13 Weeks 5 days

This weekend was a GREAT one!!! Two of my greatest friends from Texas, Lisa and Lorrie, came to visit. They got here Friday evening and left today around 10:30. We had such a great time sitting around visiting, catching up, and of course laughing!!! I don't think I have laughed that hard in a very long time!!! It reminded me so much of "old" times.

Lisa, Me and Lorrie

First of all, Lorrie brought a few gifts for "Baby Girl Hood" (as she likes to call the baby) including the most precious little outfit that is white with pink flowers on it and little islet trim and also a pack of pink blankets and a pack of pink gowns. See a trend? She along with the rest of the world thinks we are having a girl. I kid you not, not one person I know thinks we are having a boy!!! Anyway, yesterday we got up before 7:00 and sat around chatting for at least 3 hours. We then decided it was time to get ourselves ready and go to IHOP - something I have been craving for quiet sometime now. Breakfast food is one of those things that is just really appetizing to me in my pregnant state and since Shane is not an IHOP fan, I figured my girlfriends would not mind going with me, which of course they did not. Now the rest of this story has varying versions, but I can assure you, my version of this story is the most accurate!!! Now, two of my favorite items on their menu is the Big Bacon Omelet - which they now have a new name for - and of course, chocolate chip pancakes. Before arriving to IHOP, I was having a hard time deciding what the heck I was going to get. Luckily, I had forgotten that 3 buttermilk pancakes come with the omelet and that you can upgrade your pancakes to the Chocolate Chip Pancakes for a small fee. YES!!!! WOO HOO!!! I was beside myself - I could hardly wait for the food to arrive!!! Two of the things I have been craving were coming in my direction!!!! So the food arrived, and can I tell you it was better than I could have imagined. They had a ton of whipped cream on the chocolate chip pancakes and the omelet was perfect!! So I ate, and ate, and ate. Now, let me stop right here and say that there were only 3 pancakes on that plate, and it was NOT a platter that the omelet was served on, just an oblong plate. There was food left over when I decided to push myself away from the plate, I would estimate about a 1/3 of the pancakes and maybe a little less than 1/4 of the omelet. So as I said earlier, anything you hear otherwise, might be a little fictitious!!! After that outing, the girls decided that the five pounds I have gained may not be baby, but more so the amount of food that has been ingested.

So after having the best breakfast ever, I took the girls on a tour of Tuscaloosa, just mainly to show them the campus and where I work. Then we headed to Birmingham to go shopping. I purchased a pair of shoes, a maternity top and two pair of maternity shorts. (I never thought I would have to buy maternity shorts, but last weekend Shane and I went to the ball field to watch some of his kids play and of course it was hot, so I was going to wear shorts. Well, as I stood in out bedroom trying on multiple pairs of shorts, muttering and making all sorts of grunting noises, I heard Shane in the living room just a chuckling. I thought he was laughing at something on TV, but when I questioned what was so funny, he said listening to me! Needless to say, I did find one pair that fit, but not for long. So I am now the proud owner of a pair of maternity shorts!!) We had a great day and topped if off with a great dinner at Carabbas. I must be honest and say that even though it was 8:30 or so when we ate, I was still full from breakfast!!! I am so grateful that my friends came to visit, and look forward to another visit from them in the near future!!!

Now as I said earlier, my clothes were trying to tell me that I was growing, and I can see it a little, but I figured I would ask Lisa and Lorrie their opinion. So I lifted up my shirt and gave them a front view and Lisa seemed a little undecided. So then I turned to the side and Lisa said "Uh...YEA!" (Like I have I lost my mind - how obvious!!!) As I pointed out the "thickness" I felt she said, "Yea, I really haven't ever seen you like that." Ahh, you gotta love having good, honest girlfriends!!! ; ) So, after verification from Lisa that I am definitely showing, I decided to go ahead a make a small collage showing the very first picture Shane took of me the day we found out I was pregnant (4 weeks), along with my 13 week picture.

First Trimester Changes