At 6 weeks, in early January, I had an early scan, "just to be sure everything was where it was supposed to be". At 10 weeks, the day before I flew to MN, I had my first full doctor's appointment and another scan- in 4 weeks things had gone from a ball with a movement that was the heartbeat to something recognizable as a baby!
The timing was great, as I was able to tell all my family and friends in MN the good news in person. Margo and I had an elaborate plan to tell my mom at the airport via Freya, but unfortunately my flight was really early, and the glitter on Freya's t-shirt didn't dry in time. She wore it later on though!
We're not going to find out the gender of the baby, so I stocked up on lots of yellow and green baby clothes- everything is so much cheaper in the States, so I took advantage of the shopping opportunity. I also received wonderful gifts and hand-me-downs from friends and family. Here's what the haul looked like when I got back to Ireland!
A couple of days after I got back to Ireland, at 13 weeks, I had a first trimester screening (a bit late because of being away in MN). Baby was stubborn and kept his or her back turned the whole time, but the results were all very good.
I've been very lucky to be feeling pretty good- a couple instances of queasiness, but nothing too bad. I was extremely tired at first, but am feeling much more energized now and have started doing a lot more walking. I think the worst thing so far was getting a bad cold and cough while I was in MN and not really being able to take anything for it. I will never take cough syrup for granted again!
I have promised friends and family back in MN that I will be better at keeping this updated during the pregnancy and especially after baby arrives- so stay tuned!
