Signs (5w1d)

I'm a fairly logical and practical person by nature. Optimistic, but pragmatic. But I like signs. I like believing that if I trust my instincts and look beyond the surface, I can find hints of things to come. Which is why I've been super aware of the signs around me since I learned I was pregnant.

The first sign, of course, was intuitively knowing I was pregnant only five days after I ovulated. I have not felt that way since the last pregnancy (last July), though we've had the past five months to try before the luck of the Irish made it happen last month. I told Jay that I was pretty sure I was pregnant before it was even possible to know. I also tested ridiculously early to confirm what I already knew (which just meant driving myself crazy for a couple of days because I wanted the pregnancy tests to match what I knew!).

The day after I found out I was pregnant, I noticed three blooms on my Christmas cactus. My Christmas cactus that did not bloom at all over the holidays. I'm taking three blooms as a sign of three healthy trimesters, not triplets! Also, the Christmas catcus was a gift from a forty-something (ex) friend who had a baby last November.

Of course, seeing babies everywhere is always a sign, right? Or it just means I'm looking for babies. I've seen far more girl babies than boy babies lately, too. I really have no preference either way, but we'll see.

On Jay's birthday last week, I found out a friend who is a few years younger than me is also pregnant. She is just a couple of weeks ahead of me and I think it would be awesome if we could share this experience. Definitely a sign, I think. I hope.

Today, I called another friend to see if she wanted to meet me for lunch. She was in Target at the time and when I told her my news over lunch, she told me she'd been in the baby department when I called.

I also found out a favorite writer acquaintance of mine is pregnant with her second child. She was so sweet and helpful after my miscarriage last year because she also has fibroids and dealt with complications in her first pregnancy. Now she's expecting her second baby and her due date is October 9-- exactly two months before mine.

Physically, I've actually had nausea this time, which everyone tells me is a good sign. It's tapered off the past two days, which I'm hoping isn't a bad sign. Of course, maybe I've just adjusted to my body's need to eat more often to avoid feeling sick. Time will tell.

Of course, I know all of these signs don't really mean anything except that I'm extremely hopeful and looking for signs. I had signs last time, too. I mean, what 40+ woman gets pregnant on a three day weekend rendezvous with her husband who is deployed for six months? I was certain that was a sign, but we all know how that turned out. So, I'll keep looking for signs and hoping for the best. That's all I can really do.