As many formerly pregnant women will acknowledge, it can be a bit strange being pregnant, and going through pregnancy, when you don’t visibly look, well, pregnant.

So far in my pregnancy, I’ve been pretty lucky. While the first three months weren’t exactly fun, they weren’t totally terrible either. And, to be honest, so many other things were happening in Pete’s and my lives at that point (like packing up our house in Oklahoma, traveling to Colorado, Minnesota, and Nevada) that at times I almost forgot I was pregnant. It wasn’t until someone would offer me an alcoholic beverage that I sobered up (pun intended) and remembered that my current drink of choice was an O’Doul’s and not a brandy old-fashioned or a glass of wine.

Now that we’re in Hawaii, and I’m 19 week pregnant, I’m finally starting to look it. My guess is within the next few weeks the little belly I’m sporting will look less like “I ate too much” and more like “I’m pregnant”.

Up until recently, I think Pete may have doubted that there was a little baby growing in there.

“You don’t LOOK pregnant,” he’d say. I hadn’t gained any weight until last week, although I’m wearing maternity clothes exclusively now. Even with a small baby belly, they are just more comfortable than trying to squeeze into regular bottoms. Luckily, my sister just gave birth to her son (and second child) last winter, and was looking to get rid of all of her maternity attire. I was the happy recipient! With her collection of cute clothes, and a few purchases of my own, I feel good about my wardrobe options for the next few months.

Overall, I’m feeling good, and at the last doctor’s appointment the baby’s heartbeat was strong and s/he was moving around a lot. We’re excited for our next appointment with the doctor to find out if we’re having a Boy Bier or a Girl Bier!