Baby Quack's Journey -- Week Five

So I decided to start writing a blog throughout my pregnancy. I'm sure 10 years from now she (and I'm calling her "she" because I have a gut feeling it's a she) won't really care about what it was like being inside her Mama's belly, but hey, I gotta do something to mark this journey, right?
Kent (my husband) and I found out we were pregnant on July 22, 2009, a Monday. We had been wanting to have a baby for a few months already, but nothing could have prepared us for that "Pregnant" signal on the stick test.
As soon as the hour glass stopped and the word appeared, Kent picked up the test, looked at it, turned bright red and with a laugh he stated, "Oh my God!" I thought he was joking at first, so I said, "Nahh, uhh!" like I didn't believe him. I picked up the test for myself and lo and behold, I was in fact pregnant. My jaw dropped and I brought my hand to my mouth and started laughing. I didn't know what to do! By this time, we were both laughing uncontrollably. It was kind of like one of those hysterical/nervous/holycrapwow kind of laughs. I kept repeating, "Okay. Okay. Okay." We were both pacing around the bathroom, trying to figure out how to tell our parents. Part of me wanted to faint, the other part wanted to jump around and cry tears of joy. After about five minutes of us spewing out nonsense words, we realized that this was it. Our brains went into overdrive. "We need to get better jobs. We need to make sure our medical costs are covered. We need to tell our parents, friends and family. What am I going to feel like? What is Kent going to feel like? I need to see if the medications I'm taking are okay. Or do I need to come off of them? Will I be able to come off of them? Have I done anything prior to today that may have affected the baby? Did I eat anything dangerous? Did I drink any alcohol? I didn't drink any did I? Kent and I don't drink anymore, but we had one glass of wine with some friends awhile ago. How long ago was that?" Of course I could keep typing, but I think you get the picture.
We agreed that we would take the rest of the night to let everything soak in, and we'd continue on our path of newfound parenthood tomorrow. Can you even call it parenthood yet? Is one with a baby on the way considered a parent? They should be, right? I mean, here I am with a life in my belly -- a life that my husband and I created -- so I should be called a parent!
The next morning, I nervously told my Mom and Dad. My Mom was here in Austin and my Dad was in Mcallen. Both of them were concerned that Kent and I were actually ready for a child, but they both seemed happy. Later on that day we told Kent's parents and brother. They were ecstatic! Kent's brother offered to give us his little boys' old baby stuff, so that will be incredibly helpful.
--My back hurts lying the way I am. I'm on my tummy on the bed, and the computer is in front of me.
As far as how I feel, I'm pretty fatigued and achy. We just started to move into a third-story apartment, and boy, walking up those stairs is awful! You would think I weighed 300 lbs by the way I'm huffing and puffing up those steps. Seriously. I'm so used to being spry, and now I just feel like a big blob. A friend of mine told me that she forced herself to exercise four times a week while pregnant, so I guess I'm just going to have to do that. There's an inviting pool right next to our building, so I suppose I can easily throw on my Ironman swimsuit (no, I wasn't in the Ironman triathalon, contrary to what many have thought, although you can think that if you'd like), hop in the pool and do a few hundred yards. I started swimming for exercise before I found out I had a little squirt inside of me, and I found it to be even more aerobic than running.
I'd like to think I'm not moody or sensitive but that would be outright silly of me. I know I have been extremely sensitive. Everything people say or do seems to bother me in some form, whether it hurts my feelings or pisses me off or just makes me want to gag, I've been reacting strongly to everything around me. Funny thing is, as much as I'm reacting negatively to some things, I'm also reacting very positively to others. The grass looks greener, sky looks bluer, air smells fresher...I guess just knowing that I have a little life inside of me -- beating heart and all -- makes me want to enjoy this world and the loved ones around me as much as possible. Life is so precious. It can be created in an instant and taken away just as quickly. Knowing that I now have the responsibility of caring for another one's life, of teaching that little human being how to be the best person he/she can be, of being a role model, it just makes me want to be a better person. I've never felt so full of ambition or desire. I want to be the best parent I know how to be. I want to provide for my child as much as I can, no matter how hard the road may be. Things are just...different now.
I can smell and taste so much more than I could before. I feel like Superwoman. Supposedly this happens so the mother won't eat anything rotten or harmful to the baby. Pretty cool, actually.
I can't wait till the baby becomes visible and I get a little tummy! Right now it doesn't really seem like I'm pregnant because my belly looks the same, but I still know I have a little apple seed in there. I've been reading about what goes on each week of pregnancy, and supposedly, the baby now is the size of an apple side. She has a teenie tiny heart that's now beating and a "neural tube" has formed that will give rise to her spinal cord, brain, etc.
--Here's the link to what's going on if you care to check it out: http://www.babycenter.com/303_5-weeks_1615693.bc
I'm getting really hungry now! I'm craving refried beans. MMM! More to come.