Just Another Wednesday!

It's been awhile since I just had a normal blog update about my daily routine.  Personally, when I read blogs that other people write, I like the ones that tell me more about their daily lives.  That is the most interesting part of blogs, in my opinion.

Today I woke up very early, at 4:55 AM.  This is fairly normal for me because my body usually gets me up at that time because staying in one position for too long while I'm asleep can be uncomfortable.  I am sleeping with 5 pillows at night to support myself, so once I've exhausted every toss and turn, I usually have to get up. 

My morning routine is pretty specific.  I get up, make a breakfast of lowfat fruit yogurt and bran cereal, eat that while I take my vitamins and check my Facebook.  I get into the shower and get ready at 5:45.  I am then ready to carpool with Arthur by about 6:45 every morning.  This morning was different because I wasn't feeling very well.

I told Arthur I didn't want to carpool today and I went back to sleep until he was getting ready to leave.  When he left, I got up and started to slowly get going.  Some days this just happens, and I have to be patient with myself if I can't keep up with the pace all of the time. 

I got to work a bit later, and all of the Maternity parking spots were taken.  As I was driving past the parking stalls for Maternity to check, there was a man, yes a MAN getting out of his car where he'd just parked in the last available stall.  I may or may not have glared at him and shook my head.  He just kept walking to the building.  I guess I can't judge him, maybe he has a good reason.  All I know is that if you're going to park in Maternity, then you should at least be a female.  :)

I went in to work and stayed busy the whole day until I left around 5.  I got home and checked the mail and I saw that my birthing gown was here!  My birthing gown is something I ordered to wear to the hospital to have my baby in.  There is something about the hospital gown that makes me feel like I'm sick, or a patient.  I don't want to feel that way, so I ordered something that is functional like a hospital gown, but still helps me feel like a woman.  It's brown with a blue tie.  The shoulders are Velcro so breastfeeding is easy.  The front unties so the back can be exposed if needed.  It's long enough that it covers my knees.  I tried it on and I'm so happy I got it!  It's going to be nice to have something comfortable to wear in the hospital that doesn't make me feel like I'm a patient in.  :)

 After I tried on my gown, I needed a nap.  Arthur came home at 7:30 and I was still napping.  He made dinner even though it was my night.  Arthur is a champion!  I appreciated not having to cook.

We watched America's Got Talent and a few other shows while we ate dinner.  My back was hurting so I took a quick bath and now I'm just getting my blogging wrapped up before we go to bed at 11.  That's a pretty normal day for me aside from the fact that I didn't carpool.  A little boring, maybe - but I know that my life will no longer be boring in 36ish days!  :)

Another update tomorrow!  :)
 

60th Post!

As promised last weekend, here is the update blog!  :)  Better late than never, I say! This is my 60th post!  How great is that?!  I'll try to make it amazing for you...

Things are going well, I'm feeling really good and I'm getting very excited about how close I am to Finn's arrival.  The time really does start to fly by after hitting the 20 week mark.  I think having that ultrasound when you're halfway really makes worrying about milestones a thing of the past. 

Pregnancy (and Trying to Conceive) is really just a very complicated and annoying waiting game.  Every month that Arthur and I were trying, I was constantly frustrated with how many things I had to wait for.  Waiting for my period to come, waiting for my ovulation date, waiting for my period to come again... so many things!  Then, when I was finally pregnant, I had more things to wait for.  Waiting for the day we would tell our family, waiting for our first doctor's appointment and hearing the heartbeat.  Waiting to find out the sex of the baby, and then waiting to confirm it at the first official ultrasound.  Waiting to hear if my baby was generally healthy enough at the 20 week ultrasound, and then waiting for the final countdown to labor and delivery.

Overall, I will say that the hardest part of pregnancy is definitely the first half.  Now that I'm almost halfway through the second half, I will say that the second half is so much better. 

I think my next entry will probably be more information about my Trying to Conceive story and the things I did to help myself be physically ready to get pregnant.  It's not so easy, the way that some people think.  Even though I had an easier time than most, I still have a story to tell.  Whether or not it can help someone is the question.  I will write it regardless, because I feel like having it documented will really help me if I ever want to share it with someone who is also struggling with the same things I did.  That will definitely be the next entry.

I also will need to do an entry about my birth plan and the classes Arthur and I have been taking.  I remember when I posted a previous entry here about me not knowing what path I was going to take with my pregnancy.  I am such a different person now, after going through these classes.  I would like to (selectively) share some of the information I've learned in hopes that I can help someone else the way that it has helped me.  All I will say for now is that my perspective and perception of the way I want my birth to go is totally different than what I ever expected.  I'm looking forward to sharing some of the neat things I've learned.

Pregnancy-wise, things are moving forward well.  I've had monthly doctor's appointments since my 20 week ultrasound.  I haven't told many people, but I figured it's ok to blog about it now that I'm not as concerned with it.  In my 20 week ultrasound, the tech found a cyst sitting behind my cervix.  The tech wasn't sure if it is on my ovary or not, but because she couldn't find my right ovary, she assumed that it is there.  It's a simple cyst, which means that it's a harmless fluid-filled cyst that can sometimes come with pregnancy.  It's supposed to shrink and be gone by the time you get to 20 weeks.  It hadn't shrunk enough to assure the tech that it wasn't a concern, because it was 8 centimeters, or the size of a baseball.  When I heard her say that, it scared me a bit.  But when we talked to the doctor, he reassured me it was ok, and normal. 

We got to go back at 24 weeks and will go back again this Friday for 28 weeks to check it again.  I say it's a blessing that I've had this simple cyst because I've been able to have more ultrasounds than normal, and getting to see Finn more is always a good thing.

Here are some pictures of Finn at our 24 week ultrasound.  You'll see a picture of his profile, his arm and his face.  I love the one of his face! 

I'll keep everyone updated after this appointment on whether or not the cyst has grown or shrunk.  At my last appointment, it was approximately the same size.  I'm not worried about it at all, because it causes me no pain or discomfort.  :)

Finn-wise, Arthur got me a present for Valentine's Day to get a 4D ultrasound in my 28th week.  He and I are going to go sometime this week so we can see Finn's face.  I'm really excited for that.  In addition to the doctor's ultrasound, I'm pretty sure that it's going to be an amazing week. 

I'm feeling movement all of the time now.  From the second I wake up to the second I'm falling asleep, Finn is moving around, kicking and getting the hiccups.  At first, the kicks were really deliberate, and usually right in my bladder.  Don't get me wrong, they have never been annoying... now that they're less rough, I'm appreciating them a lot more.  I can usually feel him turning or rolling from the top of my stomach to the bottom.  It's pretty cool.

Size-wise, I get a lot of comments from people that I'm not as big as they would expect.  Seeing that I'll be 7 months this coming Thursday, most people can't believe that I'm not "popping" yet.  I think it's because it's my first pregnancy, I'm a bit taller, and my sister says that it's because we carry boys higher.  Regardless, I refuse to worry about how big he is because every ultrasound has proven that he is growing fine and that he looks healthy.  My favorite comment yet from the ultrasound tech is that he is one of the most symmetrical babies she's ever seen.  Wow!  What a compliment!  :)

Arthur and I have registered at a couple of different places for our baby shower, at Target and Babies R Us.  We have a lot of clothes already and we also have everything we need for the nursery including his crib, his dresser, and my rocker.  We want to paint the walls and get some cute decals to decorate with.  We are waiting for Mike to move out of his room so we can start getting it ready.  Mike moves out the first week in May so it will give us a couple of months to get everything ready.  I can't wait!  (I will be sad that Mike's leaving, though...)  :(

Work is going really well for me, for the most part.  Feeling better has helped me feel more productive at work.  I have applied for another position, and I'm waiting to hear back about getting a second interview.  I do have good days and bad days, like everyone does, but the fact that we got a new building has been a fun mix up of every day.  Having to drive back and forth between the new building and the old building has been tough, but I know that it's not for much longer.  This will be the 3rd (and final) week that I will have to commute back and forth.  Once I can settle in, I think I'll feel a lot more normal.

Every day, I look forward to when I am going to get my time off for Finn's birth.  I have my sabbatical that my company gives me, that I've saved up after working for 5 years.  I didn't take it in the year I was eligible for it because I wanted to tack it onto the end of my maternity leave.  This should give me 16 weeks off, which equals out to be 4 months.  This makes me very happy.  I am sure I won't want to return to work, but giving myself 4 months to connect with Finn will be good.  I would love to be a stay at home mom, but I understand that I have a balance in life that I've chosen.  I believe that Arthur is the amazing person he is so I can feel ok with being a working mom.  Arthur does so much around the house and works hard at his full time job, so I can't feel like staying home is really the right thing to do for now.  Maybe someday, but not today.  :)

How far along:  27 Weeks, 3 Days
How much time left:  12 Weeks, 4 Days

Top two symptoms:  I had a bit of a foggy headache today, and I get that sometimes.  Other than that I guess I can say movement from Finn is a symptom, right?  :)

Favorite thing I ate today:  I craved chocolate today for the first time in awhile, which was kind of weird.  I did make myself some delicious mushroom risotto, which took me almost an hour to make.  I got the mix at Trader Joe's, it was absolutely delicious. 

Mood:  My mood most days is really good lately.  Occasionally I have a bad day, but today was a good day.  I was really productive and got a lot done.  Including this blog... :)

Worried about:  Since I started taking my birthing classes, I haven't worried too much about getting ready for Finn's arrival.  I'm actually really excited about the process! 

Excited for:  I'm excited for my baby showers coming up.  My team is throwing me one on May 2nd, and then I have one planned with my family in mid-May and then another one at the end of May in Boise with my mom's side.  Baby showers!  Yay!

Not Again...

Happy Monday!  Although, today was not too happy.  :(  I think I'm getting sick again.  I had a scratchy throat a bit over the weekend, and last night I woke up at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 AM with so much throat pain that I had to get up and take a Tylenol.

I also ate an orange and drank some water, hoping that it would help me go back to sleep.  I was able to fall back asleep around 4:15 or so, and then I had to wake up again at 5:30 to get ready for the day.  We are out of sugar, so I couldn't make my normal cup of Green Tea with Jasmine.  I still had the tea, but used honey instead.  I guess that's probably better for me anyway, and for my throat.  It just wasn't as sweet as I am used to.

At work, I was feeling pretty good, until around lunchtime.  My congestion is starting to get bad, which tells me this is another standard cold.  I can still breathe out of one nostril... for now.  I was able to leave a bit early today (around 1:00) and I came home and worked for the last few hours of my day.  I fell asleep around 3:30 and woke up when Arthur got home around 6:15.  I felt a bit better at that point.

I'm pretty worried about tomorrow because I have a lot of meetings, from 8AM to 6PM.  It's going to be a very busy day.  I hope I feel ok.  I can't really miss work right now because I don't have any more paid time off.  :(  I am going to try my hardest tonight to rest and not to push myself too hard tomorrow, if I can.

Ok, I have a question for all of the moms out there that have already had a baby.  I am worried about the pain of childbirth, and I struggle to understand how anyone can say "it's not that bad" when talking about their first.  Has anyone who reads my blog had a natural first time childbirth?  I know it's possible, because a lot of the women in my life who are older than me are very confident that it is completely possible with your first.  I have a few options that I am going to research more, such as hypnobirth.  Hypnobirth is a method that is used by midwives to help women mentally get through the process with no pain at all.  I watched a video on it on YouTube.  It seemed very interesting, and I'm willing to try it if I feel I can do it.

I'm open to your comments and suggestions, for a first time mom.  I'm interested to know how many of you had a natural childbirth for your first, and how many of you didn't.  If you didn't, please tell me how your baby reacted to the epidural, because I think that's a big concern.  If the baby comes out asleep, or not able to function, or dies from an epidural, I don't think I would be able to live with myself.  Please help...

How far along:  17 Weeks, 4 Days
How much time left:  22 Weeks, 3 Days

Top two symptoms:  Today because of my cold I had a headache and exhaustion.  I also have really bad congestion and a sore throat.  Not really pregnancy symptoms, but symptoms all the same.

Favorite thing I ate today:  I had my first pickle craving as a pregnant woman.  I ate 3 dill pickle spears.  They were so good!  But they didn't make me feel so good... :(  I'm still craving more.  Ugh!

Mood:  At work this morning, I felt really rushed and stressed.  After I was able to get through all of my meetings, I felt more calm.  I worried about getting sick and possibly missing work... and I can't do that.  I hope that I'm feeling better soon.  My mood when I'm sick is always awful, and I feel bad for Arthur because he has to deal with grumpy and pregnant me.

Worried about:  I worry about making the right decision for my baby with childbirth and managing the pain.  I know I've been through a ton in my short life when it comes to surgeries and handling pain.  I just don't know how I'm going to feel for my first birth and how strong I am going to be with getting through it all.  I know I shouldn't be scared, but I am.

Excited for:  The weekend.  Is that bad, since it's only Monday?  :)

Need to Get Moving!

Today is Sunday.  I have done practically nothing.  I've just finished up an hour long nap, and I'm about ready to get started on cleaning up.  I'm doing the kitchen today, and Arthur is doing the bathrooms.  He already cleaned the majority of the house this week when he put the Christmas away.

Yesterday and today I didn't do much of anything.  I relaxed and had naps, which was so nice after feeling so gross last week.  I am looking forward to a normal week next week.

I spent some time today looking up YouTube movies of people who were able to find out the sex of their baby at their 14 week ultrasound appointment.  I don't expect that I will be able to, but it's nice to hope, right?

I still want to go to the external ultrasound place so I can find out for sure at 15 weeks.  I just want to know if I'm having a boy or a girl!

Let's see... another thing I wanted to blog about was a friend of mine who is also trying for a baby.  She's gone through a lot in her quest to get pregnant.  We've been going through this journey together in a way.  Earlier in the year, she seemed to be more on track to get pregnant than me.  There were a few times that we both were sure she was pregnant, and so I was hopeful for her.  About 2 months before I got pregnant (I think) she wasn't ovulating and so she was worried about being able to get pregnant.  For those of you who don't know what that means, if you're not ovulating, then it means you're not having a period.

She was really worried, and so was I.  She went to the doctor and I think they pointed at a few things, possibly being on birth control for awhile and possibly PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome).  PCOS is when you have cysts in your ovaries and so it prevents you from ovulating.  The doctor was able to confirm that she did have cysts.  She went on a medication (I think it's Metformin) and it took away all of the cysts.  It is normally for people who are diabetic, or people who have insulin resistance... but it regulated her blood sugar and helped her get ready to start ovulating again.

Once she got the green light that her cysts had shrunk, she took Provera.  Provera brings on a false (or forced) period since she hadn't had one in so long.  After the jumpstart, she had one cycle that was weird,  after not having a period for so long.  Her second cycle, she ovulated!  The Metformin and Provera worked!  She is now 11 days past ovulation.  If you're pregnant, you can get a positive test starting around this time if you're body starts producing a lot of HCG.

For me, I had a positive test at 13 days past ovulation, but that was a personal choice because I was so nervous about getting a negative test.  I may have gotten one earlier if I had wanted to test sooner.

Anyways, we aren't sure if she's pregnant yet.  She knows her period hasn't come yet, which tells me that she may be pregnant.  She's had a few of the symptoms of pregnancy, like light cramping and exhaustion.  I want it so bad for her, so she can experience this.  It has completely changed my life.  It's like I was going down one road, and when I found out I was pregnant, I turned right and walked in a completely different direction.  Everything is different, and better.  Yes, I am sick a lot and may complain a lot on here, but the hope I feel is incredible.

The reason I talked about her is because I am really impressed by her story.  Even if she doesn't get pregnant this round, she is on her way to getting what she's always wanted and talked about for as long as I've known her.  I do wish I had someone else to come along on this journey with me that I was close with.  Even though I have friends and family members who have been pregnant before, it's different when it's someone who has wanted it as badly as I wanted it.

How far along:  13 Weeks, 3 Days
How much time left:  26 Weeks, 4 Days
 
Top two symptoms:  Today I have been really tired and been moving really slow.  Arthur says it's because I've been in bed most of the day.  Truth or not, I haven't had much energy today.  I'm up and moving now, so I anticipate the nausea will follow. 

Favorite thing I ate today:  Last night it was my night to cook.  Mike and I combined forces and we made Lemon Pepper Panko Crusted Chicken, tortellinis with Alfredo sauce and beans with almonds.  It was so good!  I had some leftover chicken today and it was just as delicious as it was last night.  :)

Mood:  Because I've been really lazy today, my mood has been normal.  I haven't felt too sad or too happy, and so I've appreciated the lack of ups and downs.  Now that I'm up and moving, I think I had better eat something so I don't get crabby.  ;)

Worried about:  I'm a little worried about work this week.  I've had a lot time off to relax and get re-charged... so I'm worried that I won't be used to the pace that this week is going to bring.  I'm just going to stay really positive and focus on getting through each day.  I just need to make sure I'm eating and getting enough sleep.

Excited for:  I do have some exciting news about job-related stuff.  I got an interview for a position I've really wanted for a long time.  It's on Tuesday, so I'll be sure to blog about how it goes.  I'm very excited to have a chance to show what I can do, and to talk about my passion behind this particular type of work.  Oh, I hope, I hope!!

Pregnancy + Sick = Bad News Bears

I normally post every day, but this past week I've been really sick.  :(  I've got the next 4 days off, so I'll definitely try and blog over the holidays.  

I got a lot of great feedback after posting my initial announcement to the limited number of people on FaceBook.  I got a lot of blog views, and a bunch of people who commented on the post.  It made me feel good to know that I have so much support.

So, about being sick... I always have a very dull headache due to hormones.  The headache usually gets worse if I haven't slept much or if I'm getting hungry.  It comes along with nausea and so if I don't eat at the right time, it gets worse.  I hadn't slept well on Sunday night through Tuesday night.  I scheduled myself to work from home on Wednesday because I didn't have any meetings in office.

As I was working comfortably from my office couch on Wednesday morning, I noticed that my headache was getting worse than normal, and I was feeling a bit congested.  I brushed it off as nothing because congestion comes and goes for me.  By Wednesday afternoon, I started feeling dizzy, and my back was throbbing.  I decided to log off a couple of hours early (I let my boss know) and go try and sleep.

I got into bed and I started having chills really bad, and so I plugged in the heating pad.  It was nice to get a nap and warm up.

A few hours later, I woke up with the worst headache of my life and a terrible backache.  I was worried about the backache because that combined with cramping (which I didn't have) can be a sign of the beginning of miscarriage.

Fast forward to Thursday morning.  I woke up very sick and had congestion like crazy.  Because I'd slept on my heating pad, it helped my back a bit.  I had to call in sick because there was no way I could go to work.

I stayed in bed most of the day on Thursday.  Arthur had the day off, which was nice for him.

I had to go back to work on Friday, because I had a mandatory 2 hour meeting that I had to run and my team's Christmas party.  I wanted to go to that, so I really pushed myself to get up and get going.  I got to work by 9:00 AM.  Barely.  My cough was so bad, I had to pull over a few times on the highway to cough a bunch before I could drive again.  Ugh!

At work I was in a daze.  I don't remember much of the meeting at all.  I do remember that my boss gave everyone on the team a gift, and I got a great present from my friend Ashley.  She gave me a funny Awkward Family Photos (siblings edition) puzzle, and my first gender neutral baby outfits!  When I say first, I mean the first from someone that's not me.  :)

One was a onesie pack of 3, with tan, white and yellow.  The white one has a super cute little duck on it, and the yellow one has a brown and yellow print on it.  The one on the left is footie pajamas with a hat.  The hat, it's the cutest part.  Arthur loved them as well.  :)  They're hanging in my office closet with some of the other stuff that Arthur and I bought (even before we were pregnant...)

Anyhoo, work was done by 12:30 PM and so I went with my team for our Christmas party lunch.  We went to the Olive Garden.  I was so sick before I went in.  I sat in my car and just coughed for like 5 minutes straight because I knew that coughing in a public place like that wouldn't fly with strangers.

I ordered my food (Chicken Parmesan) and was a zombie the whole time.  I had a few coughing fits, but made it through alive.  When the check was signed, I was OUT OF THERE.  I couldn't stand to be sitting up anymore.  I was worried about the drive home because of how I was feeling.  But, I made it home.  I don't remember the drive, but I know I ended up in my bed about 45 minutes later.  I slept until it was time for the Christmas party at our house.

We had Arthur's family over for the "Festivus for the Rest of Us".  It's a knockoff from Seinfeld.  We ate sandwiches and treats, and played games, including a gift exchange.  I was in bed most of the night.  I felt so bad because Arthur's family was so nice to me and no one was frustrated that I didn't socialize much.  I also felt bad because Arthur worked from early in the morning on Friday until his family got there at 7 on getting ready for the party.  He cleaned the whole house (every room, including my office) and prepared the meal.  I did nothing but lay in bed.  :(

Last night after everyone left, Mike gave me some TheraFlu.  I drank it so fast.  Within minutes I started feeling drowsy and so I was able to sleep.  I woke up this morning feeling a bit better.  My temperature was down (from 100 the night before) to 97.9.  I was so grateful for that!

Arthur woke up sick, unfortunately... so he is going to go through all this tomorrow through Christmas, probably.  I feel really bad for him, and I understand.  I'm going to do what I can to make it up to him for all of the hard work he put in while I was sick.  :)

Tonight, I'm feeling fair.  My cough has gotten significantly better.  I continue to have a few violent coughing fits, and it hurts pretty bad when I do.  The worst thing right now is my congestion.  The good news in all of this:  It's masked my pregnancy symptoms, so I haven't really dealt with (or cared much about) nausea or anything else.  Amazing!

How far along:  11 weeks, 2 days
How much time left:  28 Weeks, 5 days
Top two symptoms:  Pregnancy related...exhaustion.  Cold related?  Congestion.  I can't WAIT to breathe normally again. 

Favorite thing I ate today:  A Kraft Mac and Cheese bucket.  It was so good. 

Mood:  My mood was normal.  Not as grumpy as I've been over the past 4 days or so. 

Worried about:  Not feeling well enough to get the house clean before Christmas.  I hope I feel like a rockstar tomorrow. 

Excited for:  CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank Goodness It's.....

FRIDAY!!!

Finally.  The week is over.  This has been a very long week.  I had a couple of really bad days and a couple of ok days.  I think I would classify today as an ok day. 

I got to work around 8:30 and I started working as soon as I sat down.  I was busy the entire day!  I had to prepare a bunch of stuff because I was going to be out of the office all next week for California.  Hurrayyyyyy!

I had lunch with two really great friends, Terri and Chet.  We went to Thai food and I had the lunch special.  Terri was kind enough to pay, which was so nice. 

I learned that the Social Media position that I'm interested in is going to be posted next week, and I'm excited to apply. 

Tonight I'm craving mashed potatoes so Arthur is making some.  Also, a pizza.  He got a weird frozen pizza in the mail from a survey company.  He's supposed to try cooking and tell them what he thinks.  I'm excited for the potatoes.  ;)

Tomorrow is get ready for trip day.  I will, however, be sleeping in.  I don't think I can deal with another 5:00 AM wakeup day.  Ugh!

How far along:  8 weeks, 1 day
How much time left:  31 weeks, 6 days
Top two symptoms:  Headache and Exhaustion.  My nausea was under control today because I really tried to keep my stomach half-full.  The headache was really bad before lunch, so I tried to eat some chocolate before I headed out.  It seemed to help. 

Favorite thing I ate today:  Tom Ka soup from the Thai restaurant.  It is a coconut milk soup, and I had it with some Jasmine rice.  Soo good!

Mood:  My mood today was good to great.  There were a few times during the day that I was super exhausted, but I tried to stay as happy as I could.

Worried about:  A few things.  The workload when I get back from vacation and being comfortable on the ride to and back from California.  I hope I can have a chance to get out and walk on the drive.  My legs will go crazy!!

Excited for:  Not thinking about work for a whole week.  :)

Wednesday "Friday"

Three day work week!  Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I get the day after off, it's a short work week.  I worked from home this morning and this afternoon I'm going to help Arthur go shopping for food for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner since we're having it at our house.  I'm really excited for the food! 

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday.  It was a pretty normal day, nothing out of the ordinary.  The good news was that my headache didn't bug me at all during the day, probably because I was able to eat some chocolate and keep it under control.  I still didn't take the medication that was prescribed to me, since I really haven't needed it.  I'm pretty proud of myself for powering through it and keeping my mind focused on the positive.

I found out this morning that I didn't get the job.  I am ok with it, because I was really stressed about how I would have balanced maternity leave with this really stressful position.  I feel like my preparation was not like I would have liked it to be, and I think my stress may have shown through.  It's ok.  I'm going to focus on the positive side, that I didn't have to make a decision and that I can look forward to other opportunities that come up in the next few months.  I can also stop stressing about how I would work a new job against my upcoming December schedule.  It would have been crazy!  I really do like what I do and I'm sad that I feel like I have to look for something different.  But unfortunately, I do.

How far along:  6 Weeks, 6 days - 7 weeks tomorrow!!
How much time left:  33 weeks, 1 day
Top two symptoms:  Terrible, horrible, no good bloating and nausea.  It's dumb that as soon as my headache went away that the bloating dropped in.  Ugh!!!

Favorite thing I ate today:  A tomato!  With salt!  It was so good!

Mood:  Normal.  A little annoyed at my bloating and a little frustrated that I didn't get the job, but overall - I'm ok. 

Worried about:  Getting my announcement stuff ready before tomorrow and Friday to let my family and Arthur's family know I'm pregnant.

Excited for:  Arthur's mom is coming over tonight and I'm excited to make pies with them.  I love to eat pie, I'm just not sure how much I will love making them!  I'm sure it will be a blast.  :) 

UnFunMonday

Happy Monday!  Today was really long.  I had a fairly relaxing weekend, and to have to get up and go back to work... it was tough.  I got to work around 8:00 and had a few meetings in the morning.  Around 9:30 or so, my head pressure issue was getting worse already for the day.  I chatted with my friend who suggested I just call my OB/GYN to see if I should be worried. 

When I called, the nurse said that it wasn't normal, and that I should be checked for high blood pressure.  She asked if I could come in today.  I told her I could take a long lunch, and that I could be there by 11.  She was able to get me in, no problem. 

I left work around 10:15 to get there by 11.  When I checked in, they told me to pee in a cup.  I guess they wanted to see if I really was pregnant.  After I did that, the nurse came in and said that I was pregnant.  It made me laugh, because obviously I know.  :)

She took my weight, I've gained about 10 pounds since I found out I was pregnant.  I think the weight gain is normal.  She said I shouldn't worry too much about it in the first trimester.

She also took my blood pressure and told me I was on the lower range of normal.  It felt good to hear that, knowing that my efforts to eat better had paid off since the last time I went in. 

She took me to another room and I waited for the Dr.  He came in and told me congratulations as well.  He asked me how my symptoms were and thanks to this blog, I was able to tell him exactly when I started to have the head pressure and nausea.  He said that since it wasn't my blood pressure, then it was probably the hormones.  He prescribed me with Fioricet, which is a mixture of caffeine, Tylenol and Butalbital, which is a barbiturate.  I have not been eating any chocolate, or having any caffeine of any kind, so it kind of scared me that he wanted me to take it.  I asked him if it's safe and he said yes.  He said that many pregnant women get headaches, and they take this medication and are just fine.  I am still weary and will only take it if it gets absolutely unbearable.  

After my appointment, I kept working through my daily stuff, and my boss came back from a Dr. Appointment as well.  She sat us all down and told us that she is also pregnant, 12 weeks along.  I'll be 7 weeks on Thursday.  It was interesting to see that she had kept it a secret all along, even when I told her that I was pregnant.  She feels it's bad luck to tell people that you're pregnant until you have a heartbeat.  I felt sort of dumb, mostly because I had been so quick to tell her.  But, I had to realize that everyone is different, and I needed to respect that.  Ultimately, I'm glad to have someone else to go through this with.

Because my Dr. told me at my appointment that it was ok to eat chocolate in limited amounts, I had a few Hershey's peppermint bark kisses.  It really helped!  I also had a bit of chocolate on my pumpkin pie tonight and I don't have any head pressure or pain tonight.  It's a miracle!!  Who would have thunk a little caffeine would help!??

How far along:  6 Weeks, 4 days
How much time left:  33 weeks, 3 days
Top two symptoms:  Exhaustion and Nausea.  Thank goodness the head stuff went away.   :)

Favorite thing I ate today:  Pumpkin Pie!  My little brother and his girlfriend made some for their Friendsgiving yesterday, and so I got to eat the leftovers.  So good!

Mood:  Until I got off of work, my mood was cranky.  Even with the good news of the low blood pressure.  Once I got off of work, I felt like I could disconnect and enjoy time at home. 

Worried about:  How I will handle my new ability to have chocolate.  I will have to be really careful and stay away from it if possible.  I will eat some to keep my headaches at bay, however.  ;)

Excited for:  I am excited for our ultrasound on December 14.  I'm looking forward to hearing our baby's heartbeat and knowing that everything is going well.  For now, I have to rely on my symptoms and the fact that my period still hasn't started.  Phew!!

Monday, Monday

Today was definitely a Monday.  I struggled with feeling awake today.  I didn't have too much of a stressful day, but the stressful parts were very stressful. 

I get to work every day at 7:15 AM and I work until 6:00 PM (or later), Monday through Thursday.  I usually work a 7 hour day on Fridays.  So, that equals out to be 50+ hours a week.  I do this because I carpool with Arthur every  morning and it doesn't make sense for us to drive separately an hour apart in the morning.  So, I get up and get ready and leave the house with Arthur at 6:45 every morning.  I usually wake up around 4:45 - 5:00 AM every morning. 

So, this means that I work more hours than anyone on my team.  It's my own choice... but sometimes I just get so tired of being there before anyone else and leaving after everyone is gone.  But - I know that the long hours will eventually get recognized.  Maybe. 

After work today, Arthur and I went to his niece's birthday party at Subway.  Arthur's mom works at Subway, and she made my sandwich.  She put extra meat and extra cheese on my sandwich.  It was so delicious!!!!

Overall, today was an ok day.  I'm looking forward to bedtime and a back scratch.  :)

How far along:  4 weeks, 4 days
How much time left:  35 weeks, 3 days
Top two symptoms:  Exhaustion and foggy brain

Favorite thing I ate today:  Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki.  Deliciousssssss.

Mood:  My brain felt like it was in a fog today and I kept triple-checking my work.  I hate feeling like I'm missing something. 

Worried about: Thank goodness, I've been keeping a close eye on this infection and I think it's going away.  I have been avoiding sugar and fruit and breads of most types for 2 days.  I know that those foods can exacerbate a yeast infection... so I've had to cut way back.  It sucks not being able to eat chocolate (caffeine), sugar (YI), bread (YI), soda (caffeine, YI) or any other of the delicious things I love to eat that I'm trying to cut out.  I know that this is worth it though.  I'm not complaining in any way - I'm just noting that this thing requires a lot of sacrifices that I wasn't betting on going into it.  Don't get me wrong, I'd take a lifelong yeast infection just to have this chance to be a mom.

Excited for:  Last night I was reading about Postpartum Depression and some of the remedies that are out there for it.  This caused me to think of different things that I would want to do to avoid it.  I kept thinking about holding my baby close and feeling connected with them.  I got to do this with Brielle when she was only a week old.  I went up to visit my sister and she let me lay with Brielle on my chest after she had eaten, and it definitely created a forever bond between us.  I am confident that doing this with my own baby will help me feel more connected.  I'm excited to hold them.  *sigh*

The End of the Beginning

I titled this entry "The End of the Beginning" because this is the end of the first week of knowing that I'm pregnant.  The fact that I got through the first week is amazing to me.

Today was a very long Friday.  I woke up early and had to be to work early.  That is tough on a Friday.  I had back-to-back meetings all day and I was just really looking forward to coming home and decorating the family Christmas tree with Arthur.

After work, I drove home and met up with Arthur.  He had to deliver a birthday cake that he made for his niece, so we had to go back out.  We delivered it and then went to Babies R Us.

It was really fun looking at the cribs and the clothes and different accessories.  We didn't buy anything, we were just browsing.  We both commented that we can't wait to find out the sex of the baby so we can start to buy stuff.  There is some unisex stuff, but most of it is either blue, green, pink or purple.  I need to have brown stuff, but haven't decided on a decor theme yet.

Pregnancy-wise today, I felt good.  Not too tired.  I find that if I lay down at any point during the day, I almost instantly fall asleep.  I have to try to remember to stay up and awake until it's actually bedtime.  :)

Tomorrow is going to be fun, Arthur and I are going to finish putting up and decorating the tree.  I love the cool breeze and the sunshine through the windows while we listen to Christmas music and hang ornaments.  It's one of my favorite moments of every year.  I usually do a lot of watching, but that's OK. 

How far along:  4 weeks, 1 day
How much time left:  35 weeks, 6 days
Top two symptoms:  Full/sensitive breasts and tired

Favorite thing I ate today:  Pizza Hut Bread Sticks.  OMG!!!!!

Mood:  Today I felt like I was not on the ball like I normally am.  I felt foggy and a bit disconnected.  I think it's because it was a Friday and I just didn't feel like working.  Overall, I was in a mediocre mood.  Not too happy and not too upset.  I'm finding more and more that it is easy pick out where the stress comes from in my life.  I need to avoid those areas and focus on the things that make me the most happy.  :)

Worried about: I stressed less about my period coming today than I normally do.  I think I worried about how I'm going to figure out telling my family on Thanksgiving.  We are going to be at our house this year so telling both families would make it pretty chaotic.  I wanted to keep it intimate, because I didn't know everyone was coming here.  We'll work it out, it will just have to take some bending from someone, somewhere.

Excited for:  Shopping online for baby stuff that I know I want, and not just stuff that is on display at Babies R Us.  I know that when I see the theme I want, I will grab it up.  I think I just need to know if I'm having a girl or a boy.  Sigh...

Lullaby

I usually blog in the morning when I'm first waking up, but today's routine was off because Arthur didn't have to work.  So, I was running a bit late so I didn't get a chance to sit down and record my thoughts.

Today was very, very busy.  I had a back-to-back day and I was (thankfully) able to get everything done.  I have been struggling with something pretty annoying, though and I needed to blog about it.

I am so worried that I will miscarry.  I know it's probably a slim chance, and that I'm probably over-worrying myself... but I think I spent too much time on message boards before I got pregnant reading over people posting stuff about it.  Things like, "I'm just now TTC after MC, and..." there were so many posts like that.  Every time I go to the bathroom, I worry that my period will come and that it will all be over.  I hate that I am dealing with this, and I wish it wasn't a concern in my brain.

I didn't really have any symptoms today, which was nice.  I appreciated that I was able to get through the day without being too hungry.  I think it's because I ate a big breakfast.

I think I am going to add favorite thing I ate today to the daily list.  

How far along:  4 weeks TODAY!!
How much time left:  36 weeks
Top two symptoms:  Tired and tired

Favorite thing I ate today:  Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki sandwich from Subway.  YUM!

Mood:  I was very serious today.  I think it's because my boss was distracted by something in staff meeting and the mood was very "off".  I emailed her and asked her what was wrong and she brushed me off and told me it was nothing.  Oh, well - you can't please them all.  Other than that, I felt accomplished because I got everything done.  I like feeling that way.  :)

Worried about:  Same as yesterday... that my period will come.  Ugh.

Excited for:  Holding my baby in my arms and singing to them.  I have always loved the song "Sov Gott" (Sleep Well) by Jewel.  I've posted the song below with the Swedish lyrics.  It's a Swedish lullaby song about a wolf and a dolphin who fall in love.  The message I get from the song is that two completely different beings can come together and still share something as simple as love.

   

Swedish Lyrics: Sov gott, vackra delfin Sov gott, jag vita varg Vi har kärlek för varandra För varandra För alltid Sov gott, vackra delfin Sov gott, jag vita varg Vi har kärlek för varandra För varandra För alltid Sov gott Sov gott, jag vita varg Morgonen vaknar Då kysser vi Kysser vi, Kysser vi, Sov gott Sov gott, för alltid Sov gott, vackra delfin Sov gott, jag vita varg Vi har kärlek för varandra För varandra, för alltid Sov gott Sov gott, jag vita varg Morgonen vaknar Då kysser vi, Då kysser vi, för alltid Då kysser vi, för alltid Sov gott Sov gott Sov gott

English lyrics: Sleep well, beautiful dolphin Sleep well, white wolf We have love for each other For each other Forever Sleep well, beautiful dolphin Sleep well, white wolf We have love for each other For each other Forever Sleep well, Sleep well, white wolf Morning wakes Then we kiss We kiss, we kiss Sleep well Sleep well, forever Sleep well, beautiful dolphin Sleep well, white wolf We have love for each other For each other, forever Sleep well Sleep well, white wolf Morning wakes Then we kiss Then we kiss, forever Then we kiss, forever Sleep well Sleep well Sleep well

Breakfast as a Pregnant Lady

Good morning!

Here we are, day 2 waking up as a pregnant lady.  Today I woke up and wasn't extra hungry, and didn't feel sick.  I hear that morning sickness starts at about 6 weeks.  I'm only considered 3 weeks and 4 days.  So, I know that I need to take advantage of good breakfast while I still can.  :)

I made an open-faced breakfast sandwich with 2 eggs over hard, cheese, and fake sausage.  The fake sausage is Morningstar, it's made from soy.  I think they taste better than real sausage and they're healthier too.

 

Yesterday was ok, I am finding that I am extra grumpy and in a fog after 9 PM (or so).  We tried to watch Dexter, but I fell asleep after about 10 minutes into it.  I kept telling Arthur and my brother not to delete it because I didn't want to miss the episode.  I'll have to watch it tonight.

Today I am going to tell my boss that I'm pregnant so I can move my sabbatical to next year.  I originally moved it forward to happen in December.  I was looking forward to having a month and two weeks off (with all of the holidays).  But, I'm willing to sacrifice the time and hold onto the extra month to happen after my maternity leave.  That way, I'll get an extra month to extend it and I'll get 3 months off instead of 2.  I'm sure that's what I'd prefer to do instead of coming back to work right after maternity leave.

I think before I close each entry, I write something that I'm excited for.  I'm excited to be able to have my own kid for Halloween, and dress them up in ridiculous costumes.  :)

I think that's all for today.  I'll write more later, or tomorrow.  Adios!

More Symptoms on Day 2!

Today is the day after I found out that I'm expecting.  Today, I am in a good mood, which is nice.  I am a little tired, but mostly I am crampy and my back hurts.  I was really hungry earlier in the day but now I'm less hungry.

I talked to two of my close friends today about my pregnancy.  The only reason I felt comfortable telling them is because I have been discussing the whole trying to conceive thing with them for like a year.  I need to be able to talk to someone aside from Arthur so I feel less insane when something comes up that I need to talk about.  So far the response has been very positive and excited for me.  I feel somewhat sad because they are both still trying, but I wish I could communicate to them that their time will come.  What doesn't change about their situations is that both of them are ready and willing to love a baby, whether it comes from inside of them or not.  That is what is constant and unchanging.  I tried to reaffirm that to them multiple times while we were discussing earlier in the year and hopefully they still understand that.

In other news, we're going to my family's house today to celebrate Halloween.  I'm excited to see the costumes of the kids.  I want to take a million pictures.

I am still not ready to tell anyone outside of the select few because I'm not ready to deal with telling everyone if the pregnancy doesn't work out.

Lastly, I took one more test this morning just to triple-check (literally) that I really am pregnant.  And, it came out positive.  So, 3 out of 3 must be good, right?  :)

Tomorrow will be my first day back to work knowing that I'm definitely pregnant.  We'll see how I do...  More again tomorrow.