the last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy, both in terms of the baby and life in general. my dad’s health took a rather drastic turn for the worse, so that, coupled with my own “take it easy” needs helped us decided not to take our trip to New York. As it turns out, all 3 of us (grandpa, baby, and me) are doing much better a week later.

me: the progesterone seems to be kicking in fairly strongly. i haven’t spotted in about 3 days (a record), and all the standard first-trimester symptoms have taken a step forward in strength. still no vomiting, which i say hooray too. my biggest smell aversion seems to be “boiling starch.” plain noodles or rice boiling in a pot sends the gag reflex up faster and stronger than anything. i think that the vanilla/dairy/egg bit may just be a similar smelling by-product of that. i’m also getting sensitive to spices and seasonings, but since i like flavorful food, it seems to be working out in my favor (except black pepper).

the baby: oh gosh, i can’t tell you how great it was to see it on the ultrasound on monday. so many fears and concerns were put to rest in a single “your baby looks lovely and healthy” moment. i know the picture looks like a blob, but during the actual scan, you could fairly easily make out arms and a head and especially the 161-bpm heart. it was beautiful.

our next visit is mid-april (week 10ish), to talk to the doc and stuff about me.