Bumpy road

I've been extremely lucky throughout my first trimester with the lack of "morning" sickness, and the relative lack of problems (except of course for the exhaustion). However, I think that has started to catch up to me. The past 3 days - I have been nauseated, bloated, and just plain sick. Pregnancy sick... Not otherwise.

It has been miserable. I don't want to eat - because eating exacerbates the situation, but if I don't eat - I get sick. I didn't even go to class on Friday, because Thursday night I was so sick that Friday I was too wiped out to even consider leaving my couch. It ended up being a good thing I didn't go to class, because I had other issues going on that needed me to be close to a bathroom.

YUCK! This is the "no fun" part that I've been reading and hearing about. And although I know it is all worth it - Right now, I just want to find a way to fast forward past it. Unfortunately, I don't know when it's going to get better. I was supposed to be in the clear once I was in my second trimester. (However, one of my friends said that she was sick until the beginning of her 7th month, and What to Expect says that some women just are their entire pregnancies... yay)

I just have to keep Sprout in my mind. Every time I force myself, or - more accurately, Alex reminds me - to eat... I convince myself to do it by telling myself that Sprout needs me to. It makes it a little easier.

Okay - enough of my complaining for today. I actually debated whether or not to blog about this, because I'm wanting to rely on the "mom-nesia" that sets in post delivery to convince me to have our 2nd child at some point. I think I'll just vow now to not re-read this blog after Sprout is born. That way, I can naturally forget those things I am supposed to naturally forget.

- mama g

Squirmy litte one!

Today was our 2nd OB/GYN appointment. We also got another ultra sound today! It was so much fun!

Our little sprout is a squirmy little one! Sprout was moving all around and making it near impossible for the poor ultra sound tech to get a good shot. I will post the three pictures we got from today, but they really aren't very good. Sprout was just having a party in there, and refused to be still and say cheese!

The ultra sound also was the time for the nuchal translucency test which checks for chromosomal abnormalities (i.e. Down syndrome). The results were fantastic! The OB said things looked so great that the additional test (a blood test) that can accompany the nuchal translucency test wouldn't be necessary. (although he did offer to still do it if I wanted him to, but I really trust this doctor, and am happy with the odds we have, so I refused the test)

All other aspects of the check-up were great! My blood tests from last month came back in good shape, my corpus luteum cyst has gone away, and I have only gained 4 pounds.

It will be a longer stretch this time between ultra sounds... but, What to Expect says that I should start feeling movement in the next month or so, and I think that will help me give me a sense of everything being alright - when I can feel Sprout for myself.

Today was such an exciting day for our little family! I will post more as it becomes relevant. Keep checking back!

- mama g

Pluses and not-so pluses

I've been considering the pluses and minuses of finding out I was pregnant so early on. I think the definite pluses to the baby's overall health are fantastic. I got on my pre-natal vitamins early, quit the caffeine early, and was able to start closely monitoring my diet early. (For the record - I was already on a pre-natal vitamin pre-conception... But when I learned I was pregnant, I was given the prescription strength kind).

In the minus category, however, is the fact that I've been staring at a ticking clock for 7 1/2 weeks already... and I've got at least 28 more to go. It makes for a VERY LONG PREGNANCY.

Recommendations: for anybody who is riding the pregnancy train with me... Three books you must have - What to Expect When You're Expecting (of course. It is THE pregnancy bible. It tells you everything you need to know) Eating Well When You're Expecting (by the same people as what to expect... gives recipes, foods to avoid, and lots of tips on how to get your baby to full term healthfully) and The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy (discusses the various less-comfortable topics that pregnancy raises in a humorous non-confrontational format. This book is a must!)

For those of you who are hoping to become pregnant - I can't recommend enough Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I truly think that the tips in this book helped me conceive.

That's all I've got for today. I'm going to head to the kitchen and make some chicken enchiladas now.

For all of you keeping score at home - tomorrow is our next ultra sound appointment!!! Check back on Tuesday for new pics of little Sprout!!

-mama g

Excited & Other after midnight musings.

So between 11:55pm and 12:20am, I had to get up out of bed no less than THREE times to pee. By that point, I was pretty awake - and Alex, who has his first day at a new job tomorrow, was peacefully sleeping. So - I came out to the living room thinking I would read a little bit, and hopefully get back to sleepy soon.

Then the thought occurred to me how excited I am to have this space where I can share all of the wacky parts of this pregnancy with you! Since we moved here to work on our degrees, we don't live near family, and we live near a few friends, but certainly not all... And I know that several of you - from your emails and comments - like to hear about my crazy Oatmeal Creme Pie cravings, and my incessant potty breaks. And without this blog as a medium, I can't think of how you'd get to know about that. It's the minutae, the little things, the day in and day out "boring" stuff that don't get mentioned in casual conversation, but that I will post on here that make this more of a shared experience, and less of a long-distance "aquaintance" pregnancy. (as in: someone I know, who lives far away is pregnant and having the baby sometime in January. but that's all I know). Now, through the magic of the internet - you get to know when the doctor's appointments are, and you get to see the ultra sound pictures. And Alex and I get so much joy out of sharing these moments with you!

Anyway - all of that is to say, thank you for reading this blog and for participating in this exciting stage in our lives! We are so excited to be bringing little Sprout into this world full of people who already love him or her! And I am feeling most excited that we can share so much of that with you!

Believe it or not, it's 12:34am, and I have to pee again, so I'm going to sign off. If you've been thinking of investing in the stock market... Charmin would be a great bet. ;)

- mama g

e-l-e-v-e-n

Eleven weeks.

We are almost out of the first trimester.

I'm feeling less sluggish, and I'm thankful for that. I am going to the bathroom a lot more - but that makes sense since Sprout is now 2 inches long - two times bigger than two weeks ago. I'm guessing the pressure on my bladder is impressive.

Yesterday, Alex and I went swimming for some exercise. I don't want to overdo anything,
since I am still in the 1st trimester. I guess you could say I'm being overly cautious - but I'm comfortable with that. So - we got some little kickboards, and we swam a little bit in the lanes. Only for about 20 or 30 minutes - and certainly nothing strenuous... But it was fun, relaxing, and exercise all rolled into one.

Also - I found a prenatal yoga class that I am going to take when it starts at the end of July. It's called "Mamaste Yoga", how cute is that??? It's specifically for women in their 2nd and 3rd trimesters. So it will be perfect for me.

- mama g

Ten weeks

We are now ten weeks along. Just another 2 weeks before we're out of the danger zone and into a legitimate pregnancy.

I am not worried anymore, though. I feel like everything is going very well with this pregnancy - and I can see no reason why it won't keep going very well.

We have another ultra sound scheduled July 6th (coming up very soon!) and I'm excited to see Sprout's progress. I know it will be a huge difference from the first ultra sound - and seeing that growth in black and white helps justify how tired I've been.

Last weekend, I drove to Tulsa and then to Joplin for my niece's 1st birthday party. The drive to Tulsa (about 2 hours) has been effortless and boring for me most of my life. Now - it is a race to each rest stop so I can empty my poor overworked bladder. I used to make the whole trip without HAVING to stop - and if I did stop, I often would just get a drink or a snack, and get back on the road. Now - I stop at EVERY available rest stop. (And, on the turnpike - there are only 2, so it's really a tough drive for a pregnant woman)

I was also surprised at how tired I was during the drive. I hope this mythic 2nd trimester where I have all this energy - and I stop having to take bathroom breaks at least once an hour is all it's been advertised to be! Cause I could use the energy and the break from the bathroom breaks.

For now, I think I'll avoid the turnpike if possible and stick to less than 30 minutes in the car at a time.

Crave

I realized a couple of days ago that before I knew I was pregnant - I did have a ridiculously strong craving. I wanted grilled onions in mass quantity. What's funny about this is that I used to be a person who hated onions with a passion. I've only recently started to appreciate them. But for about 2 weeks when I was just dividing cells - I wanted as much grilled onion as I could handle (which was, I'm sad to say, an ungodly amount).

Fast forward to this week - I asked Alex what he supposed made a pregnancy craving different from "hmm... this sure sounds good". We agreed it must be the length of the craving + the strength of it.

So, folks... I have a recurring craving that I have indulged this week... OATMEAL CREME PIES!! I'm only allowing myself 1 each day so far. And so far, that has gotten the craving to subside for 24 hours. But I made the grave mistake of looking at the nutritional information on the package - and YIKE! Those things are horrible!! So - I decided to make some homemade oatmeal creme pies so I can have my treat - and not drown in saturated fats, preservatives, and refined carbohydrates.

Today and tomorrow, among the various and sundry other baked goods I'll be making in preparation for a big weekend spent with family, I am going to make my own oatmeal creme pies.

Oh, Sprout... Your friends are going to LOVE to come over to our house!!