The Little Cowpoke

I have a pregnancy journal that my mom gave me. It goes week by week with various prompts to fill in. Makes it a bit easier to record the happenings of life. However, because it goes by weeks, there isn't a spot to record daily what is occurring. For instance, I started feeling the baby move last Monday.

I woke up in the middle of the night Sunday/Monday. I was laying on my back (I know, not supposed to do that) and felt a kind of pressure in my lower right abdomen. Or is it lower left? The side opposite my appendix. Anyway, not only did I feel pressure internally, but I felt a bulge there, externally. It freaked me out!! I almost woke up Earl. But I didn't. Instead I got up to use the restroom, which has become almost a nightly occurrence regardless of how much I drank before bed. When I got back to bed, the bulge was still there and I laid awake for awhile, tossing and turning. Eventually the bulge shifted, I was more comfortable and at ease, and I fell asleep again.

I am able to feel the baby moving around daily now. Sometimes it's just a pressure, other times it's sudden, almost like a kick. Either way, I am grateful for this experience.

The next big thing is that this Thursday I will have my second ultrasound to get a look at the baby's anatomy: heart, brain (I think), other internal organs, and if the baby cooperates, we will know if a little cowgirl or cowboy is coming our way.

People have asked me if I have a feeling, clue, inclination, etc. if the baby is a boy or a girl. I honestly couldn't say. I do have a couple of girl names picked out, but I cannot pick a boy's name. I'm drawing a complete blank. Earl thinks if it's a boy we should name him Godfrey.

I hope he's joking.

Regardless of the sex of the baby, I've decided to do a Western/country theme for the baby. You know, horses, cows, hats, boots, all that stuff. I haven't been able to draw a darn thing yet. Maybe now that I've got a bit more energy and quite a bit less stress at work, I can get the creative juices flowing again.

I have yet to take a "belly picture" and some of my friends are wanting to see it. I do have a belly starting, but sometimes it just looks like I'm a little squishy around the middle. So I'm a little self conscious, mainly because I'm at the in-between stage where my pre-baby clothes are just a little too snug but maternity shirts are just a little too big.

Regardless of how I feel, I know I need to take pictures because one day I will want to see them, and so will my child. So I guess I need to suck it up and do it!