3 more days until Advent!

My advent star is shining in my window, I have hot chocolate and Ella Fitzgerald singing me christmas carols. Life is good in all the areas that matter. (At least I try to convince myself work doesn't matter, eventhough I have workoholic tendencies. But I'm in quick recovery, let me tell you).

Baby is growing, though I haven't felt her for a while. Last week and this past weekend she grew like crazy. Saturday morning I had a straining, strechy feeling in my uterus/abdomen all morning. I was thinking MY GOD, is THIS what it's going to feel like now that she's REALLY started growing? For 5 more months?

No one tell you these things. I don't know what I expected, and perhaps most women don't feel anything during their pregnancies. Perhaps I'm just the odd exception. But baby is here, and it's not going by unnoticed.

Sunday is first of Advent. Wifey has her yearly Thanksgivning-dinner on Saturday. We´re trying to make it more ours by inviting some of my friends too. Wifey's already off shopping turkey and cleaning our country house.

Then we´re off to December, with christmas concerts, Glögg-parties etc. Before we know it, we'll be heading back to the midwife for our second check-up. And then all the courses starts; profylax, baby care, rainbow parent group, visiting the hospital, nursing course etc.
It's a bit weird to wait until half the pregnancy is over, and then cram everything into the last 20 weeks.

Next week, week 18, would be the week for our routine ultrasound. Had we chosen to have one.
However, I read a bunch of research, pros and cons, made wifey read some too, and decided it is not for us.
I'm not a fanatic, I think ultrasound is great if you need it for medical reasons, I don't think it's going to kill my baby or impair it for life.
I just think the information you get from it is not anything we will find useful, and that it atleast will disturb baby and put her through stress, and some research suggest it's harmful.

I trust baby to be healthy, or my body to tell me otherwise. I nurture her with hot chocolate and christmas carols (still can't muster tea or coffee, though the smell doesn't make me want to barf any more). I love her with all my heart. Wifey sings to her, talks to her and hold her with her palm against my bump.
All will be fine. I feel stronger and calmer to have trusted my instinct to not have a routine ultrasound. To not let anxiety win.
Last time I trusted my instinct we ended up pregnant, without having my tubes flushed (another anxiety induced decision).

The nausea is almost all gone. The only foods I have difficulty eating is processed or artificial tasting food. Unfortunately this includes pre-natal vitamins. My body simply doesn't want them. I try to sneek them in from time to time, but don't stress out about it.

I think a turkey- dinner is just what the baby needs!