Is this for real?

Here begins the chronicling of a lifelong journey- motherhood, beginning with the pregnancy of my first child.  I don't know yet what this blog will come to be, but I expect it to change as much as I do with time.  It will be a place to mark milestones and celebrate many firsts.  

Today's milestone: I told my entire team at work that I'm pregnant today.  The teaching assistants already knew-- not only is it harder to hide things from people who see you all day, every day, but they needed to know why I might be suddenly sprinting to the bathroom mid-teaching.  It was important that I tell the rest of the team (including occupational and speech therapists) so we can switch out whenever necessary, hopefully avoiding any punches, kicks, or headbutts to the stomach.  The team I work with is great, and everyone is really excited for me and very understanding.

I posted a photo of my little belly at 11 weeks (1 week ago).  It looks like I just had a big meal, but it was taken before breakfast- so it's all baby!  Or, more accurately, the stuff that goes with a baby, but I won't get into those details.  At 11 weeks, the baby is only the size of a large strawberry.  Now that I'm at 12 weeks (today is 12 weeks, 1 day, to be exact), the baby is the size of a lime.  

The lime comparison was a real milestone for us since the previous weeks' comparisons were all pretty weak- we had a couple weeks in a row of kumquat and fig, neither of which Tyler recognized as being real fruits.  But a lime?  That's a real fruit.  I still find myself trying to convince myself that this is actually happening, that I'm really pregnant, that there's really a little baby growing in my stomach.  

Tomorrow will be another first: hearing the baby's heartbeat at my appointment.  I'm thinking that will make everything feel pretty real, even if only for a few minutes.