17 Weeks!!!!

HELLO! Welcome to the wonderful world of Bethany's pregnancy. A lot has happened, where do I start..
2 weeks ago I got some kind of stomach virus, which I thought could have been pregnancy sickness so I continued to work while being sick for 2 days because we had so much to do at work I knew if I didn't do it, it wouldn't get done and we would have some not-so-happy customers! I would get sick and then feel totally fine for a little while then I would get sick again. I don't think it was morning sickness because I really haven't had any so far. So 2 weeks later now and darn if I don't get the same stinkin thing for 2 days again except this time it was worse. I didn't get sick and feel fine, this one just stuck with me. I left work 15 minutes early and didn't come in the next day. Then, about 2 weeks ago, Abby got Fifths Disease. I didn't know what was going on, I just noticed her cheeks were a little red for a few days, then her arms turned red like someone had slapped her, then she broke out in a rash on her whole body and was itchy everywhere. So I took her to the doctor thinking something might be wrong, paid $20 for them just to tell me it was Fifths Disease and there's nothing to do - it will go away on its own. Whoopie!!

Around this same time, I get a weird pregnancy symptom and start breaking out all over my face in some kind of rash. This has happened 3 times now and it lasts a couple days. It doesn't look like a rash really but like the blood has come up to my skin and it starts around my forehead and gets spotty around the rest of my face. I've heard this is a pregnancy symptom but never actually known a person who got it. Good thing I have good makeup because it covers it up where you can't tell unless you look up close :D

I think I had a "real day" of morning sickness yesterday from the time I woke up until right after lunch. It came in waves, I thought I was getting sick again but it went away quickly after I ate lunch.

I had my 16 week appointment last week. They did the blood tests for down's syndrome and spina bifida and something else I can't remember. I didn't hear back about any results so that means everything was ok. Yay! They checked the heartbeat and the midwife always says the baby's moving around like crazy. I've gained 4 pounds between my 12 & 16 week checkup. But I didn't gain anything until 12 weeks. So a total of 4 pounds so far. The midwife says that's really good. I don't even want to know the number on the scale..

I had a 6 month review with my boss and I got a $1 raise! Woohoo! He asked what my plans are as far as working after the baby's born and I told him honestly that I needed to work but as far as how much, I didn't know yet, and that me and Billy needed to discuss it and decide. He said if I wanted to work full or part time that would be fine and that I would always have a position available there. He said I could even work from home because a lot of stuff I do there is just design and there's no reason why I couldn't do that from home. Their goal is to hire another employee by September. This person would do more of the production and labor (thank God) and I would do more of the design and working with customers. My main objective to being gone at work is because I'm going to want to nurse. But I'd like to do that and formula both if I'm going to work even part time. Just not sure how that will go. All depends on the baby and other factors I guess. Formula is just so stinkin' expensive.

Well I bought my first maternity clothes the other day. Just 1 pair of pants. I can't really button my pants now without my fat rolling over the top :D Anways, the pants look just like regular pants, they don't go all up your belly like some maternity pants do and they don't have a button. They just have like a 2" elastic waist which was too tight but the rest of the pant fit really well, so I cut the elastic out of the pocket material and sewed an extra piece of elastic to it and sewed it back inside the pocket of the pants. It worked very well actually! That's what I did for $12.99 pants from Ross.

Will post more later...