Weekly Menu Plan

Sunday - Vegetable beef soup in the slow cooker. Probably something like this, although I doubt I'll follow that recipe exactly. But I know it'll have tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes in it because I love all of those in soup. And it'll definitely have chunks of beef rather than ground beef because I vastly prefer it that way. Unless it's chili, in which case ground is the way to go as far as I'm concerned. I also plan to serve it with homemade bread, because, well, YUMMM!

Monday - Red beans and rice. L has been craving it. Although truthfully, we could have it every other week and he'd probably still be craving it. This is absolutely one of his favorite meals.

Tuesday - Farmhouse chicken. I'll modify it to our tastes, but I'll start with that version.

Wednesday - Homemade pizza. I hope to make the crust Sunday and then freeze it, thawing it out again Wednesday. Both to save time on Wednesday, and to give it a try and see how it works. For future reference and thinking ahead to possibly start stocking my freezer for after the baby arrives.

Thursday - Black bean quesadillas since they got pushed off the menu last week.

Friday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Week Twenty-Two

Slight vomiting issue Sunday night, brought about by me coughing enough to trigger my gag reflex. So much fun. L even commented "I just don't understand how coughing makes you throw up." Me neither, not really anyway, but whether or not I understand it, it happens.

Lots of movement this week, and by "lots" I mean occasional flutters and thumps and flips throughout the day. Nothing too strong, or for too long at any one time, but several times a day he lets me know he's in there and moving around. And that continues to thrill me beyond words.

I've actually had a fair amount of pain most of the week - enough so I spent a lot of time wondering if I should call the doctor or if it was just normal. So far I've assumed it's normal stuff and not called, but I do have a habit of not calling the doctor when I probably should. You'd think with 3 sisters-in-law who are nurses I'd feel like I could call one of them up and ask their thoughts, but I don't really have that kind of relationship with any of them.

I had a prenatal massage this afternoon however, so right now I'm feeling fantastic. It was just wonderful and I'd like to figure out a way to get there every week. That would require some super creative budgeting (such as eliminating our grocery budget entirely or something along those lines) so I think I'll have to go a little less frequently. I should be able to manage a couple more times between now & delivery and that will be great.

The highlight of the week (well, besides the massage which was a highlight for me personally of course) was that L felt him move last night for the first time! Only once, but still. He's been trying for a couple of weeks, hoping the baby will cooperate. He (the baby) is generally pretty active when I first lie down in bed at night, so L always comes with me and puts his hand on my belly hoping to feel some movements. Until last night, even if I was feeling things L couldn't, and I think he was feeling left out.

My Morning

subtitled: Why I Didn't Get To Work Early

This morning, thanks to my shrink-sized bladder, I woke up a little over an hour before my alarm was set to ring. Which got me out of bed about an hour and a half early, since there was no hitting the snooze on my need to hit the bathroom.

I thought that might mean I could do some additional Bible reading/study/prayer etc, and possibly even get to work a little earlier.

My first mistake was getting on the computer and not immediately getting off it. I do check email every morning, to make sure nothing major has happened, and most importantly to be certain that I didn't get a library book due notice. They're emailed to me, and I can go and try to renew online, and if the book(s) won't renew, I just bring them along with me to drop in the library box on my way to work. And yes, I have that many library books checked out at once that I rely on their system to keep track of when items are due and email me. Much simpler and safer than using my brainpower.

30 minute+ later I finally made it downstairs to get breakfast and continue with the rest of my morning routine. I have no idea where those minutes went. Google Reader? A couple of moments on Twitter, but it didn't take me long to write my brief tweet. I didn't read emails for long. Really, the time just evaporated.

But, I got back into the swing of things with breakfast and tea and devotional and Bible reading. Then I spent a little time tidying up the dining room table and a couple of things in the kitchen. Still doing ok with time. And I'm dressed for work, although I still need to put on makeup (I got in the habit of holding off on that until I knew that breakfast would stay in place; I got tired of having to reapply mascara after extreme vomiting would bring me to tears).

Upstairs to put on makeup and brush my hair. That's when I really notice that my shirt just is. not. working. It's riding up weird and is showing every bump and bulge, and with the ill-fitting pants and bella band that are holding the pants up, there are a lot of strange bulges. Back to the closet, to change the shirt, and after much debating with myself grab a different shirt that's looser and more concealing of my middle section. And yet, not concealing enough. Still with the weirdness and I realize that the pants are just not going to be a good option - I can't fasten them, and the bella band isn't completely hiding that fact. Plus they're really not comfortable and are going to make me fuss with them all day and who needs that?

Back to the closet, to change my pants. Not a lot of options anymore, but I grab a pair that are probably somewhat questionable as to whether or not HR would approve (they're a very dark denim-looking trouser; HR forbids blue jeans; would they consider these blue jeans? I'm risking it). More dithering about do I really want to deal with any potential flack. Decide yes, I don't care what anyone might say. My pant options are too limited and it's these or a pair that would have to be dug out of the dirty clothes hamper.

Back downstairs where I'll need to finish packing my lunch and drink the last of my tea. And maybe read the Bible a tiny bit more, because I think I don't have time to focus on another chapter in that book on prayer I'm working through.

Before all that, another bathroom visit (see above, shrink-sized bladder). While washing my hands afterwards, notice a splotch of .... something ... on my light blue shirt. I think I've spilled tea perhaps. Grab a cloth and try to wash it out. Not sure if it's working. End up with a huge damp spot on my shirt. In an awkward spot and I certainly don't want to risk it not drying clean and unnoticeable. So back upstairs to change shirts. Again. Try a dark brown one this time, figuring I could spill anything on it other than powdered sugar and it'll hide.

Notice that my socks look rather strange with my new outfit. Change them. And find a different pair of shoes too, because again, the original shoes were to go with the original outfit.

L keeps shaking his head at my wardrobe issues.

Back downstairs. My extra time has all vanished. I wonder where it could have gone?

Lunch is packed. Tea has all been drunk (very carefully; don't want any more spills). Purse and bag are ready. Out the door and into the car.

As I drive down the street, I have a flash of fear - do I have my cell phone? Maybe not absolutely essential, but after my car issues last week I do not want to be without it. I know I had it when I left my computer this morning, but it's not in the pocket it lives in while in my purse. Check the main purse pocket. It's not there, so I circle the block and return home. Grab L's phone and use it to call mine. Go upstairs to listen for ringing. Walk around downstairs listening for it. L questions if it's in my purse. Decide to humor him and go back outside where I left my purse in the car. Hear it ringing from the bottom of my purse.

Back inside and yell upstairs that I found the phone, and I'm leaving for real this time. Gloss over where exactly I found the phone.

Out to my car. Can't turn the key in the ignition because of a charming little quirk that my car has. If I park the car without the steering wheel being fairly straight, the wheel locks up and then the key won't turn. To fix this, the wheel has to be straightened, which takes a fair amount of upper body strength. A few minutes of attempts later, I concede that my upper body strength is nonexistent in the morning, and go inside to ask L to assist.

Wait for him to finish getting his stuff ready for work, and then he comes outside to help me. Sits down, asks what I need again, and immediately turns the wheel so that it starts. He questioned that it needed anything at all, while I claimed that it was just his hugely strong self that made it look so easy.

Back into the drivers seat. Check - no warning lights on - filled up yesterday so I won't run out of gas - have my lunch - have my purse - have my phone - have my calendar - have my employee badge so I can get inside - yes, I think I might finally be ready to leave.

Pull out of the driveway right at my newly usual time. All the while feeling like I've put in a full days worth of work already and I should be able to just go back inside and sit on the couch.

Lent

I'm not Catholic or Anglican or even Lutheran. I grew up knowing virtually nothing about Lent, and remember hearing about it for the first time when my mom said something fairly scornful of people giving things up for it. Apparently she had a friend while growing up who in January would start a habit that she didn't really care about so she could give it up for Lent and not have it "hurt." From this my mom decided that the whole idea of Lent was ridiculous.

And I didn't think anything more about it until a few years ago, when I got curious about many things religious. I've turned away from so much I was taught growing up (which is a good thing; I grew up in a very weird religious group) and so I am slowly reading and studying about many things that were before all lumped together as "wrong/sinful/misguided/whatever it was that church thought"

The more I read about it the more it resonated with me - the idea of 40 days of dying to self, symbolized by something of my choosing. It could be as meaningful or meaningless as I made it, in other words, as in so much of life, I'd get out of it what I put into it. So to speak.

So in 2007 I gave up leisure reading. If you had any idea of my love for and habit of reading you'd know what a big deal this was. This also included reading blogs and internet sites. My only exceptions were for real-life friends blogs (and at that time I think I had two). I said "leisure reading" because I still read the Bible, and devotional materials. I also read some religious biographies, so it's not that I quit reading, it's that I focused my reading time onto spiritual material only. It was very beneficial, but I don't want to just get in the habit of doing the same thing.

In 2008 I don't even remember what I tried to give up - I know it was food-related. Maybe eating after 8:00? No sweets at the computer? I don't really remember because while I succeeded in following it, it really wasn't that beneficial, not like 2007 was. There was no significant impact on my spiritual life, either short- or long-term.

So, for 2009. What to do? I don't want to do leisure reading again, in large part because I know that this is one of the last seasons of my life for awhile where I'll have as much time for it, and I'm appreciating it so much. I watch very little TV and virtually no movies, so those are bad choices - so simple as to be meaningless.

Something food-related seems like not the wisest choice. Last year I almost chose giving up sodas, since I knew it'd be difficult enough to be beneficial for me. But this year I'm virtually soda-free ever since getting that positive pregnancy test, so it's no longer such a big deal. Last year I also considered following the Catholic Lenten Fasting Regulations, but I've had such food issues with the pregnancy I sort of hate to try and put anything additional on me related to that - I'm not sure any possible spiritual benefit would outweigh what I can see as real drawbacks.

What will I do?  Well, not that long ago I listed to a podcast sermon on praying with God for one hour. It spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting, and I've decided to try their suggestion. One hour a week. Not split up into small chunks of time. One hour. It still seems doable to me because it's not one hour a day, which would be such a huge jump in my current meagre prayer life that I'm not sure I'd sustain it long. But one day a week? I can manage that, but it's still significant enough that I think it will have an obvious impact in my life and routine. I've found a few resources online about praying one hour, including one from the church that gave the sermon that inspired me.

Because I don't want to only have Lent be about something that I do one day a week, I'm also going to add 30 minutes a day of Bible study on prayer. I'm not sure that I could do anything else right now for my spiritual growth that would have more impact than to strengthen myself as a woman of prayer.

Some sites on Lent:
Praying Through Lent
Lent I especially like his six tips at the end, especially #1 - what is holding me back from being the Christian I want to be?

And anyone would is willing to pray for me to be diligent about sticking with this plan, I would appreciate it!

Thankful Tuesday

• My vomit-free streak continues. Ok, so I had to start over after Sunday night, but still. That's over 24 hours of a new streak, and I am looking on the bright side.
  
  
• Car issues last week are all resolved. Fairly inexpensive too; certainly less expensively that we originally feared.
  
  
• Cadbury creme eggs are back in stores. Oohhhh, yeah.

Making My Home A Haven

It's been awhile since I even had the energy to think about this, but I'm obviously feeling at least well enough now to think I can get the house looking better, so I'm going to try and get back into the habit of focusing Mondays on making my home a haven.

The most amazingly effective trick I've discovered over the past couple of weeks is really only amazing in it's obviousness. Work first. What I mean by that is I only have so much energy. I need to spend it wisely, and pick the highest priority things and do them whenever I have any energy. Later, if I have more, I can do more.

In practice, where this has been most useful is on Saturdays. I never used to like to do lots of housework on the weekend, preferring to do as much as possible during the week, leaving Saturday open for fun stuff or running errands with L, etc. (I never really considered running errands with L to be work in the same way, so that didn't bother me). Sundays were always held open from that sort of thing; not a legalistic Sabbath, but trying to make the day special.

But now, I don't have anywhere near enough energy to accomplish much when I get home from work during the week. I've got to be more productive on Saturdays. And the best way for me to be productive is to not allow myself to get sidetracked by more fun stuff, but to concentrate on doing what needs to be done.

I know, it's an obvious thing, and people who are more naturally organized and all that are probably shaking their heads at my ignorance that this kind of thing makes a difference. But it's not just the time spent on other things that seems to cause the issue for me - if I sit down for an hour to read, I'm that much less likely to do anything more productive even after the hour is up. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to put me into a different mindset, and it's hard to get out of it and focus on what needs to be done.

So I've been not allowing myself to pick up a book until Saturday evening (or late afternoon at least) when I've gotten done what I need to for the day. I do briefly check email that morning, but don't spend lots of time on the internet either.

Someday perhaps I'd have the self-discipline to not have to be so strict with myself, but for now, this is what I'm needing to do to ensure that I keep up with what has to be done.

*Checking my blog archives, I see that the last Homemaking post for me was just before leaving town in October. It was right after returning from that trip that I got the positive pregnancy test result, so it's not just my imagination that it's been awhile, but I guess I do have an understandable reason for it.

Memory Verse

Psalm 40:8, English Standard Version

I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

Weekly Menu Plan

Sunday - Pot roast in the crock pot. Specific version still to be determined, but it will involve carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Monday - Black bean soup - one of our favorites. Saute an onion, add some garlic, then chicken broth, cans of black beans (rinsed & drained), some diced tomatoes, SALSA & lots of it, and corn. Serve with shredded cheese and/or sour cream and additional salsa.

Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/whatever we can scrounge.

Wednesday - Spaghetti. Because I've been craving it. I'm completely lazy with it - jarred sauce over angel hair. L loves it when I make sauce with ground beef, but I actually prefer just the jarred sauce (the natural or organic versions because they don't have all the sugar & other stuff of the regular versions). So usually I alternate, and this time it's my turn for my favorite. Actually, we may have some of his preferred sauce in the freezer, which is the best of all - we each get it the way we like it best.

Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.

Friday - If we need something, then the cheesy potato skillet dish or grilled cheese or cheese quesadillas. Lately though we haven't needed anything on Friday for varying reasons, so I'm not really going to plan anything.

Week Twenty-One

Nothing quite so exciting to report this week as last, and no big changes either. The baby is still moving around, but too faintly for anyone other than me to feel (although there were two kicks one night that I think would have been strong enough, if L had had his hand on my stomach right then).

This is the first week that I've noticed I've gotten a few long, possibly questioning looks at my belly from people. I think they're wondering, but it's not to the point where anyone with any sense would go ahead and ask me if I am.

What am I saying? There was big news this week: IT WAS COMPLETELY VOMIT-FREE!!! It's been just over a week actually; I threw up on Thursday the 12th, and haven't since. I'm still being very very careful with when, what, and how much I eat, but I'm doing so much better. Tuesday was actually a bad day where I felt like I was about to throw up most of the day, but I didn't, so that definitely counts for something.

I'm still waiting for the supposed second-trimester energy surge, because my stamina is still much lower than normal (although, yes, it is higher than it was weeks 5 - 10 or so). Yesterday I was fairly exhausted at the end of the work week (despite the fact that I didn't actually work all 5 days). I left work and would have been home close to 4:30 if traffic had been the usual Friday afternoon level. Instead, my car wouldn't start - dead battery even though it was just purchased in November? who knows - and after a few attempts to jump start it, phone calls to my husband, debating calling AAA, etc. etc, I finally caved and called a coworker who lives near me more or less, and he gave me a ride home. He works later than I do though so I wasn't home until after 6 and that extra hour and a half just about finished me off for the evening. Dinner was cereal, followed by ice cream, and all I did was move between couch and chair and finally to bed. I can tell I'm more hormonal than normal now, because I was fighting back tears when my car wouldn't start. I would never normally get teary over something like that.

Other changes I've noticed in myself include leg cramps, especially as I'm either trying to fall asleep, or am already asleep. Heartburn, although it's not anywhere near as bad as some stories I've heard, shortness of breath - I have to be careful as I walk to & from the garage at work or I'll exhaust myself and have to pause and rest and try to catch my breath again. And of course the apparently shrinking bladder which means I have to visit the bathroom constantly throughout the day and night. Oh, and fabulous backaches, which I'm really really hoping the massage I'm scheduled to get Friday will ease.

I think that last paragraph makes it sound like I'm completely miserable, and I'm not. I'm actually doing ok, and feeling him move is so wonderful that really, who cares about the rest. I'm just acknowledging that those are some pregnancy symptoms with which I'm familiar.

And one finale nice thing about pregnancy: the slightest whim for a food item is treated by L and my friends as a full-on pregnancy craving and while they may not rush out to indulge me in it, they're at least not judging in at all. Why of course I need a hot-fudge sundae right now! Who wouldn't? Sure we can go out and have steak for lunch!

It's awesome.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

• I would really like it if someone would make me this apple cake. It's got apples, so that makes it healthy, right? It's not even a difficult cake, but grating the apples is more work than I feel able to manage. Plus the whole clean-up thing. L's a great guy, but kitchen cleanup is done on his own schedule. Which usually means the weekend, and I hate seeing dirty dishes out for that long, so I always have to wash them before then. Maybe I'll have the energy to make it tomorrow night, because I could probably ignore the dishes until Saturday morning, and he might do them then.
  
  
• I'm not the least bit hungry, but I'm craving Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. I love that cereal, preservatives and other non-ideal ingredients and all.
  
  
• I also love regular Cap'n Crunch. The advantage with the Peanut Butter version is L doesn't like it, so a box lasts longer than 2 days.
  
  
• I do not love Choco Crunch. I pretty much hate all chocolate breakfast items, which seems odd considering how much I love chocolate generally.
  
  
• I had to buy a new mouse the other day (computer mouse of course; I don't buy the other kind). I found a red one and it makes me happy whenever I see it. I was so happy it was the same price as the boring black/grey/white ones so I didn't have to debate whether the color was worth the extra cost. But no, I'm not sure why it pleases me so much to have it be in red. It also pleases me that the price was much less than their website shows. (And why the website doesn't show it in red I don't know.)
  
  
• I always have great ideas for blog posts when I'm at work. By the time I'm home I can't remember them or think of anything to write. Either I need to start writing them down or emailing them to myself, or concede that maybe they're not that great anyway, and it's just that they seem that way in retrospect. Of course it might also have something to do with the fact that nowadays when I get home I'm TIRED and want nothing more than to crash on the couch; certainly not attempt to string words together in coherent fashion.
  
  
• Hence the bulleted lists. I can maybe manage that. Paragraphs of text that all tie together in an intelligible way? Not so easy.
  
  
• I actually tried to buy some clothes yesterday. It was a completely unsuccessful effort, though I hope to have more luck this weekend.
  
  
• I finished a book yesterday that really really bothered me. It was just a poor book, and I'm annoyed at myself for finishing it and wasting my reading time on something that was so worthless. It wasn't uplifting, it wasn't edifying, it wasn't educational, and it wasn't entertaining. Generally I like my reading to hit on at least one of those categories. I've got to get pickier on what I'll read as my reading time will be drastically curtailed in the near future. I want to use it well! This review really gets at my issues with it, and I wish I hadn't bothere. I'm probably done with the series.
  
  
• If I held this off to Friday I would probably try to justify including it in Jen's Seven Quick Takes. It doesn't seem worthy of that however. I'd have to lump the Cap'n Crunch comments all together though.

Thankful Tuesday

• The baby is definitely letting me know he's doing well. Lots of movement lately.
  
  
• I have a massage scheduled for next week. I can hardly wait!
  
  
• Got a nice deal on a recent frivolous purchase; $10 instead of the $25 I thought it would be. Sweet! That's another $15 I can spend another day.
  
  
• My mom has confirmed that she'll come for a visit after the baby arrives. That will be a big help.

Weekly Menu Plan

Sunday - Layered enchilada casserole in the slow cooker. It's a new recipe, but it's from Taste of Home so I'm pretty confident that we'll like it.
Update: we loved it with lots of salsa and sour cream. It was very easy to make and tasted great. Lots of leftovers too!

Monday - Colcannon soup. That isn't the recipe I'll be using, but it's awfully close.

Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Wednesday - Reuben mac & cheese. The other week when I was sick I watched her make it and it just sounded so good that I knew I'd have to make it soon. I sure hope it lives up to what my taste buds dreamt of that afternoon.

Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.

Friday - Cheesy potato skillet with mixed vegetables. Yup, the stuff I made last week. It was super quick and easy, and more than tasty enough to want it again.

Week Twenty

Obviously the big news this week was the revealing ultrasound. And just the enjoyment of watching him move around and learning that he looks fine and everything about the pregnancy looks good.

Weight update: Success? I'm down only 1 pound since week sixteen. And that's after almost 5 days of regular non-pregnancy-related illness that left me not eating much at all, so really, excluding that week where I had the what felt like the plague, I'm sure I would have gained weight.

Honestly, I have never once before in my life had any issue with gaining weight. This is beyond bizarre.

I've been feeling the baby move a LOT more this week which is completely awesome. And I feel like the last two weeks have definitely included a significant "pop" in the size of my stomach. There's no doubt now. Well, ok, there still is plenty of doubt when I'm wearing my winter coat, but as long as I'm not wrapped up in a big coat it's obvious.

As a joke I've been calling him Giuseppe. Because I think that name is great but would be an odd choice for us. So it's fun to use it for him until he arrives and we reveal the real name. We also have been tossing around completely ridiculous options to be silly, and telling them to L's brother just because his responses are so funny.

Introducing...

Yes, it's a boy! We are so excited. The first grandson & even great-grandson for L's family. We can't wait to meet him in June (or July or whenever he shows up!)

Still Not Telling

Because I'm waiting until I have get some pics ready to add. But as soon as I get them ready I'll be sharing the news.

The Most Exciting Wednesday Ever

Well, maybe I exaggerate a tiny bit.

But still! Today! This afternoon! An ultrasound that will hopefully show us if I'm going to have to start randomly mentioning how much I hate pink in an effort to minimize the amount of that color that will be entering my life, or if it's blue all the way. Because yes, I fully expect most of the family at the very least to go full-out with traditional gender colors. Which is why I might have to figure out how to not very subtly emphasize that yellow and green and lavender sure are pretty and yet still feminine.

I'm still recovering from the year I spent in college in a PINK!!!! dorm. Everything was pink. EVERYTHING. Pepto pink no less. So hideous. It's left me scarred for life apparently.

Anyway, back to the baby stuff. As much as I'm looking forward to hopefully finding out, I'm also just looking forward to seeing the baby on the ultrasound. Last time, I hadn't realized just how amazing that would be - watching the baby wriggle around - we could have sat there for hours. This time, I know that we should see the baby move more and that thrills me.

So, as we prepare to go to the ultrasound, anyone want to make a guess as to what we'll be expecting in June?

Thankful Tuesday

• That we're over our dreadful colds. Being able to breathe is a good thing.
  
  
• That I'm doing so much better with the nausea and vomiting. Although it is still definitely not over yet, demonstrated by the fact that I threw up while driving home from work yesterday. Yes, in the car. While driving. No time to pull over. But! It was probably the best location of my whole commute (other than my neighborhood) for it to happen; not on the interstate, not on the other really busy road I drive most of the way. It was a small side street I take briefly to get to the busy road. It could have been so much worse than it was. That reminds me though that I need to restock the napkins I keep in the car for spills... I kinda used them all.
  
  
• That I'm finally getting some energy back so I can hopefully get my house back in some sort of order. Eventually anyway, it'll take a little while. Yesterday I opened all the backlog of mail and made a stack of the items I need to actually do something with. Today I'll work on doing something with that stack.
  
  
• That I had so much PTO stockpiled and have been able to use it as needed. I didn't expect to use so much of it the first half of the pregnancy, but at least it was available. And I should still be ok for the rest of the pregnancy, barring anything major.
  
  
• That despite all of the above, the pregnancy itself seems to be doing fine and we're still anticipating a healthy baby in the summer. I don't take it for granted.

Weekly Menu Plan

Maybe, possibly, I'm going to be able to start planning menus again. At least I don't gag at the thought which is progress.

Monday - Sausage & lentil casserole. It's a new-to-me recipe.

Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Wednesday - Cheesy potato skillet with mixed vegetables. Another new-to-me recipe.

Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.

Friday - Black bean quesadillas. Our old standby.

I know, a seemingly ridiculously simple plan for the week. But considering that it's been months since I cooked 4 times in one week (yes, I'm counting this past Sunday night when I cooked beef stroganoff & mashed potatoes), this is definitely an improvement. And I'd rather start small and slowly get back into it than try too much and not succeed at all.

Week Nineteen

As I mentioned in my general update, I've still not been doing all that well. At my week 16 doctor's visit I found out that I'd lost another 10 pounds, putting me down 17 pounds in 8 weeks. Not so good. The doctor emphasized that she'd really like me to gain some weight before my next appointment. Me too doc, me too, because I think that would coincide with decreased vomiting and the ability to eat more than 4 or 5 bites at a time. Both of which would be very much appreciated.

Sometime around week 17 I did notice an overall improvement; I would go stretches of time without feeling queasy and managed to go 4 days in between vomiting sessions a couple of times. And, I no longer had to be QUITE so careful about getting breakfast within the first few minutes of getting out of bed.

I do have to be extremely careful about the amount I eat still; I can manage more than just the few bites it was earlier, but portion sizes are still much smaller than normal, and if I eat even a bite or two too much, it all comes back up. So basically I have to quit eating while I'm still a little bit hungry because I can't really tell for sure what will be too much and it's a risk I don't want to take. After an hour or so I'll feel safe enough to have a tiny snack if I think I can keep it down, so I've been doing a lot of grazing.

My week 20 doctor's visit is this week and I fully expect to hear that I've gained weight - I know that generally I'm doing much better and think I've managed to graze my way into enough calories to have moved the scale the other way. The doctor's visit this week includes a ultrasound where we hope the little one cooperates and has widely spread legs so we can see what we're having! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much that we'll know for sure since I know that there's no guarantee that they'll be able to tell. I'll post pictures once I get them scanned (no promises on how quickly that will happen).

I am showing a bit now though, even having lost weight - it shifted from other areas and I've changed from my usual pear shape to an apple which just makes me laugh - I definitely don't recognize my body! I'm still wearing my regular clothes but they do fit differently. I'm pretty sure I'll need to buy some pants this week. I expected to need to last week, but with the bad cold, most of my week was all spent in pajamas/yoga pants/sweat pants which still fit. Once I go back to work this week I think I'll need something. I was hoping to feel well enough today to try and buy some things, but I think I'm better off resting some more. I'll probably be stopping somewhere on the way home from work tomorrow to see what's available.

I've been feeling the baby move (at least I'm assuming that's what I'm feeling) - I thought I felt something one day, then nothing for a week, and then then it started up again. So that's exciting. And if that really is what I'm feeling, then the baby is very active today - much more so than any other day so far. I think L is really looking forward to when he'll be able to feel the baby kick - it's definitely not to that point yet.

I'm also just starting to realize how much we'd like to get done before the baby arrives and how quickly that time will disappear. June is no longer sounding quite so far away! I still can't believe that I'm at the halfway point.

Update

No, I haven't disappeared entirely or given up on blogging. I've just been sick/recovering from being sick/trying to accomplish more pressing things that got ignored when I was sick or recovering. January was a rough month. Lots of vomiting still and exhaustion and even pain which kind of freaked me out at times. Until I read about round ligament pain and realized that it was normal. Unpleasant, but normal.

I think maybe I'm finally feeling better.

Which is kind of funny in a way because I'm still recovering from a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad... cold. (even though I use the phrase I didn't really like the book. I still love the phrase). I missed 3 days of work last week, and have spent most of the weekend still crashed on the couch, although I did occasionally manage to switch rooms.

My diet has been bad since last Tuesday as both L & I have been ill so we've been scrounging whatever we can find easily and that doesn't require much effort other than opening or pouring. Fortunately we had plenty of milk since we've both had at least one bowl of cereal a day, and usually two. Vegetables have been pretty lacking, although I did have a little fruit most days. I managed to open a huge can of peaches and have been working my way through them. Poor baby, I hope it's getting enough nutrients from the fortified cereal and multivitamin.

In some ways the worst part of this sickness (besides worrying about how the baby was doing) was the fact that it quickly turned into a chest cold with all the coughing that usually includes. And unfortunately coughing usually led to me throwing up. Even if my stomach wasn't upset at all; the big coughs triggered enough of a gag reflex that almost immediately had me vomiting. So that was lots of fun.

We're both doing better today, and think that we'll both have recovered enough to get back to work on Monday.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly, and plan to resume pregnancy updates.