Memory Verse

2 Timothy 2:15, English Standard Version

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth

Week Nine

Week Nine was very inconsistent.

I've thrown up two days (multiple times each day). Once I start vomiting, it seems like I can't stop until I'm dry heaving and almost in tears. But in between those moments, I've felt better than other weeks.

I'm still managing to eat almost anything, although a few items that normally I like or don't mind haven't tasted good to me. I don't know if that's pregnancy-related or just random weirdness, or maybe they weren't cooked as well as normal. I've also had a few weird cravings (ramen noodles for one. I haven't wanted them since college when I ate them way too much since they're so cheap, but I wanted them this week).

I may have also eaten an absurd number of cookies yesterday. What can I say, they were fantastically wonderful and I feel almost proud of myself that I didn't polish off the entire container. I'm glad I didn't because I'd be incredibly sad if they were all gone. I don't think I can convince my mom to send me another care package quite so soon.

We told the extended family this week (most of them at Thanksgiving, but some of them had guessed thanks to a sister-in-law's blabby facebook comment. I spent a bunch of Thanksgiving resting on L's cousin's bed, but in many ways I really appreciated the excuse to get away from the crowds and noise (extreme introvert here). And I used the pregnancy as an excuse as to why I needed to cut in line to get lunch. Although, in my defense, it was the absolute truth. I still need to eat ASAP when I'm hungry and not mess around and wait for another 20 people to get through the line before I can hit the turkey & mashed potatoes. So yes, I cut in line. Happily.

Still pretty exhausted, and my house reflects it. It is an absolute wreck, and I just don't care. We've got a houseguest coming on Monday, leaving Wednesday and I may or may not get the house looking even a smidge more respectable. I'd consider hiring a maid service if I didn't think that I'd have to pick up so much for them to clean that it's not even worth it.

I still fit into all my clothes quite easily, but the fact that any pressure on my belly is uncomfortable makes me spend most of my time with the top button on my pants undone, or if I'm wearing elastic-waist pants (such as my favorite yoga pants that I usually wear on the weekend or after work), I roll the waistband down once or twice so that it hits below the tender area. L laughs at me and says that's how he always likes to wear his pants.

And, some of my favorite sites:

Pregnancy.org has images from week nine Baby Center has a graphic showing what the baby (embryo) looks like. And with less pictures but more text, is Baby Center again and of course Amalah.

And, I found a cool day-by-day pregnancy calendar which I've had fun perusing.

Week Eight

As always, Pregnancy.org has images from week eight although they've done away with their direct links. Grrr. Baby Center has a graphic showing what the baby (embryo) looks like. And with less pictures but more text, is Baby Center again and of course Amalah.

For me? Week Eight wasn't too bad.

Which seems strange to say considering it was the first time that I threw up. And then threw up again. But it's only been the one day; other than that I was able to deal with the nausea. And I've had stretches of an hour or two here and there with no nausea whatsoever.

Food aversions seem to be not so bad either; last week I definitely had some strong preferences. This week, I still had preferences, but felt like I could handle seeing/thinking about other foods. My biggest food issue is that when I need to eat, I NEED TO EAT. NOW. IMMEDIATELY. I can't let my stomach get too empty or else I'm miserable.

Still have episodes of overwhelming tiredness, which I usually deal with by immediately sitting on the couch. Or possibly even lying down on the couch. If I'm at work, those episodes are handled by collapsing in my chair and staring blankly into space. No work is accomplished.

The doctor's visit was the highlight of the week, specifically the ultrasound. But telling the family was pretty great too. Everyone is very excited. I've still not told anyone at work besides two of my closest friends; I'm not sure how long I'll manage to hold out from telling there but I'm trying to wait until the 1st trimester is over at least.

One thing I've noticed is that I can't handle having pressure around my abdomen. As soon as I'm home I unbutton my pants, or put on elastic-waist pants which I then roll down so the band is around my hips not waist. I think I've gained about 2 pounds, and my clothes still fit ok, I just don't like feeling any sort of constriction around my middle.

I'm still having episodes of bre*st pain/tenderness, but I haven't noticed any change in size. This is good because I want to avoid dealing with buying new bras for as long as possible.

Thankful Tuesday

Somehow this was still saved as a draft instead of being published last week when I thought it was. Whoops.

• That work is being so flexible with me letting me work shorter days as I use comp time & stockpiled PTO to make up for my missing hours.
  
  
• That I had leftover beef "burgundy" in the freezer and it made an extremely tasty and easy meal last night. And by "easy" I mean that L handled all of it - reheating the beef and cooking egg noodles & broccoli to go along with it.
  
  
• That Monday night's meal success gave me ideas for additional weekend cooking I might attempt, for L to then easily manage weeknight meals. If that's all I'm trying to do on the weekend I can manage some cooking; it's trying to cook after working all day (or as all day as it gets lately, it's still a longish day after my commute) that I can't seem to manage.
  
  
• That I found two receipts L needed for work. Why this became my problem I'm not completely sure, but still, they're found and he can get reimbursed now. Combined, they were close to $200 so I definitely am glad I found them!

Milestones

• 11/18/08 First time morning sickness included vomiting rather than just overwhelming nausea. Followed moments later by the second time.
  
  
• 11/18/08 First time pregnancy hormones made me cry over something absurdly trivial.
  
  
• 11/17/08 First doctor's visit which confirms that yes, I really am pregnant and I didn't pee on a stick incorrectly.
  
  
• 11/17/08 First ultrasound which confirms that yes, we really are having a baby. As L put it, a human baby, not a sea monkey (although right now it might look more sea-monkeyish).
  
  
• 11/17/08 First time hearing the heartbeat. Just. Wow.
  
  
• 11/17/08 First time seeing the baby move. It's a wriggly little thing! Emphasis on little. And wriggly.

Week Seven

Pregnancy.org has images from week seven and Baby Center has a graphic showing what the baby (embryo) looks like. And with less pictures but more text, is Baby Center again and of course Amalah.

So how's it going? A few impressions of the week:

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I managed to almost throw up this morning while brushing my teeth. Because you know, brushing teeth is normally gag-inducing.

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I also almost threw up when I:

1. smelled the bathroom. Not that it's dirty or gross or anything, it just was still apparently a little much for me.
   
2. smelled the kitchen trash. Which does need to be emptied, but honestly, it's not that bad. I mean, it's certainly been worse.
   
3. stood up too quickly. Yeah, because that's so often a nausea-inducing move.

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My brain cells are not responding to my requests for information or real thought. I think they're busy thinking "donotpukedonotpukedonotpuke." Hence the limited updates here; I've got lots of drafts started but most of them tend to be one or two sentences. And those sentences don't always make sense.

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How on earth do women do it who have like, real jobs (as in, physically demanding) or lots of small children to take care of? Or all the other women of history who would either like to tell me to suck it up and quit being such a lazy whiner, because they had it much much harder. Or else perhaps they'd be kind and tell me to enjoy resting while I can.

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I really have to admit (and I'm only doing so because as far as I know my boss does not read this blog) that I have been just about useless at work recently. I get maybe 2 hours of work in a day; the rest is spent:

1. going back and forth to the bathroom because I have to pee seventy times just before lunch.
   
2. thinking about what I could possibly eat that won't make me wretch.
   
3. getting something to eat if I can think of something.
   
4. zoning out in front of the computer.
   
5. checking my email and answering any that don't require real thought or effort.
   
6. talking with friends about how tired I am.
   
7. staring at the clock wondering if it's too early for me to sneak out yet and go home.

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And hey! My first doctor's visit in next week and we are VERY excited about that.

Thanksgiving Menu

Barb recently posted her Thanksgiving menu, and it got me thinking about the Thanksgiving menu I grew up enjoying.

Since we usually eat around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, we'd always need something to munch on to tide us over from breakfast:

• veggie tray and dip, which includes:
  
  • broccoli
    
  • cauliflower
    
  • cherry or grape tomatoes
    
  • carrots
    
  • celery
    
  • mushrooms
    
  • green olives
    
  • black olives
• cheese ball & crackers

For the main course, it'd be:

• a huge turkey roasted in the oven (must specify since some of my in-laws get a smoked turkey and some deep-fry their turkey).
  
• mashed potatoes
  
• gravy
  
• Stove top stuffing (fixed outside the bird, so I guess technically it'd be dressing)
  
• green bean casserole, made with frozen beans not canned because my mom is picky. And some of the casserole would be made without the onion topping because her daughter is picky (that would be me).
  
• cranberry sauce. Straight from the can, but we're fancy and get the whole berry kind (and we don't actually serve it from the can, again, we're fancy and put it in a pretty dish.)
  
• rolls & butter
  
• sparkling cider
  
• wine

And then, the REAL attraction. Dessert. My mom loves her desserts and goes all out for Thanksgiving. There is usually more than one pie for each person. No, they don't all get eaten that day; that's what the rest of the weekend is for. Pie types might include:

• pumpkin (usually two)
  
• apple (usually Dutch apple)
  
• French silk (for my brothers)
  
• mince (for my father)
  
• blueberry or triple berry (for me)
  
• lemon meringue (for my grandmother when she was still alive, and now just for my brother)
  
• cherry (for my mom's favorite son-in-law, also known as the only son-in-law)
  
• Key lime

The Key lime pie, berry & cherry pie filling, and all of the pie crusts would come from the store; everything else was homemade.

Weekly Menu Plan

I have no idea how much we'll be able to follow this, but I'm going to try.

Saturday - I'm meeting some friends for lunch, so probably won't want much for dinner, so it'll be a clean-out-the-fridge night.

Sunday - Something in the crock pot though I haven't yet figured it out.

Monday - Southwestern corn & cheese soup.

Tuesday - Skillet meatloaf. I'll be teaching L how to make it. Wish us luck!

Wednesday - L gets to take me out to eat somewhere.

Thursday - Pizza, homemade if I have the energy, or else Papa Murphy's if I don't.

Friday - Scrounge whatever we can find.

Week Six

It can't be a surprise that I've been doing a LOT of reading since getting that positive test (or tests, since I couldn't believe the first one or two I took).

Even though most sites just repeat similar information, I still find it fascinating. Pregnancy.org has images from week six and Baby Center has a graphic showing what the baby (embryo) looks like.

Baby Center also has lots of info, as does ivillage, American Pregnancy, and Kids Health. And finally, Amalah's take on week six is fun.

My take on it? So far I'm just tired, but it feels like I should say it as TIRED, SO, SO, VERY TIRED. Driving home from work I pray the entire way that I will be alert because I feel like I could easily doze off. Not a good idea on the interstate. I come home from work and sit on the couch. I walk upstairs and need to rest for a few minutes after all that hard work. I haven't worked a full day at work for a week and a half; I come in much closer to 9 than the 7 arrival time that's normal, but I still leave shortly after 3 as if I'd gotten to work on time. It's just all I can manage for the moment.

Dinner over the last week or so has been nonexistent; I'm just too tired to deal with it and can't really face eating much anyway. Menu planning has gone out the window for the moment. I'm just trying to come up with a couple of things I can do or L can fix during the week. I've also done virtually nothing towards cleaning or organizing for awhile; keeping the kitchen clean is all I can manage; anything else is having to wait.

I've had a lot of queasiness, especially if I get too hungry, although when I get that way I don't really want to eat anything, but know that if I don't I'll throw up. I'm struggling to eat enough protein (a frequent issue for me, even before conceiving). About the only things I think I'm doing really well diet-wise is no caffeine and I'm drinking enough water I should float away. I have also almost tamed my sweet-tooth so I suppose that's something as well. I've also not had a soda since seeing those lines appear! I was down to drinking Dr. Pepper only on the weekend, but hadn't quite been able to ditch it altogether. Motivation is a wonderful thing.

I'm also not sleeping well. Most of my life I've had trouble falling asleep, but generally once I fall asleep I stay asleep. Since before even getting the positive test I've been tossing and turning all night, waking up multiple times. At first I blamed it on travel and not being in my bed, but I've been home for two weeks now and it's getting worse not better. I'm not having to go to the bathroom, I'm just waking up. It's annoying and not helping with the tiredness, but mostly it's just strange to me; I'm not used to not sleeping through the night!

I know I should be exercising, but please see above re: TIRED. It's not happening. I got a pregnancy exercise DVD from the library and some day if I have energy I'll give it a try. That day might be tomorrow, but it's not today.

None of the above should be read as a complaint; I am not trying to complain or whine, just recording how I'm doing. I am so delighted to be in this situation and I want to remember it all. Yes, even the tiredness aspect. Because at least I'm feeling that way for a great reason.

It's Coming...

BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes!

(and isn't the button fantastic?)

And YES, I'll be participating again. Last year was my first time decorating for Christmas and I am so glad I did. I'm already getting excited about putting the tree up again this year. I'm thinking of a change in color schemes for this year though; red and gold instead of the blue and silver we had last year.

I'll have to do some ornament shopping!

Thankful Tuesday

Brief, but I'm not sure what else really needs to be said right now.

• That after 33 months of trying, we're finally expecting.
  
  
• That other than extreme exhaustion, I'm doing well so far.

Election Day

Compassion International

It's already started, and just in case there is anyone out there who hasn't heard about it, I want to be sure and mention the Compassion International trip to the Dominican Republic that's going on right now. Several bloggers are visiting Compassion projects to heighten awareness of their programs there and elsewhere in the world (a previous trip went to Uganda).

For a little over a year I've been a Compassion donor. Instead of sponsoring an individual child like it seems most people do, I support one of their Child Survival Programs in Quito, Ecuador. At the time I signed up for it, I was struggling so much with infertility that I was especially motivated to support a program that focused on mothers and young children.

Today was their first day visiting project sites and meeting participants. If you'd like to sponsor a child from the Dominican Republic, visit Compassion's website. Or, you can partner with one of their Child Survival Programs, or just make a one-time donation.

Bloggers participating in the trip are:

Melanie from Big Mama
Jennifer from 5 Minutes for Mom
Mary from Owlhaven
Tim and his son Nick from Challies and Challies Jr
Marlboro Man and his daughters from The Pioneer Woman

and then there are the trip leaders:
Brian Seay
Shaun Groves
Keely Scott

So Blessed

Psalm 40: 1 ESV
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.

I Samuel 1:27 ESV
For this child I prayed,
and the LORD has granted me my petition
that I made to him.

We are shocked and amazed and so, so grateful.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us in the past, and we'd love your continued prayers - it's still very early and after all these years of trying, we're not taking anything for granted.

October Books

Joanne Dobson - The Maltese Manuscript

Karen Cushman - The Loud Silence of Francis Green

Alan Gordon - An Antic Disposition

Amanda Hesser - Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship

Stephenie Meyer - The Host

Tasha Alexander - A Poisoned Season

Ross King - Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

Wendy Kann - Casting with a Fragile Thread: A Story of Sisters and Africa

Julia Quinn - The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

Kate Ellis - The Bone Garden

Julia Spencer-Fleming - I Shall Not Want

Margaret Frazer - A Play of Dux Moraud

Karin Fossum - Black Seconds
(Liked the feel of the setting, but was disappointed that I so easily figured out the "mystery." I never try to solve the mystery, so when I can I feel like it's much too simple.)

Maureen Ash - Death of a Squire

Sara Bongiorni - A Year without "Made in China"
(Wanted to like this one, but only finished it because I was out and this was the only thing I had to read. I was wishing that I'd brought another book along so I could have put this one aside without finishing it).

Kathy Lynn Emerson - Face Down Below the Banqueting House

Sue Grafton - S is for Silence

Sandra Parshall - The Heat of the Moon

Madeleine L'Engle - Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage

Anna Apostolou - A Murder in Thebes

Haven Kimmel - Iodine
(Probably my biggest disappointment of the month - I love love love her nonfiction, but wasn't as fond of this one; maybe my hopes were too high?)

James H. Madison - Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys: An American Woman in World War II
(Really enjoyed this - I knew virtually nothing about Red Cross girls in WW2 before this and liked reading the story of one of the women who served oversees.)

Jennifer 8. Lee - The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
(maybe my favorite book of the month - it was GREAT!)

Janice Hudson - Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse

Anna Myers - Graveyard Girl

Jan Burke - Sweet Dreams, Irene

November!

November, which is the start of another NaBlPoMo. I'm not sure I'm up to trying it again, but I did find it useful last year so maybe I will give it another shot.

So, today I volunteered in the library as I usually do on the first Saturday of the month. Then L and I ran some errands and I spent the rest of the day and evening on the couch. We watched a lot of football interspersed with recorded TV.

At some point I'll need to try and come up with a menu for the week, but at best it'll be tomorrow morning before I tackle that.