Family birthdates, and why I think I'll give birth within the week of my due date.

I have realized a most interesting phenomenon within my immediate family and grandparents. We were all (with two exceptions) born within the dates of the 20th-27th, in various months.

My immediate family:

January 27 - Paul

March 20 - Christina

April 22 - Dad

May 25 - Cassie

June 26 - Mom

July 24 - Me & Camille (Yes, we share a birthday! Oldest and youngest, born 20 years apart.)

September 11 - Tommy: the odd one out?

September 20 - Sam

Grandparents:

June 3 - Father's mother: another odd one out?

June 24 - Mother's mother (now deceased)

December 24 - Father's father

December 27 - Mother's father

William's birthday is October 22nd.

My due date is August 24th, which falls in the middle of the date variations... I have 4 days prior and 3 days after in which I must have my baby in order to fall into this pattern. Sounds good to me! Only time will tell if I'm psycho or psychic.

Stretch mark update: I now have 3... still inside my belly button. I hope this doesn't mean my stomach will turn into a spiderweb/sunburst radiating from my belly button. Either way, I'm going to have William apply designs in henna to my stomach (and hands, and feet, and...) the minute I get noticeable marks. I do use a very good cream that has been proven to prevent and reduces scars, but considering that I've already gotten stretch marks on my legs from not being pregnant, and my mother's stomach, it seems rather unlikely that I'll escape unscathed.

I am feeling pretty decent at the moment :] William is jumping at the chance for us to go out, but we'll see if I'm awake enough in an hour or two! I did have a bit of serious morning sickness, complete with vomit, a few days ago. Rather unpleasant, I thought that would be over with by now.

Oh, and I am fairly certain I have felt the baby move at times within the past few days!!! I really think it's a boy. Sometime within the past week I dreamt of a baby boy with a lot of soft dark baby hair. William and my mother are also very much convinced that there is a baby boy developing inside of me as well... and my mother has never been wrong about her own children. Let's see if that extends to grandchildren. I'm absolutely happy with either sex though, this feeling has nothing to do with any preferences.

+1

[picture!]

14 weeks 4 days

Cue: stretch marks & nosebleeds

I have ONE new one... and of course, it is inside my belly button. Where I haven't been applying skinergy cream. How superb. I've been reading all these horror stories about women who end up with a kind of.. not... belly button afterward, and I'm really scared that my formerly completely inoffensive belly button will become a lot less so. Permanently. 

My nose has also been bleeding all night, luckily it's so dry in here it just dries up inside instead of actually coming out of my nose (TMI...?). I suspect the only thing I can do about that is carry tissues with me at all times, because I am not about to bleed all over the very few clothes that fit me now. 

I feel like a lot of other people can still squeeze into their clothes at this point, but since I started out tiny (5'2, 112-5 lbs, size 0.. if I was lucky, and the clothing company didn't decide to pretend a 0 really meant a size 4+, which they all do nowadays to make more money because people will think they can buy smaller sizes)... proportionally, my stomach is A LOT bigger. As in, if the gap between my pants button is now, say, 4 inches, that is a much larger percentage of my "waist" measurement than that of most people. So, pants don't work, except for one pair that is low-rise (which I can wear if I undo the top button and wear a thick belt), and one or two that are stretchy enough that I can wear unzipped/buttoned - but only with a dress over top. Most of my shirts DEFINITELY don't work - the seams are popping :[ I do happen to have a few really loose, large, and/or empire waist dresses, but I realized yesterday that I am in serious danger of wearing the same thing every few days.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'd much rather get bigger now than suddenly get huge in the third trimester with the maze of stretch marks to prove it. I'm just letting my stomach stretch gently... kind of. My mother always told me I wouldn't start showing until at least 5 months, because she didn't and a lot of people who are having their first child don't - LIES! I consider it showing when a stranger asks me when I'm due - and that happened over a week ago.

Oh, and I did mean to post pictures.

10 weeks 4 days

13 weeks 1 day - As you can see, my stomach got MUCH bigger in 2.5 weeks.

Also 13 weeks 1 day: This is specifically for Kathleen, who thought I was pushing my stomach out in the last picture. NOT SO! I was just leaning back. Standing up straight actually makes my stomach look much bigger >.<