do some research (they have great user reviews on products from REAL people not those whose paycheck depends on them pushing this product). Well last night after work I stopped in and picked up my new humidifier, set it up when I got home and went to sleep. And I woke up this morning, only slightly stuffy, but without a headache. Glory be!

For those of you (like my husband) who mock my choice of humidifier, I would like to point out that it got BY FAR the best reviews of all the humidifiers out there. Plus it was (comparatively) cheap! And I figure since this kid is the one creating the need for a humidifier in the first place, I can pass it along to Maybe Baby for in the nursery. Besides, it is really cute and the vapor actually comes out of the trunk. And how can you argue with that?