Goodbye, First Tri

Today I'm 13 weeks, 3 days - the middle date for when you're considered to be out of the first trimester.   Can you see the start of a belly?  I think I can, but then again, it could also be the Publix sub* and chips that I ate right before taking the picture.

I spent no time at all thinking about what it would like to be pregnant until it actually happened, which I blame this on infertility.  For two years, the only thing I was concentrated on was getting two lines to appear on a test.  Without any kind of knowledge base, the first trimester surprised me in a lot of ways.

For example:

People have been really, really shocked when I've told them I'm pregnant.  Shocked in the best way possible, I mean.  Some of my good friends from home cried when I told them.  It's been really fun sharing the news - a lot more fun than I anticipated.

My brother cried too, then told me that my days of wearing a bikini were over.   Immediately.  And if it's a girl, I'm forbidden from putting a chandelier in the nursery because they are "tacky" and "overdone."  Yes, he's in charge of decorating the nursery.  I expect to have limited input.  Just like my wedding.

What do y'all think?  A little much? ;-)

I thought that by the end of first trimester, I'd be out of all my regular clothes or at least into a belly band. But so far, most of my clothes fit just fine.  A couple of pairs of jeans are snug, so I simply don't wear them.  It's Summer in Orlando.  Who needs jeans?

I thought I'd be able to keep running through the first trimester.  That hasn't happened at all.  The second I found out I was pregnant, running felt all wrong.  The best way I can describe it is to say that it feels like someone is pushing me down all the time.  I am just now starting to be able to run a little bit, but it feels very slow and labored (ha ha.  pardon the pun).   I'm a little sad that running feels so terrible, but it's a small price to pay in the scheme of things.

I still don't like Babies R Us.  I bought a coworker's shower present in Babies R Us and could not wait to get out of there.  I am curious if that will change down the line.

I've gotten about a million pieces of unsolicited advice.  Some of my favorites:

"You can't have that Diet Coke."

"You can't eat deli meat."

"You aren't supposed to dance/run/work out like that.  Why are you even bothering? It won't stop the weight gain."

"You can't eat that brie/bleu cheese/goat cheese."

No more cheese for me??

"You're supposed to be resting. You need to take it easy."

All of these things are gross generalizations that have a truthful basis.  Pregnant women need to limit caffeine and there is inconclusive evidence about the effects of artificial sweeteners (for the record, I'm abstaining).  You should eat pasteurized cheese only, but most grocery stores only sell pasteurized cheese.  My doctor told me freshly sliced deli meat from Publix was fine and does not need to be steamed to minimize a listeria infection, but meat from a "sketchy" deli should be avoided.  Moderate exercise is fine if you worked out pre-pregnancy and of course, extra rest is a good thing.

I also learned that when you tell someone you're pregnant, their eyes automatically zero in on your stomach to see if there's a visible bump.  And I've already gotten plenty of comments on mine.

"Oh wow, your stomach is already getting bigger" - courtesy of my brother-in-law at 11 weeks.

"Well, you don't look like that anymore.  Definitely bigger now." - my dear husband, looking back at pictures I took of myself at six weeks.

"Are you sure you're that far along? You're so tiny." - every employee at our hotel in Mexico.*

*Umm, this may have been due to a translation error.  I assumed they were asking how many months along I was.  Then I realized were probably asking me how many months I had left.  Hey, I took French in high school, not Spanish.

What's your favorite piece of unsolicited advice (pregnancy or non-pregnancy related)?