Bought some baby stuff!

Well, the updates are not as frequent as I'd like... Here's the latest:

I'm almost 18 weeks.  We have the ultrasound scheduled for July 1st and we are definitely hoping that this little wild one will cooperate and let us see boy or girl.  We're taking Kristopher along because the last scan looked really good, and I would assume if there was any concerns they would have brought it up right away.  The fosters won't be going along, which some feel is wrong but 1 will be at extended school year class, and the other is too immature to sit through the scan without distraction and drama.  I do feel a little bad about that and will probably add drama to some issues we're having around here of late, but Kristopher is mature enough to to this and really wants to be included.  As he's said, he's waited "forever" to have a sibling and it's a once in a lifetime chance.  So, he's going.  And he's saying he doesn't care if he has a brother or sister, he just wants everything to be ok with the baby, and we're going to do a little baby shopping after to get it something gender specific.  (Hopefully!)

I've felt movement for a few weeks now, and it's getting to be a consistent thing in the past week or so.  I've discovered if I try to sit up too fast from laying down, or twist odd while sitting up, I get a horrible little jab which feels amazingly hard for how little it should be.  It's enough that I have to grab that area and stop moving for a second to recover.  It was doing what felt like flips one day last week, and I pushed my husband's hand against that spot and he actually felt a little push back.  We're really loving this experience!  I can't wait till he can feel it consistently, and I think I'll be even open to allowing others to feel occasionally as well.  Belly was off limits before, but this time around I just want to enjoy everything and share the experience with those who are excited for us.  It's weird how much has changed. 

My  nausea seems to be going away, unless I end up really stressed and then I end up dry heaving till I can stop.  I've been lucky to avoid the vomit, but dry heaving is pretty bad as well. 

I am able to eat more of a variety and feel like I eat a lot.  The scale says I'm down another pound, which is concerning because I really can't eat much more without actually being sick.  I am sure that the baby is growing though and the belly is very noticeable.  I've outgrown all normal clothes. 

Today a foster friend posted on facebook that they were having a yard sale, and selling off all their baby gear.  I saw they had the swing we liked from babysitting kids, and the last foster baby and went out and got it for an amazing deal.  She also gave me a floor gym that lights up, pack of newborn diapers and few other random baby things.  So I guess it's safe to say I've officially gotten the baby something.  Not brand new, but hey, it won't use either of these things long anyway. 

One issue I've been getting lately has been headaches.  I'm not sure if it's baby related, or if it's stress related.  The kids are out of school, and we're having a lot of regression with our 9 yr old foster daughter.  There's not much support from the system at the moment, so it's been hard to cope with.  These headaches start at the base of my neck, and work their way up and by the time it's fully covering my head, I'm down and can't function.  I've tried different pillows, and sleeping positions to see if it's that, but I can't pinpoint exactly what it is.  I'm going to bring it up at the next appt and see if I can get a referral to a chiropractor to see if that would help.

So, my guess for ultrasound day is that this is a girl.  There's a lot of differences between this pregnancy and Kristopher's, and I'm not sure if it's age and difference in my lifestyle now, or gender difference.  It's definitely way more active than he ever was this early!  Either way, I don't have a preference to gender.  I just really want to know so I can feel like I can prepare a little better.  It drives me crazy to know that I have to wait another week and half even though if they'd do it today, they'd probably be able to see.  I want to know!!