So as it turns out, I really, really am not good at blogging on a schedule. I feel like it's on my to-do list or something and lately I just see it as a chore that should be done...and I don't like chores. But I do like to write and keep updating this, so from now on I will just check in and write as I feel like it. Some weeks I may not write at all, while others I will post in a few times, depending on what's going on that week.
So right now I am halfway through eleven weeks. Just a couple more to go before we can stop keeping this pregnancy a big secret! That is surely exciting. I know some people choose to tell the world after 12 weeks but just to be on the safe side I want to wait til the end of week 13. We have another doctor's appointment coming up next Friday too, so I just want to make sure all is well in there before our entire family and all our friends find out.
A bunch of friends found out the other day, actually...at a bachelorette party I planned and attended. Obviously as I mentioned in a previous post it was a dead giveaway with the absence of me guzzling down beers as I normally would at one of these things. It was probably a little confusing because I look like I have been working on my beer belly a little more than normal, haha. I asked everyone there to keep it a secret, which I'm sure most will and a few wont, but that's fine. At this point we are almost in the safe zone and can hopefully breathe a big sigh of relief once I get to the 2nd trimester. C'mon September 8th, get here already!
Never before have I wanted for fall to come so bad. I mean, I love, loooooooove the fall, it's my favorite season. But this year it's different being pregnant. With the fall this year will come the second trimester, which everyone says is typically easier than the first for most women. The humidity will be down, the mosquitoes that have taken over our yard from all the rain and heat will be dead, and the temperature will be just right. And I'm REALLY hoping my energy will reappear. Oh, and the thought of me sporting a cute little baby bump underneath cozy over sized sweaters is just such a nice mental image. I picture myself strolling around in the fresh crisp air with my boots crunching through the dead leaves on the sidewalks, sipping hot cider and feeling oh-so-mother-earthly. I'd make a good mother earth, huh? Here's hoping.
As far as how I'm feeling these days, it's kind of hit or miss. Some days I'm feeling great and not even like I'm pregnant, and others I just drag myself around, waiting for the end of the day to come. That sounds really depressing but it's kind of true. Work is hard. Being a massage therapist, I'm on my feet all day long at work and sometimes don't get to rest for 4 to 5 hours. I am a bit nervous as to how massaging is going to go once I get really big, but I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I know other LMTs who have worked up until the day they went into labor, and on the opposite end, some who have had to get pulled out of work months before their maternity leave was supposed to start. I'm kind of aiming for things to go as planned - work up until the week or two before baby comes. But we all know how that goes. Life usually has other plans. If I have to go out of work early we will just have to figure things out and in the meantime save as much money as we can. Money - booooooooooooooo - I hate you.
Other current symptoms and factoids to share so far:
- Spandex waistbands are amazing.
- The baby is the size of a small lemon or large lime.
- Heartburn can be caused from eating or drinking anything.
- The baby now has fingers, toes, and even (soft) nails, just to name a few new things.
- It's nearly impossible to sleep on my side all night.
- It's nearly impossible to sleep through the night, period anymore.
- Prenatal massages done side-lying are AMAZING.
- My uterus is about the size of a grapefruit.
- My #1 craving is fruit.
- My #1 food aversion is meat (with the exception of cold cuts, which I'm not supposed to have, of course)
- I have gained 3-ish pounds.
- My skin is breaking out like I'm going through puberty all over again.
- Cramping is still going on.
- Those who smelt it dealt it, k?
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| 11 Weeks |
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| FrogBaby |
Well, I clearly suck at pregnancy blogging. I missed two weeks - shit. I wish I had a solid explanation that excused my tardiness but I really don't. Or maybe I do. I'm fricken pregnant okay, cut me some slack!
With that said, I can definitely say that the past few weeks have been, interesting at the very least. I've had no motivation to do anything around the house, let alone sit at the computer and blog or whatever. All I pretty much have wanted to do is get through my workdays, come home, eat, watch Breaking Bad, and pass out. There you have it folks...pregnancy is tiring. Lucky for me though, this week I have THREE whole days off, so there is much more time for sleeping in, relaxing, cleaning the house, and blogging.
So. Want to know my number one pregnancy symptom? Wretchedness. Sheer, awful nasty like I-didn't know-I-was crabbiness. Poor Cody. Wait, poor me!
The mood swings started early on and have pretty much stayed at a consistent "PMS-On-Steroids" mode. Of course there have been great parts of my days where I find joy in regular activities and laugh and feel normal...but I've been noticeably angrier at anything life can possibly throw my way. From road rage to snapping at anyone who says something remotely unacceptable to me, to breaking down in near tears from just stubbing my toe. I feel so on edge most of the time, it's just not really like me. I want the old me back. Someone please tell me this gets better, because I have a long way to go (thirty weeks, but whose counting??).
On a good note, by now I think it's safe to say that the dreaded morning sickness has skipped me, because luckily I haven't really felt anything yet. Well, once on my way to work recently I got a little twinge of nausea but I couldn't explain why it happened, and it went away within minutes. My mom never had any, so maybe what they say about this kind of stuff running in families is true. But then, again, my mother actually told me last night that she felt ecstatic during all of her pregnancies and loved every second of them. Meh.
So while I'm currently shoveling pretzel crackers dipped in queso dip into my mouth (don't judge), I should touch on my appetite these days. It's pretty fantastic. Like I said with the absence of nausea, I can continue my normal food-loving ways, but I eat a lot more now. I feel like I need to keep snacking all day long in order to keep my stomach from getting too empty, which sends me into a weird antsy state that I really don't like. It's almost as if I can get a little shaky if I don't have something in my stomach. I have always been like that but it's much worse now that I'm pregnant. Must feed baby, all the time.
I'm trying to eat healthy but the thought of eating some foods like spinach, and steak (most meats actually), is gross. So I'm eating as healthy as possible while avoiding things that just don't sound good. Yesterday I ate chicken tenders and ice cream for lunch (again - no judgement please).
I always thought that since I'm quite the foodie and lover of weird food combinations (chips and milk, anyone?) that when I'd get pregnant someday my appetite would reflect that and I'd be still craving epicurean delights times a thousand. But no, no, no. For the most part, my palette has reverted back to one of a picky six year old's. I'm finding myself wanting grilled cheese, cereal, PB & J's, mac and cheese, and milk, tons of milk. In fact, one of the weirdest things I find myself doing almost every morning is waking up around five am and getting up for a glass of milk. I think it's because I'm hungry at that time, but it's much too early to eat (or wake up for that matter) and milk kind of satisfies my appetite til I get up. But really, milk? Before pregnancy I hated drinking milk. Now we are going through at least a gallon a week. So weird...
And the most exciting news -
Last week we had our first doctor's appointment and got to see the baby on a sonogram, and heard it's super-fast and thumping loud heartbeat! That was probably one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to experience in person, and it made me feel so much better immediately. He looked cozy and content in there, kind of like, "Oh hey guys, what's goin on out there? I'm just chillin."
Also the lady giving us our sonogram said everything looked great and oohed and awwed at the little thing over and over again. Getting to see and hear it made if feel so much more real. And I must say, it's a really cute little thing. Kind of looks like a frog in the picture, but on the screen in person I think I could see a teeny tiny human-looking thing in there. So, so cool.
(Oh, and our due date is March 15th, or the Ides Of March. I hope it's accurate, so our baby can say cool things like that)
After the sono, we had a long chat with the doctor who was on that day...he seems really nice and it was a pleasant surprise to find out how much time he was willing to spend with us answering any questions or concerns we had. For whatever reason I had this idea in my head that doctors are busy people who really don't feel like talking much or getting too personal with their patients. Glad that one was proven wrong last week. We are really looking forward to our next appointment in September, and all the other ones after that. I need an official person to make sure everything is going good in there. I find it hard to believe that there is really no way of knowing what's happening in my uterus. Why can't there just be a window, like an oven?
Just taking one day at a time and reading about how much the little thing (technically, this week that "thing" is also known as a fetus) is growing each day...it's just so amazing and unbelievable. I need to keep telling myself that my body is doing what it is made to do. It's the most comforting thought I've had so far, so works for me.
See you next week - I promise!!!!
