Dreams with the flying pigs

I'm 18 weeks pregnant today.

This whole process is filled with out-of-body experiences, such as having a very negative reaction to foods I'd normally like, nausea, random pains that I can't quite describe, etc.  That said, it's also filled with excitement and happiness about something that still feels very conceptual.  I'm looking forward to the next few months, and everything feeling more 'real.'

I also dream. All. The. Time.  Dreams about spaceships, pools of water, real people, strangers, sleeping, being awake, losing my job, etc.  But the spaceships (term used loosely - not sure what to call these aircraft) were the most interesting, because I had that dream multiple times over a couple of weeks.  Good stuff.

I've been very introspective lately, and have realized that Past Me assumed that Future Me would have lots to say when she was pregnant.  Unfortunately, that's just not the case.  I feel like I've been a lot quieter, more pensive, less talkative.  I'll talk with my husband, mom or friends about symptoms and baby products, but I don't really feel the need to express my feelings so much.

And speaking of Past Me, I recently remembered that I once thought that maybe I'd blog more when I was pregnant, and that I'd always use Tori Amos lyrics as my blog post titles.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  This is my first attempt.

Feeling a bit scattered, but I thought I'd at least get those thoughts down, as a milestone in my journey.

Here are some basics about the pregnancy and my symptoms:
 - Apparently, your average fetus is about the length of a bell pepper at 18 weeks (5.5 inches, crown-to-rump)
 - Our next OB appointment is on October 16th.
 - Our mid-term ultrasound appointment is on October 18th.
 - We should find out the baby's gender on the 18th, as well as whether the baby's major organs are developing as expected.  Fingers crossed!
 - I'm craving a lot of chocolate milk these days.  And apples.  I must need calcium and fiber.
 - I'm trying to drink a lot of water, and give up caffeine (again).  I get terrible headaches, about a day after I drink caffeine - these are very dramatic withdrawals, I imagine.

Lastly, I'm trying to get out and do things, while I've only got myself to account for.  Jesse and I went to see Looper a week ago (opening weekend).  We also drove to Reno to see the hot air balloon race, and strolled around Filoli with some good friends.  Most recently, Jesse and I drove to Bodie, CA to check out that awesome ghost town.  Even though I'm totally exhausted, and I want to bail on pretty much everything I plan on doing with my weekends, I realize that I have a very limited time to get some of these things done, before my life is much more complicated.  Focus.  Breathe.  Enjoy.