6 Months or 24 Weeks

I really am confused by the whole months/weeks thing with pregnancy. Obviously pregnancy is technically 10 months...but when you think about it, there are two months a year that are 5 weeks long, thus making pregnancy 9 1/2 months. Oh so confusing. So, I never really know what to say to people when they ask me how far along I am! Actually, come to think about it, not many people ask. None of the customers at work know, and since I wear an apron all day long, you can't tell too much. Maybe eventually they will notice.

The pregnancy itself is going quite well. My belly seems to be growing every day and thankfully I have yet to gain an alarming amount of weight. The baby kicks every day and it is getting more and more frequent. Yesterday it was so hard, I was convinced it was trying to punch its way out! Ian was finally able to feel the kicking on Sunday. I have been trying for weeks for him to feel it and he finally did, so that was exciting. My belly button has become very shallow. And, my belly button ring is now about a centimeter above my belly button! I figure I will leave it in until it gets uncomfortable. A new "line" has appeared on my skin from my belly button down. I am not sure what causes this line, but it is rather funny/odd. So far I haven't had any crazy cravings. The only real changes to my diet are I no longer eat chicken (its all slimy and gross before its cooked!) and I now eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day...I used to think this was the most disgusting sandwich on the planet! Other than that, my eating has remained the same. I would actually say that I eat healthier than I did before...probably because I am thinking of the growing thing inside me and want to make wise choices about feeding it. For the most part, I am still stretching into my normal clothes, though many of them don't fit me anymore! But, the stretchier ones do, so that is what I am wearing. I have broken down and started to wear my maternity jeans and let me tell you, those things are comfortable! But for work, I am still being ghetto and wearing unbuttoned pants that only zip halfway up! I wear a belt to hide the zipper and my long work shirts hide the unbuttoned top. Come to think of it, I have actually grown out of all my original work tops. But, I did the cheap option there and ordered Starbucks polos from work in mens sizes. They work great and at only 5 pounds each, they are quite the bargain!

I am starting to get antsy and wanting to buy things for the baby. We said we would start buying stuff in August, so I guess that is really only two more weeks that I have to wait! Given that everything is so freaking expensive, we will be spreading out the purchases over August - October, hopefully helping us not go broke! I also set up an Amazon wish list for baby, more so I can keep track of things I want/need for baby than for people to buy things for us. We are really planning on only buying the things we need in the beginning and adding on the other stuff as we need it. This will help with space in our little abode and also will help with the cost.

Believe it or not, I actually start my maternity leave in 8 1/2 weeks! At that point I will be 33 weeks (and I actually am using the last of my holiday for the year, then starting my maternity leave, so it technically doesn't start for a week after that). Over here, I will get 39 weeks paid maternity leave. The first 8 weeks are full pay, then the following 31 weeks are an amount set by the government. Everyone gets the same amount, regardless of how much you make. It isn't a lot of money, but it is more than nothing. And that means, I wouldn't even be set to go back to work until the end of June...kind of crazy! But I have plans...some random plans to keep me busy before the baby is born. Just wait, in time you will know of these plans!